Effective Succession Planning

Succession planning has emerged as an important issue as the world’s population ages under the dual impact of falling birth rates globally and improved healthcare. Neither is it easy to assume that young people will occupy traditional entry-level positions nor is it easy to fill positions from outside as other organizations scramble to make up for years of downsizing and cost-cutting. Succession planning can be systematic and can be effectively implemented, but that requires knowledgeable leaders, who are committed to developing their people. This webinar will define succession planning, distinguish it from such related topics as talent management and workforce planning, describe a conceptual model to guide implementation, and summarize key trends and new thinking in succession planning.

• Define succession planning
• Distinguish succession planning from talent management and workforce planning
• Review conceptual models to guide the systematic implementation of succession planning
• List important trends in succession planning
• Review common mistakes made in succession planning and how to avoid them

• Important definitions
• Stunning facts and figures about succession planning
• Conceptual models to guide the implementation of different kinds of succession plans
• Trends in succession planning
• Common mistakes
• How to overcome common mistakes made in succession planning

Here are the main reasons to participate:
1. Ensure Business Continuity and Stability

• Learn how to mitigate risks associated with leadership transitions.
• Develop a proactive approach to avoid disruptions when key employees leave.

2. Identify and Develop Future Leaders

• Gain insights into talent assessment and leadership pipeline development.
• Understand how to cultivate high-potential employees for key roles.

3. Retain Institutional Knowledge

• Learn strategies to capture and transfer critical knowledge before experienced employees retire.
• Reduce the risk of losing valuable expertise and corporate memory.

4. Align Succession Planning with Strategic Goals

• Understand how succession planning supports long-term business objectives.
• Learn to align talent management with organizational growth and sustainability.

5. Enhance Employee Engagement and Retention

• Discover how clear career paths and development opportunities increase employee motivation.
• Reduce turnover by fostering a culture of professional growth.

6. Improve Diversity and Inclusion in Leadership

• Learn best practices to create diverse leadership pipelines.
• Explore how inclusive succession planning strengthens organizational resilience.

7. Gain Insights into Legal and Compliance Considerations

• Understand the legal aspects of succession planning, such as non-discriminatory practices.
• Learn about compliance requirements that may impact leadership transitions.

• Senior managers
• Business owners
• Vice Presidents of HR
• Managers of HR
• Talent Development professionals
• Organization Development professionals

William J. Rothwell, PhD, DBA, SPHR, SHRM-SCP, CPTD Fellow, RODC, FLMI is a Distinguished Professor in the
Workforce Education and Development program in the Department of Learning and Performance Systems at the
Pennsylvania State University, University Park campus.
Work Experience
Dr. Rothwell worked full-time in human resources, training and Organization Development in both government (Illinois Office of Auditor General) and in a multinational company (American Brands, #48 on the Fortune 500 list) from 1979 until he joined Penn State University as a professor to head up a graduate program in Human Resource Development/Organization Development He has been a consultant for over 50 multinational companies. Among his many clients are Motorola University China, Ford Motor Company, General Motors, Siemens, Sony, GM Shanghai, Phillips, Erickson, HP, the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP), the American Red Cross, Care, the U.S. Department of Labor, the U.S. Postal Service, and many more. He is President of two consulting firms: (1) Rothwell & Associates, Inc. (a firm that focuses on public speaking online and onsite) and (2) Rothwell & Associates, LLC (a firm that focuses on consulting with an emphasis on succession planning, talent management and related topics). He is also, with his wife, a business owner of The Rothwell Partnership, which controls 10 homes for rent. From 1997 until 2022 he and his wife also owned and operated a personal care
home (Greenhills Village and Assisted Living Residence) for the elderly that was licensed by the State of Pennsylvania for 54 residents and employed 27 full-time and part-time employees.
Education and Professional Certifications 
Dr. Rothwell earned his Bachelor’s degree in English with High Honors and Department Honors from Illinois State University; he earned a Master’s degree and completed all courses for the Ph.D. in English from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign; he earned his Master of Arts in Business Administration (MABA) from Sangamon State University (a university since renamed the University of Illinois at Springfield); he earned his Ph.D. with a specialization in Human Resource Development from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign; and, in 2022 he was awarded an honorary Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) by the Alliance International University in Dutch Curaçao in the Caribbean. He has also earned multiple professional certifications: the Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR) from the Human Resource Certification Institute; the Society for Human Resource Management Senior Professional in Human Resources (SHRM-SCP); the Registered Organization Development Consultant (RODC) designation from the International Society for
Organization Development and Change; and the Certified Professional in Talent Development (CPTD) Fellow (member of the Hall of Fame) from the Association for Talent Development. He is a Fellow of the Life Management Institute (FLMI) designation based on passing 10 graduate courses in the insurance field. (The latter is essentially a Master’s degree in insurance.)
International Work
Dr. Rothwell has been to China 83 times, to Singapore 32 times, and has visited every continent (except Antarctica) to do training, consulting, college teaching, and research. He has chaired 110 Ph.D. committees at Penn State, has served on doctoral committees at foreign universities in England, China, Australia, and the United Arab Emirates, and is still listed as a visiting professor at Nankai University in Tianjin China, a visiting professor at Shanghai JiaoTong University in Shanghai, and a special speaker at Renmin University in Beijing China. (He taught 10 MBA courses at Nankai University and 10 MBA courses at Beijing University.)
Awards
In 2022 Dr. Rothwell was named a Distinguished Professor in the College of Education, was given the Lifetime Achievement Award by the Organization Development Network, and earned the Global Lifetime Achievement Award by Penn State Global Programs (the university’s highest award for doing work internationally). He received the Distinguished Researcher Award from the College of Education in 2016 and was given the Graduate Faculty Teaching Award in the 2004-2005 academic year. (The teaching award is a single award given to one faculty member on Penn State’s 24 campuses each year.). In 2011 he was given the Association for Talent Development’s Distinguished Contribution to Workplace Learning and Performance Award; in 2016 he received the Best Global Training and Development Leadership Award from the World HRD Congress in India, and in 2014 he was named a Brandlaureate in Malaysia. In 2022 he was given the Lifetime Achievement Award by The OD Network; in 2023 he was inducted into the International Adult and Continuing Education Hall of Fame; in 2024 he was named to Marquis’ Who’s Who in America; and in 2024 he has been notified that he will be given the International Society for Performance Improvement’s (ISPI) Thomas F. Gilbert Distinguished Professional Achievement Award at the 2025
conference. 
Publications and Presentations

Dr. Rothwell has authored, coauthored, edited, or coedited 158 books since 1987 and has delivered over 2,000 professional online and onsite presentations over 30 years in 15 nations. His recent books since 2020 include Succession Planning for Small Business and Family Business, Rethinking Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, High-Performance Coaching for Managers, Organization Development (OD) Interventions: Executing Effective Organizational Change, Virtual Coaching to Improve Group Relationships: Process Consultation Reimagined, Adult Learning Basics 2nd ed., Increasing Learning and Development’s Impact Through Accreditation, The Essential HR Guide for Small Businesses and Startups, and Workforce Development: Guidelines for Community College Professionals, 2nd ed.