There’s no doubt that people development is critical, but as most companies have gone hybrid or fully remote, development becomes tricky to navigate.
Previously, most employees were in-office, and development programs included elements like attending a 4-hour long training session in-person, shadowing a senior team member on the job, or participating in a group discussion.
Now it’s tricker to do the things we used to do in a hybrid or fully remote environment.
How do you create a learning culture online? How do you bring in inclusivity despite people being physically far away? How do you translate online or hybrid development into organizational outcomes?
With the latest ways of working, our people development strategies need an update too. The basics are still the same because we're still dealing with people, but the nuances need updating.
This blog will walk you through the steps successful organizations have used to improve their attrition rate, engagement, and performance through L&D, taking into account that most teams are no longer co-located.
We have woven in our own tips and tricks distilled from our team’s experience coaching executives and developing people for over a decade.
Let’s dive right in!
What is a People Development Strategy?
A People Development Strategy is a structured approach to improving employees' skills, knowledge, and abilities within an organization. It aligns with both the current needs and future business goals.
A successful strategy focuses on creating and leveraging opportunities for employees to learn, grow, and thrive, all which benefit the organization as a whole.
How Do You Implement a People Development Strategy?
Our experiences with countless HR partners can attest to this: David Peterson’s Development Pipeline is still one of the most effective development frameworks.
It was authored by the late David Peterson, former Director of Executive Coaching & Leadership at Google, Chief Transformation Officer at 7 Paths Forward, and influential leader in the coaching profession.
His approach to development boiled down to a simple yet provocative question: What will you do differently? His pipeline focused on action and the future (rather than the past).
If your goal is to change behaviors, Peterson’s development pipeline is the GPS to your destination.
This approach captures five ‘necessary and sufficient conditions for behavioral change’ for your audience:
These five conditions must be met to change your people's behaviors. Let’s take a look at what each condition means and how to apply them in hybrid or fully-remote work environments.
Note: We’re using “Creating a Culture of Feedback” as the development theme of our people development strategy in the action steps below. You can customize the steps according to your focus area.
Insight: Do Your People Know What They Need To Develop?
Abraham Maslow, an American psychologist, phrased it perfectly, “What is necessary to change a person is to change his awareness of himself.” Some people may know what needs changing, but can't identify the exact behaviors they need to develop. Others aren't aware that there is a skill gap in the first place.
What is necessary to change a person is to change his awareness of himself. - Abraham Maslow
For example, an organization we recently partnered with wanted to create a strong culture of feedback. The CEO noticed that his manager population wasn't very forthright with feedback to their teams. The consequence was the company was late to identify performance issues and wasn't able to turn performance around effectively.
The managers knew they needed to give feedback, but they weren’t able to pinpoint the exact behaviors holding them back.
If this example resonates with you, here are the action steps you can take to build insight:
- Conduct a Survey focused on the current state of feedback to measure how often managers give feedback and how effective it is. You can survey both the manager population and their reports.
- Organize Manager Focus Groups (4 to 8 participants) to dive deeper into the nuances of their feedback approach and how self-aware they are about their feedback-giving skills.
Motivation: Are They Willing to Invest the Time and Energy?
Being aware of what your target audience needs to develop is only half of the equation. If someone isn’t willing to change, no amount of training or opportunities makes a difference.
Changing behaviors takes effort and willpower. Your people might be thinking, “Why would I push myself to do more? I’m comfortable.”
Most HR leaders don’t take the time to address Insight and Motivation. They roll out development strategies and wonder why people are not engaged!
Action steps you can take to increase motivation to change:
- Showcase the direct correlation between feedback and team growth during All-Hands. Use statistics, industry data, and stories.
- Find an Executive Feedback Champion who will talk about how important it is for the company and talk about their learning experience and how important it is to invest time in your own professional development.
- Encourage your executives to praise managers who are doing it right. Research suggests that praise is one of the strongest motivators.
Capability: Do They Have the Skills and Knowledge Required?
What level of skill does your target audience already possess and what skill needs to be developed?
Understanding this delta is most commonly known as a skill gap analysis. A skill gap is a discrepancy between the skills the organization expects your people to have and the actual skills they possess.
Action steps you can take:
- Obtain data from performance reviews, self-assessments, observations, 360-degree feedback, employee surveys, KPIs, and more.
- Provide online training series based on the skill gaps. For example, a Feedback Training Series that includes modules such as:
- How to Give Feedback
- How to Give Praise
- How to Be a Better Listener
- How to Receive Feedback
- Offer Feedback Coaching Sessions. Pair managers with feedback coaches or peers to practice and role-play feedback scenarios.
Practice: Do They Have Opportunities to Use Their Skills?
Training is not the holy grail to changing behaviors. In fact, it accounts for only 10%. The majority of learning and behavioral changes take place on the job. We learn best from doing, not from staring at the screen or sitting in a training room for hours.
Tupper and Ellis, cofounders of Amazing If, said it best,
“When learning is always an extracurricular activity, it reduces employability and career resilience. When teams don’t find ways to learn as they work, they limit their performance. And for organizations, an absence of learning in flow reduces their ability to respond to change and compete in the market.”
Action steps you can take:
- Provide Just-In-Time Online Learning to effortlessly give people what they need when they need it. Use online learning platforms that are accessible from anywhere and easily searchable.
- Use online micro content that is easy to access. Get content less than 10 minutes focused on the most critical information and action steps to apply them.
- Create Digital Feedback channels where managers can provide feedback to their team members and vice versa.
An organizational change is around the corner? Start providing “How to Manage Change” learning content to your managers to prepare them as much as possible.
Performance review is coming up? Gather your managers and watch “Running Effective Performance Reviews” content and discuss how to apply it.
And then keep managers accountable by giving gentle nudges via email or messages.
Accountability: Do They Feel Accountable to Themselves or Others?
While learning equips your target audience with the required knowledge and skills, accountability is the force that drives behavioral change.
It takes more than effort to show up in a new way. Your people need to be in an environment that holds them accountable to demonstrate new skills.
James Clear, the author of the #1 New York Times bestseller, Atomic Habits, said, “The more disciplined your environment is, the less disciplined you need to be. Don't swim upstream.”
The more disciplined your environment is, the less disciplined you need to be. Don't swim upstream. - James Clear.
Company-wide mechanisms need to be in place to keep folks accountable. For example, having clear and documented role responsibilities and expectations, regular check-ins and updates, clearly defined KPIs, transparent communication channels, active goal setting, and even tying performance metrics to behaviors create accountability.
Actions you can take:
- Implement a Quarterly Feedback Review where managers discuss their feedback practices with senior leaders, sharing successes and areas of improvement.
- Incorporate behaviors around giving feedback into manager role expectations.
- Use Feedback Trackers: a simple spreadsheet where managers can log feedback given. This data becomes part of their performance review.
Conclusion
In an evolving remote work landscape, adapting our people development strategies is crucial.
David Peterson’s Development Pipeline highlights the essential components of behavioral change:
- Insight: Do they know what they need to develop?
- Motivation: Are they willing to invest the time and energy?
- Capability: Do they have the skills and knowledge required?
- Real-world Practice: Do they have opportunities to use their skills?
- Accountability: Do they feel accountable to themselves and/or others?
Let's champion the evolution of people development, leveraging modern tools and methods while staying rooted in the timeless truth: Our people are our greatest asset.
Get Your Roadmap for Scalable, Customized Management Training
At the core of people development is your managers. They are the linchpins of any organization.
They bridge the gap between senior leadership and frontline employees, ensuring that the company's vision is translated into actionable steps. They're the ones who provide guidance, mentorship, and feedback, shaping the professional journeys of their team members.
In essence, to elevate your people development strategy, focus on your managers first.
This is where we can help. By booking a free call with our consultant, you’ll gain:
- Expertise in Diagnosing Opportunities: We'll help you pinpoint the areas where management training can have the most significant impact, ensuring that your efforts are directed towards the most fruitful avenues.
- Clarity on Goals: Understand what you aim to achieve with your management training initiatives, define what success looks like, and determine the metrics to measure it.
- A Tailored Roadmap: Receive a roadmap designed for your organization, ensuring that your management training program is scalable, impactful, and aligned with your highest priorities.
