Making space for career development: how simpler talent frameworks enable integration

By Dr Ines Wichert 

There's one employee engagement result that I haven't seen shift despite working in HR for well over two decades: employees' dissatisfaction with career progression opportunities. 

And it is a result that creates a lot of anxiety in organisations as the evidence is very clear: if employees cannot see a career path in an organisation, they are significantly more likely to leave. Research by McKinsey found that lack of career development and advancement was the top reason employees cited for quitting their previous jobs, with 41% naming this as their primary reason for leaving [3]. 

The problem? 

Career development is treated as separate from talent management, a standalone "nice-to-have" that employees are expected to self-manage. 

When left to their own devices, employees rarely make time for career management, even when organisations provide resources. While there is limited research specifically on career portal usage, broader evidence on HR self-service technology and learning platforms reveals consistent adoption challenges. A 2023 Gartner survey found that only 31% of HR leaders believe their technology effectively supports business goals, often due to low usability and adoption challenges [4]. 

Employees often don't know where to start with their own career management. I am still struck by how hard many people find it to define their career goals and to establish how to achieve these goals. Effective conversations are a real career enabler but in busy organisations, there is rarely time and space for them. Career conversations are often squeezed out by day-to-day priorities. Leaders know they're important but struggle to make time for them. 

Meanwhile, another HR process often falls short of expectations: succession planning. 

Organisations run succession planning processes that are often bureaucratic, rely on complex talent frameworks like the 9-Box-Grid and are often done to people without their input, and sometimes even without their knowledge. In some cases, outcomes are not shared with employees due to the perceived risk of increased flight risk. 

Not surprisingly, these high-touch succession planning approaches are reserved for the top 5-10% of an organisation, with the remaining 90% of an organisation being covered by little systematic talent and succession planning. 

These complex succession processes don't just exclude employees, they often struggle with completion rates. These processes are often missing several key elements that are needed to make them successful: an employee's view of what they want to achieve, a meaningful conversation to work out a plan of how to turn career goals into concrete development actions. 

Why we need to rethink career development 

This Career Development Month, it’s time to rethink career development. 

The answer isn't to create more standalone career development initiatives. It's to integrate career management into the talent and succession planning processes we already run. But this integration is only possible if we radically simplify those existing processes to make space for meaningful career conversations. 

Why simplicity is essential for integration 

When talent frameworks are complex, managers spend their time completing grids and classifications. When frameworks are simple, managers can spend time having career conversations. And these conversations serve both purposes: they inform talent planning and address employees' career aspirations and their development. 

Simplified processes create the space needed to embed career management where it belongs: at the heart of talent planning. 

Specifically, this means: 

• Adopting radically simpler talent frameworks that can be rolled out across the entire organisation 

• Placing a meaningful career conversation at the core of the talent process 

• Fully engaging employees in the process, making it two-way rather than done to them 

The transformation is two-fold. Career management becomes systematic rather than self-service and talent management becomes inclusive and participatory rather than done to the top 10%. One integrated process serves both needs effectively.  

A radically simple talent management framework: four stages of career development 

Rather than complex matrices, consider a dynamic framework. With the use of a much simpler framework, such as a 4-stages career framework, the focus shifts from talent classification to career development. 

Most importantly, it's simple and acts as a conversation starter as part of a career conversation, placing the employee's career at the centre with the framework helping to highlight the next best step. 

One process, integrated seamlessly, serves both talent planning and career management needs: The employee understands where they stand and what opportunities exist. The organisation understands its talent landscape and succession readiness. And because the framework is simple enough to use across the entire organisation, everyone is included, not just the top 10%. 

Crucially, these stages are dynamic: anyone can be at any stage at any point and can move back and forth as circumstances change. Unlike rigid box classifications, if you don't have to negotiate for placement in one of nine boxes but simply agree on one of four stages, everything becomes much easier and leaves significant room for exploration about career goals and how to achieve these. 

Here is what a 4-stage framework could look like: 

• Sustain: Employees performing well and thriving in their current role 

• Support: Individuals who feel stuck or misaligned and need re-engagement 

• Stretch: Capable performers ready to take on new challenges 

• Shift: High-aspiration individuals ready for greater responsibility 

The goal isn't to label people but to understand where they are right now and what will help them move forward. Managers can use these stages to shape more targeted, empathetic conversations about development and readiness. 

This shared language of growth makes development easier to scale, more inclusive, and better aligned to business priorities. 

From classifying people to understanding them 

Traditional talent management models like the 9-Box Grid have shaped talent management for decades. But once someone is placed into a box, they often stay there even as their confidence, capability or motivations evolve. In a world where job roles are constantly changing, static models no longer reflect how careers really develop.  

 A better approach starts with conversation. When managers and employees talk openly about aspirations, skills and future goals, they generate less data but more meaningful data. There is no need for nine talent categories, but there is a need to help an employee define their career goals. It's essential to explore next steps and a high-quality plan for an individual. And if we can do this across an entire organisation because the process is simple and engaging enough to be embraced by employees and managers, then we can build agility.

With shorter, more frequent discussions, organisations can respond faster to emerging skills needs and shifting priorities. As new roles appear, many of which don't even exist yet, agility will be key. Employees can't always map their own careers alone, but through regular, supported conversation, they can navigate uncertainty with confidence. 

Simpler talent management frameworks replace form-filling with structured dialogue. They guide managers to ask the right questions and help employees understand where they are and what they need to progress. 

What happens when career conversations become part of the process 

In several organisations I've worked with, embedding career development within existing talent processes has delivered measurable results. These weren't standalone career development programmes. Instead, they were career conversations integrated within the talent planning cycle.

I've seen a global business introduce a new, conversation-based framework, achieving a 75% adoption rate. Another achieved a 98% completion rate for career conversations, strengthening succession pipelines and improving leadership readiness through better development plans.These results are not a coincidence. Simple systems are sticky. They scale because people actually use them. 

Across multiple programmes, I've seen engagement scores rise by up to 7%, internal mobility increase by 15%, and retention improve by as much as 67%. These aren't isolated success stories; they reflect what happens when talent management incorporates career management and development, and shifts from being a one-off exercise to a shared, ongoing dialogue. 

A shared responsibility for growth 

The future of work will be shaped by collaboration and that includes career development. Employees, managers and organisations all play a role. When development is simple, conversational and connected, it stops being an HR exercise and becomes a leadership habit. 

What HR leaders can do next 

If your current talent framework feels heavy or inconsistent, start small: 

1. Integrate, don't separate. Stop treating career management as a standalone initiative. Build it into your existing talent and succession planning process.  

2. Simplify to make space. Replace complex talent frameworks with simpler models that create room for meaningful career conversations. If managers are spending time completing grids, they're not having conversations.  

3. Train managers to coach. Rather than training managers to complete complex 9 Box Grids, train them to use a coaching approach to career conversations: goals, current realities, options, next steps.  

4. Make it inclusive. If your framework is simple enough, you can extend integrated career conversations across the entire organisation, not just the top 10%.  

5. Connect development to strategy. Align every growth discussion to business capability needs. 

It's to make development a shared, everyday activity that strengthens engagement, trust and readiness across the organisation. 

Sources 

[3] McKinsey & Company (2022) 'The Great Attrition.' Available at: https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/people-and-organizational-performance/our-insights/the-great-attrition   

[4] Gartner (2023) Survey of HR Leaders on HR Technology Effectiveness. Cited in: Pipefy (2024) 'Employee Portal: How to Increase Adoption with AI and Better UX.' Available at: https://www.pipefy.com/blog/employee-portal-adoption  

FAQ

1. What is a simplified talent framework?

A simplified talent framework is a streamlined model that helps organisations understand employee readiness, career aspirations and development needs without relying on complex grids or classifications. Instead of nine boxes or multiple rating categories, it uses clear, intuitive stages that guide meaningful career conversations. Simpler frameworks increase adoption, consistency and inclusion across the organisation.

2. How does a 4-stage talent model work?

A 4-stage talent model groups employees into four fluid categories—Sustain, Support, Stretch and Shift, based on their current performance, engagement and career aspirations. These stages act as a conversation starter, helping employees and managers identify the next best step in development. Because it’s dynamic, employees can move between stages as their goals or circumstances evolve.

3. Can simple talent frameworks replace the 9-Box Grid?

Yes. Simple talent frameworks can replace the 9-Box Grid because they focus on meaningful dialogue rather than classification. The 9-Box often freezes people in categories that don’t change with their development, while simpler models enable real-time conversations about aspirations, readiness and opportunities. This makes them more inclusive, adaptive and easier to scale across the whole organisation.

4. How do career conversations support succession planning?

Career conversations provide critical insight into employees’ aspirations, motivation and development needs—information most succession planning processes currently lack. When integrated into the talent cycle, they help identify emerging talent earlier, build more accurate pipelines and increase readiness for future roles. They also strengthen engagement and retention by giving employees clarity and ownership over their career path.

5. Why do employees feel stuck in their careers?

Employees often feel stuck because they lack clarity on career pathways, don’t receive regular development conversations and struggle to define their goals without support. Many organisations treat career development as a self-service activity, which leads to low adoption and confusion. Without simple frameworks and guided conversations, employees struggle to understand where they are now and what steps will help them progress.

6. How does simplifying talent management improve employee engagement?

Simplifying talent processes frees managers from admin-heavy frameworks and creates space for richer, more consistent career conversations. These conversations help employees feel seen, supported and understood—core drivers of engagement. Organisations that simplify their talent approach often see measurable improvements in mobility, readiness and retention.

7. What are the benefits of integrating career development into the talent cycle?

Integration ensures that career growth is not a standalone HR activity but part of ongoing leadership practice. It improves talent visibility, strengthens succession pipelines and aligns individual development with business needs. For employees, it provides clearer pathways and better support, reducing turnover caused by a lack of growth opportunities.

8. Why is the 9-Box Grid no longer effective for modern organisations?

The 9-Box Grid was designed for stable organisational structures, but today’s careers are fluid, nonlinear and fast-changing. Once employees are placed in a box, they tend to stay there, even if their capability or motivation evolves. In contrast, simpler, dynamic frameworks support agility, inclusion and real-time development.

9. How can managers have better career conversations?

Managers can improve career conversations by using a coaching-based approach, exploring goals, current realities, options and next steps. Simple frameworks like the 4-stage model give them a shared language that makes discussions easier and more consistent. The key is shifting from evaluating performance to understanding career aspirations and development needs.

10. What results can organisations expect from simpler talent frameworks?

Organisations that adopt simpler, integrated talent frameworks often see higher completion rates, stronger engagement and improved internal mobility. Case studies show adoption rates as high as 75%, career conversation completion rates of 98%, and retention improvements of up to 67%. These outcomes stem from processes that people actually use, because they are simple, meaningful and employee-centred.