Building the Leadership Pipeline examines innovative approaches to developing tomorrow's leadership pipeline. The report highlights six local government case studies, including Anaheim, California; the Cal-ICMA Coaching Program; Plano, Texas; Roseville, California; Three Florida Cities' Internship Program; and the Virginia Beach, Virginia, Police Department.  Members will find the report useful as a case-study resource on how to develop the next generation of talent in their communities.

The study, which was conducted by Independent Researcher Dr. Mary B. Young and based on interviews with 35 organizations at all levels of government, was sponsored by CPS Human Resource Services and the International Public Management Association-HR in partnership with ICMA and the National Association of State Personnel Executives.

Dr. Young and Bob Lavigna, Senior Manager for Client Services, CPS Human Resource Services, discussed the study findings and recommended actions for local governments at the 2005 ICMA Annual Conference.

Purpose of This Study

The purpose of this study was to identify and describe what jurisdictions at the local, state, and federal levels are doing to build their leadership pipeline to ensure an adequate supply of experienced talent for the future.

Research Methods

The study’s findings are based on a literature review of leadership development and succession planning in private and public-sector organizations; interviews with expert sources; initial interviews with 35 jurisdictions; and 15 in-depth case studies.

Findings

The research identified two approaches to building the leadership pipeline—the traditional Just-in-Time Approach and the Integrated Approach. These two approaches may be thought of as the opposite ends of a continuum, with most organizations’ practices falling somewhere in between.

Who's in the Leadership Pipeline?

Many jurisdictions and agencies initially focused on the talent supply for senior management positions. Their earliest efforts were aimed at grooming or hiring people for the top of the house. However, those initial efforts later expanded for a variety of reasons:

• The cascading impact of leadership succession
• Demonstrated need for development at other levels of the organization
• Employee demand
• Retention
• Defining leadership as a competency that employees at all levels are expected to develop and demonstrate

The Integrated Approach requires a significantly longer and larger pipeline because it has to carry greater capacity, not only in terms of the number of people who must be developed, but also their diversity.