Specialization and Leadership
As technological advancements have become ubiquitous in all operating businesses over the past 40 years, there has been a parallel trend in corporate organizational strategy: job responsibilities have become narrower and deeper, and companies have assigned greater value to workers who have demonstrated skills for specific job tasks.
This trend towards specialization has created two significant challenges for career seekers. First, it is difficult to move up the ladder within your current organization unless there is a transparent and open path to promotion within your department. Cross-training assignments to broaden your expertise base are rare in today’s workplace.
Second, if you happen to be looking for advancement via another company, the chances of landing your desired position (or even getting an interview) are quite low unless you bring the exact qualifications to the position. Companies have become more and more risk-averse to “taking a chance” on a candidate who has great potential but lacks the demonstrated experience.
Perhaps the most noteworthy consequence of the specialization trend is the resulting decline in leadership talent, in every industry. When high-potential general management talent gets boxed into limiting roles time and again, two things happen: they go unrecognized, and ultimately they leave to find better opportunities elsewhere.
Compounding this problem is the growing insularity of industries. Look at job postings for management-level positions in pharmaceuticals, apparel & footwear, medical devices, advertising agencies, and countless others: a candidate from outside these industries will get immediately screened out of contention unless he/she has direct experience. The only option is to drop back to an entry level position and sacrifice both compensation and career advancement time (very unlikely). Ironically, some company executives within insular industries might value “fresh thinking” and “an outside perspective” in their organizations, but those musings are quickly overtaken by the risk-aversion and status quo protection that dominates the recruitment and hiring process.
CareerMap is committed to help both companies and career seekers align to a common goal: to accelerate company success through improved talent management practices. To achieve this goal, both parties will need new insights from new data sources that will transform the current process.