21st century PDP
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If you’ve been in HR for a while, you’ll realise that an awful lot of the standard tools that we provide have not changed for decades. For example, the standard performance-potential matrix (or 9-box grid) dates from 1957! See our Talent Manager – Think Potential toolkit, to see how we’ve reinvented this for the 21st century. Another longstanding (outmoded?) tool is the Personal Development Plan or PDP.
In this article we look at a 21st century replacement for the PDP.
Many clients tell us that the quality of PDPs drawn up at appraisal is pretty poor. There is also a peak of bookings for training programmes just after the appraisal round begins. This tells us that, on the whole, managers prefer being engineers, customer service managers, plant managers and specialists to being designers of workplace learning.
Equally, when delegates on courses are asked “When do PDPs get actioned?” the most common answer is “One week prior to the next appraisal.” (Well actually the most common reaction is a group laugh – then the one week comment.) This tells us that people in organisations see PDPs as not important enough to pursue until the deadline becomes urgent.
How could we reinvent the PDP for the 21st century, to get more and higher quality learning?
We’ve been working on our latest product, a Talent Manager module called Think Development, and designing a new, fit for purpose PDP equivalent. We reckon there are 4 things that will immediately improve the effectiveness of development planning in your organisation.
1. Call it a Personal Investment Plan
I came across this terminology recently on a forum, and loved it. Names are really important, and ‘Personal Investment Plan’ immediately establishes that learning requires YOU to make an effort, and that this is an investment in your future. It’s self-driven, and it’s important for future success.
2. Focus on just one investment objective
There’s no point having a form with space to record 2 or 3 development areas. This will just divide the focus of people who are already busy. It’s hard enough to keep one investment focus at a time, looking for opportunities to pick up skills and seek feedback on the job. By all means set a challenge to complete 2 or more objectives in a year – just not at the same time.
3. Don’t just focus on weaknesses
Our most noticeable weaknesses are often an integral part of our personality and closely linked to our strengths. If we stop focusing development on things that are really hard for people to change, they might actually WANT to invest time on development. Can you develop a strength or a new skill, or learn to manage a weakness that you’ll never be any good at?
4. Base your plan paperwork on self-driven workplace learning Most people emerge from 12-16 years of school with few skills in workplace learning. They don’t see the plethora of opportunities for learning from experts and opportunities in the workplace, and only a few know how to make workplace development urgent. Your plan should get people to commit to a work responsibility that means you HAVE to acquire new skills. Excellent learners constantly throw themselves in at the deep end – if they want to get better at presenting – they volunteer to present to the Director or to a client. They know that this will drive a lot of time and effort in improving skills before the evil day arrives! You need a tool or paperwork that will focus people on linking development to a work commitment. You also need a quick way for people to review workplace opportunities – observing? shadowing? seeking feedback? And there should be a section that focuses people on how to consolidate and apply what is learned.
5. Train people in workplace learning
Academic learning is not a good model for workplace learning – it trains us to expect a classroom with a teacher who directs the learning, or formal coaching and mentoring. We need to give people a successful experience of designing great workplace learning. High fliers are usually great workplace learners who are quick to spot opportunities and set up their own learning. They drive the learning themselves (apprenticing themselves to people or seeking advice, rather than expecting a coach or mentor to structure the learning). We need to kickstart workplace learning by getting high fliers and managers to drive their own successful workplace learning – so they can pass this skill on to others.
Take Away
Consider why PDPs are of poor quality, and how you might change this. Do your people know how to design excellent workplace learning? Are you replicating academic learning by providing courses, coaches and mentors, rather than skilling up individuals in driving high-flier learning? Does your paperwork reinforce key points about effective workplace learning? Contact us if you want to know more about our Think Development product – designed to get managers and high potentials driving excellent workplace learning.