Sample Organizational Career Development Audit



Sample Organizational Career Development Audit

Introduction (background paragraph)

The X Company is a $9 billion, diversified, multinational technology company, with locations in over twelve countries. X employs approximately 20,000 employees that range from hourly production and office personnel to corporate executives and scientists. Employee education levels range from very little in developing countries to the doctorate levels in corporate laboratories. Innovation is the company’s trade mark with approximately 10,000 products being produced, 20% of which were developed in the last four years. The company has leading positions in healthcare, safety, electronics, telecommunications, industrial, consumer and office products. Well known products include XY and Z.

March 1, 2010, X hired the first external CEO in its 60 year history. S/he is a former X executive who brings a new level of performance expectations not seen in previous executives. Six Sigma, performance management and indirect cost controls and rationalization are new initiatives to take hold of the X culture. The performance management system, both as an appraisal of past performance and as a development tool for future performance revolves around the new X Leadership Model, which outlines the expectations and knowledge requirements for all employees globally. Expectations for employees include: 1,2,3, etc. Knowledge requirements include the following: 1,2,3. etc.

Though career development is decentralized to most subsidiaries and locations, a corporate university operates as part of the Corporate HR function. The group provides global direction in the areas of Leadership, Career Development tools, Performance Management, New Employee Orientations, and standardizes course materials for field delivery. The vision of the corporate university is to “a,b,c, etc.” The business strategies used to accomplish this vision include:

▪ Alignment of human resources with corporate business initiatives and efforts.

▪ Enhance the attraction/retention/contribution of employees through a focus on individual development and self-managed careers.

▪ Drive leadership development as a competitive advantage that contributes to X’s market success and organizational vitality.

▪ Accelerate integrated learning and delivery through technology for increased productivity.

A. Career Development Defined

Career development is defined as Y….. X believes in a self-managed career, with the primary responsibility for career development resting with the individual, with the support of the organization and X. The employee is the ultimate driver in achieving the expectations of the business as well as any development needs required to meet those performance expectations. The goal is personal and professional growth for the employees and “accelerated” business growth for the company.

Support for this program is clearly communicated by senior management through the performance management system, as defined by the performance expectations for the business units and employees.

The Career Development System’s mission is to “C…..” This is clearly the business’ perspective of the value of career development. It promises to “accelerate business and personal growth by supporting flexible, impactful and integrated learning.” X supports continuous learning that is aligned with divisions’ needs, strategies, and initiatives, and provides a competitive advantage for the organization that will lead to business growth.

B. Perceived Benefits/Outcomes

It is perceived and expected that the Career Development system will help meet the needs of both the business and the individual. For the business it will engage employees in those initiatives and activities that have the greatest impact on company performance. By defining performance expectations and providing developmental opportunities for the employee, a more accurate evaluation of the employee’s performance and the value they add to the goals of the company can be made. At the same time the performance rating determines employee compensation and succession planning. In a system of continuous improvement, those employees who continually succeed in meeting their developmental goals, the rewards with be greater.

For the employee, the benefits are that they find a position that meets their personal and professional needs, based on their values, goals and needs. Whether they are looking for a challenge or achievement or recognition, safety and security or a work/life balance, it’s up to the employee to select what’s important to them. It also means that if the employee’s values and needs do not match the organization, that the employee either has to fit the demands of the business or look at other, more suitable employment. An employee is not held in employment against their will.

C. Gaps Between What is Needed and That Provided

The performance management system and career development systems are fairly new concepts to the X culture. In the past X maintained a rather paternalist approach to employment and careers in theory but less so in practice due to the changing economy. There were fairly linear career paths for most professional positions and the idea of adding value and meeting expectations was not a primary concern in determining performance or compensation. After the change in leadership, the performance management and corresponding compensation systems were introduced first, which created a lot of confusion and unhappy employees. Employees were told they had to improve, but were not told how. Supervisors and managers were not proficient in coaching for performance and in many cases, still aren’t.

This year career development support is being offered for this first time. The biggest gap I see currently is not in the assessments, but in the ability of the supervisors and the managers to effectively coach, develop, and in many cases to check realities in such a way as to not discourage or inhibit employee performance. Supervisors and managers across the board need to improve their ability to improve employee performance and meet business and developmental goals. The quality of development should not be the luck of the draw in who one reports.

D. What are the Strengths and Unique Features?

The strength is in the consistency that comes from a global career development and performance management system, where all employees have the same advantages in programs and performance expectations anywhere in the system. Also, the tools that are provided to employees to assess their interests and abilities are extensive. Career development, with the implementation of the new Learning Management System, will bring learning to each individual employee to enhance skills to meet their individual needs for continuous improvement. It can truly be a self-managed system allowing each employee’s initiative to show through.

E. Career Development Resources

The first resource that became available was the Intranet website, G…. This was the corporate university’s first entrance into the realm of self-managed careers and eHR Productivity. The introduction to the site illustrates the new philosophy prevailing at X for employee responsibility for “self-managed career development”. The employees’ supervisor and X have a role to play in the employees development, but the majority of the responsibility lies with the employee being the driver.

The internet site is based on the model of Assess Variables, Explore Options, Take Action. It has resources for the employee to assess the environment within which they work. Employees can assess the X organization, looking at the vision, goals, objectives and initiatives. They also can look at the organizational structure and job descriptions of potential jobs within X. The final assessment is on the employee themselves. Instruments are available to assess their interests, abilities, motivations, values, strengths and developmental needs.

Explore Options involves identifying a goal setting process and establishing individual career goals, considering their assessment of the environment, X and themselves. This also involves detailing the assessment results and prepares the employee to lead a career development discussion with their supervisor. Supervisors have a significant role to play in providing feedback to the employee on the reality of their goals and the ability of X to meet their needs. Obviously, limited positions in some locations and the willingness of the employee to relocate will have a major impact on the developmental opportunities open to the employee.

Next employees Take Action by identifying strategies to begin to implement their goals, including developmental assignments, networking, informational interviewing, job searching, and mentoring. It puts into place the plan agreed upon by the employee and the supervisor. The outcome of this process is a formal document titled the “Individual Development Plan”. This required piece of the Employee Deliver & Development Plan is the cornerstone of the X performance management system.

A workshop counterpart of the website is the course “This is Your Sandbox ...”! Chart a course for a self-managed career.” The course is designed for those employees who need guidance and prompting to complete the career development planning process. Like the online process, “This is Your Sandbox…!” requires adequate coaching skills on the part of the supervisor or manager to guide employee to meet expectations and developmental plans. It appears this workshop is due to be discontinued as Corporate HR moves to less classroom courses and more on-line deliveries.

F. Systems Provided/Managed.

The career development systems, like most HR and the corporate university systems are partnered with outside HR consulting firms specializing in the systems and methodologies being developed. This presents problems when systems are put in place and turned over to a limited internal staff. Field units like the X plant sometimes get very little support for changes or upgrades and modifications. As I was reviewing the website I noticed important corporate information was critically out of date. Should X transition more to a system of “eCareer Development”, it is extremely important that it maintain the currency and accuracy of these systems to demonstrate their importance to the employees and to produce viable results.

G. Personal Ownership by Employee

The concept of a self-managed career is new this year, even though the performance management systems and accompanying compensation systems have been in place for over a year. X has had career development resources for quite some time, but only in a passive environment, that was more a paper requirement than an actual plan to be used to align and link the goals and objectives of the employee to those of the business unit. I feel that a strong effort from management to encourage the utilization of the available resources and tools is needed. When employees are encouraged to meet as much as necessary with their supervisor there can be a change in the behavior and culture of the organization. As a result employees are encouraged to make the career development process a vital part of their career planning and job success.

4-6 Best Learnings

▪ A well established Career Development System is needed to support an effective Performance Management System. Meeting increasingly difficult expectations cannot be achieved without continuous learning and employee coaching to some level

▪ Multiple career development tools are needed to satisfy the differences in needs of different employees. The website offers a lot of information and forms, but there tends to be very little in the way of user instructions.

▪ Like continuous learning and improvement, Career Development at X is a work in progress. Part of the problem may be in trying to develop some learning products in ways that can be used globally and in all cultures. I think as the world becomes one this distinction will disappear.

▪ Career development is a partnership between X and its employees; however, I believe that the needs of the business clearly take priority in most situations where a choice would be made.

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