Canadian Firms Struggle with Frontline Bench Strength
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Canadian Firms Struggle with Frontline Bench Strength
TORONTO, June 2, 2010 – One in three Canadian companies struggle to build their frontline leadership bench strength, according to a survey conducted by Right Management, which surveyed more than 2,000 senior executives throughout Canada on their human resource priorities. Right Management is the talent and career management expert within ManpowerGroup, the global leader in employment services.
Asked to assess their current workforce with respect to the development of middle-level leadership, 35% of respondents rated it as “fair” or “poor.” By comparison, only 22% rated their senior leadership bench strength as either “fair” or “poor.”
“Frontline leadership is sometimes taken for granted by senior management, but it’s usually a top-of-mind concern for the HR department as they typically have a better day-to-day view,” said Right Management’s Dr. Henryk Krajewski, Vice President and National Practice Leader, Talent Management. “An organization’s effectiveness depends to a crucial degree on contributors at the middle level. These are the managers involved on a daily basis with the company’s core business and customers – they are the people that get things done.”
The survey finding, while no surprise, is nonetheless disturbing, according to Dr. Krajewski. “So much attention is paid to the senior level leadership and high-performers that frontline development is often overlooked and bench strength suffers. Yet it’s the frontline managers who are held accountable to deliver for the organization, and they’re the ones who frequently move on to become the new senior team – they are a critical piece of the leadership pipeline.”
The online survey of 2,107 senior HR and line executives across Canada was conducted in December.
About Right Management
Right Management (www.right.com/ca) is the talent and career management expert within ManpowerGroup, the global leader in employment services. Right Management helps clients win in the changing world of work by designing and executing workforce solutions that align talent strategy with business strategy. Our expertise spans Talent Assessment, Leader Development, Organizational Effectiveness, Employee Engagement, and Workforce Transition and Outplacement. With offices in over 50 countries, Right Management partners with companies of all sizes. More than 80% of Fortune 500 companies are currently working with us to help them grow talent, reduce costs and accelerate performance.
Media Contact: Meredith Evans. Regional Marketing Manager, Right Management, 416-926-1324, or meredith.evans@right.com.