Succession planning is a process for identifying and developing new leaders who can replace old leaders when they leave, retire or die. In dictatorships, it aims for continuity of leadership, preventing a chaotic power struggle by preventing a power vacuum, but in business, it aims to ensure that the organisation has the right people (with the skills and ability) to lead it into the future. Effective succession planning is a very deliberate process, typically involving the mentoring of those identified to play key roles in the future.