Succession Planning should be a Selfish Motive for CIOs (2 Nov 2012)

Succession planning has been talked a lot as a subject of importance in companies and technology departments for many years. Though it is a fundamental activity within every corporate function, there have not been many instances where CIOs have made efforts to prepare a well chartered succession plan. 

It really comes as a surprise, especially in these times when CIOs are moving into business and strategy roles. The pitfalls of not having a succession plan in place can have a major impact on business continuity as IT today has become a critical part for most of our businesses.

At Mahindra Finance, we have ensured through our various initiatives to nurture our IT workforce and make them ready for the next level.

For example, we have divided our IT division into various zones within the country, and appointed zonal IT heads to carry out various IT initiatives. For example, the IT head in one zone can carry out the execution of a document management system; another IT leader can handle information security in a different region, and so on. However, for strategic decision making, the team can seek my opinion.

Earlier, our head office in Mumbai would conduct all these activities. By dividing our IT team into regions, we have given our team members the responsibility to handle multiple projects with confidence. My purpose has been to create many CIOs within the company, and make myself available for other roles. Such initiatives also provide immense confidence to the management.

Among other things, I personally feel there are two very important qualities that one should look for in these future leaders. One is the personal effectiveness of the person you wish to groom, and second is the ability of the individual to take up transformational roles outside their typical comfort zones. 

Succession planning becomes a selfish motive for CIOs because if they intend to play a larger role in the organizational dynamics at the board level etc., they need to be fully assured that the people working under them are equipped, and can stand in for them when the need arises.