Helping your team thrive: The power of internal mobility

In today's competitive business world, finding and retaining top talent is a priority for most organizations. However, they often overlook a key element: the people already on their team. The best way to nurture this internal talent is through internal mobility—the practice of helping employees transition into different roles within the company. This approach is a powerful method to develop talent, engage your workforce, and drive success.

What is internal mobility?

Internal mobility means creating pathways for employees to grow through promotions, lateral moves, or cross-functional projects. It’s more than just a job change; it’s about building a culture where learning, skill development, and career growth are part of the daily work experience.

Why focus on internal mobility?

An internal mobility program benefits both employees and the organization. Here’s how:

1. Better employee retention: companies with high internal mobility retain employees longer—about 5.4 years on average
2. Higher engagement: when people see growth opportunities, they’re more motivated and invested
3. Cost savings: internal hiring reduces recruitment costs and shortens the time needed to fill positions
4. Knowledge sharing: employees who move around bring valuable knowledge across departments, fostering collaboration and innovation
5. Skill growth: taking on new roles helps employees build new skills, creating a more versatile team
6. Succession planning: internal mobility identifies and nurtures future leaders within the organization for upcoming open roles

How to build an internal mobility program

Unlocking talent within your organization may seem like a huge task, but don't worry—you can make a great start with these steps:

1. Create a culture of growth
2. Set clear policies
3. Use technology
4. Encourage career growth and transitions
5. Build individual profiles
6. Foster cross-departmental collaboration
7. Provide learning opportunities
8. Celebrate internal moves

Using technology to drive internal mobility

While internal mobility isn’t new, today’s technology makes it easier than ever to manage and expand these programs. Advanced skills management tools can help:

1. Build comprehensive profiles: capture employees’ current skills, potential, and career goals to identify those ready for new opportunities
2. Intelligent role matching: these platforms can suggest internal roles to employees based on their skills and goals, surfacing matches that might otherwise be missed
3. Skills gap analysis: identify skill gaps and set up training plans for those interested in new roles
4. Career pathing: help employees explore possible career paths and understand the skills and experiences needed for different roles
5. Integrated learning: connect these tools to learning resources to support employees in their growth

Addressing common challenges

Internal mobility has its challenges. For example, some managers may hesitate to “lose” their top talent to other departments. To address this:

• Help managers see the bigger picture of how mobility strengthens the organization.
• Create a culture where managers are recognized for developing and sharing talent.
• Align performance metrics and rewards to encourage internal mobility.

Examples of internal mobility in action

Many companies have had great success with internal mobility programs:

• Google: Allows employees to explore new projects through its “20% time” policy, encouraging innovation and collaboration.
• GE: Runs the “Grow Your Own Leaders” program, which helps employees gain experience across different business units.
• Adobe: Created an “Open Talent Marketplace” where employees can explore internal job openings and take on new challenges.

Measuring success

To assess the success of your internal mobility program, track metrics like:

• The rate of internal hires for open positions
• Employee retention rates
• Time-to-productivity for internal hires vs. external hires
• Employee satisfaction and engagement scores

Internal mobility is more than just an HR initiative - it’s a powerful approach to talent development that can transform your organization. By building a culture of growth, you’ll develop a skilled, adaptable, and engaged workforce ready to take on new challenges. This guide covers the basics, but you can adapt these strategies to meet the needs of your team and industry.

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