Specialist engineer IMI comprises five distinct businesses, but is singular in its support of its talent-management initiatives. The pinnacle of these is Aspire, the company's comprehensive, high-potential, talent-pool programme, which was designed to identify talented and ambitious individuals for promoted posts within IMI. Russell Houghton, Head of the Learning and Development Team, believes that "…talent management is an absolute priority that improves the business performance – it's not just a Human Resources function."
A unique aspect of the Aspire is that IMI's CEO personally invites all 1,500 managers to put themselves forward as programme candidates each year. The benefits are clear: senior management gains real insight into managers' ability, desire and commitment to the organisation, and the company can boast greater diversity and improved retention levels, thanks to a real improvement in individual growth, both in terms of career progression and personal development...
