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SUCCESSION STUDY: Incoming Leader Survey

Introduction

You are being invited to participate in the first industry survey examining the social and emotional impact of leadership succession in architecture and design firms. Your experience as an incoming leader provides essential insights into how succession processes affect those stepping into new leadership roles.

There are 3 surveys associated with this study focused on the following groups; 1. Outgoing Leaders, Incoming Leaders (successors), 3. Firm Team Members. All three surveys can be found using this link; https://www.janewaltonconsulting.com/succession

This research aims to understand the relationship between succession planning processes and the emotional impact on leaders and teams. By participating, you'll help establish industry benchmarks and best practices that can improve succession outcomes for future leaders.

The survey takes approximately 10-15 minutes to complete. All responses are completely confidential and will be reported only in aggregate. Your individual responses will not be shared or attributed to you or your firm in any way.

Your perspective as someone stepping into firm leadership is essential to this research and to the broader industry.

Thank you for your participation!
DEMOGRAPHICS
1.Type of firm
2.Size of firm (number of employees):
3.When did the leadership transition take place?
4.Type of succession
5.Transition status
6.Years with the firm at the time of succession:
SUCCESSION TIMELINE & INTENT
7.Were you aware of a formal written succession timeline?
8.When did you first learn about the succession plan?
9.How clear was the succession timeline to you throughout the process?
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10.How often did the timeline or process change during the succession?
SELECTION PROCESS
11.Were you part of an open selection process where multiple candidates were considered?
12.If you were an internal candidate, were you encouraged to apply for the leadership role?
13.How many other candidates do you believe were seriously considered?
14.Did leadership explain to you why you were selected over other candidates?
15.How confident are you that you were the right choice for this leadership role?
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16.How fair did the selection process feel to you?
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17.How transparent was the selection process from your perspective?
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TRANSITION OF RESPONSIBILITIES
18.Did you have input into developing the transition plan?
19.How long was your planned transition/onboarding period?
20.How smooth was the transition of responsibilities to you?
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21.How prepared did you feel to take on the leadership role when the transition began?
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22.What information or resources did you need but didn't receive from the departing leader(s)?
RELATIONSHIP WITH DEPARTING LEADER(S)
23.How long did you work directly with the departing leader during transition?
24.How has your relationship with the departing leader evolved since taking on your new role?
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Stronger
Same
Weaker
Much weaker
25.How well did you and the departing leader work together during the transition?
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YOUR LEADERSHIP ESTABLISHMENT
26.Did you have a formal plan for establishing your leadership with the team?
27.How much autonomy did you have in making decisions during the transition process?
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28.Did you receive any external leadership coaching or support during the transition?
29.How confident do you feel in your leadership role now?
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30.How well has the team accepted your leadership?
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31.What aspects of the new leadership role have been most challenging or surprising?
32.What would you have done differently in the succession process if you had more control over it?
OVERALL IMPACT
33.What information did you wish you had received that you didn't get?
34.How emotionally challenging has this transition been for you personally?
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35.How confident were you in your ability to lead the firm as a result of the succession transition process?
Much more confident
More confident
Same
Less confident
Much less confident
36.Would you recommend the succession approach you went through to other firms?
37.If you could redesign the succession process, what would you change?