Succession Planning Gives Women a Shot at Leadership

Abstract

Impending retirements are poised to change the landscape of academic executive leadership. The American Council of Education's 2007 report The American College President warned that more than half of sitting presidents are 61 years or older. And those likely to succeed the current executive aren't any younger. The upcoming leadership vacuum offers a great chance to fill the open positions with women and minorities. A panel at the College and University Professional Association for Human Resources held in Las Vegas in October 2009 discussed the value of succession planning. On the panel were Dr. Beverly Edwards, executive director of human resources, learning resources and education at the University of Pennsylvania; Peter Barnes, Jr., VP for human resources at Emory University in Georgia and Charlotte Fugett, president of Pima Community College East Campus in Arizona. The ACE study found that of sitting presidents, 61% came from senior administration and 13% from outside higher education. Only 21% had been CEOs at another school and just 4% were faculty members or department chairs. Of first-time presidents, 40% had been chief academic officer/provost, 16% were other academic officers, 23% were officers in non-academic departments, 17% came from outside higher education and 5% were faculty chairs. If more than half the current presidents came from senior administration, the best talent pipeline to executive leadership lies within the individual schools, said Fugett. And it's the responsibility of the human resources department to “maintain, nurture and upgrade the pipeline.” For many who've been in academia all their professional careers, there's the argument: “What if we train them and they leave?” Is that worse than: “What if we don't train them and they stay?” Varied experiences can prevent schools and leaders from remaining static. Penn's relatively unique characteristics define its approach to talent management, said Edwards. The largest private employer in Philadelphia with 20,000 employees, Penn is also the only Ivy League school with 12 contiguous schools on one campus. Each separate entity manages its own budget under a responsibility-centered management budget model. Hiring occurs at the “local” level, not the “global” level. Hiring “locally” means each school is responsible for its own talent management rather than running all recruitment and hiring through one office. As a result, Penn focuses more on the individual, providing her with the opportunities for professional development and growth. “We don't do succession planning or career pathing like you see elsewhere,” said Edwards. “Our approach is to empower employees and support them in every way we can.” This flexibility helps women who may need to stop out for a time due to family responsibilities. Most professional development opportunities come out of Edwards' office, although the financial, technology and safety/compliance training are administered through other departments. Penn offers three cohort-based programs, each designed for a particular group of employees. [email protected] is a proprietary program that helps to fill the executive leadership pipeline as well as support administrators in their development of a more comprehensive understanding of the school. Cohort members identify more with Penn and its mission after finishing the program. The intensive, one-year program has three components: the workshop track, strategic projects and individual development. The workshop track builds competencies needed to succeed in leadership and management roles at Penn, such as vision, intellectual curiosity, comprehensive communication skills and effective management of human capital. Participants are also expected to develop an “achievement orientation.” In the strategic projects track, they work on projects relevant to Penn. During the individual development track, participants commit to an individual development plan with feedback from a 360-degree survey process, self-assessments, goal setting and one-on-one coaching sessions. “What we were attempting to do was to build a program in-house and tie it to leadership competencies necessary for success at Penn,” Edwards said. Those who've gone through the program, including Edwards, have built a network that enables work to get done more efficiently. Essentials of Management is open to anyone who manages people at the school. Featuring classroom sessions, online learning, 360-degree feedback and follow-up with an executive coach, the program covers a variety of topics including recruiting, interviewing and hiring and understanding higher education. The cohort certificate for administrative professionals emphasizes writing skills and helps to build competencies that increase both productivity and job satisfaction. The school also provides a career coach, monthly lunchtime workshops on careers and employee access to a computer for resume writing and internal job searches. The career coach offers practical advice while respecting client confidentiality. More than 1,000 employees have taken advantage of the coaching, building their skill sets, advancing their careers and “laying the groundwork” for potential opportunities. Penn also has a formal, six-month mentoring program, [email protected] that matches mentees with mentors outside of their department. Department chairs run a separate development program for faculty. Mid-career faculty with leadership goals can participate in Penn Fellows, a cohort program providing networking opportunities that's intended to encourage interest in leadership opportunities. All the Penn programs send the same message: You need to keep your skills current because the school wants to help you grow and find your next job with Penn. “The consistent message that we send to staff is ‘You are responsible for your own career and we will support you in your career development,’” said Edwards. Like Penn, Emory has also developed a leadership curriculum to fill and enhance the abilities of those in its administrative pipeline. “We're the only school in the nation to have a full scope of coursework and leadership curriculum,” said Barnes. Emory's pyramidal Leadership Pipeline Model begins by building informal and emerging leaders at the bottom and progresses through “people leader” (think manager) and operational leadership until it hits strategic leadership at the peak. The curriculum begins with front-line supervisors and works its way up to executives in the Excellence through Leadership (ETL) program. Participation in the nine-month ETL program is by nomination only. Nominations tend to come from deans, VPs or executive VPs. Selection criteria focus on ethnic and gender diversity and the number of years at Emory. ETL's focus is on directors with potential who may move laterally or up in the school. Coursework in finance, strategic planning and thinking, marketing and oral presentations is provided by faculty in the Goizueta School of Business. Participants meet two or three consecutive days several times a month. This particular curriculum also includes a 360-degree component. Participants complete a capstone project that benefits Emory. Each project has an executive sponsor to coach and provide guidance and, in some cases, to critique. While ETL represents a significant commitment of time and money by the school, its message is loud and clear. “It is Emory saying you matter to us as a leader,” said Barnes. Emory provides a similar professional development program for faculty in its Academic Leadership Program. The curriculum in each program focuses on personal development and professional growth and grew out of the school's strategic plan. “We discovered that not much higher education leadership was taking place and in the near future a lot of established leaders will retire,” he explained. “We would be competing for the same leaders in an environment where others would be going after the same ones.” Emory's solution to the upcoming leadership void was to grow their own. “For us it makes sense,” Barnes added. “If we develop our own leaders, we know their strengths. We can put them in a position that's a good fit for them.” Participants are promised that any new position will play to their strengths. So far, some 50 Emory employees—half women—have been through the ETL program. The school has retained 91% of them and 16% have already earned promotions. Leadership development is not confined to four-year schools. Pima Community College has a vision to “provide access to learning without the limits of time, place or distance with the goal of developing its community through learning.” It uses professional development programs that combine theory with a practical component and real world experience. Pima has six campuses, five education centers, a district office and 124 teaching locations offering its 73,740 students both credit and noncredit courses. The president serves as COO of one of the six campuses. Support for professional development comes from the top. The chancellor has a professional development committee that constantly evaluates the curriculum. A generous program of “reassignment time” enables employees to fill a position in an acting capacity while a search is being conducted or to participate in a job rotation. Professional development opportunities enhance the skill sets of those recruited from within and plug the gap in knowledge and skills from those recruited from outside of higher education. “There is no perfect career path,” said Fugett, who has advanced from human resources to executive VP of administration to president. On the faculty side, leaders are likely to have a knowledge gap in areas such as facilities, IT and security. Leaders from non-academic departments can lack an understanding of the promotion and tenure process. Leadership candidates recruited from outside of higher education have to learn both the academic and the institutional cultures as well as the importance of accreditation and the significance of financial aid. Professional development can address the gaps people bring to leadership regardless of where they came from. At Pima, the Administrative Leadership and Management Academy provides learning and support mechanisms for growing in-house leaders from the administrative ranks. The Department Chair Academy builds future leaders from instructional departments. Plans include an academy that focuses on leadership and innovation. The academies are one week workshops followed by a one year, self-paced online learning and a stint either as an acting administrator during a search or hands-on experience through a job rotation. The school also provides coaching and mentoring experiences. All professional development at Pima stems from the annual goals and evaluation process. Much like a tightrope walker who learns how to cross the rope safely with a harness and a safety net, these types of on-site, formal and intentional professional development opportunities help build skills and confidence. Women especially benefit from the knowledge and self-efficacy gained in programs that encourage experimentation and don't penalize failure. Remember that chance favors the prepared mind and luck is all about preparation and opportunity. With the large number of executive leadership positions soon to be vacant, schools that view leadership development as a college wide responsibility and develop programs to grow their own can reap benefits in fewer hiring mistakes and more employee satisfaction. Contacts: Edwards at [email protected] or 215.898.3400 Barnes at [email protected] or 404.727.0419 Fugett at [email protected] or 520.206.7619