Offering regional and national programs, CIO (and CSO) events bring together some of the most respected names and thought leaders in information technology and security. Presented by CIOs and other senior level executives, these invitation-only programs offer timely topics and strong networking. Learn More »
Social Responsibility's Strategic Benefits
December 15, 11:30 AM - 12:30 PM US/Eastern (GMT-5)
Join Ed Granger-Happ, CIO of Save the Children, for a discussion of how creating an organization that is socially responsible improves staffing, retention, leadership development and overall corporate health.
Working With and Communicating to Your Board of Directors
January 13, 2009, 4:00 PM - 5:00 PM US/Eastern (GMT-5)
CIO panelists who will share tips and experiences working with their boards: Twila Day of SYSCO; Jeff O'Hare, West Corp.; Marc West, formerly with H&R Block.
IT's Role in Growing Mid-Market Companies
January 14, 4:00 PM - 5:00 PM ET (GMT-5)
Mid-market Council members will share their companies' stories and challenges in driving or coping with growth. Panelists represent Veterinary Pet Insurance, Medicis Pharmaceutical, and Intrax Cultural Exchange.
Learn more about the CIO Executive Council »
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How To Succeed At Succession Planning
What you need to know to build a pipeline of future leaders
March 05, 2008 — CIO — When Mel Karmazin resigned his position as COO and president of Viacom in 2004, he ended what the Wall Street Journal labeled as "four years of constant tension and sniping." Even though Karmazin was the expected successor to Sumner Redstone, the founder and CEO of Viacom, it was an open secret that he and Redstone did not see eye to eye. Karmazin's leaving did not ameliorate the tension, however; it has created another succession nightmare. Even now, four years, later a successor to Redstone has yet to be anointed.
Succession Blues
Failure to name a clear successor seeps below the top floor. Bob Nardelli, former CEO of Home Depot and once a successor in running to Jack Welch at General Electric , told a reporter for the Wall Street Journal that the competition for the top spot was like "playing in the Super Bowl, the last two minutes, for two years.... You know you're being looked at through a magnifying glass."
Well, if it's tough on the leader, it is also stressful for the folks underneath; they get drawn into rival camps. Instead of being able to focus on the work, subordinates are often asked, whether they like it or not, to choose sides between one heir apparent or another. Worse, those in the running for higher positions may ask their teams to withhold information or refuse work assignments from a rival's teams. It makes for lousy work conditions and detracts from productivity to say the least.
Competition among individuals and teams over ideas is positive and even healthy for the organization because it can stimulate people to think differently in the pursuit of good solutions. But when competition among rivals turns destructive, it causes friction with heat so severe it melts everything in its path, including people. Heaven help the direct reports of the heir apparent who did not get the top slot. Siberia may seem a warm and welcoming place to those who got caught on the wrong side of the succession plan.
It does not have to be this way. While managers can have little input into succession at the top, they can have much input into their own successors. Here are some things for managers consider:
IT Service Management: Metrics That Matter
Operational Excellence Is Key to Maximizing IT Investments
Configuration Assessment: Choosing the Right Solution
Tying Employee Development Activities to Corporate Strategy
Beat your competition to the punch with faster, more cost-effective product lifecycle management.
Service Dependency Mapping
Remote Infrastructure Management - What Your Peers are Thinking
The Power of Telepresence
IT Risk Management: Preparing for the Perfect Storm
Constructing Partnerships That Work
IT Cost Transparency & Performance Management for Optimizing IT
Want to Improve your Global Organization's Agility? Leverage the Power of ECM
Resource Alerts
Get instant email notifications by topic when white papers, webcasts, and case studies are added to our library.
Tight Budgets Favor Low-End Servers
Could Your Web Surfing Be Greener?
New Microsoft Cashback Deal Follows Outage
High Court Narrows Penalty Against Qualcomm
Major E-Stores Malfunction on Black Friday and Cyber Monday
Clearwire, Sprint Close WiMax Deal
Netbooks: Small, Cheap -- and Fast?
Clearwire, Sprint Close WiMax Deal
'Social Mobile' Applications: the Missing Book
Vista SP2 Due Next April, Says Report
Just the basics, please. Sometimes we all need a refresher or we need to make sure our team and our colleagues are all on the same page.
Over 25 tutorials on everything from business intelligence to virtualization.
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