HR Corner Aligning career goals with corporate needs by Alex Chan Detailed succession planning allows hotel group to promote from within As tourism within the region continues to boom, the list of new hotels either under construction or at an advanced stage of planning gets ever longer. But despite their eagerness to invest millions, leading players in the hospitality industry also realise that finding experienced, well-qualified staff to run their new properties could prove to be a major problem. To avoid future difficulties, the Marco Polo Hotel Group has therefore devised a detailed strategy for succession planning to ensure that trained and talented candidates are ready to fill newly created vacancies. In fact, the group has made this a priority since 1997 and has regarded it as essential for promoting career development and business growth. The strategy is reviewed annually and last year Deanna McGonigal was appointed as director of human resources development to broaden its overall scope. "We are currently looking at candidates to become part of the succession plan in 2006," she says. With an academic background in human behaviour and extensive experience in the hotel industry, Ms McGonigal has a distinctive approach to staff development. "We assess each individual's skills, personality and career goals," she explains. "We can then determine what type of training they will need to reach those objectives." Our plan ensures that a trained successor will be readily available Going abroad Before any training is arranged, the company also takes into account previous performance appraisals, evaluations from department heads, and any comments from guest satisfaction surveys. Another key factor in selecting candidates for the succession plan is mobility. Although the group has three hotels in Hong Kong, staff willing to work in properties overseas are likely to enjoy more opportunities in the long run. Once career goals have been discussed, the HR department identifies the skills required and draws up a tailor-made training programme covering the next six to twelve months. "For example, someone being trained for a move to Shenzhen will have a six-month programme and spend two days a week there to become familiar with the culture," Ms McGonigal says. Staff who are part of the succession plan have a detailed chart outlining their progress and the time to completion. The chart also specifies the programmes still to be completed in order to be fully qualified for the target position. Courses in areas such as food and beverage are conducted in-house, while others involve attending classes at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University or other academic institutions. In-house expertise In future, the group plans to create its own training centre, making use of expertise available at the three Hong Kong hotels to teach candidates everything they need to know. "We will then be able to teach, mentor and guide anyone who comes to work for us in all aspects of career development," Ms McGonigal explains. After completing the necessary training, various staff should be fully equipped to move into a preferred role as soon as one becomes vacant. Clearly, this will benefit both the individuals and the group. "If we need a front office manager, we don't want to spend six months looking, and our plan ensures that a trained successor will be readily available," says Ms McGonigal. Being able to promote internally minimises the time needed for familiarisation and means the new incumbent already knows all about the corporate culture. "I would say that the majority of our vacancies are now filled by candidates who have progressed through the succession planning scheme," Ms McGonigal adds. To illustrate, she mentions that two of the three hotel managers in Hong Kong were promoted from within. "With two new hotels opening this year, and several more after that, staff can look forward to having even more opportunities," she says. Salient points Increased competition in the hotel industry for qualified staff Detailed succession planning scheme can groom candidates for management roles Plans should be tailored to individual career goals and related training needs Willingness to work abroad opens up extra opportunities for promotion Each person's development plan is closely monitored against agreed time scales Taken from Career Times 28 April 2006, p. A16 Your comments are welcome at [email protected]