Building an Agile Talent Pool: The Benefits of Internal Talent Mobility and Development
By Cynthia Gokhale
In today’s rapidly changing business environment, companies are constantly seeking new ways to stay competitive, maintain operational cost, if not reduce, and adapt to evolving market dynamics. One powerful talent strategy that has gained significant attention in this quest is internal talent mobility and development. By making this paradigm shift in the way organizations are looking at backfilling or hiring new positions, they have opened a plethora of benefits and advantages that have far reaching returns and impact. It is a win-win situation for both the organization as well as talent. I’ll tell you how:
- Employee Retention and Loyalty: When employees are given the chance to progress within the company, they are less likely to seek external opportunities. They feel valued and recognized for their potential and they witness that the company is investing in their growth. This boosts morale, job satisfaction, and overall engagement and hence significantly reduces turnover rates.
- Reduced Cost and Time: Leveraging existing employees who are already familiar with the organization’s intricacies, job requirements and market reduces the on-boarding and training cost and time that would have otherwise been spent on new recruits. Developing internal talent is often more cost-effective than hiring externally.
- Enhancing Organizational Agility: Internal movements cuts the time taken by new recruits to get inducted in the system so the organization does not slow down even if there is an attrition. Employees who have experience in various departments or roles are better equipped to rise up to the market challenges, and effectively manage cross-functional collaboration, all of which contribute to enhance organizational agility.
- Improving Diversity and Inclusion: When employees are exposed to different roles and responsibilities, they acquire a broader skill set. This diversity of skills can be a major asset, particularly in industries that are subject to rapid technological advancements and changing market demands. Secondly, by opening opportunities for advancement to a diverse range of employees, companies can create a more inclusive workforce at all levels. This sends a powerful message that career progression is based on skills, performance, and potential, rather than biased perceptions. Encouraging internal talent mobility and development creates a workforce that is versatile and adaptable.
- Developing Leadership Pipeline: As employees move into different roles and progress through the company, they gain a deeper understanding of the company, its operations, values, cultures, objectives, and the vision of the Management. This positions them well to assume leadership positions when the need arises, reducing the risk of leadership gaps and ensuring a smoother transition.
- Retaining Domain Knowledge: When an employee first joins the company, a lot is invested in imparting knowledge about the product, service, market, and competition. Internal mobility helps in reaping the long-term benefits of this investment along with ensuring there is no brain drain.
- Fostering a culture of learning and growth: When employees see that the organization seeks to elevate talent with certain attributes and attitude, the employee inculcates the habit of learning and acquiring new skills to ensure, he/she stands a chance when the opportunity arises.
In conclusion, Internal talent mobility and development has far-fetched benefits not only for the progress of the organization but also for sustained success built on a strong foundation of respect for individuals, their skills to adapt and continuous learning.
(The author is Cynthia Gokhale, Associate Director – Marketing, Corporate Communication & Service Assurance, ManpowerGroup, and the views expressed in this article are her own)
