Management Promotions Often Mishandled

CU360
January 22, 2010 | COMMENTS

Executives often think the hard part is over after selecting and promoting an employee to a new management position, but those employers quit too soon, according to the American Society for Training and Development's T&D magazine.

When it comes to transitioning new managers, only 24% of respondents rated their organizations as good, according to a recent report from the Institute for Corporate Productivity.

“We hear so much about training and development and the abundance of resources that are available, but the experience of the new manager isn't reflecting that,” says Holly Tompson, senior analyst at the Institute.

In fact, many employees feel they're not given the right resources for achieving success. About 66% of employees say their organizations don't use tools such as 360-degree feedback mechanisms to gauge the transitional success of new managers.

The causes of managerial lack of involvement can be attributed to overbooked schedules and the cost of assessments and training. But in the long term, not evaluating and tracking new managers will mean spending even more time and money amending the situation, Tompson notes.

Of the organizations that did use measurement instruments, 75% used a standard company performance appraisal tool, 60% used a 360-degree feedback mechanism, and 40% used a personality assessment test or a coaching and mentoring evaluation. Less than one-quarter of respondents used performance metrics or skills gap analyses.

About 80% of respondents said these assessments are used for formal development purposes, while 62% said they're used for promotion decisions, and 39% said they're used for compensation decisions.

The best way for companies to change their promotional culture “is through top management starting to value that transition period in a new manager's career and what happens during that process,” says Tompson.

Set policies based on what people really need, advises Tompson, whether that means having a new manager meet with a mentor or having assessments done on a regular basis. Don't let a supervisor's schedule be the determining factor as to whether or not a recently promoted employee gets help.