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Weekly UpdatesThe City of Plano, Texas, was confronting a problem that many jurisdictions face--planning an orderly transition to the city's next generation of leaders. A pending wave of retirements, combined with a lack of focused preparation, threatened to create challenges and potential performance gaps. To address this situation, the city implemented a comprehensive succession planning program, known as the Management Preparation Program of Plano ([MP.sup.3]), to help employees meet high performance standards. The goal of [MP.sup.3] is to anticipate changing needs and make sure the City of Plano remains a high-performance organization.
SHIFTING GEARS
By the late 1990s, it was apparent that Plano was no longer a growing community. The city had reached maturity, and it was time to shift gears. Not wanting to test the notion that one of the best predictors of future failure is past success, Plano embarked on a methodical journey to ensure it would always have capable, qualified employees to consistently provide the level of service to which Plano citizens were accustomed.
In 2001, a review of Plano's workforce indicated that 46 percent of the management team would be eligible to retire by 2006, and 70 percent would be eligible by 2010. The numbers were sobering, especially since there was no system in place to guide a transition process. Seeing the urgency of the situation, the city manager asked the Human Resources Department to find out about succession planning.
This in-depth research project began by asking the following questions:
* What are the strategic objectives of the organization, now and for the future?
* What are the strengths and weaknesses of the organization's culture?
* What changes, if any, are needed to continually improve the work environment?
* What executive and leadership competencies will be required to help the city succeed in the future?
* What assessment methods will help identify management candidates and develop systematic training?
* What tools are useful for evaluating program results?
After reviewing succession-planning models in both public- and private-sector organizations, Plano developed and customized a program to meet its specific professional development needs. Nine months later, the [MP.sup.3] was introduced. The three-phase, multidimensional program improves managers' cognitive and leadership skills while preparing them to perform successfully in next-level positions as they become available. Rather than risking service gaps as more managers retire, Plano has ensured performance continuity by preparing the right people to be in the right places at the right times.
HOW IT WORKS
Application Phase. The first step is the application process. Employees can submit applications on their own, or their names may be submitted by the city manager or an executive director. To help interested employees decide whether [MP.sup.3] is the program for them, they are invited to attend "lunch and learn" sessions to discuss program details and have questions answered by the program director and graduates. The succession planning team screens all applications, determining which candidates will move on to the next phase of the program. The team looks for evidence of increasing levels of responsibility and strength in leadership qualities such as communication, decision making, dependability, flexibility, innovation, and judgment. In addition, applicants and their supervisors are asked to assess the employee's skills, knowledge, and abilities
Assessment Phase. The assessment phase involves a more practical determination of whether employees are ready to successfully deal with the challenges that would be presented by moving into higher-level positions. Employees often seek promotions for the increased status and salary, but [MP.sup.3] highlights the changing skill sets needed at different levels of responsibility. Technically proficient employees who are promoted to managerial positions do not always succeed, perhaps because technical competence does not necessarily translate into interpersonal competence. To ensure a fit between skill sets and position requirements, [MP.sup.3] candidates take part in full-day assessments, participating in exercises written to next-level position requirements. These include in-basket exercises, leaderless group discussions, and opportunities to resolve conflict through communication. Participants are evaluated by experts from other public- and private-sector organizations to preserve objectivity. These experts provide the succession planning team with detailed evaluations, which they use in making selections. The candidates and their immediate supervisors must also submit competency evaluations. The process begins in July and is completed by November. Candidates are notified of selections, and the next phase--development--begins in January of the following year. The program receives an average of 25 applications a year. From this pool, 10 to 15 employees are selected to proceed to the assessment phase, and 4 to 10 employees are selected as participants.
Development Phase. The development phase is where the participants' work truly begins--and continues. An atmosphere of camaraderie promotes open communication, intensive learning, generation of previously untapped ideas, and encouragement of synergy that will continue beyond the 12-month development phase. Participants must complete 300 hours of work for the [MP.sup.3] curriculum, in addition to their normal work assignments, so successfully completing the program requires commitment and engagement. The basic curriculum was developed by the human resources director and the program consultant. A major component of the participants' work is a group project: Under the direction of the program director, the group researches a topic and presents recommendations to the mayor, city council, and executive directors for implementation. The curriculum is challenging, reflecting the realities of excelling in a rapidly changing and demanding environment.
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The program's approach to learning is illustrated in Exhibit 1. As the program has evolved, the learning approach has been expanded. Mentoring circles provide an opportunity for peer-to-peer discussion. In the Issues Forum series, which is open to members of executive team and [MP.sup.3] participants, experts on topics pertinent to municipal government are brought in each month to stimulate conversations that will help build a broader perspective. Dialogues with other departments help participants to break out of their own "silos" and gain an in-depth understanding of the relationships between departments other than their own.
OUTCOMES
MP3 has been effective in developing internal talent and implementing a succession program. [MP.sup.3] has been a "go-to" group for the city. For example, two of the program participants led the effort to resettle the influx of Hurricane Katrina evacuees who came to Plano. Because of their experience working together on the group project, these employees were aware of their strengths and what departments would be needed to help face the challenge. They were able to provide a unified and organized approach to successfully managing the city's Katrina Hurricane Housing Response Initiative. Participants promoted into next-level positions have proven to be well-prepared to meet the demands they have faced.
The program has achieved its success without requiring large financial expenditures. A consultant, already engaged with Plano, agreed to develop content for the curriculum and to teach the classes. One year later, the consultant agreed to serve as program director at no additional cost to the city. By 2004, after the program had obtained the credibility hoped for, the city decided to take all its eggs out of the same basket and hire other subject matter experts to assist with curriculum instruction. At this point, the city decided to dedicate funds to cover expenses, including group project development.
Group project research on topics such as "Strategy for the Future," "Concept of Sustainability," and "Preparing for an Aging Population in Plano" have produced quality recommendations and processes. As a result of one project, Plano created a department of sustainability that has moved the city to the forefront of "living green." The city is also taking steps are to meet the needs of the changing senior demographic.
As with any successful initiative, there have been both expected and unanticipated outcomes. The program's unanticipated benefits include:
* Enhanced communication throughout the organization and between departments.
* Group projects resulting in long-term process improvements.
* Availability of work teams (cohorts) to work as consultants to the organization from concept to completion.
* Introduction of monthly Mentoring Circles and Issues Forums. The program's approach to learning initially centered on seminar instruction, coaching, and dialogues, but there appeared to be a need to continue the dialogues beyond the one-year program. The Mentoring Circles and Issues Forums were formed as an opportunity for program graduates to continue their development and share ideas and executive-level information. These two aspects were expanded to include the city's executive team.
* Addition of a Department of Sustainability and plans for Plano to "Go Green."
* Introduction of a mentoring program in the Parks and Recreation Department. The parks and recreation director, a leading development coach with [MP.sup.3] since the program's inception, implemented this idea as a result of his work with the program.
* Development and implementation of a more accountable and educational program for integrating new employees, the result of an [MP.sup.3] group project.
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