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Including AI in Your Succession Planning

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Last Updated on December 2, 2025 / HR Strategy, Videos

HR Question

My company needs to start succession planning. What practical steps can I take to use AI as a tool for improving my succession planning process?

HR Answer

Succession planning is an effective organizational strategy that enables companies to prepare for the future by identifying, developing, and promoting high-potential talent from within. A strong succession plan allows companies to gain confidence that they are prepared for unexpected transitions, while boosting employee morale and loyalty. This is done through a structured investment in the growth of their employees. This process safeguards priceless institutional knowledge and identifies the unique skills and leadership qualities the next generation of leaders will need to thrive. Succession planning is not just important; it’s an exciting opportunity to shape the future of the organization.

According to Korn Ferry, while 90% of organizations acknowledge the importance of succession planning, only 37% actively back the need financially. This reminds us to “work smarter, not harder” and look to AI to help further this initiative within our organizations.

Benefits of Using AI Tools for Succession Planning

Leaders often struggle when it comes to accurately evaluating and assessing staff readiness for career advancement. Traditional methods tend to rely on personal opinion over quantifiable data, leading to perceived bias and inconsistency in succession decisions. In addition, many organizations focus only on executive or senior roles, overlooking the leadership potential in middle management. By leveraging AI tools, companies can overcome these obstacles and use accessible data to inform their decisions. These tools can help to:

  • Reduce Bias. AI uses data-driven insights to identify high-potential employees..
  • Predict Leadership Gaps. Using predictive analytics, AI can help forecast future vacancies and readiness.
  • Career Path Mapping. AI can match development plans, skills, and business needs to create career maps for strategic planning.
  • Improve Diversity. AI can help uncover unrecognized gaps by analyzing skills rather than other subjective factors.

AI streamlines the process, providing objective insights and reducing reliance on human judgment alone, making succession planning more efficient, fair, and inclusive.

Types AI Tools for Succession Planning

There are several AI tools that can support leaders in the succession planning process. Some organizations have made significant investments in the use of a Digital Twin to assist in succession planning.  Others look to traditional tools such as SAP SuccessFactors, Cornerstone, Lattice, and tools within HRIS systems for support. These are great options, but even more simply, there are ways you can engage AI to help you with the data you have already collected to minimize costs and increase the quality of your plan. Here are ways to consider the use of “basic AI tools” in your process.

  • Communication and Information Summary. Copilot, Gemini, and ChatGPT can assist with drafting communications, summarizing evaluations, and generating recommendations based on available workforce data. These no-or low-cost AI systems make it easier to compile, process, and interpret the information needed for succession planning.
  • Competency Mapping and Data Analysis. AI can be incorporated into various existing succession planning models for ease of mapping skills and placing employees into their respective levels.

For example, a popular model for succession planning is the 9-Box model, which places employees in quadrants based on their skills and promotional readiness. Another commonly used succession planning tool, the competency matrix, visually maps out the key skills, experiences, and behaviors required for critical roles against the current capabilities of employees. This helps organizations quickly identify strengths, gaps, and development needs within their workforce.

With both models, AI can integrate data from performance reviews, development plans, training records, and other documents to identify high-performing employees and flag those who need further development.

AI can help reduce bias by highlighting objective data points and patterns during the analysis stage. For example, it can flag employees with high performance over time, outline the need for upskilling, or create a track record of successful project leadership. This data-driven approach promotes fairness and transparency in succession decisions by relying on objective insights rather than subjective judgments about employees’ leadership abilities.

AI Succession Planning Process

Preparation is the key to successfully using AI in your succession planning process. Here are some simple steps to get you started.

  1. Identify the employees who will be involved in succession planning, then gather all your existing data, such as performance reviews, employee records, and development plans, to ensure that they are in a format that AI can easily access the information.
  2. Use the AI system that works best for your purposes and budget.
  3. Use AI to summarize and analyze the data you’ve gathered on each person.
  4. Use AI to visually present the information in charts or dashboards to facilitate discussion and strategic planning.

While AI is a powerful asset for collecting objective employee data during succession planning, it should be viewed as a support tool rather than a replacement for the responsibility of human leadership. AI cannot replace human beings to actively implement the action plans generated from succession efforts, tackle identified skill gaps, and design effective development programs to prepare future leaders within the organization.

Thank you to Sheryl Fleming, MA, SHRM-SCP, Sr. HR Business Advisor, for her contribution to this Question of the Week.

Review our related Video Question of the Week series by Terry Wilson, SPHR, SMRM-SCP, which addresses skills analysis in Strategic Planning and Succession Planning. The videos include “6 Steps to Upskill Your Workforce”, “Assessing Organizational Skill Needs for Strategic Planning & Succession Planning”, “Skills Gap Analysis”, and “Why Upskilling and Reskilling are Business Priorities”.

Do you need help in identifying future skill needs and building a strong internal talent pipeline? Visit our website to learn more about our Succession Planning services, or contact Clark Schaefer Strategic HR at (513) 697-9855 or by email to schedule a free consultation and explore how we can support these initiatives.