Organisations everywhere are well aware of the benefits of consistently being able to promote managers and leaders from within.
Such a system creates continuity, makes for a generally smoother day-to-day operating environment, and helps to ensure the retention and transfer of relevant skills, know-how and corporate wisdom to the next generation.
However, achieving that ideal is rarely as easy as it might at first seem. In any business environment, conflicting forces and contrasting personalities inevitably come into play, meaning that well laid plans can go awry.
Times change, objectives shift, and individuals decide to pursue different goals. But employers across the spectrum recognise the long-term value in offering the right training, opportunities and career structure to attract and retain the best people. Therefore, they continue to expend considerable thought and effort on making the process more efficient and ensuring it is in tune with new priorities and evolving.
“There is faster upward mobility for some young people nowadays, so we provide training to build their self-confidence and help them lead more senior colleagues successfully,” says Isabel Lam, chief people and corporate management office for AXA Hong Kong. “Promotion, though, is based on individual performance, and for each employee that starts with discussing milestones for the year with their manager and setting both business and personal development goals.”
Subsequently, there are regular “check-ins” with direct supervisors to review progress and provide timely pointers. The guiding principle is good communication, with managers giving advice, listening to staff feedback, and then acting on it in the belief that no one size fits all.
In terms of formal training, the company expects staff to secure the appropriate professional licences, but also offers more than 500 online courses so everyone can keep pace with market trends in their respective areas and continue to learn more widely.
“We invest in traditional classroom training, which we believe is essential in some areas,” Lam says. “But we also have digital learning options such as Coursera, Skillsoft and TedTalk, so employees can develop all-round expertise and discover new interests at their own pace.”
In addition, the company encourages team-based sharing with ‘lunch and learn’ sessions, which are hosted by different departments and open to all employees. And a ‘reverse mentoring” programme, in effect since 2015, sees younger staff paired with senior colleagues. This encourages an interactive exchange of knowledge and skills, provides new insights for all involved, and helps to break down any barriers between the different generations in the workplace.
“To be successful, a company has to attract and retain talent, people with different backgrounds and strengths, and provide a platform for them to perform and excel,” Lam says. “These days, that includes what we call people-oriented policies, which respect work-life balance, family responsibilities, and requests for flexible hours. It means recognising a good office atmosphere inspires creativity and improves staff wellness. And for the HR department, it means analysing market trends and regularly reviewing our in-house policies.”
For Peter Outridge, head of people and change at KPMG China, there are certain essentials for creating a clear and compelling career path. These include well defined expectations; chances to contribute to projects and deal with senior members of the organisation; and timely opportunities for discussion and feedback.
“As always, walking the talk is the key thing,” he says. “Companies can outline a career path, but that is only effective if there are also visible role models and if the behaviours spoken about are displayed on an ongoing basis.”
He adds that there should be clarity around the mechanics of the promotion process regarding things like dates, milestones, required qualifications, corporate obligations, and personal conduct.
Furthermore, in an increasingly dynamic workplace, employers must not only train staff in the basics, but also invest more in “re-skilling” where necessary. It is similarly important to provide ready access to training courses in a variety of formats, and to support that with coaching and different types of on-the-job experience.
“By providing new skills and practical experience, all this boosts the likelihood of retention,” Outridge says. “But as the pace of change continues to accelerate, organisations should also provide all employees with absolute transparency around potential career pathways and what is required to progress to the next level. This information is the basis for a meaningful, fact-based and ongoing dialogue, something which employees see as an increasingly important part of the company’s value proposition.”
Jonathan Lo, partner for HR transformation, people and change advisory at KMPG China, notes that the firm has a well-defined performance management framework, which stipulates expectations in four main areas – client, service, public and people. It has specific KPIs and associated metrics for each grade and makes clear the expected behaviours. As a result, it gives employees a realistic view of their likely career path and prospects for advancement.
Having KPIs, he adds, helps to ensure promotions are merit-based and means staff know the precise assessment criteria for elevation to the next grade. Overall, this makes the process reliably objective, while also giving up-and-coming candidates intermediate targets and guidelines. Everyone can see that the process is equitable, but those who work harder and contribute more also have the chance to get ahead that bit faster.
“In other respects, in the digital economy, concepts like crowd sourcing and knowledge sharing are pivotal to success,” Lo says. “Therefore, across KPMG, we have invested in implementing a new cloud-based platform which allows consultants to share ideas about thought leadership, methods, proposals and collaterals in a single repository. We also actively encourage knowledge sharing sessions to ensure we harness the firm’s collective wisdom and can learn from one another’s experiences and from each client engagement.”
With regard to retaining talent, whatever the grade or level, he notes that the quality of the relationship with the immediate manager is critical. In general, the factors which do most to define this relationship are transparency, accountability, authenticity – and the willingness to communicate openly about challenges, frustrations or change.
“More than ever, organisations today must acknowledge the need to tailor employee value propositions to suit the needs of a diverse, multi-generational workforce,” Outridge says. “It is important that they invest the time to really understand their employee base and to ensure what they offer in terms of career development and other opportunities remains competitive.”
At IT firm NDN Group (HK), founder and chief executive Andy Ann believes a focus on all-round personal development is the way to keep his team engaged, innovative and ambitious.
“We think health, wealth and relationships are key areas, and we support our employees in finding their passion and purpose in life,” Ann says. “When we know their purpose, we have a better idea of their strengths, interests and overall career prospects.”
To enhance skills and knowledge, training covers the technical, job-specific aspects of individual roles, but then moves on to topics like leadership, negotiation, client and account servicing, and project management when the time is right. As managers advance, they pay closer attention to the mega trends in technology, innovation and thought leadership. And, linked to this, every year the firm selects a particular theme as a way of encouraging new perspectives and original thinking.
“A theme allows people to share and communicate, discuss, and inspire each other,” Ann says. “People won’t necessarily talk about a mission statement, but they will share ideas and opinions about special initiatives and headline news.”
By getting staff involving and seeking their input, this sort of initiative helps to create a forward-looking company culture and a work environment which is competitive but friendly.
“Culture is the major factor in improving retention,” Ann says. “What we are doing allows employees to care about and share a common goal.”
According to Andrew Warneck, consulting partner with Deloitte China and leader of the firm’s “Future of Work” initiative, prospects for promotion generally depend on three things: education, experience and exposure.
In most cases, the first of those has been regarded as the “price of entry”. Increasingly, though, the world of work also requires specialist know-how, creative thinking, complex problem-solving skills, emotional intelligence (EQ) and much else.
“So, it is a continuous learning journey, which doesn’t stop,” Warneck says. “These days, people need to build more expertise in areas of special interest, such as data analytics, AI and blockchain. And they must keep ‘rebooting’ their knowledge and topping up their skill sets.”
Regarding experience, he notes that employers recognise young people today are more impatient than in the past. The example of 26-year-old chief executives and start-up millionaires, and living in a world of “radical transparency” has perhaps led to false expectations in some quarters.
“The reality for almost everyone is that career progression does take time,” Warneck says. “You need the experience that comes from a tough assignment, collaborating with different people, turning around a failing business, working in a country with a different language and culture, and not thinking there is always a fast track way of doing things.”
He adds that employers have some responsibility to provide such opportunities, but young people must look for tough experiences 0 diverse and adverse - and not expect a smooth ride.
Getting the requisite exposure is basically about making contacts and building networks. Here too, individuals have to take the initiative, not think they can rely on others.
“In some ways, it is easier now for young people who are fluent with technology and in making connections,” Warneck says. “But they have to realise that getting ‘likes’ or being in a Facebook group is not the same as building proper business relationships offline or working with clients, stakeholders and sponsors.”
