Learning to grow our own: A study of succession planning at Douglas College (British Columbia).

摘要

Continual change in post-secondary environments, combined with a looming retirement exodus of formal and executive leaders, have encouraged progressive colleges and university-colleges to plan for human resource needs in the near future. Yet, few post-secondary institutions invest resources in leadership development for employees. This inquiry explores the most significant learning of faculty coordinators and deans at Douglas College through structured, in-depth interviews. It revealed that succession planning efforts need to combine strategic planning with human resources that incorporate a learning in context approach toward leadership development. People who are concerned with sustaining leadership capacity in the wake of a declining skilled workforce will discover that significant knowledge, skills and abilities are not learned through traditional classroom training alone; many creative approaches exist for current leaders to share their expertise with up-and-coming leaders, which provide greater benefits to employees and employers alike.