Many organizations today are scrambling to prepare for an expected wave of retirements. Almost twice as many job openings are occurring from people retiring than from economic expansion--a direct function of a steadily aging workforce. The implications for businesses, government agencies, nonprofits, and educational institutions are enormous, as organizational leaders maneuver to fill the talent pipeline.

In this context, organizations are stepping up their investments in career planning (training and development programs to help employees hone their skills and qualify for advancement) and succession management (programs designed to ensure the continuity of leadership). To date, these programs have generally been treated in isolation, and the combined effects of attracting, developing, and grooming talent from the bottom up and the top down are being lost.

Drawing from the authors' decades of research and practical experience, a survey of 1,000 human resource practitioners, and examples from a wide variety of organizations, Career Planning and Succession Management shows readers how to create that crucial link between succession and career development programs.