The Optimized People Development System

Category: Continuous Improvement

  • Now vs Next – A Retention Challenge

    Now vs Next – A Retention Challenge

    “Let’s get married! After all, we can always get divorced if things don’t work out…” Nothing shouts commitment like a good caveat. Although it’s not a new phenomenon, the trend of “I’m in…maybe” is growing between employers and employees in today’s workplaces. More and more, survival in the current employment environment means keeping options open and viewing your exit as a given, instead of a possibility. Looking for the next opportunity, even as you’re starting a new one today.

    If the mindset is always what’s next, how does that impede team development? If the team doesn’t develop as a committed unit, what happens to employee engagement? The impact of engagement is undeniable, which is why an optimized people development system, one that seeks to understand those it serves, is so important.

    It is easy to understand how this dynamic has developed. This is self-protection in an era where the meaning and purpose of a job continues to change. In a thought provoking Forbes article, Nirit Cohen shares some compelling reasons for these changing dynamics in modern workplaces, “People will not anchor their identity to institutions that do not help them grow. The organizations that succeed will not be the ones that demand commitment, but the ones that remain useful. When work no longer defines who we are, the only organizations that matter are the ones that help us become who we need to be next.” Useful. How does a company remain useful to employees who define a career path so very differently?

    Loyalty went away

    This evolution of attitude goes back further than Covid and AI. Gallup’s annual survey and others show that the trend has been developing for 30 years or more. Even before that, we saw loyalties – from both the company and the employee – began to change back in the 1980’s. When various shifts brought an end to the idea of lifetime employment and a happy retirement with one company. Each party has become expendable in the view of the other. The pandemic and technology only exacerbated the situation.

    Today, people relate to their jobs differently. Cohen opines that, “Perhaps disengagement is not withdrawal so much as diversification. People who no longer define themselves by a single job experience layoffs as a transition between expressions of their capability, not as a collapse of self. The job mattered. It simply did not define them.”

    The article focuses on knowledge workers; however, other industries should pay attention as well. Attitudes toward work tend to seep over boundaries and spread as workers mix and mingle and share experiences and ideologies.

    So, is there a next here?

    “When people can walk away psychologically before they walk away contractually, retention strategies built on fear, prestige, or inertia stop working.” Underneath Cohen’s statement are some simple questions and a challenge; do we know what our retention strategy is built upon? How can we improve our strategy in this area and create significant distance between now and what’s next?

    The obvious starting point is a careful examination of the current retention strategy. Gather the PDS stakeholders and explore the foundational elements of this part of the system (the Talent Stream Map can help with this). What assumptions are at its base? Does the process value individual growth? What adjustments should be made to ensure that these values are embedded into the delivery of retention efforts across the PDS? The team will undoubtedly have many questions.

    Although the article does not address the relational aspects of a job, we know relationships are a vital part of retention. In fact, a great deal of individual growth is supported in and through relationships with colleagues. Relationship building is facilitated through a strong PDS. Coaches that help explore one’s potential and can help team members see what’s next within the organization help keep those members engaged. Look at the PDS and assess the system’s ability to train and deploy a cadre of coaches.

    Teams that tackle meaningful challenges together can also create stickiness. Those charged with leading these teams should be trained in emotional intelligence and should understand that team building is one of their primary responsibilities. Does the PDS support leaders in this way?

    With the new mindset as described, tracking development and growth is another way to promote retention. An optimized PDS uses tools like development pathways to communicate what is expected but also these serve as an effective reminder of their growth trajectory. Development pathways provide a connection between the organization and the individual where both can explore and continually focus on the value each brings to the equation.

    We may not like it, but market dynamics are what they are. Employee engagement is an emotional response, and, in this environment, people seem less compelled to connect and commit at this level. The optimized PDS is empathetic, fosters relationships through coaching and team building, and constantly communicates with team members that the best “next” is right where they are, on this team.

    Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay

  • Chasing and Catching in the People Development System

    Chasing and Catching in the People Development System

    I wonder if coach Vince Lombardi was a lean practitioner. Over 60 years ago he effectively harnessed the fifth lean principle when he encouraged his football team saying, “Perfection is not attainable, but if we chase perfection, we can catch excellence.” Sure sounds like a lean mindset.

    The fifth lean principle, pursue perfection, is really that, a mindset. It is a discipline that helps teams develop habits around constantly looking for better ways to serve their customers’ needs. So, how do we apply this chasing and catching mindset to the system that organizations use to find, train, and retain people?

    Define What to Chase

    Applying the second lean principle helps determine the current state of the people development system. In this case via the Talent Stream Map. From this current state map, we can begin to envision and construct a future state map. If we were to actually capture perfection, what would that look like? Obviously, there’s a need for a realistic vision, but this is the chance to dream big and set stretch goals. Ultimately, what type of people development system do we want?

    Once the future state is articulated, the team can rally around the vision, understand the direction, and see the challenges ahead.

    The duration of the chase

    My team uses the word optimization to capture the spirit of continuous improvement. Admittedly, it’s semantical, but useful and it makes a nice acronym. Apparently, we get extra points for catchy acronyms. The idea is the same, we look for ways to make the system better, more efficient, and more effective.

    We see at least three levels of optimization:

    • System functionality. How well is the PDS working? Can we improve the connections between the five processes? Is data being collected and used effectively?
    • People centeredness. Is the system really focused on the people it serves? Can we expand our definition of development? Does the system help people adapt to change?
    • People + machines (Industry 5.0). Does the PDS help people become technology savvy (where tech might be applied, how to use data, etc.)? Does the PDS promote applied systems thinking to all stakeholders? Is the PDS capable and ready to aid in the transition into I5.0?

    The important point here is that, like other systems, there are many opportunities to improve the PDS, so the journey is a long one. Done well, it can be a very fruitful one as well.

    Determination in the chase

    We use maps to go on journeys and journeys take time. Leaders and stakeholders of the PDS help keep the momentum of continuous improvement by constantly pointing toward the future state and reminding the team of the value of striving in that direction.

    As easy, early gains give way to slower and more hard-fought progress, the determination to keep pressing forward is vital. Resolute leaders and effective communication are needed.

    A chasing and catching culture

    Coach Lombardi may not have been a lean guru, but he certainly understood the power of building a culture focused on constantly pushing the limits. He wanted his whole team to adopt high standards and to strive to reach a level of performance that was only possible if they reached those standards.

    The fifth lean principle serves as a cultural anchor. When the whole team is fully committed to continuous improvement, the chasing of perfection becomes a way of life within the organization. Appling this type of lean thinking to the PDS can help stakeholders to catch a level of excellence that will benefit the entire organization.

    Wrapping up the principles

    Over these last six posts, we’ve explored how to apply lean thinking to an organization’s internal workforce development efforts.

    The five principles of lean follow a logical thought process. We identify what our customers want (first principle); we know our system (second principle); we fine-tune and make our system efficient (third & fourth principles); and, from the fifth principle, we pursue the perfect system.

    Although the PDS is a non-linear system that can be difficult to see in operation, these five principles are still useful when trying to find ways to reduce waste, find efficiencies, and generally make improvements. If your team hasn’t applied these guiding principles to this especially important system, try it. And then share what you learn!

  • Demand in The People Development System – Lean Principle #4

    Demand in The People Development System – Lean Principle #4

    In the context of the PDS the fourth lean principle can be challenging to envision, because of the element of time. Still, the concept can be useful to stakeholders.

    Principle 4 – Establish pull.

    Like the principle of flow, this principle is about movement through a system. If you can’t attain one piece flow in a production system, then the goal would be to establish pull, whereby the next operation gets what is needed, when it is needed so that various types of waste are minimized.

    Using this lean thinking to monitor movement through the PDS helps by reminding stakeholders that progress and movement should be constant. People should be advancing. How many are moving? Which areas need more movement? If there is no movement, what actions should be taken to restart it? Having this mindset focuses attention on the near term by keeping the team engaged and growing, and on the long term by ensuring that the future talent needs of the organization can be met.

    How Pull Happens in the PDS.

    New opportunities create pull in this system. People are needed (pulled) into new roles when new capabilities and capacity require people to take on new challenges. The principles of flow and pull help PDS leaders identify which positions/disciplines are moving through the other organizational systems. Keeping a watchful eye on these two forces can inform stakeholders about needed adjustments to the system.

    In the PDS, a type of pull is established when the organization or the organizational systems have a need for people due to three factors:

    • Growth – new business, new capacity, acquisitions
    • Expansion – addition of new technology, new capabilities, or products
    • Success – increase in business, new markets, or productivity

    Advancing through the PDS is usually gradual and repetitive in nature. Some of the operations of the system – training, performance management, etc. – happen over and over again, making them difficult to track. 

    In this case, pull is accommodated not only by promotions, but also by skill level advancement and growth in leadership, cognitive training, personal goal attainment, knowledge acquisition, coaching ability, cross training in other areas, concept understanding (such as lean, kata, systems thinking, etc.), strategic thinking, etc.

    Seeing the movement in the PDS.

    Systems thinking really helps when applying these principles to the PDS. Is the system moving people along their development pathways? This requires the PDS to prepare people through the performance management process and through the training process using tools like the development pathways. Of course, retention must be strong as well.

    The pull effect can be identified by monitoring the needs of the three internal PDS customers and ensuring that people are positioned to move at the appropriate time. Timely data and effective communication practices are necessary for this to occur.

    Bottom line, using the lean principles of flow and pull to manage the PDS helps all stakeholders monitor the progress people are making as they prepare for new roles and work to gain new capabilities to help the business succeed.

    Next time, the fifth lean principle – the pursuit of perfection!

  • People Flowing Through the System – Lean Principle #3 in the PDS

    People Flowing Through the System – Lean Principle #3 in the PDS

    Within this people-centered system, time is obviously important, as is movement. Although, the time element of flow in the people development system is different. Takt time, cycle time, and touch time don’t necessarily apply in the same ways. Those of us who have spent significant time in manufacturing might struggle with this concept because time applies constant pressure to a manufacturing process. For this system though, the work that flows through the system is the work of developing people.

    Lean Principle 3 – Create flow.

    The traditional definition of flow in lean means that a product moves without interruption from one production station to the next. When each production step is completed, the part can simply move on to the next station and begin being processed.

    When it comes to developing people it’s not simply moving from one station to another, or one department to another, but also from one level of knowledge, capability, and competence.

    The critical consideration here is that some level of advancement, flow, is being made often and with intentionality so that the people being served by the system are making continual progress on their development journey.

    In production, value is added when something is done to the product as it flows through the system, which moves it closer to what the customer has asked for. In the PDS, value is added when the people served by the system grow and develop and move closer to what all of the PDS customers have asked for (the four customers described in the post on the first lean principle).

    How can you tell if the PDS is creating flow?

    The best way to know if people are progressing at a proper pace is to know where they are supposed to be going. Development pathways are excellent tools that track an employee’s progress along their personalized development journey. A learning management system can also help, but a pathway or individual development plan adds an element of planning that might be more visible than what is available in an LMS.

    There are also key data points that help to identify flow patterns. Data that shows how many people are actively engaged in development activities; the number of people being cross-trained; how many people have been promoted through the system; new capabilities gained, and performance management successes. Just to name a few.

    Tracking flow helps PDS leaders identify how people are progressing and which positions/disciplines are moving through the system by connecting key metrics from training to retention and performance management.

    Where flow comes from in the PDS

    Create flow in the PDS by ensuring that everyone is progressing along their development path, career ladder, etc. Flow increases when the PDS and its stakeholders are constantly looking for and developing key attributes and talent. In addition, flow is enhanced when departments and teams are growing in ability, capacity, and productivity, moving people into greater roles, more responsibilities, and increased levels of knowledge.

    If you can’t create flow, establish pull, which is the lean principle we’ll look at in the next post.

  • The 2nd Lean Principle Applied to the People Development System

    The 2nd Lean Principle Applied to the People Development System

    The customer (in the case of the PDS, customers) will expect certain value from the system. We explored this in the previous post. The second lean principle provides critical visibility so that the stakeholders can identify gaps and opportunities for improvements. Creating a visual guide that shows how the system works helps stakeholders to address those often difficult-to-see opportunities. However, the map of the PDS is a little different.

    Principle 2 – Map the Value Stream

    The Talent Stream Map was inspired by the Value Stream Map used in traditional lean applications. Here’s the post describing the TSM.

    The TSM provides a way to clearly understand how data (quantitative and qualitative), tools, and leadership all come together from across the system we use to find, train, and retain people. It also helps to clarify the connections between the five functional areas of the PDS.

    The right map can make a journey more successful. The Talent Stream Map helps identify the “You are here” point in a journey toward improving your people development system. It serves as a great guide along the way, and it engages all the system stakeholders as they take this improvement journey together.

    Here’s some feedback that will help explain the impact the TSM can have:

    “The Talent Stream Mapping portion of the OPDS exercise was a key part of understanding the current state of our processes and it is imperative that you know and understand this so that you can reconstruct a system that will lead to improvement. We clearly were doing things differently in our various departments and we needed to standardize our practices. The mapping made this clear and we can now move forward with improving.” David Roos, Operations Manager, Mid South Wire.

    “I had seen an OPDS overview before, and it is great information. However, the deeper dive into our own people development system using the Talent Stream Map was helpful because it allowed us to see how each of us worked within our own programs and also how we worked within the larger program context. This created more of a bond with other team members.” Tennessee Workforce Development Professional.

    “I would like to recognize the fantastic insights gained from recently attending The Optimized People Development System workshop facilitated by Tim Waldo with the University of TN, Center for Industrial Services. I loved the simplified steps on how to incorporate each function and stakeholder in developing strategies (Talent Stream Map) and how all are connected and impact the People Development System. These strategies will transform our business into attracting and retaining top talent, which results in a more positive culture and helps in achieving our business goals. I left this workshop eager for more, excited to bring this back to my organization and using the tools to improve our systems. This is not just for HR – this is for any stakeholder that wants to understand and ensure strategies align with the most important asset of any business– our employees.” Alisha Garrison, HR Manager. Parker Hannifin

    Next time, we’re on to the third lean principle.

  • Lean Principles Applied to the People Development System

    Lean Principles Applied to the People Development System

    A people development system has some unique characteristics, so applying lean, continuous improvement requires some thoughtful use of the lean principles. The first principle requires the stakeholders to think about who the system serves and what those customers would find valuable.

    Lean Principle 1 – Define value from the customers’ point of view.

    You may have noticed the plural possessive use in the subheading. That’s because there’s more than one customer to consider. In fact, there are four distinct customers that require something from the PDS:

    • Team members – current and future
    • Organization teams – the department that the applicant will join
    • The organization as a whole, and
    • The customers who buy your products and services.

    Team members

    The person thinking about joining the organization needs to see clearly the value in doing so.  There’s value in understanding what the company stands for, what opportunities exist, and exactly what the organization is looking for. Several functions of the PDS are instrumental in creating and sustaining these values.

    If they are offered and accept the job, there is value in connecting – feeling valued, knowing where to start, having someone to help get them on the path. There is value in growth opportunities – seeing the pathway for development, having a say in how the path is laid out.

    After they’ve started, there’s value in having their view heard and appreciated, having good communication, meaningful work, and the ability to contribute. These are just some of the things that would be valued by this PDS customer.

    There are many benefits of ensuring that this PDS customer can see the value the organization has to offer: clarity around expectations, opportunities, and potential; consistency in communication, planning, and development; and a system that will engage with them all the way through their development process.

    The teams 

    The person you’ve hired is going to join a team. These organizational teams are important customers of the PDS and have certain expectations.

    These customers value:

    • Qualified candidates.
    • People with the right knowledge, skills, and abilities.
    • Getting talented people when needed.

    When the team receives the new member, they want:

    • An onboarding experience that establishes foundational relationships with new team members.
    • A robust training program that matches the team’s needs and supports their mission.
    • Retention efforts that keep the team stable.
    • Performance management efforts that expand the capacity of each team member.
    • Reliable tools for PDS administration.
    • Reliable data to gage and improve the system.
    • Leadership development that also helps continuously improve the PDS.

    The benefits of a well-run PDS for these departments and teams includes better matching of talent to their needs; broad, ongoing support as the whole team grows and becomes resilient; and leaders that can help ensure that the PDS is working for all stakeholders. Is your current PDS laser focused on this customer’s needs?

    The Organization as a Whole

    Defining value for this customer of the PDS requires a holistic, long-term viewpoint.

    Collectively this customer values:

    • A stable, growing workforce that buys into the culture, vision, mission, and business objectives.
    • Data that informs decisions about people, in the near term and the future. 
    • Tools across the PDS that make the process efficient, cost effective, and easy to manage.
    • Leadership development that continuously improves the PDS.
    • Help in becoming a premier employer.

    An optimized PDS that offers this customer high levels of value in these areas affords the organization more precise control over this people focused system, improved ability to predict PDS performance, increased engagement, and greater capacity to make sound personnel decisions, among many other benefits. Are this customer’s value demands being met?

    “The” Customer

    The fourth customer of the PDS is directly impacted by all the values delivered to the first three customers. A PDS that develops and takes great care of their workers, ensures that teams are well supported, and provides the organization with better people-centered support, has greater focus and fewer distractions in pursuit of its business objectives. The external customers of the organization benefit greatly when this is the case.

    Applying this first lean principle should start with all the PDS stakeholders learning more about the different customers that the PDS serves and what they value. Then closely evaluating the current system. Does our PDS provide these values to each specific customer? Are these values clearly defined and presented? Define the really important questions to consider and then find answers to them.

    The second lean principle seeks to make the system visible so that gaps and opportunities are identified. That’s for next time.

  • Applying the 5 Lean Principles to the People Development System

    Applying the 5 Lean Principles to the People Development System

    Optimization is a really useful word. To optimize something is to make it the best it can be. When used in the Optimized People Development System, it is intended to convey the sense of working toward the best possible version of a system used to attract, train, and keep people. It means continuous improvement for the most important of organizational systems.

    There are processes all around us that could benefit from continuous improvement and the elimination of waste. This is certainly true for an organization’s internal workforce development processes. And it’s great when you can use reliable improvement techniques on established systems.

    Lean concepts emerged from manufacturing and over time have evolved into lean thinking and then further into a lean mindset with principles that can be applied to practically any process or system. Eliminate waste and make things better for people. Seems like a good idea in any industry.

    However, this system, the people development system, has some unique characteristics, making the application of lean, continuous improvement a bit more challenging. Still, I believe that the principles of lean can and should be applied to the PDS.

    The five principles of lean are:

    • Define value from the customer’s point of view
    • Map the value stream
    • Create flow
    • Establish pull, and
    • Strive for perfection.

    Over the next few weeks, we will explore how each of these principles can be applied to the people developing processes outlined in previous blog posts.

    Here’s a brief teaser for each. There are four customers who expect certain value from the PDS. Knowing what each one values will help stakeholders make important improvements to meet their needs.

    Inspired by the Value Stream Map, the Talent Stream Map was developed to help make the PDS visible. It helps the team see gaps and opportunities as well as their individual roles within the system.

    Flow in this sense is not just about people physically moving through the system, it is also about intellectual movement, emotional movement, cognitive movement. Flow implies progress and growth on several levels.

    For the PDS, the pull concept is enhanced when the organization or the organizational systems within it has a need to help people advance due to three key factors – growth, expansion, and success.

    Finally, pursuing perfection in the PDS is where the optimization theme comes in. Three levels of optimization can keep the emphasis on truly continuous improvement for this people centered system.

    Next up, defining the customer of the people development system.

  • A Different Map for a Vital System

    A Different Map for a Vital System

    Maps have long captured the imagination of countless generations. Whether in search of some fantastic treasure, some lost or forgotten land, or something more practical like finding the way home, maps have played a key role in human civilization. There are many types of maps helping to answer questions like, where are we now, and where are we going? What type of journey will this be, and how should we prepare?

    These useful charts are for more than just simply changing physical locations though. Some maps can provide perspective and illuminate potential. Business leaders often use maps to identify improvement opportunities for their systems and processes. There are a few tried and true mapping tools that leaders have relied on for years in these efforts. Choosing the right tool is an important first step.

    Lean manufacturing aficionados understand that details are important in pursuit of continuous improvement. The Value Stream Map has been used for years to visually represent all the steps involved in a process. The beauty of the VSM is its ability to show clear connections between process steps, information flows, and material flows.

    However, there is a system where the traditional VSM is not the best map to allow a team to see the inner workings of a particularly important system. A system that could certainly benefit from continuous improvement efforts.

    Introducing the Talent Stream Map

    An organization’s internal workforce development efforts form a system, known by my team as their People Development System. It is comprised by five functional areas – recruiting, onboarding, retention, performance management, and the heart of the system, the training process.

    The PDS is a complex, non-linear system. Its functions and activities occur at various times, with multiple stakeholders, in many places across the organization. For example, retention efforts on second shift, multiple training activities on all shifts, and a conversation over lunch regarding performance improvement opportunities. And, of course, the PDS does not produce a “finished” product. People should always be receiving training and getting performance management support. Retention efforts are also never ending.

    Recognizing the need to help provide visibility to the structure and functions of the PDS and inspired by the Value Stream Map, my team developed the Talent Stream Map, a visual guide of all the components necessary to find, train, and retain people to help an organization meet its strategic goals.

    The structure of the TSM

    Four drivers

    The PDS is empowered and energized by the tools used, data collected, methods of delivery, and the people involved in the processes it houses. Once identified, these components are seen side by side and gaps and opportunities can be explored.

    Mapping the tools used in all the processes of the PDS allows the exploration of several helpful questions that can guide the discovery of  improvement ideas. For example,

    • Do we have all the tools needed?
    • When was the last time tools were updated?
    • Are we using tools like development pathways effectively across the PDS?
    • Are we leveraging the tools from one area to another across the whole PDS?

    Data is generally collected to help manage the PDS, if only at the basic level, which is fairly easy to track down. Comparing data across the whole of the PDS isn’t as simple. Gathering better data can inform better decisions. When mapped, gaps and opportunities for data collection become more obvious.

    • What data are we getting and are we actually using it?
    • What data is missing?
    • What correlations can be made from data across the five functional areas?
    • Are we asking the right questions of the data?

    Exploring the delivery of the process steps and services helps stakeholders to evaluate the effectiveness of the delivery and to identify potential improvements.

    • Are the methods of delivery up to date? (this relates to things like technology and to people’s expectations, etc.)
    • Is the timing of delivery right?
    • Where are we delivering these steps and services?
    • How can we improve the delivery?

    The people component of the PDS is one of the most important, and one of the most challenging to see. Leaders at all levels contribute to the PDS’s success or failure. Undoubtedly, frontline managers & supervisors impact the process of finding, training, and retaining employees. They are the main avenue of communication within the PDS – their influence even reaches the community. These important stakeholders impact culture, either positively or negatively.

    • Are the people involved in the PDS aware of their roles?
    • Are they trained to do their part (in each of the five areas)?
    • Are they held accountable for the success of the PDS?
    • How can we help people improve in their PDS related roles?

    Once the mapping effort has revealed who is involved with each area and how they are involved, those leaders and stakeholders can visually see how they fit into the system and understand how and why their contributions matter.  

    The purpose of the TSM

    To begin to improve a system, you must first establish its condition. The TSM is intended to make a complex, people-centric system more visible to identify gaps and opportunities that might go unseen otherwise.

    After the current state is established and understood, the next logical step is to begin to construct a future state map. This is where the strategy development starts. Stakeholders can make observations, express ideas and concerns, and begin the process of envisioning what the system could potentially look like.

    The value of the TSM

    Ideally, the TSM is built by all the stakeholders of the PDS. Those being all the individuals who supervise or manage others. As the process unfolds, stakeholders will see parts of the PDS that they may not have seen or fully understood before. There will be conversations that could reveal a misunderstanding of how certain functions are supposed to work versus how they actually work. Ideas, assumptions, and concerns can be voiced. Most importantly, mental models can be aligned, or the recognition of the various mental models can be dealt with.

    Waste reduction is the defining hallmark of lean thinking. The TSM helps teams isolate and reduce waste in the people development system. Waste in this system differs from waste in the traditional lean definition. Time, effort, and money are the main types of waste in the PDS, but there are also intangible wastes such as wasted opportunities and wasted potential.

    Using the TSM

    Making the complexities of the internal workforce development efforts visible can help teams in a number of ways.

    • Awareness. All stakeholders get a wholistic view of the system and their role within it.
    • Discovery. Identify gaps and opportunities across one of the most important organizational systems.
    • Dialog. One of the most valuable aspects of using the TSM is the conversations that occur during the map’s construction.

    Business leaders are weary of trying to solve the labor issues we are facing in our state and across the country. The Optimized People Development System and the Talent Stream Map were developed to help these leaders identify often unseen levers that they might manipulate to improve their methods to find, train, and retain the people they desperately need. They help leaders focus more on the things they can control and less on the things they cannot.

    The right map can make a journey more successful. The Talent Stream Map helps identify the “You are here” point in a journey toward improving your people development system. It serves as a great guide along the way, and it engages all the system stakeholders as they can make this improvement journey together.

    If you would like more information about either of these tools let us know. You can reach me through the comments here or at tim.waldo@tennessee.edu.

    Do us a favor please. If you construct a Talent Stream Map with your fellow stakeholders, please send us pictures and share your story. We love to learn how teams use these tools to improve their people development efforts.

  • Doubling Down on Internal Workforce Development Efforts

    Doubling Down on Internal Workforce Development Efforts

    The heavy cloud of concern over the American labor force continues to weigh down employers. Frustrated and exasperated leaders at all levels are struggling daily with the difficulty of finding and keeping people. My team at the Tennessee Manufacturing Extension Partnership certainly hears the frustration from those we serve.

    Driven by tenacity and a pressing sense of urgency, more business leaders are looking outwardly and investing in long-term solutions with multiple partners while ramping up efforts to attract people to work now. Investing some of that valuable time and effort inwardly could also help address the challenges of finding and keeping a stable workforce.

    Look again.

    Many manufacturers in Tennessee have already taken a close look at their people development efforts. Some have revisited their policies, some have expanded their benefits, and others have bolstered training and development. Still, there are probably other improvements to be made. In the spirit of continuous improvement, there’s always a chance to dig deeper and uncover new efficiencies and opportunities.

    The Optimized People Development System suggests that a good starting place is to create a Talent Stream Map. Based on the value stream map used in lean thinking, the Talent Stream map makes the PDS visible with all its beauty and wonder right alongside all its warts and freckles. Once all the stakeholders have their say and the TS map is complete, it becomes easier to explore possibilities for improvement.

    Look deeper.

    Asking more questions at more levels of the PDS can reveal overlooked opportunities. How can we improve recruiting is a good question. Can we expand where we recruit is also a good question. How are we attracting potential team members and when does attracting turn into recruiting? Can we do that part better? Digging into why we are recruiting will almost certainly stimulate some interesting discussions that cause other parts of the PDS to be reexamined.

    Another good question is, how are our retention efforts? What if we explore how we are personalizing retention? When do we begin our retention efforts in earnest? How can we do that part better? There are many questions that will come from looking more intently at all five areas of the PDS. Challenge the system stakeholders to stretch their question asking skills.

    Applying continuous improvement means to constantly ask more questions and explore more possibilities to make things better. If the organization has a good or even a very good people development system, there are surely other improvements that can still be made. Better questions help us to find those hidden opportunities.

    Hidden in plain sight.

    As the team explores the PDS, they often find things that were obvious, but unnoticed. In one instance, as a group of stakeholders stood in front of their TS map and discussed the flow of communication, they discovered that one tool they were using was not working as designed. They saw this after several questions about how the tool was supposed to be used and when. It was being used, but not consistently and not in the same way by all departments. They suddenly had a meaningful way to improve one of their processes.

    Stakeholders of another system unearthed persistent inconsistencies across departments regarding how training was being delivered and even what training was available. Eight supervisors described how they
    individually understood the company’s training approach, and ultimately discovered that they all had a different understanding of that extremely important aspect of people development.

    It has never been tougher to find people to help an organization fulfill its goals and purposes. Looking at and engaging with outward workforce development efforts to ease the struggle is important. However, overlooked improvements in the organization’s internal processes could also help fill positions and keep them filled.

    Discovery of these opportunities comes from thoughtful, purposeful exploration at all levels of the PDS and a willingness to dig deeper. Even though you’ve looked already, look again. Go another layer or two in. There just might be overlooked opportunities that could help reduce the amount of frustration and helplessness that your team is dealing with.

    Image by nugroho dwi hartawan from Pixabay

  • Finding the Starting Point

    Finding the Starting Point

    Finding the Starting Point

    The optimization process for the people development system is no different than any other system improvement journey. Start by thoroughly understanding the current system. Mapping the current state of the PDS with all the stakeholders can help uncover the “why” and “how” parts and allow for more precise improvement efforts.  

    Here’s an article that I wrote about one company’s mapping efforts.

    https://tmep.cis.tennessee.edu/wire-company-creates-map-improve-their-people-development-system

    Image by TheAndrasBarta from Pixabay