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If an enterprise wishes to develop steadily, it needs to establish a talent hierarchy, ensuring that there are well-trained, experienced, and self-motivated top talents within the company ready to take on key positions in the future. So, how should a company build its talent pipeline? I. Establish a talent pipeline resource database. To address the shortage of talent, it is necessary to build a talent pipeline by formulating successor plans for management positions and reserve talent plans for relevant positions, thereby creating an enterprise-level talent pipeline resource database ； Design assessment methods and tools to select employees with potential for evaluation, so that those who pass the assessment can be included in the talent pool, thereby laying a foundation for the systematic and targeted development of these talents. (1) Formulating a talent succession plan. A talent succession plan refers to the process by which an enterprise identifies, selects, and develops candidates to succeed those currently holding a particular position, under the assumption that they will continue to serve in those roles as usual ； Successors come from two sources: internal selection within the company and external recruitment. Successor candidates serve as reserve personnel for the position, rather than replacing the current holder. Once a successor is identified and confirmed, the company, in line with its talent development and training programs, provides the candidate with more business guidance, focused management communication, and training opportunities, thereby enabling them to improve further and acquire the qualifications and capabilities needed to hold higher positions. The direct result of implementing a talent succession plan is the creation of a corporate talent pipeline, meaning that for key positions at various levels within the company, there are lists of potential successors available. This ensures continuity in the company’s talent pool and meets the needs of the company’s ongoing business development. The talent pipeline system in enterprises can generally be divided into three types: 1. Talent pipeline for key positions, which refers to the process of identifying successor candidates for key roles, as well as carrying out various tasks such as training, selecting, and appointing these candidates. Key positions refer to those that play an important role in the survival and development of a company, are closely related to the achievement of the company’s strategic goals, entail significant responsibilities, require key skills, and are held by scarce talents ； Which positions are key ones needs to be determined through evaluation. Key position succession plans include relevant management positions such as the president, vice presidents, directors, general managers/deputy general managers of corporate departments, general managers/deputy general managers of subsidiary companies, etc., as well as the core technical personnel in subsidiary enterprises. 2. Talent pipeline for management positions: Aims to identify successor candidates for management roles, and to carry out a series of tasks such as training, selecting, and appointing these candidates. The management succession plan includes: heads of relevant departments in the company, heads of relevant departments in subsidiary companies, etc. 3. Key talent reserve pool: Individuals who meet the company’s talent standards, possess great potential for development, and are not yet part of the succession plan; a reserve program is established for such people. Talents in management positions, as well as those in non-management roles that require specialized skills or complex technical knowledge—such as marketing professionals, technical specialists, and quality management experts—are trained specifically, and those who pass the assessments are appointed to their positions officially. (II) Construction of the talent pool resource database 1. Classification of the talent pool resource database The talent pool resource database is divided into: talent pools for key positions, talent pools for management positions, and talent pools for reserve personnel. 2. Determination of the “capacity” of the talent pool for key positions (1) For key and management positions, the “capacity” of the talent pool is 1:3, meaning that there are three candidates available as successors for each position. (2) The “capacity” of the talent pool reserve: When determining the “capacity” of the talent pool reserve, one should first consider the total number of personnel required for that position; using a ratio of 1:3 as a reference, the ratio between the total demand and the size of the talent pool can be established. (Special note: If a talent in the talent pipeline database fails to be elected as a successor, and meets the specified requirements after evaluation, they may be promoted to a higher position, thereby being given opportunities for career development, while also avoiding the situation of having one person assigned to oversee them exclusively.) ) II. Candidate Selection The candidate selection process is divided into three categories: candidates for key position successors, candidates for management position successors, and candidates for talent reserves. Outstanding talents are selected to be included in the talent pool and receive targeted systematic training. (1) Selection of candidates for management positions 1. Identifying the key traits for success in management roles High-performers are those who possess certain traits that others do not, and it is these traits that lead to their superior work performance compared to ordinary employees. The key traits for success in management positions generally refer to the professional qualities, core competencies, psychological attributes, and knowledge requirements that those holding such positions should possess, with core competencies being of particular importance. When using competency models as criteria for measuring the capabilities required for management positions, these criteria should be based on the key traits that enable those in such positions to succeed. 2. Design a succession position assessment model: After identifying the key traits for success, it is necessary to develop an assessment model for each succession position. Based on the definition and essence of management positions, a successor to such a position typically needs to possess key traits for success, required qualifications, past work performance, as well as certain comprehensive competency requirements. (1) Key traits for success include professional ethics, core competencies, psychological qualities, and knowledge levels, with core competencies being of particular importance. (2) Qualification requirements: The qualification requirements are in accordance with the provisions set out in the job description and the qualification system. (3) Past work performance: Set minimum performance standards to evaluate the work performance of the successor candidates over the past 2 years. (4) Comprehensive Qualities: Comprehensive qualities include types of professional abilities, occupational personality (temperament, personality), and occupational tendencies (motivations, interests, values), etc. It assesses the suitability of a candidate’s ability types for the position, the fit between their personality and the job, the compatibility of their temperament type with the position, as well as the alignment of their professional motivations, interests, and values with the requirements of the position. (II) Selection of candidates for reserve talent development: The key to selecting candidates for reserve talent development is to develop an evaluation model for each target position. An evaluation model generally consists of elements such as competencies, job requirement qualifications, past work performance, and overall quality requirements. 1. Development of competency models: Competencies represent the key traits required for a given position; therefore, it is necessary to develop a competency model for each target position prior to conducting evaluations. If an enterprise has already established a job competency model, it can be used as a reference. 2. Qualification requirements: As specified in the job description and qualification framework, these requirements generally consist of professional knowledge, basic skills, and work experience. 3. Past work performance: Set minimum performance standards and evaluate the performance of the successor candidates over the past 1–2 years. 4. Comprehensive Qualities: Comprehensive qualities include various elements such as types of professional abilities, occupational personality (temperament, personality), and occupational tendencies (motivations, interests, values). It involves assessing the suitability of a candidate’s ability types for the position, the fit between their personality and the job requirements, the compatibility of their temperament type with the position, as well as the alignment of their professional motivations, interests, and values with those of the job. III. Successor Selection: After establishing a talent pipeline database, the process of adding candidates to this database, training them, and selecting or eliminating those who are not suitable is a long-term, routine task. When there is a need for talent in the target position, successors can be selected from the talent pipeline database, and those who are successfully chosen will become successors. Selecting successors from the talent pool is also a form of internal recruitment within a company; the methods and procedures for such selection can be based on the company’s internal recruitment regulations. IV. Improve the talent development system: Based on succession plans/talent reserve plans, and in line with individuals’ career development goals, the training curriculum system for the talent pool is optimized, development methods are designed, and management systems are established to provide targeted training for these individuals, thereby achieving the goal of building a strong talent pipeline. After undergoing a period of training, the talents who enter the talent pipeline database are evaluated by the company based on the needs for specific positions or career pathways. Successors are selected from this database; those who are chosen become successors and are removed from the database, while those who fail to be selected are eliminated and also removed from it. A group of talents is released, and based on its needs for available talent, the company selects another group to join its ranks, in a cycle that continues to help the company develop qualified successors. The training needs of candidates in the talent pool are quite different from those of ordinary employees. The key to improving the talent development system lies in analyzing these training needs and designing appropriate training methods: (1) Analysis of training needs for successors in the resource pool 1. Characteristics of training needs The characteristics of training needs for successors can be divided into two stages: First, training for successors refers to the training that candidates receive after being included in the talent pool, prior to being selected as successors for a particular position. Based on the requirements of that position, all candidates for that role are required to attend standardized training courses ； The second is pre-job training: it refers to the training that takes place after becoming a successor to a target position, but before taking on that role. Based on the requirements of the new position, an individual’s weaknesses, and the needs of the organization, personalized training programs are designed for the successor. 2. Characteristics of training needs analysis: The analysis of training needs for talent succession planning is divided into three parts: Succession position analysis: Based on the organization’s strategy, organizational management, and the specific requirements of the position, it is determined what training programs are necessary for those who will succeed in that role. Successor candidate analysis: Analyze the abilities, qualifications, attitudes, etc. of successor candidates to identify common traits among them ； Based on the training requirements of the successor position, common elements among the successor candidates are added or removed, and a candidate training curriculum system is designed for each position; all successor candidates for a given position follow the same training curriculum system. Successor analysis: After identifying a successor through the selection process, a personalized training program is designed for that successor based on the results of candidate assessments, the outcomes of training for the successor, and the requirements prior to taking on the new role. 3. Considerations for training needs analysis When conducting a training needs analysis for a talent pool, two points are important: First, the analysis is carried out based on the requirements of the target positions within that talent pool; at the same time, organizational needs, individual needs, and other relevant needs are also taken into account. Secondly, the talents who enter the talent pool undergo various assessments before joining; the results of these assessments are one of the key pieces of information for analyzing training needs. Analyzing this information helps to develop personalized training plans and courses for these talents. (II) Design of training methods: Relying on just a few simple training methods is insufficient to meet the needs of talent development. The training methods used in talent pool development should be diversified; mentorship and study groups are particularly recommended, as they not only improve the effectiveness of training, make full use of training facilities and flexible scheduling, but also help save significant amounts of funding for training. V. Establish a management mechanism for building talent pipelines. Building talent pipelines is a rather complex systematic task that is closely related to a company’s human resources strategic planning, talent recruitment (including both internal and external recruitment), talent development, training management, career development management, promotion management, compensation incentives, and performance evaluation. Enterprises need to establish management systems for building talent pipelines, set up dedicated management agencies, clarify responsibilities, standardize the process of building these talent pipelines, and define the tasks and scope related to this work. Through effective management, it is possible to ensure that the development of talent pipelines proceeds efficiently and smoothly. Enhance the awareness of talent development among various departments and subsidiaries within the enterprise, urge all units to recognize the importance and urgency of talent cultivation, assess the talent development efforts of each unit; these assessment results serve as part of the overall performance evaluation, and also as one of the criteria for promoting, rewarding, or punishing unit managers.