Fuzzy queries for top-management succession planning

The paper deals with the use of fuzzy set theory in succession planning. In the whole process of management planning, succession planning is one part which plays an important role. Selecting a candidate for a concrete position is particularly difficult if you have a lot of alternatives. The paper proposes a way of flexible querying in ordinary databases. In order to improve query results, the SQL systax is extended to allow a kind of “weak” query with the help of fuzzy methods. This sort of imprecise information retrieval is more convenient for managers who are responsible for personnel recruitment and planning. Queries simplify the decision process by pre-selecting the alternatives. The results of this work are included into a fuzzy based software tool, which is used by the VW AG to select successors for vacant positions