Human factors management
- Facilitating mergers, and conducting organisational reviews
- Devising, reviewing and interpreting attitude and culture surveys
- Advising senior management on human capital and talent assurance issues
- Reviewing human resources policies, procedures and systems
- Developing and implementing continuity and succession planning systems
Case Study
In addition to services described in other case studies, a Continuity and Succession Planning case study follows.
By way of preamble, I managed the continuity and succession planning program (CSP) when at Standard Telephones and Cables, obtained a software program for a procedure when at Arthur Young Services, and specified a relational data base model that was computerised by my then partner in HRP Systems. The HRP CSP was marketed to HR Directors of large entities, and this case study is one of those implementations.
A large financial services group wanted to link CSP with their separate performance management system and their remuneration review process, both of which HRP CSP could accommodate. It also linked to development planning and training management, so that progress against planned development could be tracked and managed.
The HR Director introduced and explained the CSP program to his senior team, and the consultants worked with that team to gather initial data about report lines, likely successors, potential, readiness to move, and development needs. The data was entered and the system installed. The consultants produced standard and special reports from the initial data, and together with the HR Director worked through them with senior managers. The learning value for the organisation was in those discussions with managers about their people, because the process took them through a logical and thorough review of their areas that enabled them to take actions to cover gaps and make allowances for identified unknowns. The computerised system simply recorded their decisions, and allowed the data to be examined, analysed and reviewed by persons responsible for ensuring the entity had continuing access to the talent it needed.
The system continued in operation until overtaken by systems changes and IT developments.