Management of Human Resources

Recently, there is an award given for recognizing organizations which have been successful in the management or retention of their human resources.

One of the comments reported was that many local organizations are not very proactive when it comes to talent search. These organizations often recruit the more junior staffs and groom their executives from within.

Grooming potential junior candidates to take over the rein of the company in future has both its pros and cons.

On the pro side, leadership and technical skills require time to build up. It is thus essential to start early so that the leaders will be skilled when the time calls for them to take over. Having a leader who is familiar with the culture and processes of an organization will facilitate a smoother handover with minimum disruption. Moreover, there will be faster buy-in of the management decisions.

On the con side, this can hamper adequate rejuvenation of organization and leads to group-think. A leader who has been submerged in a culture for a substantial time is less prone to think out-of-the-box. There is higher demand on the management than the technical skills of a leader. Depending on the training provided to the leader who is groomed from within, if the potential leader has not gained adequate management skills, this promotion may be both detrimental to the organization and the personal development of him / her.

I am not a management guru. It is difficult to ascertain whether it is more beneficial to have a leader groomed from within or be scouted in the market. Regardless of whether it is from the perspective of the organization or the potential leader, it is important to be aware of the pitfalls of the mode and the factors required for a successful leadership.