It’s smart to invest in effective and thorough employee development programs, but which models are the best? There are many different methods of developing employees, but which one(s) might be best for your organization? Development can be a highly structured process, or train-as-you go on the job. Some development occurs at work and some will take place off-site. Will development be live in person or occur online? Managers can be at the helm of development or they might take a more passive role as an observer. In some instances, a well-trained and experienced employee may be the best leader to run the program. With so many choices, where do you start?
Mentoring
If your goal is to match up less experienced employees with a highly-qualified and experienced leader or manager, mentoring might be the best model. Most mentoring programs are highly structured and can be either formal or informal. Formal programs focus on performance improvement, enhancing the workplace environment and recruiting good employees resulting in less turnover. If you are trying to teach new skills, a mentor may work the best. If you want to develop set guidelines, have clear goals and set up methods for tracking progress, this may be the employee development model for you. Mentoring also focuses on relationship-building, team work, trust and commitment.
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Coaching
Some organizations prefer coaching as their main development model. Coaching matches up experienced managers or highly skilled employees with less experienced employees who need to learn new skills. The coach provides ongoing advice and guidance, training for specific skills and skill sets, focuses on performance improvement and enhancing the employees’ career. Coaches try to get the employee to the next step in their career. Coaching is highly individualized, customized and personalized to meet the development needs of the employees. There are specific objectives which are accomplished over a period of time. For coaching to work, both parties must be committed and highly motivated to succeed.
Cross-Training
This model of employee development can be very successful and practical because it involves training an employee in multiple areas and duties other than their own. Cross-training can be a one-time project or can be evolving over time. This method tends to have positive side effects like improved self-esteem, increased morale, and building in the employee. Being able to perform a number of jobs feels good. Employees may feel more committed to the organization when they feel positive about what they contribute. Cross-training doesn’t necessarily lead to a promotion or career advancement like mentoring and coaching might.
If you are more concerned about having a well-prepared team that can handle lots of different job roles, this model might be right for you. It is surely nice to have a group of employees that can fill in for others who are sick, on vacation or who have left the company. It is a great model for reducing stress and panic when your team is working lean due to turnover. Another residual effect of cross-training is when you need to fill a position, you may not have to look farther than your team to be the replacement. This means not wasting money and time searching for the next good candidate.
Final Words on Employee Development Models
Obviously there are plenty of other employee development models and methods to explore. These three – mentoring, coaching and cross-training can be effective depending on what you’re trying to achieve with them. Other great models include individual development plans or IDPs, stretch assignments, job enlargement or job enrichment, job rotation, job shadowing, succession training, and online training. Not every model is a good fit for every organization, but there are surely effective methods for developing good employees into tomorrow’s leaders. Take some time to explore these to learn which might be best for your organization.
(NOTE: Interested in CEUs for Nursing Home Administrators? Checkout my Nursing Home Administrator CEUs on CEU Academy and try a FREE CEU today!)
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