The Optimized People Development System

Category: Leadership development

  • 3 Reasons to Optimize Your Internal People Development System

    3 Reasons to Optimize Your Internal People Development System

    Practically all organizations practice workforce development. In many instances, these systems can be underdeveloped leading to less than stellar performance. Here are three compelling reasons to enhance this very important system.

    The PDS Supports Culture.

    “Talent acquisition and retention are as critical to culture as fuel is to a combustion engine.”

    Throughout their book, Culture Eats Strategy for Lunch, Coffman & Sorensen describe the attributes and qualities of high-performing cultures and how these are established and sustained. The tools and processes that enable and empower such cultures form a connected system; one that can be continuously improved.

    The optimized PDS understands that the people brought into this culture are on a journey that begins with recruitment, gains momentum at onboarding, is propelled by training, and enhanced by performance management. Retention begins at the recruiting stage and ushers those people along their journey.

    The PDS Supports all Other Organizational Systems

    “How we manage our people is the fluid that connects all the working parts and brings them the oxygen and nutrients to keep them all working as they should.” Toyota Culture; The heart and Soul of The Toyota Way

    Jeffrey Liker & Michael Hoseus explored Toyota’s HR philosophies and practices that support their famous Toyota Production System. These researchers described culture as the “blood flow” that makes the TPS operate.

    A reliable system to manage this “flow” hangs on a framework supporting systematic recruitment, robust onboarding, deliberate training, and dynamic performance management. Long-term retention anchors the whole process.

    The PDS Aligns

    “The visionary companies translate their ideologies into tangible mechanisms aligned to send a consistent set of reinforcing signals. They indoctrinate people, they impose tightness of fit, and create a sense of belonging…” Built to Last.

    Jim Collins and Jerry Porras follow this statement with a list of ways these visionary companies accomplish this. Their list describes training and onboarding practices, communication methods, and tools that include incentives and advancement criteria along with relationship-driven dynamics.

    All of these require a PDS that is visible to all stakeholders, clearly connected across the organization, and in lockstep with organizational goals and objectives.

    The system that organizations use to find, train, and retain people is a system within a system. This PDS serves as the connector and communication mechanism. It facilitates relationships and in so doing, directs the fuel that drives culture, provides needed substance and support to help sustain it, and ensures that important signals can pass through the system consistently.

    Such a critical system can offer great rewards from continuous improvement and optimization.

  • What is the Purpose of Your People Development System?

    What is the Purpose of Your People Development System?

    Behavior is a great indicator of motivation and that dependable old adage, actions speak louder than words, stands true for systems as well. An optimized workforce development system that understands its reason for being will behave differently than a comparable system that simply aims at obviously significant goals.

    *Donella Meadows, a leader in systems thinking, taught that “A system’s function or purpose is not necessarily spoken, written, or expressed explicitly, except through the operation of the system.” Even if its purpose is made explicit, the behavior of the system may tell a different story.

    In most cases, vision and mission statements are an effort to express what the organization believes is its driving purpose. Behind these, each organizational system – business processes, production, procurement, quality, people development, etc. – has a supporting purpose.

    If the exact purpose of these subsystems is not explored and established, their ability to support the vision and mission can be weakened. Defining the purpose of the PDS helps determine the system’s exact role in establishing and sustaining the organizational culture. This clarity can elevate the system’s contributions and inject accountability across the team.

    Purpose is Aspirational

    What is the overarching purpose of the PDS; its reason for being? Is it to help each team member achieve their highest level of individual success? Is it to create an inclusive culture? A culture of learning? Does the purpose encompass the community?

    It will certainly vary by organization, but optimizing the purpose of the PDS will reflect the values of the organization and what they believe about their workforce.  

    Not to be Confused with Objectives

    Often used interchangeably, the purpose of the PDS is different from the objectives that it pursues.

    Objectives indicate what the system has to do to fulfill its purpose. It might be stated as something like: The objective of the PDS is to support all other organizational systems by finding, training, developing, and retaining the necessary talent for the overall success of the organization.

    This would then translate into the activities around attracting talent, successful onboarding, strong retention programs, effective performance management, and, of course, efficient training efforts. Beyond these, key objectives should include making the PDS visible to all stakeholders and continually promoting a healthy organizational culture.  

    Important, Now More Than Ever

    Aaron Hurst, author of The Purpose Economy, expressed the importance of a deeper understanding of the reasons that an organization exists saying, “The companies that are emerging as leaders in the new economy are truly redesigning every aspect of their business around purpose.” One of the most important aspects of business management is the way employees are developed. 

    Surely the PDS exists to do more than just keep enough people to meet production or service levels. Expressing the purpose of the PDS can help to establish and sustain a great culture. Perhaps even defining that culture. It can help to ensure that people reach their potential, thereby helping the organization reach its full potential, and providing a crucial competitive advantage for both.

    Having a clear understanding of the elements that make up a people development system is important. Constantly working to optimize the performance of that system is just as important. And, the ability to clearly articulate what motivates the system can be a subtle but powerful influence on the whole enterprise.  

    *Thinking in Systems: A Primer. Donella H. Meadows 2008. Edited by Diana Wright.

    Image by Anand KZ from Pixabay 

  • Optimized PDS Drivers

    Optimized PDS Drivers

    This is the system that gets things done. It is arguably the most important system within an organization; literally empowering all other organizational systems – production, procurement, quality, and business operations. It is the system that cultivates talent and creativity, supplies ideas and powers implementation. It puts faces and names to the organization’s culture by attracting, training, and retaining people. Practically every organization has this workforce development system in some form, operating at some level of performance, although, it is a very difficult system to see. Its elements function at multiple levels, with many different stakeholders, and at various times as the organization marches toward its vision. Because this system is so vital to the overall organization, it makes sense to continuously improve its capabilities. It makes sense for all stakeholders to optimize their people development system (PDS).

    Four Key Drivers

    An act, process, or methodology of making something (such as a design, system, or decision) as fully perfect, functional, or effective as possible – this is, according to Merriam-Webster.com, the definition of optimization. Continuous improvement is to pursue optimization relentlessly. For the PDS it means an intense, long-term effort to:

    • Optimize the purpose
      • Know the why behind the objectives that drive the PDS.
      • Establish higher standards and expectations.
    • Optimize processes
      • Make the complete system visible.
      • Understand and improve the connections between system elements.
      • Remove waste and inefficiency.
    • Optimize performance
      • Utilize system elements more effectively.
      • Use more and better data to make decisions.
      • Sustain the system.
    • Optimize people
      • Expanding the idea and concept of development across the system to include:
        • Professional growth
        • Personal progress
        • Facilitating relationships
        • Enhancing culture

    Three Key Tools

    Optimizing the PDS is the ongoing process of improving and aligning these key drivers so that all other organizational systems have the support needed to achieve business goals and objectives. There are three key tools that support this journey toward a more powerful and effective people development system. Systems thinking brings connections to light, illuminating system behaviors. Lean thinking helps to identify waste and keep the team focused on continuously pursuing perfection. And foundationally, the concepts supporting a learning organization help to sustain a more robust PDS and enhance employee engagement.  

    I look forward to exploring the different facets of optimization for the PDS in future posts. I would love to learn from your experiences too. How have you seen this optimization play out within your organization?

  • Aligning Two People-Centered Systems

    Aligning Two People-Centered Systems

    There were politicians, educators, and soldiers. Locals, including activists and consultants, were in the gathering along with a few business leaders. Although these types of events ultimately aim to support local businesses, there are typically only a few industry leaders at a workforce development conference like this one. But on this day, several employers showed up. The folks concerned with growing the workforce in the Tri-Cities region of east Tennessee came together yesterday in their annual Education to Employment Summit. This E2E Summit is a great example of a regional workforce development system communicating needs, sharing best practices, and celebrating successful initiatives that connect real people to good jobs. There were three important takeaways for organizations seeking to optimize their internal people development systems (PDS).

    • A commitment to connections
    • Cultivate multiple and meaningful relationships
    • Diversity means more and matters more

    A PDS Can’t Operate in a Vacuum

    For an organization, making connections seems obvious, however, being committed to more and better connections to strengthen their workforce takes increased dedication and effort. A mediocre PDS might join the local chamber of commerce or occasionally sit in on an industry roundtable discussion. The optimized PDS will sustain a variety of meaningful associations. The E2E Summit, for example, highlighted the Talent Pipeline Management initiative from the US Chamber of Commerce. TPM works to assemble multiple employers within a region to identify workforce needs so that the greater workforce system can take timely steps to meet those needs. The annual Career Quest Tennessee event seeks to connect K-12 students and teachers with employers and with hands-on experiences designed to expose them to career options. Other panels discussed how to connect with veterans exiting the armed services and how to connect future employees with work-based learning opportunities. How well is the organization’s PDS connected to these types of initiatives? Maintaining connections like these takes effort and time. However, the investment can pay handsome dividends when it comes time to increase staffing levels or to fill key job openings.

    Many Relationships

    It was repeated over and over again – building relationships is an important key to sustaining a workforce. Similar to connections, something else that seems like a no-brainer. However, those seeking to optimize their PDS would do well to examine how their system is built to support relationship building.

    Every panel at the E2E Summit touched on this theme of relationships. Two high school students involved in apprenticeships with Eastman Chemical and Dreicor described the importance of the relationships they’ve enjoyed with the people at their new workplaces. These bonds were obviously instrumental in their continuing on their training path. Retired soldiers talked about the need to build relationships with veterans transitioning into civilian life because only through relationships could employers begin to understand some of the unique challenges these potential team members faced. Entrepreneurs talked about the support and mentorships they enjoyed with chambers of commerce and educators and how those relationships made all the difference in their being successful. The gold to be mined from this theme is that the optimized PDS will continuously seek to improve how they build and sustain relationships. Developing thriving partnerships with the larger workforce development system, and more importantly, ensuring that their own internal workforce development efforts cultivate meaningful relationships with all team members. Becoming exceptional at relationship building, not just being average, can be a real competitive advantage for an organization.

    Include Many

    Like countless others, this workforce development system is working to promote an inclusive culture in their area. For a variety of reasons – social, economic, and cultural – there is a need to ensure that everyone has a chance to thrive. Highlighting that it is a community-wide need, the United Way of Greater Kingsport presented a wonderful video about how welcoming the Tri-Cities area is for all people. It was from the perspective of teachers of color, some from different nations, and all from a variety of backgrounds. The community has obviously worked very hard to welcome folks to the region. At the organizational level, the optimized PDS actively considers that the workers in their organization have families that interact with other communities and have specific needs and concerns. Such a system echoes the welcoming message that the community initiates.

    There’s also diversity of experiences. The panel discussing transitioning service members helped the attendees to better understand the unique experiences that these potential team members have and the obstacles that might prevent them from successfully adapting to civilian teams. People from different places and backgrounds have seen different things. They have a variety of experiences that could prove extremely valuable if these are welcomed and the environment allows for open sharing. The average PDS may have a narrow view of diversity, equity, and inclusion. The optimized PDS embraces the differences and the value that might be realized by adding new and different people to the mix.

    Optimization means taking PDS connections to a higher level. It includes being more diligent about building and sustaining relationships both internally and externally. Continuously improving the systems used to develop people includes valuing a wide array of people and what each can contribute. The E2E Summit presented a great picture of the work that regional workforce development systems do to ensure that they can attract a robust workforce. The job of the organization’s internal people development system is to continually seek out ways to enhance and improve its processes so that both of these systems can realize a healthy ROI.

  • Building a Better Boat for Workforce Development Systems

    Building a Better Boat for Workforce Development Systems

    This isn’t necessarily the type of boat that Patrick Criteser was describing. He is the CEO of Tillamook County Creamery Association–a 113-year-old dairy co-op. In a Fortune.com article, Criteser highlights the innovative tenacity that drove the early founders of what would become the co-op to build a boat that could deliver their dairy products in a timely manner despite the harsh terrain and other obstacles. The real story, according to Criteser, was not the boat so much as the idea for the boat and that these farmers, “Allowed room for the kind of people who would suggest it.”

    What Type of Boat?

    Fast forward to today, and the connection of past to present that Criteser makes is the need for organizations to have a “better boat” – a culture that can work for and with many different kinds of people. More specifically, the article convincingly argues for a leader’s role in creating the environment for such a culture. He calls this a fluid culture, which, “Seeks to expand the potential of people and of the organization itself.” As opposed to a fixed culture which is, as the name suggests, rigid and limiting. Fluidity would allow new types of people to be added to the team. It would value participation and lend itself to idea generation and adventurous problem-solving. It would have hallmarks like openness and communication.

    As I pondered that idea of a fluid culture, one that, “recognizes that excellence comes from amplifying the good, not constraining the different”, the amplifying system that sustains this culture took center stage. I see this as a culture of learning, a culture of innovation that is supported by a robust people development system (PDS) that encourages growth and celebrates all who attain it.

    The Boat’s Systems

    Consider all of the system elements that are working together to find talented people for an organization. The elements that sell them on the idea of joining the enterprise and expending their energy and enthusiasm to generate great ideas in support of the organization. Think of the elements that are responsible for caring for these team members, helping them develop technical skills, and helping them gain new knowledge and additional capabilities that will meet the organization’s needs as well as their own personal and professional needs.

    The system would need to understand and align with the mission and goals of the organization. Such a system would have to communicate exceptionally well throughout the processes of recruiting, onboarding, training, retaining, and performance management. Strong leadership would be an absolute, and this workforce training system is responsible for ensuring that those leaders are developing and growing. To sustain such a culture of innovation, the system would have to thrive on relationship building and have access to data that would constantly keep leaders appraised of the system’s performance and health.

    Is a Good Boat Good Enough?

    All of this seems somewhat obvious, doesn’t it? After all, most organizations have processes in place for workforce development. They provide some type of workforce training. They work to retain their best team members. But, how good is the PDS boat…really? Criteser urges leaders to look more intently at their culture. Can it absorb new ideas, be adaptive, be flexible? Are they as leaders inviting change? Extending this a bit deeper, does the PDS support such a culture? How would it need to adapt and change in order to support a learning organization of this caliber?

    It would seem that only an optimized PDS could support a truly dynamic, fluid culture. A siloed workforce development approach can’t support a fluid culture. Neither could a system that is not people-centered. Building a “better boat” is a great metaphor for working to optimize the system that is responsible for finding people, bringing them into the organization, and cultivating relationships that makes them want to stay. A better boat that supports a robust development system that allows more room for people and their ideas, can help organizations navigate unrelenting change and chart new courses in the stormy waters of today’s marketplace.  

  • Improve Workforce Training to Fight Inflation

    Improve Workforce Training to Fight Inflation

    A continuous improvement mindset is a critical trait; now more than ever as inflation rages on. In the fight to offset rising prices, there is a need to look at all parts of the organization, and the system we use to find, train and retain people is no exception. This people development system (PDS) and its five elements can be optimized to provide a competitive advantage to the organization. An honest and in-depth examination of the training portion of the PDS can present opportunities to reduce waste, add new capabilities and increase engagement.

    Waste in Training

    Inefficient or poorly designed training efforts can waste time and effort. Change in our work systems is forever impacting the need for training; however, many training processes are slow to adapt. Over time, new processes are introduced, technology is added, raw materials are substituted, or other changes occur. How often are the training programs reassessed to absorb these changes? Using outdated material or training processes wastes the time and efforts of the new team members and the trainers.

    Wasting time can happen in a variety of ways with regard to training. Besides ineffective training, there’s the waste of the trainer’s time to be considered, and even the time needed for remedial training. Also, delivering training in a way that does not promote learning is a type of waste. This could be through a mind-numbing stream of videos that each person is required to endure on day one, or it could be in an ineffective classroom setting.

    Continuous improvement includes continuous learning. How often do long-established team members experience training? Is that training updated? Is it being delivered effectively – utilizing new learning tools and technologies; employing time valuing approaches like micro-learning or short webinars? Training is often out of sight, out of mind. Making the effort to truly see the process is a good start toward identifying waste.

    Expanding Capabilities

    Adding or upgrading capabilities can create new opportunities. This can include enhancing a technical skill or adding new knowledge such as conflict resolution, communication or leadership skills. Keeping staff these days is challenging and losing them is expensive. A culture of learning that invests in their capabilities can be a powerful determining factor when it is time to decide to stay or to go.

    Upgrading the teams’ skills is a part of continuous improvement. Helping each person to advance along their development pathway can help the organization realize untapped potential. For example, training the team to be better problem solvers can uncover hidden savings through the elimination of waste or the implementation of new and better ways of working. Improving the capabilities of those delivering training can also be beneficial. Train the trainers so that they are more effective and then give them the tools they need to do it well. Training is a key capability that can add value across the organization.    

    Deepening Engagement

    Keeping trained, knowledgeable people is good for the bottom line and development is a great way to support retention. Evaluate how well the current training regimen is performing with regard to these efforts and look for improvement options. A personalized development pathway helps to communicate the value that the organization puts on their learning journey. This also helps enhance performance management by establishing goals and highlighting growth. Using training and development to engage people is a tried and true technique. People who feel valued and can see how they are making progress within an organization tend to be more loyal.

    Pursuing perfection in the PDS can help fight high inflation. Last week we looked at optimizing the recruiting and onboarding efforts to lower costs. Continuous improvement in the way we train people requires a determined effort to see how time is spent and effort is expended. It requires that we look at workforce training delivery, at training materials such as job breakdowns, work instructions, and training modules, and at the technology we use. Thinking long-term about improving the people development system will help in this era of high inflation and will continue to pay off when inflation recedes.

  • How Well do You See This System?

    How Well do You See This System?

    Most organizations have this system but many are missing the opportunity to optimize it. That’s because nearly everyone is familiar with each system component, however, few see how they work in concert. This difficult-to-see system is the people development system. It is responsible for many, many deliverables with regard to finding, training, and retaining people. By many measures, it is the most important system within the organization because it empowers all of the other in-house systems. The PDS underpins numerous relationships and fosters communication across the organization and, for those that choose to maximize its performance, it offers opportunities to realize gains and improvements that otherwise might go unrealized.

    More than the sum of its parts  

    The PDS encompasses all necessary steps that bring people into the organization and connects them to organizational activities. But it is more than that. It may be more commonly known as workforce development or perhaps the human resource system, but I prefer the name People Development System because it is a reminder that real people with real names and real faces are the ultimate focus of these processes. This system is the mechanism by which value is exchanged; the value that the individual brings and the value that the organization brings. The PDS humanizes business plans. That is; it facilitates the human interactions that power those plans. The five functional components of the PDS are:

    Communication Channels

    Within the system, communication should occur all through the PDS. For example, information is passed through the system to determine performance, identify needs, and for planning and additions, etc. A well-connected PDS will pass communication through these five areas so that the different stages of the systems are all aiming for the same outcomes and using the same measures. Communication from the system to the team member begins in the recruiting process and that effort should become an ongoing conversation throughout their tenure. There should be a continuity to those conversations that both parties value and honor. To optimize the PDS, the organization can closely examine these communication connections and the tools and data used. Even if the current methods are good, there might be opportunities to make them better.  

    The PDS communicates via:

    • Data – what is happening, performance measures, system conditions, etc.
    • Artifacts – development pathways, reports, storyboards, etc.
    • Leadership – talking about the PDS, conveying info through the PDS, one-on-one discussions, and generally managing the system.

    To get the most out of each of these, a close examination might reveal some improvement possibilities. Are we getting all the data we need? Can all stakeholders see the PDS and how it is performing? Are leaders (this includes all leaders, not just the HR pros) equipped to manage the PDS effectively?

    Developing Relationships

    All five functional areas of the PDS are relationship driven. When a new team member is added, the obvious intention is that they will experience all five dimensions of the system. An easy analogy might look like this:

    Creating conditions and mechanisms that foster strong relationships can add strength to the organization. Conditions are mostly a factor of the organization’s culture. Does it support relationship building? Tools can include development pathways and career ladders, while leadership development strategies can help build stronger coaches, more empathetic leaders, and better communicators. Continuous improvement here can pay huge dividends.

    Hiding in Plain Sight

    As the PDS functions, significant system processes are transactional and therefore hard to recognize. Some aspects are visible – job postings, onboarding plans, training schedules, etc. However, crucial conversations occur at different times, development plans are discussed privately, appreciation activities are held, and coaching and mentoring play out somewhere in the organization. A visible system like that involved in the manufacture of some object is easy to see. The PDS is a non-linear system, with functions happening in various places and at various times all over the organization. A system like this can be easily overlooked for improvement opportunities.

    What if you didn’t have to rely on an image that pops into one’s head when the PDS was discussed? Some system functions are invisible and happen “behind the scenes” so to speak. But a flow map and some simple graphics could help the team begin to define the connections and their importance. Development pathways (a.k.a. learning plans, progression plans, etc.) can also help because these can be used throughout the PDS journey from recruiting through performance management. Helping employees make this personal connection to the big picture could potentially heighten engagement. Ideally, making the PDS visible to all stakeholders could help them relate to the system in a more meaningful way.

    Finding the Potential

    The processes that organizations use to find, train, and retain people is a dynamic system that can be difficult to see. This system, like all others, is open to the concepts of continuous improvement. A good place to begin is to look more closely at the whole system, the connections between the five areas, the tools, the data, and the leadership that administers the system. There are certainly benefits to be found by optimizing this system. This process, like all continuous improvement efforts, takes time and effort, however, the payoff can strengthen the most important of organizational systems.