2 Responses

1. Personal Development Plans
   Julie

   Setting up a PDP process is easy. Getting it to be effective is the tough bit.

   One of the most common approaches is to link PDPs to the Performance Management or Appriasal system. If staff review their performance regularly with their line manager (perhaps formally once a quarter) then that is a good time to review development needs too.

   A simple form can help capture this. Typically it might include the following:
   – What to learn (topic, skill, etc)
   – Why needed (benefits, business case)
   – How to learn (method eg coaching, self study, elearning, course)
   – When to learn (deadline)

   To support this it helps to provide support materials, briefings and, if necessary, training for staff and line managers. Without proper guidance and planning you can end up with it not being done, it being little more than a wish list, the emphasis always being on courses, loads of needs being identified that you cannot meet, a focus exclusively on business needs rather than career development, or the other way around.

   Graham

2. PDP a means or an end?
   Julie,

   In my exeperience a PDP process is only as good as the ability of the individual managers who operate it. All too often businesses focus on the process and the paperwork in search of some “holy grail” – if only we get the process right everything esle would follow.

   I would advocate that the PDP is simply one of the tools a good manager uses to get the best possible performance from their team. Research suggests that it is the frequency and the quality of discussions between the manager and the individual about their performance that makes the difference in terms of the latter’s performance.

   My recommendation is focus the PDP process on encouraging dialogue and make sure that your managers have the other skills in their toolkit to make the most of these discussions. Such as leadership, communication, motivation, feedback and coaching skills – to name but a few!

   Good luck!

   Chris Rogers