Company promotions: Is your manager ruining the internal job market?

In the busy hurried corridors of our Kenyan corporate world, employees often find themselves navigating a maze of managerial styles. Sit back at your desk and recall a past boss, one who perhaps hoarded talent, stifling your growth opportunities. Picture them micromanaging, seldom offering support for career advancement, or perhaps even blocking your path to new internal roles. Such experiences, unfortunately common, diminish not only employee morale but also organisational progress.

Recent research by JR Keller and Kathryn Dlugos, just published in the prestigious Academy of Management journal, challenges the effectiveness of our internal talent markets as we know them. The study scrutinises the assumption that free movement of employees to open and available internal organisational jobs suffice for effective talent management.

It brings to light a crucial element often overlooked in that the role of individual managers in either facilitating or hindering this mobility.

The researchers’ investigation integrates signalling theory with career sponsorship and talent hoarding concepts. The study postulates that the signals sent by managers regarding their willingness to support subordinates' advancement heavily influence the internal job opportunities employees pursue.

In essence, if a manager has a track record of successfully championing promotions for their subordinates, open positions within their team become more attractive, drawing more, higher-quality, and functionally diverse internal applications. Otherwise, the best staff will not vie for inhouse promotions and instead bottom feeders filter up to roles.

The empirical evidence supporting these claims emerges from an analysis of 96,712 internal job applications for 9,896 positions over five years within a large foreign organisation. The data revealed a compelling trend showing that managers known for successfully promoting their subordinates subsequently attracted more and better internal candidates. The pattern was further validated through 30 interviews with managers across four different organisations.

The robust research, though not yet specifically validated in the Kenyan context since it is brand new, offers a beacon of hope, exemplified by the story of a successful manager in Nairobi. Imagine a leader who actively mentors their team, encourages skill development, and champions their subordinates for internal promotions.

Such leaders not only enhance team morale but also attract a wide array of talent within the organisation, fostering a culture of growth and opportunity. Professionals across Kenya would eagerly seek out such nurturing managers and their reputations would grow across the country.

On the employee side, the message stands clear that we should seek out managers who are not just leaders in title, but also in action. Look for signs of their support for team members' growth, their track record in facilitating promotions, and their reputation among peers. Such managers are likely to offer more than just a job. They also offer a pathway to career advancement.

Organisations, on the other hand, can cultivate such leadership qualities through intentional actions. They can implement policies that reward managers for developing and promoting their subordinates, establish mentoring programmes, and create transparent internal job markets that encourage and celebrate mobility.

By recognising and incentivising managerial practices that support employee growth, companies can transform their in-house talent markets into dynamic ecosystems of opportunity and development.

In short, the study opens up a new perspective on internal talent markets, underscoring the significant influence of managerial behaviour on employee mobility and organisational vitality.

As we move forward, both employees and organisations have a role to play in fostering a culture where talent development and promotion are not just encouraged but celebrated. Let us boldly raise the bar of what we expect from our corporate leaders here in Kenya.

Have a management or leadership issue, question, or challenge? Reach out to Dr Scott through @ScottProfessor on Twitter or on email at [email protected].