Change Management
Passing the torch
How Richard Murray is making succession work at Kennedy Health System
By Erik Cassano
Smart Business Philadelphia | February 2009
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For two years, Richard E. Murray knew the day was coming
when he’d step down as president and CEO of the $403 million
Kennedy Health System. But circling a date on the calendar was
only the beginning. In the months leading up to his May 31 retirement, Murray, who took the top spot back in 1992, has helped lead
a massive transitional effort that has included identifying potential
successors, assisting the board of directors in the hiring process as
needed and, most importantly, helping the entire 3,600-employee
health care system make the transition to his successor. “There
has to be a date where the new person takes over,” Murray says.
“But by the same token, to make that transition successful, I do
think you need a transition period. All companies and corporations have separate cultures and ways of doing things, some of
which is on paper and some of which is not on paper. Some of the
hardest transitions occur not on the technicalities of the job but
because of the unwritten culture of the organization.”
When you do decide to step down, your successor might be an
internal promotion or an external hire. The person might have
been selected by you, by your board of directors or by a vote of
shareholders. No matter how you find your successor, Murray says
he or she is going to need the support of the people in the company. That starts with the transition process.
