Who Deserves a Promotion?

A new global study by Development Dimensions International, the Conference Board, and Ernst & Young determined more than 28,000 employees from 2,500 organizations have a negative view of career development in most workplaces, reports the Wall Street Journal . Poll respondents said they would be able to immediately fill an average of 43 percent of critical leadership positions with people already working for the employer, while almost 66 percent of human resources professionals said their succession planning process is poor. Development Dimensions' Evan Sinar says although almost all executives said developing future leaders is prioritized, far fewer report taking the required steps to ensure employees are not overlooked. For example, just 58 percent of the surveyed organizations have defined a clear array of skills that lead to success in a leadership role. Furthermore, when hiring and promotion decisions are made, 50 percent of HR professionals said their selection is not based on performance assessment data or job simulations.