The leadership and

management talent pipeline

In a competitive global

economy, UK plc needs

capable leaders and

managers to drive

business performance

2 ©The Institute of Leadership & Management

ILM surveyed 750 UK

organisations to identify

the challenges they face

in recruiting and

developing skilled

leaders and managers

3 ©The Institute of Leadership & Management

What we found

©The Institute of Leadership & Management 4

9 out of 10 (93%) UK firms

say low levels of management

skills are having a negative

impact on their business

©The Institute of Leadership & Management 5

47% of employers say

lack of internal staff

capability is the biggest

barrier to ensuring a

pipeline of effective

leaders and managers

©The Institute of Leadership & Management 6

Most UK organisations

lack a functional talent

pipeline, with 43% having

no talent plan at all

©The Institute of Leadership & Management 7

Only 55% of managerial

vacancies are filled

internally

©The Institute of Leadership & Management 8

Only 18% expect

managers to have

received training before

appointed to a new role

©The Institute of Leadership & Management 9

Employers identified three skills as

crucial at every management level

• Communication

• People management

• Planning and organisation.

©The Institute of Leadership & Management 10

Key leadership characteristics are

hard to find in management

candidates

Employers struggle to find managers at all levels

who are emotionally intelligent, inspirational and

creative.

These are key skills for 21st century management.

©The Institute of Leadership & Management 11

So what is a talent

pipeline?

©The Institute of Leadership & Management 12

Talent pipeline means a joined-up

approach to leadership development

that enables the flow of skilled

individuals through an organisation

©The Institute of Leadership & Management 13

A talent plan is the means by which a

talent pipeline is implemented. This

involves defining, tracking and developing

leadership and management skills

©The Institute of Leadership & Management 14

Why is a talent strategy

crucial for businesses?

©The Institute of Leadership & Management 15

A talent plan enables the

introduction of skills development

before people take up the

responsibility for supervising others

It is critical to helping employers match

skills development with internal needs.

It ensures employers have a pool of

leaders and managers suitably skilled

to fill future vacancies.

©The Institute of Leadership & Management 16

Recommendations for

employers

© The Institute of Leadership & Management 17

Have a talent plan to match skills development

with internal needs

©The Institute of Leadership & Management 18

Provide training to develop skills and knowledge

prior to promotion

©The Institute of Leadership & Management 19

Develop these core sets of skills for managers

at all levels

• Communication

• People management

• Organisational planning.

©The Institute of Leadership & Management 20

Be aware of recruiting on technical ability alone

Technical experts with low leadership and management skills are

ill-equipped to progress into senior positions.

Recruiting this way, you are likely to end up with teams led by

‘expert novices’.

©The Institute of Leadership & Management 21

Look beyond your immediate recruitment needs

and consider your future needs

Select people who have the potential to develop in the future.

©The Institute of Leadership & Management 22

Thank you

www.i-l-m.com/talentpipline

About ILM The Institute of Leadership & Management (ILM) is

Europe’s leading management organisation. We believe that good

leadership and management holds the key to organisational

effectiveness and social and economic prosperity.

Visit our website www.i-l-m.com