MIT Sloan Management Review Article on Why Companies Should Help Every Employee Chart a Career Path

Ask an HR leader whether their company is good at career development, and they will likely say that it is — and then they’ll talk about the programs they’ve designed for high-potential employees.

Ask them how well the company supports the rest of the workforce, and their answer will likely change. Some will say that they expect managers to be responsible for developing their people. Others will say that employees are empowered to “own” their own career development. The more transparent leaders might add that their approach works for some employees but not for most.

Those approaches might sound good but often don’t live up to their promise. This is a problem for companies, especially when it’s difficult to find and retain skilled employees. Leaders must do much more to help employees see a future with the company and a path to advance toward that future.

About the Author

George Westerman is a senior lecturer at the MIT Sloan School of Management and founder of the Global Opportunity Initiative in MIT’s Office of Open Learning. Abbie Lundberg is editor in chief of MIT Sloan Management Review.

Learn more about MIT SMR.