A strong culture of internal mobility is intrinsically linked to effective skills management. When organizations prioritize internal mobility, they adopt a proactive approach to identifying, managing, and developing the skills of their workforce, magnifying the value of their skill pool. By doing this, HR leaders can ensure a smooth alignment between evolving skill sets within the company, internal mobility opportunities, and current and future organizational demands. Building a culture of internal mobility can complement a company’s skills management strategy by supporting growth from within. In this blog, we’ll discuss practical strategies for fostering a culture of internal mobility that enables organizations and their employees to adapt, grow, and succeed together.

The Importance of a Culture Focused on Internal Mobility

Creating a culture focused on internal mobility requires embedding mobility into the organizational ethos. Thus, it encourages employees to explore new roles, diversify their skills, and seek long-term careers within the company. When internal mobility is part of the culture, it not only improves retention by offering career growth opportunities, but it also fosters loyalty and engagement, as employees feel valued and supported as they develop a more diverse range of skills throughout their careers. According to LinkedIn’s Global Talent Trends report, employees stay 41% longer in companies with high internal mobility rates. In addition, focusing on internal mobility can lead to cost savings in skills management efforts due to the reduced need for onboarding and training. However, making this practice a cornerstone of company culture requires intentional effort. Here’s how HR professionals can help shape this type of corporate environment.

1. Leadership Buy-In: Leading by Example

HR professionals must work closely with leadership to promote internal mobility as a strategic priority. To achieve this culture with full leadership buy-in, metrics should be integrated into performance reviews and skills appraisals. This needs to be done for all employees, including managers. Promote role modelling by encouraging senior leaders to engage in internal mobility initiatives. Set a strong example by having leaders take on new roles or projects within the company. This signals to employees that mobility is valued at all organizational levels. Case study: Bosch: The role of managers implementing a cultural shift towards enhanced internal mobility

2. Clear and Transparent Career Pathways

HR can create clear and logically structured career pathways by developing a skills or competency framework that identifies the skills, competencies, and experience needed for different internal roles in each career path. This information should be easily accessible to employees, along with career development resources. This can be provided via an advanced Internal Talent Marketplace platform, whose functions range from monitoring skills progress to dynamic profiling and role matching.

3. Foster a Mindset of Career Growth

To encourage this mindset, HR professionals must create an environment where growth and exploration within the organization are encouraged and celebrated. Breaking down silos between departments is an essential step in this respect. This involves creating opportunities for cross-functional collaboration, whether it is through joint projects, job shadowing, or cross-training. This allows employees to gain exposure to different areas of the company’s operations and to envision new roles.

4. Leverage Tech Tools for Internal Mobility

Skills-based organizations with a strong culture of internal mobility are fast to implement technology that helps employees discover roles and skills they might not have considered, providing data-driven insights into the specific actions they need for career progression. Internal Talent Marketplaces, Skills Intelligence Tools, Talent Planning Platforms, and AI-Driven Career Path Tools all play a crucial role in facilitating internal mobility and helping identify and nurture high-potential talent.

5. Measure Internal Mobility Initiatives

HR professionals should track key metrics to assess how these programs impact employee growth, engagement, and retention. Doing this on a regular basis can also help ensure that the initiatives become increasingly embedded into the company’s operational culture. Key metrics to track include employee satisfaction and engagement, retention rates, internal promotion rates, frequency of both upwards and lateral moves within the organization, and time to fill for internal vacancies vs. external hiring.

Conclusion

Building a culture of internal mobility requires actively creating an environment that fosters growth, development, and exploration. HR professionals drive this transformation by collaborating closely with leadership, promoting transparency, and utilizing technology. They strengthen and measure internal mobility programs through these strategies. Consequently, this proactive approach adds value to the company’s skills management strategy. It also enhances the quality of human capital and inspires employees to engage more deeply in the organization’s future.