When a company needs to hire, they've got two places to look: inside their ranks or outside their organization.

Human Resource experts will tell you that the first option is the favorable one, and not just because it may seem more convenient: hiring from within is seen as a huge boost to employee morale. In workplaces were employees continually see managers and directors brought in from outside company ranks, employees are more likely to feel stagnant and find themselves looking toward the door.

"The highest levels of workplace retention are in environments where there is a clear investment in the career track of individuals. It brings people in when you can see what development roles are laid out for people," said Kevin Young, vice president of EMEA Sales for SkillSoft, a provider of content and technology for IT professionals, told eWEEK in February.

However, an article in the Wall Street Journal on Sept. 26 discusses how chief executive of Microsoft, Steve Ballmer, as he tries to expand the company into new areas from online music to video games and advertising, has determined that he must tap outsiders, rather than rely heavily on homegrown managers as the company has in the past....

Full story: blogs.eweek.com