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Design an Impactful Employee Development Program

Solve the puzzle of employee development by designing a program to build competencies the organization needs today and in the future.

  • Leaders have left employees to drive their own development without providing direction or support, and without aligning development to organizational needs.
  • Organizations position development as employee-owned, yet employees still feel like their needs aren’t being met, and many leave as a result.
  • Organizations often have a lot of development opportunities, but don’t connect the right opportunity to the right employee.

Our Advice

Critical Insight

  • Development needs to be employee-owned and manager-supported, but also organization-informed to ensure that it meets the organization’s needs.
  • Today, operating environments change quickly and organizations need to develop the competencies employees need both today and in the future.

Impact and Result

  • Design an employee development program that builds the competencies the organization needs both today and in the future.
  • Connect the right development opportunity to the right employee through an effective development planning process.
  • Equip managers and build program support to foster continuous learning and development.

Design an Impactful Employee Development Program Research & Tools

1. Assess organizational needs

Analyze organizational needs to determine priority competencies and employee segments to develop.

Design an Impactful Employee Development Program Storyboard
Design an Impactful Employee Development Program Executive Briefing
Employee Development Needs Analysis Workbook

2. Design the employee development program

Determine the employee assessment method and design a custom development planning process with clear manager and employee accountabilities.

Employee Development Program Design Playbook
Learning Methods Catalog
Process Mapping Guide
Individual Competency Development Plan Template
Employee Career Development Workbook
Manager Career Conversation Guide

3. Build program support

Integrate employee development with other HR programs, identify manager and employee resources, and create the action and communication plan.

Manager Job Aid: Employee Development
Employee Job Aid: Employee Development
HR Action and Communication Plan
HR Metrics Library

Employee Development

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This program has been approved for 1 to 1.5 continuing professional development (CPD) hours under Section A of the Continuing Professional Development (CPD) Log of the Human Resource Professionals Association (HRPA).

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McLean & Company is recognized by SHRM and can award Professional Development Credits (PDCs) for the SHRM-CP® or SHRM-SCP®.

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HR Certification Institute’s® official seal confirms that McLean & Company meets the criteria for pre-approved recertification credit(s) for any of HRCI’s eight credentials, including SPHR® and PHR®.

How to complete this course:

Use these videos, along with the Project Blueprint deck above, to gain an understanding of the subject. Start with the Introduction, then move through each of the Course Modules. At the end of each Module, you will be required to complete a short test to demonstrate your understanding. You will complete this course when you have completed all of the course tests.

  • Number of Course Modules: 4
  • Estimated Completion Time: 1.5 hours

Learning Outcome

Describe how to design an impactful employee development program, from analyzing the organization’s needs, to designing program building blocks, to building program support.

Learning Objectives

By the end of this course, learners will be able to:

  • Make the case for an employee development program in their organization.
  • Conduct an analysis of the competencies the organization needs today and in the future.
  • Define the requirements for designing an employee development program.
  • Define the program support required and discuss high-level actions, communications, and metrics to implement the program.

Course Modules

Now playing

Introduction

Now playing

Module 1

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Module 2

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Module 3

Workshop: Design an Impactful Employee Development Program

Workshops offer an easy way to accelerate your project. If you are unable to do the project yourself, and a Guided Implementation isn't enough, we offer low-cost onsite delivery of our project workshops. We take you through every phase of your project and ensure that you have a roadmap in place to complete your project successfully.

Module 1: Assess Organizational Needs

The Purpose

  • Design an employee-owned, manager-supported, and organization-informed development program.
  • Identify goals, opportunities, and challenges associated with employee development planning.
  • Establish the employee competencies and segments.

Key Benefits Achieved

  • Use McLean & Company’s framework to build an impactful employee development program.
  • Gather stakeholder feedback on development planning.
  • Competencies prioritized.
  • Employee segments selected.

Activities

Outputs

1.1

Review organizational strategy and goals.

  • Organizational strategy and goals reviewed
1.2

Generate insights from other internal data and focus groups.

  • Insights gathered from internal data and feedback
1.3

Conduct a PESTLE analysis.

  • PESTLE analysis completed
1.4

Review required competencies.

  • Required competencies reviewed
1.5

Prioritize competencies.

  • List of priority competencies needed today and in the future
1.6

Identify employee segments (if applicable).

  • Employee segments (if applicable)

Module 2: Design the Program

The Purpose

  • Choose assessment methods.
  • Tailor employee development planning.
  • Set follow-up accountabilities for managers and employees.

Key Benefits Achieved

  • Assessment method determined.
  • Development planning is adapted to employee needs.
  • Accountability for development efforts throughout the process have assigned accountabilities.

Activities

Outputs

2.1

Identify assessment method(s).

  • Assessment method
2.2

Review development programs and activities.

  • List of required development programs and activities
2.3

Customize the employee development planning process.

  • Employee development process
2.4

Establish manager and employee follow-up accountability.

  • Follow-up accountabilities

Module 3: Build Program Support

The Purpose

  • Cultivate development resources for managers and employees.
  • Align the employee development program with other HR programs.
  • Action plan and devise program communications.
  • Identify relevant success metrics.

Key Benefits Achieved

  • Managers and employees have the support resources needed for development planning.
  • HR practices support and align with development practices.
  • Key actions and messaging planned.
  • Metrics to measure success of the program set.

Activities

Outputs

3.1

Brainstorm barriers and mitigation to a learning mindset.

  • Barriers to mitigation identified
3.2

Equip managers and employees with tools and resources to support employee development.

  • Employee and manager resources determined
3.3

Integrate employee development with other HR programs.

  • Employee development and HR programs integrated
3.4

Create an action plan.

  • Action plan
3.5

Identify key messages for communication.

  • Communication plan
3.6

Set goals and metrics.

  • Goals and metrics
Unlock This Blueprint

About McLean & Company

McLean & Company is an HR research and advisory firm providing practical solutions to human resources challenges via executable research, tools, diagnostics, and advisory services that have a clear and measurable impact on your business.

What Is a Blueprint?

A blueprint is designed to be a roadmap, containing a methodology and the tools and templates you need to solve your HR problems.

Each blueprint can be accompanied by a Guided Implementation that provides you access to our world-class analysts to help you get through the project.

Need Extra Help?
Speak With An Analyst

Get the help you need in this 3-phase advisory process. You'll receive 11 touchpoints with our researchers, all included in your membership.

Guided Implementation #1 - Assess organizational needs
  • Call #1 - Review and prioritize competencies required based on internal and external analysis.
  • Call #2 - Identify employee segments to build custom development programs for (if applicable).

Guided Implementation #2 - Design the employee development program
  • Call #1 - Review assessment inputs and outputs.
  • Call #2 - Analyze existing development programs and activities and identify new ones needed.
  • Call #3 - Review the development planning process.
  • Call #4 - Review follow-up mechanisms.

Guided Implementation #3 - Build program support
  • Call #1 - Discuss integration of a dynamic learning mindset into the development program.
  • Call #2 - Review integration of employee development with other HR programs.
  • Call #3 - Review customization of job aids for managers and employees.
  • Call #4 - Review program goals and metrics to measure success.
  • Call #5 - Review action and communication plan.

Contributors

  • Alan M. Saks, Professor of Organizational Behavior & HR Management, Centre for Industrial Relations & Human Resources, University of Toronto
  • Anonymous, former Senior Training Manager, Large Telecommunications Company
  • Anonymous, Senior Manager of Talent & Development, Large Professional Services Firm
  • Colleen Philabaum, Director of Learning & Development, Worthington Industries
  • Dr. Karie Willyerd, Head of Global Customer Education & Learning, SAP and Co-Author of Stretch: How to Future-Proof Yourself for Tomorrow’s Workplace
  • Gerard Camacho, Director of Career Development, Parkland Health & Hospital System
  • Julie Winkle Giulioni, Consultant, Speaker, and Co-Author of Help Them Grow or Watch Them Go
  • Luis Alberola, Talent Strategy & Innovation, Owner, LA Consulting
  • Michelle Ockers, Independent Learning & Development Consultant

Related Content: Employee Development