Analysing External and Internal Candidates

Case Analysis: Internal or External Manager?

Question 1

Internal

External

Pros

The internal candidate knows the organization goals, business model, and the organizational culture. The candidate has the required skills and the ability to perform the job based on their previous performance.

With their already established relationship and knowledge regarding the organization, the internal candidate is able to assimilate faster into the new position.

External candidates normally have higher education and have more extensive experience than the internal candidates.

The external candidate will bring vital new perspectives, competencies, and experiences to the organization.

If an organization would like to challenge or modify old beliefs and organizational culture an external candidate will be better placed to turnaround the organization.

Cons

The internal candidate might need training and mentoring in order for them to be ready to take up their new responsibilities and role.

Since the internal candidate knows the internal environment, personnel, and the culture of the organization, they could find it hard to make tough decisions and implement the changes required if the organizational culture goes against or resists change implementation.

Hiring external candidates is always a gamble since it is not clear if they would be able to fit into their new role and adapt to the organization's culture. It is also not clear if they have the requisite skills and abilities for performing the job.

Hiring external candidates could demoralize internal candidates by giving the impression that the organization does not invest in their career goals and development.

Question 2

The developmental activities for an external candidate are:

· Special assignments

· On-the-job training

· Formal training

· Mentoring

The developmental activities for an internal candidate are:

· Position enhancement

· Matrix teams

· Mentoring

· Cross training

Question 3

The process for recruiting an external leader differs from the one for an internal leader in that for the external leader the organization should first have a clear statement for the role or position it is seeking to fill and recruit (Bidwell & Keller, 2014). The second step is creating an opportunity for the shortlisted candidates to assess if they are a good fit for the position and the organization. The last step is designing an onboarding process that will support the new hire.

Question 4

The external leader should listen and learn before they take any decisive action. Listening with an open mind allows the leader to gather information that will aid them in making future decisions. The leader should also seek advice from others instead of trying to solve problems by him/her self. Over-communicating to the team member in the early days is preferable. The leader should explain how they would like the team to work and set goals for the team. This is similar to what an internal leader would do when they take up their new post.