CHICAGO, Dec. 13, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Very few situations impact every facet of an organization like a transition at the top. Its vision, values, culture and strategy can quickly come under question. Senior executives, managers, employees, shareholders and market share are all affected. This does not have to be a negative, however. Careful planning can minimize turmoil, initiate purposeful change, and create opportunities for innovation and growth. Without this thorough preparation, board members may find the disruption caused by a CEO changeover can take a damaging turn and derail the forward momentum of the operation.
For RHR International's new book, "Inside CEO Succession: The Essential Guide to Leadership Transition," Drs. Thomas J. Saporito and Paul C. Winum developed 10 Key Dimensions that must be managed well to ensure that organizations avoid the risks and reap the benefits of a CEO succession program guided by best practices. The list is the result of insights obtained from RHR's internal research studies combined with the authors' decades of personal experience consulting with board members and CEOs.
The previous edition of RHR International's thought leadership publication, Executive Insight, provided an overview of best practices for establishing a solid foundation for a successful succession program ("Inside CEO Succession: First Steps").
1. Board Ownership, Involvement and Oversight
2. Succession Time Frames
3. Preparing for Emergencies
Building on these guidelines, the latest issue ("Inside CEO Succession: Who, What, Where") presents a more detailed look at three additional elements boards need to address for a seamless chief executive transition.
4. Alignment on Strategy and Profile
5. Building the Talent Pipeline
6. Sourcing External Talent and Managing Search Firms
The last edition of the series, to be published next month, will feature suggestions on the remaining four dimensions.
7. Selecting the CEO
8. Proactively Managing the Transition
9. Measuring Performance and Improving Process
10. Managing the Dynamics in CEO Succession
Taken together, the guidelines outlined in this series of articles, and in greater detail in "Inside CEO Succession", provide a blueprint for successful CEO succession that board members will find invaluable when planning their programs.
ABOUT RHR INTERNATIONAL
We are a firm of management psychologists and consultants who work closely with top management to accelerate individual, team and business performance. We focus on four key areas of client need — Individual Assessment, Executive Development, Senior Team Effectiveness and CEO Succession. We have been proven difference-makers for more than 65 years, unique in our combination of top management focus, psychologists' perspective and high-level business acumen.
RHR International has offices in Belgium, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, Italy, Switzerland, United Kingdom and United States. The company is headquartered in Chicago, Ill. For more information, please visit www.rhrinternational.com or follow us on the RHR blog site, Twitter and Facebook.
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