Despite Australian managers recognising the importance of talent mobility in driving organisational growth, most do not have the authority nor systems in place to facilitate it, according to new research.
A New Zealand employer, whose management team consists entirely of employees who were internally promoted, says a long-standing practice of developing talent from within has been "integral" to its success.
Employers seeking to fill critical leadership gaps must avoid taking applicants at face value, and "push harder" to obtain solid evidence of claimed competencies, says leadership consultant Gerry Davis.
The ASX guidelines on gender diversity reporting are likely to spark a new war for talent, necessitating a critical focus on engaging and retaining senior women, even in private organisations, says diversity expert Dr Karen Morley.
Employers that want their graduate employees to become young leaders should start teaching them the necessary skills from year one - even if this means spending less time on "the basics", says Development Beyond Learning managing director Josh Mackenzie.
When senior leaders at Woolworths were faced with a talent shortage in late 2004, they began to investigate why - in a company where women outnumbered men and 85 per cent of executive appointments were internal - just 16 per cent of its top 400 leaders were women.
Whether a personal handover between an outgoing employee and their replacement will help or hinder a business comes down to the question of trust, says Right Management talent management practice leader Rosemarie Dentesano.
A simple performance management system based on four core processes has raised employee engagement by 17 per cent and reduced recruitment spend by a third at eyewear company Luxottica.
So, here's the bottom line. I know there are lots of employee relations issues related to telling talent they're a part of the succession plan, but you have to do it. You have the plan (at least partly) for them.
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