Will Last Year’s People Development System do the Job in 2023?

It can mean transformation, modification, or alteration. It can also indicate an exchange, a swap, or an effort to trade out one thing for another. Change is a noun and a verb that usually means we have to do things differently. We most certainly have learned that we must do things differently when it comes to developing people.

Organizations continue to wrestle with the unyielding changes in workforce development and workforce training, changes that come from so many directions. Whole economies are changing, global trade is changing, and even the idea of work itself is changing.

Multiple systems, internal and external, are all in flux. And, as always, people are changing. Only now, it seems that these particular, people-related changes have more direct influences on all businesses.

Improving the organization’s people development system requires that leaders and stakeholders look beyond the typical HR-centric goals set for the new year and look for leverage in other areas of the PDS.

Some of the usual goals typically championed by or given to the HR team might include things like better recruiting efforts and the expansion of benefits to try and gain a competitive edge. There might also be some ill-defined declarations to increase training and maybe some focus on retention (which often means more team celebrations or events).

All of these options offer some potential for improvement. However, with some determined curiosity, new and powerful modifications might be identified.   

Ask: Where are other opportunities for improvement?

Five functional areas make up the PDS. Can we:

• Improve efforts to ensure data quality and accuracy?
• More effectively leverage the connections between the five areas of the system?
• Upgrade the design and/or delivery of Development Pathways (do we have these for every team member)?

Think: Continuous Improvement.

Optimization is an ongoing process.

• Identify waste in the PDS and set about reducing or eliminating that waste.
• Help all stakeholders become better at their role in the PDS. Does everyone know and understand the importance of the part they play in finding, training, and retaining people?
• Improve communication (share goals and successes, celebrate progress)

Look: Below the Surface

Sometimes, the most impactful changes happen in the least visible parts of the system.

• Engaged stakeholders bring energy to the system. Involve everyone.
• 2023 promises to have a host of challenges. Is the PDS adaptable to shifting market conditions?
• Ensure that the true purpose of the PDS is defined and communicated.

The start of a new year embodies the idea of change. To optimize is to change. Intentionality is key to driving continuous improvement in an organization’s workforce development efforts. The challenge is to dig deeper – ask probing questions, think differently, and look more closely – to identify the changes that will empower a more effective people development system in 2023.

Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay