Cultivating Effective Personnel Development

Good organizations employ an assessment or rating system. Typically, employees and their managers work together to develop, review, and revise goals on a periodic basis. These goals are based upon the employee's job description, the company's overall strategic goals, and the employee's personal career growth interests. Between planning sessions, the employee meets with his or her manager for one on one session to track progress against goals, and revise goals or goal achieving strategies if necessary. The manager can provide expert guidance and impartial feedback, helping the employee to advance toward his or her career goals. No one should be surprised during the major periodic rating and review periods, because the individual's development plan has been carefully monitored and adjusted throughout the year.

Good corporate leaders understand that their organizations will endure and grow through careful investment. They also understand that employees are their primary assets. Individual and team performance make all the difference in today's highly competitive market. At the bottom line, companies need to hire, retain, and grow the right people to achieve their corporate goals. Many organizations utilize rigorous interviews, personality assessments, and intelligence testing in order to hire the right people. The cost associated with hiring the wrong people is too high; the benefit of partnering with the right people is immediate, tangible, and enduring.

Just as individual careers benefit by regular assessment, review, coaching and development, so will the overall Personnel Development program. Today's business development environment is highly dynamic. On a regular basis, organizations must review these programs to determine:

• Plan. Is the program clearly documented, including its quarterly, annual, and 5-year action plans?
• Goals. Are the program's goals clearly articulated, and tied to overall corporate goals?
• Relevance. Is the overall program helping the organization to achieve its goals?
• Effectiveness. Are the employees that made the grade during the interview and pre-employment process staying?
• Employee Satisfaction. What do employees have to say about the Development Program? Note: soliciting employee feedback also sends a powerful message, that the company is committed to a careful review of its own performance.
• Review Cycle. Are there regular, scheduled review periods for the Personnel Development Plan? Have business leaders identified the necessary people and sources of information so that the review can be executed effectively?

When the information above is documented, analyzed, and reviewed, a clear picture of the development program will emerge. Leaders can retain effective program elements, and develop strategies to address areas for improvement. Essentially, this feedback loop will provide the basis for continuous improvement in the personnel development program.

As with all business functions, cultivating effective personnel development hinges upon an ongoing cycle of good planning, assessment, review, and revision. This is the difference between a static program, which generally only exists in order to self-perpetuate, and a program that exists in order to serve the goals of the organization and its people. If the Development program is rigorously reviewed, everyone benefits: managers, employees, and the company itself.

Theis content is courtesy of HelpingPsychology.com