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Succession planning
In a standardised process that we conduct every other year at the Hannover location, all positions from Management Level 3 (General Manager / Director) upwards are analysed for the company's Home Office and for selected international entities. This process is supported by the Human Resources Management division in Hannover.
In the context of talks with all Managing Directors in Hannover we first identify potential successors for every position on the General Manager level. Furthermore, each possible successor is evaluated in terms of their abilities and potentials and any required (development) measures are discussed. The evaluation is based on the following criteria: specialist expertise, methodological skills, social skills, leadership ability and an assessment of their potential for the envisaged management level. Furthermore, we also discuss other high potentials and mission-critical individuals and positions.
The summary findings on possible successors for the General Manager positions are subsequently discussed and expanded upon on the level of the Board members responsible for the areas in question. In the same way and on the basis of the same criteria, the Board members with area responsibility also identify possible successors for the Managing Director positions.
The results of the succession planning, including additional comments by Human Resources Management, are then discussed by the full Executive Board at its annual retreat.
The quota of women set by the Executive Board for the first and second level of management at 16.8% by the year 2017 was already very nearly accomplished in 2016 at 16.3%. Managers play a pivotal role in any possible increase in this quota. It is incumbent upon them to encourage leveraging of their female employees' potential more systematically in day-to-day business and to give deliberate consideration to their female staff members when it comes to filling higher-level positions.