Organizations that have made a solid commitment to career planning, and to ongoing human resource development, often assemble a catalog of the developmental resources available to employees. Typically, this catalog includes a listing of all courses being offered during the coming six months or year, a description of mentorship and coaching programs available to employees, and a statement of the organization’s policy regarding the reimbursement of tuition for career-related degree programs. Career planners can make extensive use of such a catalog in meeting with an employee, just as they can make effective use of the information that has already been collected regarding the skills and knowledge of the employee for the organization’s Human Resource Bank (see previous set of essays in this series). We see, once again, how work done on behalf of any one of the six strategies (Assessment) can benefit the work done on behalf of a second strategy (Development). The interconnectivity and interdependence of these strategies adds value and vitality to the overall plan for human resource management in a 21st Century organization.
An appreciative perspective also adds value and vitality to an organization when career planners consistently apply this perspective while assisting employees with their career planning. This is where the concept of career ladders enters the picture. Often the developmental programs of a 20th Century organization were devoted primarily to remedial services. After participating in an initial orientation program, employees were expected to need little additional training or education, unless they received a major promotion or were assigned to a quite different operation in the organization. If the employee did need more training or education then something was wrong. Further participation in developmental programs suggested that the employee was not fully oriented in the first place or is not now capable of fulfilling the responsibilities of their current job—hence the need for more training or education.
Several years ago I was asked to conduct an expensive five-day training program for mid-managers in a large corporation. This training program focused on team-building and interpersonal skills training. It was intended for promising mid-managers—the men and women whom the organization looked to as future leaders. Yet, I sensed widespread anxiety when these future leaders arrived at the training site. The participants seemed to be resentful and were initially very reticent about engaging in any of the training activities. I was very disappointed in the quality of work these mid-managers were producing.
