The Optimized People Development System

Tag: people development system

  • Things that Move a People Development System

    Things that Move a People Development System

    “Are you sure about that?” It was a great question, simple and thought-provoking. After reading my last post, a good friend and mentor challenged me to consider my assertion that time was the most important element of the system used to develop an organization’s workforce. His questions are a favorite part of our visits, although the great lunches we typically share are pretty good too. On this occasion, his question helped me to realize that more clarity and definition are needed. If the system is really about people, aren’t they the most important element?

    Several things affect the behavior and the performance of the people development system. I see these three as the most prominent influences on the system – functional areas, elements, and customers.

    Functional areas

    As has been stated many times in this blog, these form the framework that promotes the activities necessary to find people, bring them on board, and sustain their development journey:

    • Training
      • Recruiting
      • Onboarding
      • Retention
      • Performance Management

    These functional areas of the system work together to provide various services, facilitate communication, and foster relationships, among other things.  

    Elements

    The empowering factors that influence the system’s behavior:

    • Internal elements
      • Time
      • Tools
      • Data
      • Leaders/stakeholders
      • External elements
        • Time
        • Market conditions
        • Social factors 

    System elements dictate what people are experiencing within the functional areas, how the areas are performing, and how the PDS reacts to opportunities and changes.

    Customers

    The people – individuals and groups – who rely on the PDS and are affected by its performance.   

    • Internal Customers
      • The people being developed. Those involved with the system components.
      • The teams that receive and work with those being developed.
      • The organization as a whole.
      • External customers
        • All the people that the organization serves as clients.
        • Families of internal customers.
        • Communities that these families belong to.

    Optimizing the functional areas is very important. There are plenty of other posts on this blog that discuss this. I do believe that time is the most important element that empowers the PDS. All of the other elements are critically important. But without valuing time and allowing enough of it for learning to occur, for relationships to be built, and for the culture to grow, they tend to be less impactful.

    On the other hand, the customers are the most important focus of the PDS and this should never change. In order to ensure that they are getting maximum benefits from the system, all of the components that make up the system and the elements that empower it must be understood and managed well.

    What other components of the PDS do you see?

    Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay 

  • The Most Important Element in the People Development System

    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 

  • What if Outsiders Saw Our People Development System?

    What if Outsiders Saw Our People Development System?

    If a group of strangers asked to visit your manufacturing facility to learn about your training and development efforts, what would they discover? How would you explain your organization’s approach to training and development? Would the collective attitude toward learning be evident as they walked around?  What would they learn from talking with trainees and trainers? Such a scenario could be exhilarating and validating. On the other hand, it could be challenging, possibly even embarrassing.

    Last month I was part of a group that visited six manufacturers, some large and some small, in Munich, Germany. Like so many before us, we wanted to learn about their much-vaunted dual training approach known as the Vocational Education and Training system. The companies welcomed us in, as did other system partners. They were gracious and eager to share.

    Switching Places

    The trip was co-sponsored by the American Council on Germany and by MAGNET. We were a collection of workforce development professionals mostly from a dozen Manufacturing Extension Partnership centers around the US. After the exploration, I wondered what would happen if the roles were reversed. What if it were my company and our people development system that a group of professionals wanted to see?

    Over our week-long exploration of these companies, we saw fully equipped, well-organized, and dedicated training areas with ongoing projects that young apprentices (some only 15 years old) had been working to complete. Conversations with several of these learners revealed a growing connection to the company and to the people investing in their futures. Would they see that level of investment if they came to my place?

    Seeing More

    We learned about requirements for trainers and how they are supported. We saw how the companies connected to the greater workforce development system. Leaders, from the C suite to the production teams were passionate about training the next generation. Would my visitors see such enthusiasm for developing people?

    Learning and development are valued at many different levels. In their view, this long-term endeavor connected individuals to teams and teams to industries. To our German hosts, these traditional educational efforts are important because, ultimately; they connect communities to the nation’s interests. Would such a level of appreciation for the overall impact of people development be evident in my facility?

    Walking around each factory, we experienced a bit of their cultures. In every instance, there were positive attitudes toward learning. In some cases, about half of the existing workforce had traveled the same type of career development path, which no doubt helps form bonds and provide encouragers for the apprentices. Clear development pathways were the norm. The level of commitment to learning was high and very consistent. Would my company culture send the same messages?

    Self-reflection

    These German companies let outsiders peek under the hood of their people development system. Undoubtedly, the whole German system drives the success of the VET process. However, inviting people in to see your operation is much more up close and personal. I don’t actually lead a manufacturing company, but I suspect it requires some serious self-reflection beforehand.

    Opening up your internal system for inspection and critique requires a certainty that the system is working well, that the tools are effective, and the performance is reliable. The confidence to throw open the cupboards would have to be based on clear successes and on knowing that the system is capable of serving future needs. It would take faith in your team as well. If visitors talked one on one with learners and trainers the strengths or weaknesses of the system could be exposed.

    Optimization of the PDS is the pursuit of answers to questions that force us to look closely at the whole system and its performance. Seeing it from the perspective of others is a good exercise. If it validates our beliefs and our actions, great. If sharing some aspects of our system makes us uncomfortable, these are the areas that need attention.

    What would other professionals see if they looked closely at our PDS? Maybe we should invite them in and find out. But, only after we’ve looked through the cupboard ourselves!

    Image by Tumisu from Pixabay 

  • What it Means to Optimize a People Development System

    What it Means to Optimize a People Development System

    In some instances optimization is a moving target. Continually improving a system that is influenced by several stakeholders and operates on many levels is challenging. Add in the fact that many system functions can occur at many different times – some overlapping, some sequentially, some unknown to most stakeholders – and you have an idea of how much the target can move. That is the nature of an organization’s people development system. Interestingly, these dynamics present some unique enhancement opportunities.

    The Obvious

    On one level, optimization of the PDS means striving to continuously improve the system’s functions by identifying efficiencies. For example, how people are logically and effectively moved through the system, how data is captured, how PDS tools are deployed, etc.

    There are also opportunities to engage all stakeholders through stronger communication and more robust connections. This might look like monitoring the types of messages being sent and received across the PDS, fostering relationships through mentoring, and creating strong visual communication pieces such as training matrices.

    This is the practical, operational side of the PDS. Other improvements at this level might involve upgrading tools like individualized onboarding schedules and development pathways.

    The Less Obvious

    Because the system is concerned with people, there is another level that is more intuitive and driven by emotion. On this level, optimization can mean things like strategically aligning the values of all PDS customers.

    The customers of the PDS are 1) the people being trained, 2) the organizational teams that those trained people will join, and 3) the organization itself. Each of these customers bring specific values and expectations, some of which are often unspoken. The PDS is responsible for facilitating the exchange of these ideals. This requires constant attention and constant affirmation that the value brought is appreciated.

    As the PDS continues to improve and become more effective, it allows each customer to consistently contribute value to the other customers and fulfill certain expectations of growth, performance, and of learning.

    Optimization on this level can also include creating and sustaining a very particular awareness. It needs to register with the individual at an emotional level that the organization wants them to grow and thrive. This perception feeds self-efficacy and helps create and strengthen bonds.

    This is more than overt communication. This type of awareness is ultimately fed by the culture, the level of enthusiasm that leaders exhibit about learning, the consistency of the expectations to learn and grow, and even the amount of money invested. These types of signals speak volumes about the organization’s level of commitment to developing people.

    At this level of the PDS, personal commitment and a willingness to engage are nurtured. Optimization requires first that leaders understand the nuances of this level of performance in the PDS and second that they maintain a commitment to constantly monitor it for improvement.

    Appreciating the Levels

    Due to multiple levels of complexity, it takes a very focused effort to see the complete PDS that operates within an organization. Seeing the obvious opportunities as well as those less obvious but still powerful movers requires that all stakeholders have a holistic understanding of the system, including those influential levels where bonds are created and emotions are engaged.

    Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay

  • Just how Powerful are Your People?

    Just how Powerful are Your People?

    Everyone has some amount of power – even if it isn’t much. I remember discussing this idea on several occasions in my graduate studies in educational psychology. The learner has power in the system meant to grant them access to knowledge.

    They have the power to choose to participate; they can determine at what level to affect outcomes within the class; and, if given the opportunity, they even have the power to shape the curriculum.

    The point is; they bring something to the table that is important for the system’s success and survival. They also bring this type of power to the workplace. 

    Some may look at an organization’s people development system and think that generally the power flows in one direction. After all, the organization offers training, development, and other growth opportunities. Employees receive these benefits and find security, safety, potential success, etc.

    However, the caretakers of an optimized PDS understand the nature of shared power and seek to use it to continuously improve their system.

    According to the American Psychological Association, reciprocal determinism, “…maintains that the environment influences behavior, behavior influences the environment, and both influence the individual, who also influences them.” A concept largely attributed to Albert Bandera’s work in social learning theory.

    The people served by the PDS are beneficiaries but also benefactors; customers but also value adders; free agents that can either help or harm.

    Respecting and enabling these give-and-take relationships can help ensure that the undeniable power possessed by employees gets invested back into the organization.

    The Power to Choose

    People get to decide whether or not to contribute; they can selectively add value; they can deliberately enhance organizational pride; they can intentionally choose to be a positive force in the culture. They can do all of these and more – or not.

    They can choose to learn, to strengthen communication, or to underperform. They can elect to exercise their power to help attract talent, to help train that new talent, and to help retain it. Even if they are not directly involved as stakeholders of the people development system.

    The best people development systems use tools like development pathways that help clarify available choices and encourage greater engagement. These top-notch systems acknowledge contributions and are careful to recognize the value that each person chooses to bring.

    The Power to Effect

    The collective motivations of individuals drive an organization’s efforts. Inspired people pour extra energy into their work and their teams. That extra energy underpins stronger relationships, fuels creativity, or simply adds to a heightened level of determination to excel. Uninspired people are generally unconcerned about the affect they might have on the team and the organization.

    Leaders of an optimized PDS develop a new appreciation of the idea of engagement. They understand that the power of influence ripples throughout the organization and can enhance the environment even more.

    The Power to Change

    Being adaptable in today’s workplace is a much-desired skill. People who possess the power and willingness to change, continuously upgrade, and repeatedly step out of their comfort zone are highly valued.  

    Yet change requires support from the organization. It requires a culture that celebrates learning and, to a great extent, a culture that embraces failure as a means of moving forward.

    Development processes that not only support these ideas but actively encourage them can attract people who are excited by change and motivate those who might be intimidated by it.

    Recognizing that every individual has some degree of power is a sign of respect. It is an acknowledgment that everyone involved brings something valuable to the table. And that can make a people development system more effective.  

    Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay 

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

    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 

  • A System That Never Quits… or, Shouldn’t Anyway  

    A System That Never Quits… or, Shouldn’t Anyway  

    In some systems, processes can be easily followed from a beginning point to completion. For example, production systems tend to have a start-to-finish flow. Raw materials come in, modifications occur, and finished goods exit the process. Service delivery processes can often be easily traced within systems designed for that purpose. In these systems, it is fairly easy to understand what is happening at any given time. It is not so easy with the people development system. If leaders do not understand the dynamic behaviors of the PDS, opportunities could be missed, system performance could be limited, and poor decisions could harm the system’s effectiveness.

    Phases of Activity

    I have made the case that the PDS is difficult to see in operation. This is due to non-linearity and to multiple variables that come into play sight unseen. An important implication of this is the need to recognize what parts of the system are active and when those activities are taking place.

    As an open system, the PDS operates in and is influenced by its environment, taking feedback from other organizational systems and adjusting. The system is always active at some level. When headcount is unstable, recruiting and onboarding efforts are more active. Think of this as phase one system activity.

    When headcount is stable, the emphasis shifts to retention and performance management – phase two. Training processes support both phases of the PDS, with these activities fluctuating based on several system variables.

    Something is Always Happening

    No matter which phase is dominant, activity in the less dominant phase should still be present. Does the act of recruiting ever really come to a complete stop? In an optimized PDS, there is always some effort made to improve and refine sources, improve materials, and identify potential audiences, even if there are no current job openings to fill.

    Is the training program constantly evaluated for efficacy and efficiency? No matter where the greatest workforce development activity is focused, continuously improving training should be of paramount importance. Good training has far-reaching impacts on the organization.   

    Development pathways are a tool that should be used in all phases of the PDS and are especially important in bolstering retention and performance management. Are these pathways being actively managed? It doesn’t matter where the overall system emphasis is; this training map is most effective when used at the opportune time along the individual’s journey.

    Before or After

    Typically, when there is a contraction or spike in some system performance, stakeholders respond after the fact. For example, if attrition numbers change, attendance issues suddenly develop, or some quality issue points to the need to revisit the training processes.

    The optimized PDS proactively monitors data and interacts with stakeholders and the individuals served by the system to get out in front of any potentially harmful issues.

    Why it matters

    At any given time and at various levels, the PDS is active, or should be. These activities might involve both the initial phases of adding people or the secondary phases of training and retaining them. Or, it could include robust efforts in both. An awareness of the fluctuating dynamics of the system is vital to managing it well and improving overall system performance.

    Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay 

  • Identifying Waste in the People Development System

    Identifying Waste in the People Development System

    Some types of waste are easier to spot than others. In many industries, lean concepts aim to identify, from the customer’s point of view, what adds value and what does not. Whether in a product or service, those non-value-adding wastes are to be ruthlessly hunted down and banished. The wastes in an organization’s internal workforce development processes can be tangible and intangible.

    Tangible Losses

    Most organizations invest money, time, and effort in their people development system. Naturally, waste can cause losses to all three resources. The negative costs of a poorly managed PDS can occur at multiple levels over both the short term and the long term.

    Within the PDS examples of tangible wastes can include:

    • Paying people to attend ineffective training; this wastes the wages, time, and effort of participants and trainers. 
    • Wasted personnel hours in unproductive recruiting.
    • Onboarding that does not effectively engage new hires, resulting in their premature departure.  
    • If the new hire leaves before an ROI can be realized, other cost of a hire factors (pre-employment testing, advertising, placement agencies, etc.) are wasted. 
    • Mismatching people and jobs. Instead of optimizing the talent, all the effort to train them, manage their performance, and retain them in jobs that are below their potential results in a lower ROI than might have been realized if they were properly matched and thriving.
    • And, of course, there are the quality issues caused by poor training.

    Some of these costs are often captured in a cost-of-hire calculation. It is surprising though, how many organizations do not fully understand all of the costs that go into developing people.

    To prevent the PDS wasting time, money, and effort requires stakeholders to look more deeply at the system. Is data being collected that can help evaluate the effectiveness of training and recruiting? Are development pathways in place that guide the growth of each team member? Are they actively involved in constructing and managing these development plans?

    Intangible Losses 

    Then there are the wastes that are more difficult to see. These include lost opportunities, lost potential, and missed relationships. These might look like:

    • Missed business opportunities (increased productivity, launching new products, continuous improvement efforts).
    • Opportunity for teams to get a well-trained member when they need them.
    • The potential to put the right person in the right position.  
    • For recruiters to be connecting to better sources.
    • Employees are not allowed to pursue a personalized development pathway.
    • The opportunity to gather more and better data that could help improve the PDS.
    • Not using tools that connect people (development pathways, coaching, etc.)
    • Leaders not fully utilizing coaching and training techniques.

    Understanding the intangible losses that can occur in the PDS requires some reflection by all stakeholders. Does the system reliably identify the knowledge, skills, and abilities needed for each position? Do we really understand the strengths and weaknesses of our team members, and have we properly aligned their development plans for their success? Does the PDS promote and help sustain meaningful relationships for mentoring and coaching? What opportunities are being missed, and what potential is being overlooked?

    Lean thinking, rooted in manufacturing, has enshrined eight types of waste to be eliminated. Some of these traditional wastes, but not all, can be identified in the systems used to develop people. However, recognizing that waste is present in the PDS, though it might be hidden or difficult to quantify, can help leaders to focus continuous improvement efforts on this very important system.

    Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay

  • After A Great Start

    After A Great Start

    Growth requires the ability to maintain a type of momentum. The Aspin Institute hosted a webinar today, one of the best I’ve seen in a while, titled Opportunity by Design: A Discussion on Growing Worker Skills and Talent in the Workplace.

    The panel included representatives from two large employers, a national labor/management organization, and a researcher from the MIT Sloan School of Management.

    The discussion was very insightful, with the panelists sharing best practices and describing innovative programs they had launched. The research findings described the needs, as well as some of the gaps that exist. Personal reflections and advice were offered, with a high level of passion that each felt for their work.

    Preparing for Momentum

    As I listened to the exchanges and read the comments that came across the chat window, I couldn’t stop thinking about the small to midsized employers. How would their internal workforce development efforts need to change in order to handle these new approaches to finding, training, and retaining people?

    Unless their people development system (PDS) is optimized, it is unlikely that they will be able to sustain this new direction.

    The People Development System

    Small employers typically have limited resources. It is difficult for most of them to launch new workforce initiatives, connect to external workforce development systems, or secure funding. Although, due to the volatility of the labor market, many are open to these changes. However, there is the challenge of sustaining these efforts, once they are underway.

    Managing Momentum

    The panelist talked about building career ladders and development pathways. These are extremely important and versatile tools that take time to design and implement. Using these tools effectively over time requires a strong training element within their PDS. It also requires that all the PDS stakeholders utilize these tools in a timely manner as the person climbs the ladder or travels their path.

    It is one thing to attract new talent and quite another to retain it and continue to help those folks develop as they grow into their career. Enhancing the retention and performance management elements of the PDS will also be crucial to sustaining momentum.

    Connecting to the greater workforce development system offers another sustainability challenge. The webinar participants encouraged these connections, as did many attendees via the chat box. The internal workforce development activities must align with these external systems in several important areas to take full advantage of these options and to ensure that new momentum lasts.

    Sustaining Momentum

    Most organizations have an internal system for finding, training, and retaining people. Many do not actually see it as a connected system that could benefit from continuous improvement; what I call optimization.

    Being a system, it can benefit from a systems-thinking approach and from lean thinking. Helping organizations build a culture of learning, actually seeing themselves as a learning organization, can also aid in building the type of PDS that can make a lasting impact with these new approaches to job designs and learning opportunities.  

    Done well, designing jobs with advancement in mind and expanding learning opportunities for workers would definitely produce growth for small to midsized employers. Though, it seems that most of the discussions around these opportunities center on the need for change and the importance of implementation.

    If these initiatives are to have staying power, the company’s internal workforce development system has to be ready to take the momentum from these opportunities and translate it into sustainable practices. Helping them optimize this system can ensure successful implementation and translate into long-term success.