74% of HR leaders label succession planning as biggest concern

Almost three quarters of HR professionals have identified leadership succession and speed of development as the primary internal challenges they currently face, according to a new survey.

The report, commissioned by Lumesse, interviewed over 840 senior HR leaders, and found that the majority of them claimed that succession planning was the biggest threat to their business in the coming 12 months.

Research teams at Loudhouse explained that it was the speed at which businesses were developing and engaging future leaders that was the most worrying, with many respondents noting that they were quickly running out of time.

Speaking to HR Grapevine, Steve Hewitt, HR Director at Lumesse, urges HR departments to take action. He said: “HR must be pro-active in addressing any skills gaps in its leadership bench by reviewing the current succession and development processes in place. They must be confident in challenging the boardroom if it feels that the existing processes, and the systems that support them, are becoming outdated and unfit for their more digital and globalised workforces.