Succession
An organization's readiness to replace key people without losing their know-how.
What it means
Succession planning isn't just a staffing plan. It also covers transferring knowledge, context, and decision-making habits to the successor.
Why it matters
A named successor without inherited know-how is a risk that looks solved on paper but persists in reality.
A real-world example
A plant manager's successor is named two years in advance. Without a managed handover, though, they only take over the responsibilities, not the experience.
Positions where the most important operational and decision-making know-how is concentrated.
A worker whose knowledge or decision-making is irreplaceable for operations.
A situation where an organization loses the holder of critical know-how.
The managed transfer of practical knowledge from one person or team to another.
An organization's ability to keep functioning without losing know-how as people change.