Some are open, some are closed. Some are simple, while others are complex, ranging from a mostly linear flow to interwoven layers of relationships and connections. Systems come in all shapes and sizes. An organization’s people development system is a great example of a complex and interrelated system. These internal efforts at workforce development have certain characteristics that make it challenging to optimize them.
Difficult to See the Action
There are usually artifacts that help leaders see what the PDS is doing. Training matrices, development pathways, and performance management tools provide some visibility. However, the actual operations of the system, the functioning of various elements, are scattered around the organization and can happen at various times.
The recruiting process occurs at different levels, at various locations, and in different ways. Training schedules share some insight; however, some valuable training activities may take the form of a one-on-one encounter on a production line. Other forms of training come from informal learning opportunities, mentoring or coaching interactions, or even self-directed learning.
Retention might be strengthened through a simple conversation or in a review of a team member’s development pathway. Many of these important PDS functions are facilitated without schedules or plans and are done with little or no fanfare.
Plays out Over Time
When does recruiting, onboarding, performance management, retention, and training happen? When each one needs to. When other organizational systems send signals. When the market sends signals. All five functions could potentially be operating at different places and at different times due to a wide variety of factors that moves the system to act or to react.
Several of the outcomes of these functions, although connected, sometimes develop slowly; for example, communication, relationships, and engagement. These can all happen unpredictably and at varying speeds.
Results come at staggered intervals too. The impacts of training require follow-up to show effectiveness. Time to fill an open position is an important metric for recruiting. The effects of performance management become evident only after some interval of time has passed.
Multifaceted
People entering the PDS, eventually work their way into all five functional areas of the system. Some of these interactions occur simultaneously in multiple parts of the PDS. For example, they will experience training at the same time as they experience retention efforts and at the same time that performance management support is given. Recruiting, onboarding, and retention are all tied together in the optimized PDS.
Multiple stakeholders
Many people play a role in the optimized PDS. As the system supports each team member, various leaders connect with those team members and with other leaders involved in worker development.
Direct supervisors encourage training and influence retention. Department heads along with supervisors get involved in the early stages of recruiting and onboarding. Senior leaders make decisions based on the performance of the PDS. Essentially, everyone is involved with the human resource management function.
Let These Characteristics Guide
Optimization requires making the invisible visible. Map the PDS and show how data flows, where communication should occur, and where leaders need to collaborate in support of the system and of the team members.
Greater visibility gives stakeholders a more holistic view of the system and allows for better and more timely decision-making. Honoring the interconnectedness of the PDS helps team members experience a smooth development journey and it promotes deeper levels of employee engagement.
Developing and maintaining an engaged workforce requires a dynamic and complex blend of processes that occurs across the whole organization. To continuously improve this internal workforce development system, it is imperative to appreciate how interdependent it really is.
Image by Pete Linforth from Pixabay
The Optimized People Development System 
Leave a comment