Want to accelerate workforce transformation? Redeploy more, recruit less

Workforce transformations are advancing pace.

About 50% of CEOs interviewed report that their company has undertaken two or more major change efforts within the past five years, with nearly 20% reporting three or more, say researchers. But other reports put that rate at almost 90%. 

Most surprising: 67% of senior leaders say those transformations failed to meet expectations.

“The key to turning transformation failure into success relies on the ability of organizations to completely rethink and redesign transformations with humans at the center,” says Errol Gardner, EY Global Vice Chair.

It’s up to business leaders to spend time and planning on engaging their talent and how they will enable their new goals. The organizations best positioned to weather and benefit from change are focusing on internal mobility to grow talent and fill high-priority roles from within. 

Innovative employers are evolving HR models to recruit from within

Research from The Josh Bersin Company has found that the singular most impactful practice for driving business, talent, and innovation outcomes is “creating extensive opportunities for career growth.” 

Yet, only one out of ten organizations develop career pathways to move employees into high-priority areas. 

It’s no wonder the research shows that only 10-20% of open roles are filled by internal employees, and a mere 1% of U.S. employees make a lateral job move in a given year. 

Employers are missing out on a huge opportunity when they fail to tap into the potential of their existing workforce. Forward-thinking employers are finding new ways to successfully leverage internal talent, reskilling and upskilling employees into the roles they need most to sustain, and transform their business.  

One actionable strategy that’s driving real results: Building a dedicated internal mobility team.

Real-world examples of dedicated mobility teams

To address skills gaps and AI disruption, many HR leaders are (rightly) focusing on implementing and optimizing skilling investments and tools.

But organizations that are serious about driving real outcomes for internal mobility go a step beyond skilling. They restructure their HR function to support actual movement of employees into new roles, leveraging data from education and skilling programs to put mobility into action.

Organizations that are serious about driving real outcomes for internal mobility restructure their HR function to support actual movement of employees into new roles, leveraging data from education and skilling programs to put mobility into action.

Internal mobility teams can be implemented effectively across industries. In financial services, for example, PNC recently highlighted their team of Career Advisors — who help employees actively explore new roles and identify opportunities for growth — in their 2023 ESG report. Rocket Central also has a team of career coaches, known as THRIVE, that helps team members navigate career growth and match interests and aspirations with the right opportunities.

You can start by identifying the talent gaps most relevant to your strategy — whether that’s nurses, supply chain managers, cybersecurity analysts, and beyond — and then offer the skills needed to move into those roles. Internal mobility team members then focus on those roles, encourage movement into education-powered pathways, and ultimately source from inside the organization.

By having a team focused on internal mobility, employers are able to maximize their internal talent potential.

3 principles of effective internal mobility teams 

Employers in the healthcare industry who've set up internal mobility functions are seeing similarly impressive outcomes.

In looking to make career mobility a cornerstone of their culture, Bon Secours Mercy Health (BSMH), one of the nation’s largest health systems, created a dedicated internal mobility team that helps employees move into new roles along high-priority career pathways. 

Jeff Johnson, Director of Internal Pipelines at BSMH, notes an additional benefit of an internal mobility team is that it “enables the recruitment team to go out and hire inexperienced folks, bring them into entry point seats, and then help them grow.”

For each organization, there are three core elements that make the program successful.

They connect the dots between employee interests and organizational priorities

At BSMH, internal mobility team members are assigned to functional areas of the business, and their job is to match associates with roles. They face two directions, working directly with associates that are interested in growing while also aligning directly with business units.

Johnson provides an example: “Our chief laboratory officer has an internal mobility partner assigned to her, and she helps guide the associates interested in the lab and talks to laboratory leaders at the same time. So there's a beautiful moment in that we're almost a clearing house and a career coach all at the same time.”

That close connection with business leaders also helps make the program visible and likely to be leveraged across the organization. Johnson stresses that it removes the burden of mobility from individuals who have enough work on their plates, explaining that, “We talk to the business leaders and tell them, send your associates to us. You don't have to have all of the career growth information yourself. We’ll help.”

They take a data-driven approach to be at the right place at the right time

Internal mobility team members at BSMH leverage data from their strategic education benefits program with Guild. Each learning program is mapped to high-priority career pathways that BSMH defined, building skills that enable movement into roles such as medical assistants, medical lab scientists, and nurses. When employees complete a learning program, the internal mobility team can reach out to them about a potential new role. 

Johnson explains: “We have an on the job patient care technician training program, and about three months after they graduate from that, we go back to them and say...You were successful here in learning on the job. Would you like to keep going? Here's the path.”

They make it easy for employees to start the conversation about career growth

BSMH runs targeted internal marketing campaigns to raise awareness as employees complete learning programs, gaining skills that make them qualified for new positions. They also put up posters with QR codes around the hospital so associates can scan it and have an internal mobility partner reach out — no login required. 

The team’s approach ranges from broad awareness to precise targeting, complemented with a personal touch. The goal is to make the first step to mobility an easy one and to show individuals what’s possible in their careers. 

Accountability and structure fill talent pipelines and shape culture

At BSMH, the internal mobility team helps the organization live its cultural values and tap the potential of a workforce that’s ready to grow: Within a few weeks of the October 2021 soft launch of the education benefits program, more 2,000 associates, including more than 400 nurses, enrolled in various academic programs and clinical pathways.

Team members help the health system channel that enthusiasm into new talent pipelines. Levi Loverkamp, Chief Workforce Planning Officer at BSMH, notes that, “We've seen incredible outcomes. As we project every year what …our supply and demand is going to look like, we’re already exceeding the goals we have set to grow folks into these pathways.”

“We’ve seen incredible outcomes. As we project every year what …our supply and demand is going to look like, we’re already exceeding the goals we have set to grow folks into these pathways.”

Levi Loverkamp, Chief Workforce Planning Officer, Bon Secours Mercy Health

Internal mobility teams help organizations drive the outcomes that matter most for survival and innovation 

Organizations that take internal mobility seriously don't just pay lip service to skills and career pathways — they dedicate HR resources to support it. And a culture of organizational resilience and innovation follows. 

With an intentional approach to mobility, employers can make their workforces more agile and prepared for talent transformation. They’re able to both drive better outcomes in building the skills they need while also making career opportunities a part of their culture. 

This doesn’t just create new talent pipelines, it instills a culture of continual learning that will better enable them to pivot as needs change.

About Beth Knight

Beth is a contributing writer with a passion for thought leadership in the HR space.