Continuous Improvement Work Culture

Continuous Improvement Success

by Mark Sivy

As an employee, how many times have you sat through an irrelevant and impersonal professional development presentation to then go back to work and keep doing the same as before?

As a leader, how often have you gone through the motions of arranging for a training or development event that was seemingly “good for the team”, but was not directly useful to individual employees or had no after-event follow-up?

Fact

Many professional development efforts do not result in the hoped for or intended outcomes.

Sobering Findings

Searching through job descriptions for professional development managers during the past few months, I’ve shockingly found that very few actually require people with a academic background in learning development or some form of education. Most are seeking individuals with degrees in business administration, subject matter expertise, or human resources. In many ways, this is similar to having a car dealership financial officer or a race car driver diagnose and repair a car engine.

Solution

There is much more to creating effective continuous improvement than using popular off-the-shelf learning products, hiring a high-priced external “expert”, making employment contingent upon attending a required amount of development, or offering non-relevant learning. This slide set that I placed on SlideShare presents fundamental considerations that I prescribe in creating a work culture that supports a beneficial continuous development program.

Reflection Point – “My main job was developing talent. I was a gardener providing water and other nourishment to our top 750 people.” ~ Jack Welch