The Most Important Element in the People Development System

Time has a way of pressing in on our awareness. Although the clock and the calendar can exert multiple influences, this awareness does not always lead to the same level of appreciation for time. I saw this recently on an exploration of the dual vocational training system in Germany. The Germans have developed a practical patience with regard to training their workforce. Their approach is underpinned by a deeper appreciation for the impacts that time can have when it comes to developing workers. At the organizational level, time affects all of the functional areas of the people development system.

Obviously, time is not the only key element in the PDS. There’s also money, commitment, information, and leadership. Like the element of time, each of these is directly linked to all five functional areas of the PDS and each requires significant investment to optimize the system. What is unique about time is the speed at which impacts can appear. Typically, the consequences caused by the others, whether by absence or by presence, can show up rather quickly. This is not always the case with time.

For example, an underappreciation of time in the PDS can:

• Short circuit training efforts.
• Rush recruiting initiatives.
• Reduce onboarding to just orientation.
• Dramatically lower the probability of retention.
• Reduce the effectiveness of performance management.

The outcomes of each of these failures, and many others related, may only show up in the future as low morale, weak overall performance, or lack of company growth, just to name a few. Unpacking the impacts of systems thinking in The Fifth Discipline, Peter Senge memorably pointed out, “Decisions and actions taken at some point in time have a delayed reaction or impact at a later time.”

Operation of the PDS is suboptimal when time is undervalued. This is particularly true when it comes to human interactions. The wider role of the PDS is to facilitate;

• Learning and development
• Communication
• Value exchange
• Relationship building
• Maintenance of the culture

If process steps are truncated for the sake of expediency or the tyranny of the urgent, the organization and the individuals slowly suffer.  

When the time for people to connect is actually invested, there are still the tools of the PDS to consider. Recruiting plans, onboarding plans, development pathways, and the process of performance management all require time to develop, deploy, and deliver results, not to mention the activities involved in training.

Optimization, the actions of continuous improvement for the PDS, is an ongoing process that requires investment in all the elements listed above. If stakeholders who watch over the PDS are unable or unwilling to be patient; to invest adequate time for the system to operate properly, then the PDS cannot perform at its optimal level.

Time can be a powerful partner or a formidable foe in our efforts to find, train, and retain talented people. We can’t control time, and it’s not enough to simply acknowledge its pressing influence. A more balanced approach is needed. One that keeps the sense of urgency to make progress and solve problems against the tension of the long-term investments in the system’s strategic success.

Image by Tumisu from Pixabay