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This chapter describes HR processes and practices needed to address four common problems that organizations must address to retain knowledge and develop workforce capabilities in an era of changing workforce demographics. Key elements of an effective HR infrastructure include skills inventory systems that allow managers to evaluate their existing knowledge base, succession planning and career development processes, and phased retirement policies. Culture change is discussed, which is increasingly necessary to create the characteristics of a retention culture that enhances retention of both high performing employees and critical knowledge.

This chapter sheds light on the nature of managerial resourcing in US multinationals. Hitherto there has been a strong reliance on the use of internal labour markets (ILMs) as the principal means of sourcing managerial talent. In several instances, however, enhanced competition has triggered the necessity for the rapid importation of new skill sets eroding the primacy of ILMs. Over and above such supply side change, some organizations were similarly moving away from seniority based promotion towards a more meritocratic model, less sheltered from the vicissitudes of market pressures. Consistent with the theoretical focus of this volume, it is nevertheless demonstrated that headquarters did not have a totally free hand. The partial dismantling of ILMs was subject to local constraints and contestation, giving rise to new and significant tensions. More specifically, the emphasis upon tight performance standards was often met with stiff opposition suggesting local norms remain influential.

This chapter considers Berkshire’s future beyond Buffett, a question that has nagged the company’s constituents for two decades. The concern was that the fate of the man and the company he built were one. With Buffett’s demise went Berkshire. But Buffett has institutionalized Berkshire’s attitudes and practices so that it is poised to endure long after his departure. Buffett and the Berkshire board have formalized a succession plan. As updated in 2006, the plan prescribes splitting Buffett’s job in two: management (a chief executive officer) and investment (one or more investment officers). Berkshire’s succession plan also addresses ownership, as Buffett has been Berkshire’s controlling shareholder since 1965. Buffett most recently held 34 percent of Berkshire’s voting power and 21 percent of its economic interest, always representing 99 percent of his net worth. He has been slowly reducing his stake by planned annual transfers to charitable foundations, a process that will continue for many years after his death.

This chapter discusses best practices in building a strong staff team for your worker center based on the assumption that an executive director has already been hired and that he or she is charged with hiring and building the rest of the staff team. Worker centers that grow and flourish are led by talented directors with vision and passion, who are viewed as stars in their communities. Organizations that grow, whether nonprofit or for-profit, must have depth of leadership to collectively move the organization forward. This chapter offers suggestions for making the right hire; conducting orientation for all new staff; developing annual goals and objectives with the participation of staff members; cultivating a culture of honesty, creativity, and growth; honoring diversity in backgrounds rather than values; rewarding longevity; encouraging work-life balance; performance management; and structure team building and vision sharing. The chapter also considers ways by which worker center boards should support executive directors, carry out transition/succession planning and implementation, and establish a system of co-directors.

This chapter reflects on the future of surfboard making, with particular emphasis on the challenges, directions, and prospects for surfboard makers. It considers whether the surfboard industry is viable and whether manufactures can maintain uniqueness into the future so that surfboards prevail as finely crafted, cultural artifacts. It argues that there is uncertainty in whether hand-based craft techniques will survive beyond the working careers of current practicing surfboard makers. It discusses some of the major challenges faced by surfboard makers in terms of macroeconomics, from the persistent global economic downturn to the high Australian dollar and the competition posed by cheap, machine-produced imports. It also examines the uncertainty stemming from the surfboard workshops and makers themselves, citing poor succession planning as a key problem. The chapter concludes by highlighting some reasons for surfboard makers to remain optimistic of their future prospects.

Amanda Bryant-Friedrich (Fig. 4.1) is Dean of the College of Graduate Studies at the University of Toledo (Toledo). Amanda was born in Enfield, NC, a small town about fifteen miles from the North Carolina-Virginia border. Her father was a farmer and her mother was a housewife. Her father only had a sixth-grade education and did not read or write much. Her mother graduated from high school in Enfield. Her maternal grandfather was a child of a slave and her mother was one of twenty-two children from two wives. They lived on a farm owned by a man named Whitaker. As her mother’s family had been enslaved by the family that owned the farm, her last name was Whitaker. Amanda’s paternal grandfather was a businessman who owned his own farm, on the other side of town. He was also involved in the illegal production of moonshine. Amanda went to Unburden Elementary School in Enfield. Her first experience with school was dramatic, because she lived at the end of a dirt road and was really isolated from other families. The first day she went to kindergarten she saw all those little kids, and she was afraid because there were too many people there. But the daughter of her mother’s best friend was there and invited her to come in to the classroom. Her first science class was in general science in fourth or fifth grade. She was so fascinated, she changed her mind about her future career of secretary or teacher and decided on science. Amanda went to Enfield Middle school in Halifax County, then the second poorest county in the state. The school had only basic infrastructure for science classes. She remembers her middle school chemistry teacher, Ms. Crowley, who told the students to put a mercury thermometer in a cork and Amanda accidently stuck it in her hand. They did not have much in the school, but her teacher taught her what she could.

“The Role of Learning Agility in Identifying and Developing Future Leaders” focuses on the role that learning agility plays in helping organizations identify, assess, and develop high-potential leadership talent. After a brief summary of the empirical and applied literature on learning agility as it relates specifically to understanding leadership potential (based on the Leadership Potential BluePrint), the chapter shifts to a discussion of the practical applications of using the concept for assessment and development throughout the employee life cycle. Topics covered include the use of learning agility in selection systems, development programs, formal assessment processes, and internal senior management talent reviews (e.g., succession planning). The chapter concludes with a summary and suggestions for future practice and research.