Trend 1: Continuous Improvement | The workforce has shifted from a learn-to-work model to one of continuous improvement: work-learn-grow.
A traditional model for the workforce consists of training for a specialty, obtaining a license or degree and finding a job within your specialty. For years companies hired this way. Here are the specifications I'm looking for in this open position…let's find this person.
Then companies began looking for "fit." The corporate culture shifted to the forefront and now a person was a "qualified, good fit."
Dynamic economic conditions are where these models fell short.
The world we live in today and have lived in for the last 40 years, is changing at breakneck speed. A company may just hire someone and then bam, the role they were hired for has already changed. The conditions could be new market opportunities, technological advances, socio-economic realities previously unaccounted for, the list goes on.
So, when we talk about trends in development, we're referring to continuously improving our people via employee development alongside the systems & processes of our organizations.
Work - Learn - Grow
How many of us are already practicing a key Human Performance Improvement principle without even knowing it? All you must do is google continuous improvement to see HPI in practice.
Yup...you've seen this before. You might even have had a, or several, company meetings about instituting a policy of continuous improvement into your organization. There are several models to follow: Kaizen, Six Sigma, ITIL...even Tony Robbins has a model for CI.
Each model comes back to a core set of ideas most widely attributed to Edward Deming, the pioneer of Human Performance Improvement.
These models consist of a planning, a doing, a checking and an action phase. Deming's model for CI, especially CI including employee development, touches two of his 14 Points for Total Quality Management. Download a complete list here.
Deming's TQM Points
5. Improve constantly and forever every process for planning, production and service.
6. Institute training on the job.
How many of our most vital industries have instituted policies for continuous improvement? Investing in the work - learn - grow model? Not just development of skills & processes, but true care & promotion of their staff from within? This method enables companies to truly develop their employees' skills set, learn from their experience on the job and utilize the knowledge set of those closest to the work when instituting improvement & change.
Now we're not advocating hiring just anyone and completely disregarding desirable skill sets. We're advocating for the proper nurturing & development of your workforce - a true learning culture focused on continuous improvement of people, systems and processes.
Since continuous improvement is our top development trend for 2021, we can rest assured knowing our people's development is at the forefront of employer's planning.