How to Foster Individual Skills Development?
17 June 2008
Read by 2012 persons
Developing individual skills within an organization has a significant economic impact and is among the least effectively addressed issues in most companies.
Effective skills development requires a constructive environment that allows for factual assessment of existing skills, validation of these skills by the employee, the creation of a development plan integrated into the company's context and establishing clear priorities, and the implementation of a motivated process of continuous improvement for the employee, whose efforts will be supported by their supervisor.
Stakeholders responsible for these issues struggle to determine the economic impact of the process, and (to their credit) most management cultures significantly diminish the value of their efforts.
Indeed, we must remember that today nearly half of middle managers have virtually resigned (although they continue to "do their job," sometimes remarkably well, given their low level of commitment). These men and women have reinvested themselves in other dimensions (social, cultural, sporting, family...) outside of the company.
Skills development—like management motivation—has historically been the focal point of considerable thought and analysis. A review of the last 30 years of the Harvard Business Review or the French Management Review will confirm this. However, these efforts consistently stumble on two major obstacles: choosing development priorities and implementing development based on those priorities.
EVALUATE...
Indeed, all development efforts begin within each individual. It must coincide with that "spark" that motivates us to do better, and it must align with our individual goals, which in turn must be aligned (at least sufficiently...) with the company's goals.
However, it is extremely difficult for a person to specifically identify their professional development priorities, since we all naturally tend to prioritize improving the skills we already master best.
Furthermore, the type of relationships developing in companies today means that any issue involving personal judgment tends to be avoided, and most people therefore have fewer and fewer reliable "mirrors" to guide their improvement efforts. This, of course, continues until the irritation becomes so great that the only solution is to separate from the employee.
Indeed, one of the main reasons why we don't develop those aspects that hinder our success—professional and personal—is simply that we think "others don't notice" these shortcomings or these areas needing improvement.
To ensure the development of priority skills, i.e., those whose development will have the greatest impact on our performance and achievements, a crucial step is the reliable assessment of those skills relevant to what we have to accomplish.
The lack of feedback fostered by company culture (increasingly pronounced as one rises in the hierarchy) makes this formal assessment indispensable, and certain techniques now allow for data with acceptable reliability. Once this step is completed, there is a need to validate the results of the evaluation, and it is usually at this stage that the process falls apart.
VALIDATE...
To activate the internal mechanisms (motivation) that will lead the individual to a significant commitment to developing insufficient or deficient skills, it is essential to establish the credibility of the need in their eyes.
Three types of stakeholders are traditionally involved in this process: the individual themselves, consultants (internal or external, HR), and their operational management. The latter usually show excessive protectiveness, preventing the employee from accessing the unvarnished truth (the revelation of which could sometimes shed harsh light on how employees are managed themselves). In other cases, these same supervisors simply disregard the process (too busy "being the boss"), and their detached position prevents the establishment of sufficient credibility in the eyes of the employees.
Other stakeholders, such as consultants, only have a partial view of their role in this process and do not—whatever they say—have the credibility in the eyes of employees and their superiors to effectively involve them in a disciplined and constructive process.
Therefore, employees must guess for themselves what they should develop as a priority (one day respect for procedures, the next autonomy and initiative; the day after that time management, the 4th day negotiation).
The list of specific skills that any manager might wish to develop is such that, without a plan indicating the path, priorities become blurred, and the best efforts will yield only meager results (everything is urgent...).
PLAN...
Once a reliable assessment has been conducted and its results have been validated in the eyes of the employees, the emerging priorities must be integrated into the context (technological evolution for technical skills, division or company objectives, organizational intentions regarding the employee, the employee's interests, etc.).
All the information is then available to design a sound and effective development plan. This can then take into account internal and external factors that will ensure its successful implementation by the key stakeholders. It will lead to the optimal realization of the employee's potential and their best contribution to the company's results.
This plan should define specific objectives timed over time, and integrate the human dynamics of the employee, as well as those of their environment (colleagues, supervisor, context: buyout, consolidation, sustained growth for market share capture, niche occupation, or optimization in a mature business). This means that the employee's behavioral tendencies, motivations, desires and needs must be taken into account in the same way as skills.
COMMUNICATE...
One of the keys to success then becomes the communication of this plan. Both the employee and their supervisor must be informed of these priorities if the latter is to play the role of "coach," which is part of their responsibilities.
Such a process allows employees and their supervisors to address these issues factually, where emotions usually dominate (except when these issues are simply not addressed, which is becoming more the rule than the exception). It helps to reduce the gap in perception that may have developed between the employee and their surroundings (I think I delegate well, but my colleagues think my delegation skills are a disaster). This process also clearly establishes for the main stakeholder that the development of priority skills is primarily their responsibility, just as their professional success is their responsibility.
Feedback on the evaluation, as well as communication of the development plan and implementation methods, is critical. This is what ensures the success or failure of the process. It must not be forgotten that this evaluation (if it has been correctly conducted) often constitutes a challenge for the employee to which they are not accustomed.
It is essential to begin the feedback by recalling the employee's strengths (most people have only an imperfect view of their strengths), and to proceed constructively but firmly.
NURTURE THE PROCESS...
Once this development plan has been negotiated with both stakeholders, and consensus and commitment exist for its implementation, formal, recurring progress assessment should then be used to nurture the development process.
Some may criticize the above description, calling this progression too complex or too cumbersome. We could retort that, firstly, with a little practice this discipline becomes as easy to do well as any other, and secondly that this is simply what all high-performing teams and companies do—formally or informally.
We will simply recall that the lack of formality and discipline in implementing skills development is one of the main causes of the breakdown of the process, and thus of the enormous waste of motivation and talent that we are witnessing today. Effective individual and professional development is a process, not a program; therefore, a well-designed system is required to guide and reinforce this process. Without it, stopping and restarting processes according to erratic resource availability policies often proves more costly than simply passively ignoring this need, which is crucial for the future of any company.
Eric de Rochefort
Published January 25, 2008
humanside.info
Effective skills development requires a constructive environment that allows for factual assessment of existing skills, validation of these skills by the employee, the creation of a development plan integrated into the company's context and establishing clear priorities, and the implementation of a motivated process of continuous improvement for the employee, whose efforts will be supported by their supervisor.
Stakeholders responsible for these issues struggle to determine the economic impact of the process, and (to their credit) most management cultures significantly diminish the value of their efforts.
Indeed, we must remember that today nearly half of middle managers have virtually resigned (although they continue to "do their job," sometimes remarkably well, given their low level of commitment). These men and women have reinvested themselves in other dimensions (social, cultural, sporting, family...) outside of the company.
Skills development—like management motivation—has historically been the focal point of considerable thought and analysis. A review of the last 30 years of the Harvard Business Review or the French Management Review will confirm this. However, these efforts consistently stumble on two major obstacles: choosing development priorities and implementing development based on those priorities.
EVALUATE...
Indeed, all development efforts begin within each individual. It must coincide with that "spark" that motivates us to do better, and it must align with our individual goals, which in turn must be aligned (at least sufficiently...) with the company's goals.
However, it is extremely difficult for a person to specifically identify their professional development priorities, since we all naturally tend to prioritize improving the skills we already master best.
Furthermore, the type of relationships developing in companies today means that any issue involving personal judgment tends to be avoided, and most people therefore have fewer and fewer reliable "mirrors" to guide their improvement efforts. This, of course, continues until the irritation becomes so great that the only solution is to separate from the employee.
Indeed, one of the main reasons why we don't develop those aspects that hinder our success—professional and personal—is simply that we think "others don't notice" these shortcomings or these areas needing improvement.
To ensure the development of priority skills, i.e., those whose development will have the greatest impact on our performance and achievements, a crucial step is the reliable assessment of those skills relevant to what we have to accomplish.
The lack of feedback fostered by company culture (increasingly pronounced as one rises in the hierarchy) makes this formal assessment indispensable, and certain techniques now allow for data with acceptable reliability. Once this step is completed, there is a need to validate the results of the evaluation, and it is usually at this stage that the process falls apart.
VALIDATE...
To activate the internal mechanisms (motivation) that will lead the individual to a significant commitment to developing insufficient or deficient skills, it is essential to establish the credibility of the need in their eyes.
Three types of stakeholders are traditionally involved in this process: the individual themselves, consultants (internal or external, HR), and their operational management. The latter usually show excessive protectiveness, preventing the employee from accessing the unvarnished truth (the revelation of which could sometimes shed harsh light on how employees are managed themselves). In other cases, these same supervisors simply disregard the process (too busy "being the boss"), and their detached position prevents the establishment of sufficient credibility in the eyes of the employees.
Other stakeholders, such as consultants, only have a partial view of their role in this process and do not—whatever they say—have the credibility in the eyes of employees and their superiors to effectively involve them in a disciplined and constructive process.
Therefore, employees must guess for themselves what they should develop as a priority (one day respect for procedures, the next autonomy and initiative; the day after that time management, the 4th day negotiation).
The list of specific skills that any manager might wish to develop is such that, without a plan indicating the path, priorities become blurred, and the best efforts will yield only meager results (everything is urgent...).
PLAN...
Once a reliable assessment has been conducted and its results have been validated in the eyes of the employees, the emerging priorities must be integrated into the context (technological evolution for technical skills, division or company objectives, organizational intentions regarding the employee, the employee's interests, etc.).
All the information is then available to design a sound and effective development plan. This can then take into account internal and external factors that will ensure its successful implementation by the key stakeholders. It will lead to the optimal realization of the employee's potential and their best contribution to the company's results.
This plan should define specific objectives timed over time, and integrate the human dynamics of the employee, as well as those of their environment (colleagues, supervisor, context: buyout, consolidation, sustained growth for market share capture, niche occupation, or optimization in a mature business). This means that the employee's behavioral tendencies, motivations, desires and needs must be taken into account in the same way as skills.
COMMUNICATE...
One of the keys to success then becomes the communication of this plan. Both the employee and their supervisor must be informed of these priorities if the latter is to play the role of "coach," which is part of their responsibilities.
Such a process allows employees and their supervisors to address these issues factually, where emotions usually dominate (except when these issues are simply not addressed, which is becoming more the rule than the exception). It helps to reduce the gap in perception that may have developed between the employee and their surroundings (I think I delegate well, but my colleagues think my delegation skills are a disaster). This process also clearly establishes for the main stakeholder that the development of priority skills is primarily their responsibility, just as their professional success is their responsibility.
Feedback on the evaluation, as well as communication of the development plan and implementation methods, is critical. This is what ensures the success or failure of the process. It must not be forgotten that this evaluation (if it has been correctly conducted) often constitutes a challenge for the employee to which they are not accustomed.
It is essential to begin the feedback by recalling the employee's strengths (most people have only an imperfect view of their strengths), and to proceed constructively but firmly.
NURTURE THE PROCESS...
Once this development plan has been negotiated with both stakeholders, and consensus and commitment exist for its implementation, formal, recurring progress assessment should then be used to nurture the development process.
Some may criticize the above description, calling this progression too complex or too cumbersome. We could retort that, firstly, with a little practice this discipline becomes as easy to do well as any other, and secondly that this is simply what all high-performing teams and companies do—formally or informally.
We will simply recall that the lack of formality and discipline in implementing skills development is one of the main causes of the breakdown of the process, and thus of the enormous waste of motivation and talent that we are witnessing today. Effective individual and professional development is a process, not a program; therefore, a well-designed system is required to guide and reinforce this process. Without it, stopping and restarting processes according to erratic resource availability policies often proves more costly than simply passively ignoring this need, which is crucial for the future of any company.
Eric de Rochefort
Published January 25, 2008
humanside.info
