High Potential
…is any individual judged to have high performance and high potential (may also include boxes 7 and 8 on the Performance-Potential Matrix). This designation of high potential cuts across all levels in the organization. Within this broad category of high potential there are individuals who are “accelerators”.
Accelerators
…are employees who are High Potential and considered longer-term candidates for very senior level positions in the company. There are three levels of accelerators:
ET Accelerator: Employee demonstrates the potential to be an ET member within 6-10 years.
MAC Accelerator: Employee demonstrates the potential to be MAC member within 6-10 years.
MAC-Direct Accelerator: Employee demonstrates the potential to be in a role that reports directly to a MAC member in 6-10 years.
3. Creating Succession Plans
Managers assemble succession plans based partially on the aggregate Performance-Potential Matrix. That is, employees in the upper right corner of the matrix should be considered first for succession roles.
In the process of identifying successors, you will also need to assess successor readiness. Succession plans focus on individuals identified as
Ready now for a role (up to 18 months)
Ready in two to three years
Ready in four to six years
Accelerators: those individuals identified as being ready for a role/level in six to 10 years
An important factor to consider is duplication of candidates at the “Ready Now” level. Generally, it is best to minimize “ready now” duplicates wherever possible. Monsanto recommends that an employee should not appear on more than three succession plans as ready now. You may elect to base your decision about the specific plans on which an employee appears based on his/her career interests and their future long-term roles. You’ll need to consider what development the planned role provides as well.
4. Analyzing Succession Strength
HR performs succession strength calculations for each role to provide a method for identifying gaps in the organization where there may not be enough strong candidates available for a particular role.
The calculations yield Succession Strength Index scores:
The core Succession Strength Index Score considers all candidates on a succession plan and is weighted based on the readiness level of each candidate.
The adjusted Succession Strength Index Score only considers “ready now” candidates and adjusts for candidates who are on multiple succession plans as “ready now” candidates.