Succession Planning Strategies for Public Safety Agencies

Introduction

Public agencies concerned with safety are presently facing a crisis of leadership. Many experienced and skilled personnel in several communities are being encouraged to leave their departments due to incentives for early retirement. Moreover, many leaders in police departments are fast approaching retirement age. Consequently, there is a looming shortfall of leaders within these departments. It is estimated that from 2020 onward, the bulk of those in leadership positions in the United States will come from the millennial generation. Chief Dwayne Orrick, in an article appearing in Police Chief Magazine, was quoted as saying that across the country, many police departments are experiencing high rates of staff turnover, which leads to problems maintaining adequate staffing levels. This requires many law enforcement agencies to work harder to develop and maintain their cadre of future leaders.

Research indicates that several academies of public administration are doing very little to address this looming leadership crisis — and worse still, some reject the notion that such a crisis is impending. On the other hand, practitioners are making efforts to acquire enough training to ground them in leadership so that they can handle the leadership challenges they confront on a daily basis (Michelson, 2006).

Succession planning is a dynamic process that requires at least five years to produce a feasible plan. Because it is lengthy and involved, it is incumbent upon chiefs to disclose their retirement plans early enough. This requirement always presents difficulties for chiefs, although it is very essential for the department's organizational strength, according to Kreisler (Stelter, 2015). A point made in the March 2000 issue of Training and Development (as cited in Withrow, 2001) is that some agencies may have well-established succession plans. However, many concur that successful plans are customized and development-based, with emphasis on particular analysis of the specific organization's needs and components (Withrow, 2001).

This paper presents a review of past literature, an investigation and research into succession planning in public safety, and an evaluation and reflection on the results. The succession planning methods of a fire service agency have been chosen for in-depth profiling.

Literature Review

Rebecca Luhn Wolfe, Ph.D. (1996, as cited in Deadman, 2003), in the book entitled Systematic Succession Planning, takes a critical look at the leadership cycle. She argues that since employees are the greatest assets an organization can have at any level, an organization can only be as effective as its employees. In turn, employees are only as effective as the leaders who focus on, develop, and guide them. As a consequence, every organization should view its commitment to leadership as a continuously evolving and dynamic process. Her definition of succession planning is that it is a system through which an agency guarantees the continuity of leadership positions by designing activities that will enhance the talent of personnel from within the organization (p. 4) (Deadman, 2003).

Tropiano (2004, as cited in Murray, 2006), in the paper entitled Effectiveness of Succession Planning, explores the important components that should comprise a model for succession planning. Among many findings, it was revealed that some practitioners refer to succession planning as a deliberate, systematic, and strategic activity that guarantees an organization will have the capability to fill vacant positions in the future without favoritism or patronage. A vital aspect emphasized throughout the article is the desirability of integrity and commitment on the part of an organization's leadership and CEO, as these are integral to succession planning. Tropiano explained that, as the National Academy of Public Administration (NAPA) holds, the common denominator principle for managing leadership and succession issues is the need for top management to be deeply involved and personally committed (Murray, 2006).

In the article Succession Planning, Coleman (1988, as cited in Murray, 2006) examines the belief that fire departments develop positions that are heir-apparent in nature, essentially because their rank structure is pyramidal. This is based on the assumption that as one approaches the top, the most likely candidate to assume the responsibilities of the chief officer is the person immediately below her or him in the organization's leadership hierarchy. Coleman considers this assumption dangerous: if the person next in command is passed over due to nepotism or favoritism in choosing the next chief, the number-two officer who should have filled the position often becomes little more than a reflection of the existing administration's intent to preserve favoritism. A second shortcoming of this method is that the person assumed to be the heir is always perceived as an obstacle by those ranked lower than him or her (Murray, 2006).

Fire Service Agency Succession Planning Framework

It is essential to appreciate that succession plans will vary from organization to organization. Varying organizational designs, different attitudes, and various resources all mean that succession plans must be adaptable and flexible enough to attain business continuity and satisfy different needs. Nevertheless, a universal framework exists that departments can employ as a basic guide for structuring succession planning. This framework entails the following five steps.

Step 1 — Identifying Key Groups and Key Positions

The definitions of occupational group or key position vary, but the two most important criteria to consider are criticality and retention risk. A critical or key position is one which, if it fell vacant, would have a major effect on the organization's ability to carry on with normal activities. The significance of the effect could be evaluated in terms of operational efficiency, equipment operation, safety, public opinion, financial operations, and other factors. Retention risk refers to a position in which the departure of the current holder is forthcoming — for instance, due to mandatory retirement, its possibility, or historical turnover patterns. By evaluating these benchmarks on a low-to-high scale, an agency can predict which positions require short-term or long-term planning. As part of workforce planning, a gap analysis can also be a valuable tool for identifying major occupational groups or key areas (HR Policy and Planning Division: Public Service Secretariat, 2008).

Step 2 — Identifying Competencies

All employees filling certain functions are expected to possess specific abilities and skills. Having a clear understanding of the level of competence needed for a given job is an essential element of personnel recruitment and serves as a general baseline for evaluating potential candidates. Succession plans provide ample opportunities for reviewing the skills and competencies commensurate with specific jobs, particularly with regard to present objectives and goals (HR Policy and Planning Division: Public Service Secretariat, 2008).

Step 3 — Identifying and Assessing Potential Candidates

The main purpose of assessing and identifying employees against core job competencies is to help focus and streamline their development and learning opportunities so that they are prepared for future responsibility within the organization. There is a danger of falling into a lopsided selection process if traditional approaches to succession planning are adopted — in which the organization identifies a major position and top management selects an individual with a high score for training preparation, sometimes notifying that employee privately about their prospects for advancement. This approach lacks transparency and can negatively affect the morale of other employees, including the individual earmarked for promotion, as well as their relationship with management.

Contemporary methods of succession planning emphasize that accountability and transparency represent best organizational practice. Although recruitment in the public sector is founded on respect, fairness, and merit, these principles must also be upheld throughout the succession planning process (HR Policy and Planning Division: Public Service Secretariat, 2008).

Step 4 — Learning and Development Plans

After identifying suitable candidates based on their potential and interest in key positions, it is the organization's responsibility to ensure that such employees have easy access to targeted developmental opportunities and learning processes (HR Policy and Planning Division: Public Service Secretariat, 2008).

Step 5 — Implementation and Evaluation

Examining the outcomes of succession plans helps guarantee the authenticity and validity of the process. After a succession plan is established, it is important to monitor its effectiveness and efficiency. Every succession plan should therefore be developed within a framework that permits evaluation, so that progress and success can be measured and evidence gathered in support of any necessary changes to the process (HR Policy and Planning Division: Public Service Secretariat, 2008).

Conclusion

Leadership ability alone does not encompass the full range of knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to administer today's fire service organization. Drawing on an experiential learning process, Ronald Coleman (1988, as cited in Murray, 2006) suggested that future organizational leaders must be exposed to all aspects of the job throughout their careers. Over time, this exposure allows them to develop and internalize the administrative skills necessary for advancing into higher positions (Deadman, 2003).

Bibliography

Deadman, D. (2003). Developing the Potential Future Leaders of the Birmingham Fire Department. Michigan.

HR Policy and Planning Division: Public Service Secretariat. (2008). Succession Planning and Management Guide. Newfoundland and Labrador: Government of Newfoundland and Labrador.

Michelson, R. (2006, June 6). Preparing future leaders for tomorrow: Succession planning for police leadership. International Association of Chiefs of Police, 73(6).

Murray, P. S. (2006). Preparing for the future: Succession planning for the Hudson, New Hampshire Fire Department. Hudson.

Stelter, L. (2015, March 10). Strengthen your agency by planning for your replacement. Retrieved from http://inpublicsafety.com/2015/03/strengthen-your-agency-by-planning-for-your-replacement/

Withrow, J. D. (2001). Succession planning: Reflecting on university police departments in Florida. Tampa: USFPD.