A Step By Step Guide for the Creation of an Individual Development Plan Company Manual

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assist the line managers and their employees on the correct approach for the creation of individual development plan (IDP). The document provides a step by step guide, aiming to support both the employee and the supervisor in the process. The IDP is a focus on the needs and career aspirations of the employee, but should be considered a strategic tool not only for the employee to realise their ambitions, but also for the employer, who will benefit from the implementation of the plan. Not only will the employer benefit from the additional skills and knowledge gained by the employees that they can use in the workplace, the provision of the support, longer training development will also support motivation (Buchanan and Huczynski, 2011). Employees who feel the employer cares are more likely to be motivated, and the provision of training development may also satisfy some elements present on Maslow's hierarchy of needs (Buchanan and Huczynski, 2011; Maslow, 2014). Motivated employees are happier, more productive, and increased value to an organisation (McGregor and Doshi, 2015) Therefore, implementation and effective operation of an IDP program is beneficial to both the employee and employer.

The document starts by defining what is meant by an IDP and its' objectives, before moving onto the process starting with the point at which the need for an IDP is triggered and the preparation stages through to the identification of training needs and finalization of the plan.

What is an IDP

An IDP is a career development plan created by the employee and their manager/supervisor, tailored to the individual employees' needs, in the context of their current employment, and workplace aspirations. While the focus of the IDP is the employees' desires and ambitions, this can be a win-win strategy for employers, as it facilitates a way in which employees may be developed, with their knowledge and skills improved in ways which will benefit the organisation. In many instances, the IDP will be tied in with the employers' needs and the potential for career progression within the workplace. Notably, where there is the prospect of career development, is likely to be a lower level of attrition, as employees know they do not need to move employers in order to gain promotional recognition (Fertman, 2015). Therefore, the IDP is primarily a career planning tool, but may also be seen as a supportive and strategic tool for both the employer and the employee.

The Objective of the IDP

The IDP requires the employee consider their career goals and aspirations, defining and quantifying them and agreeing a development plan with their supervisor. The main aim is to ensure that the employee is able to maintain the current level of jobs proficiency, and secondly to facilitate career improvement. From the perspective of the employer, the IDP also provide support for the attainment of organisational goals.

' The aim of the IDP is to form the basis of actions which are to be undertaken jointly by the employee and employer to aid the employee in achieving their career plan goals. The IDP will cover three components areas guiding the entire process, these are;

1. Responsibility; identifying the areas of responsibility the employee will need to develop in order to move forward with the IDP. This means assessing and defining the skills and knowledge needed to hold and execute the relevant responsivities

2. Development activities; to develop the knowledge and skills needed the employee will need to undertake relevant activities in order to acquire that knowledge and skills. For each responsibility area identified, there will be one or more activities identified so the employee may achieve that competency.

3. Timescale and developmental stages; the responsibility and developmental activities will be specific, but without a timeline their implementation becomes ambiguous. Therefore, the third main component will be a timeline with specific dates or time periods for each developmental activity in addition to the identification of interim stages which will be traversed. This will allow for the dates to be recorded following the attainment of the competency.

When to Start an IDP

The initial IDP development may be triggered by a number of events. The IDP creation may also be tied into the appraisal review process and any other internal career development systems which are in place. The two main triggers in this firm are at the point an employee is promoted into a management position, and where an employee with high potential is identified.

On Promotion

The point at which an employee is promoted into their first management position should trigger the creation of an IDP if one is not already in existence.

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The initial meeting introducing of the IDP will take place at the point of promotion. Where an employee is recruited into the firm into a management position, or management training position, such as through a graduate program, the IDP will be created for the individual employee following satisfactory completion of the probationary period. This delay is implemented to allow the new recruit to settle into the cultre of the firm and assess their own potential within the organisation. The delay until the probationary period also allow the immediately supervisor to get to know the employee, with their skills and abilities, which will aid in the IDP development, as well as avoiding waste in situation where the probationary period is not successful.

High Potential Employees

An individual may be identified as a high potential employee in several ways. This may be through the performance review process, or through observation of the employee's performance and potential. When an employee is noted has having potential discussion should take place with that employee to assess the employees' interests. In this situation, the IDP should be undertaken as part of a performance review, as the review itself provides the basis for the assessment of the existing level of skills and knowledge utilised in the workplace, and provides the natural situations in which this discussion may be expanded into future planning. However, as the process will require input from the employee regarding their own views regarding the future, which are best undertaken in a considered nature, the discussion regarding the creation of an IDP should be addressed prior to the performance review. For an optimal outcome, the IDP should be created and formalised, accepted by both parties, within a couple of weeks of the appraisal taking place.

Creating the IDP

The process of creating an IDP starts with the identification of the need for an IDP, which may be a trigger event such as a promotion or recruitment of an individual into a management position, or may be the result of observations indicating an individual has high potential. The process will start with a discussion between the HR Department and the manager regarding the need for the IDP, and agreeing that there will be the creation of an IDP, in the case of a high potential employee, this would be subject to the employees' willingness to participate.

Following agreement with the HR department, MET will be called with the employee, this meeting is not to create the IDP, but to discuss what an IDP is, how it is used, and why it is believed an IDP would be good for that employee. This is part of a management promotion, it will be presented as part of the support and development provided to management within the firm. Where the individual is a high potential employee, the discussion will include informing them of their potential with the firm, the willingness of the firm to help them develop in order for them to attain ambitious. In some situations, the hypertension employee may not be self-aware of their own potential, so may require some adjustment time in order to consider the issue. This meeting the process of creating an IDP will be discussed, including the preparation will be needed prior to creating the IDP which is detailed in the employee checklist below, and how the plan will be formulated.

Prior to the meeting the employee and the line manager/supervisor will prepare for the meeting, identifying and defining the issues they feel are relevant, please refer to the checklist below for an extensive list. During the meeting the goals and ambitions of the employee will be identified, including short, medium and long-term ambitions. The process will also involve assessing the current experience, skills, and knowledge of the employee, and those which will be needed for the career progression to take place. With knowledge of the employees existing position, and that which is required, it is possible to undertake a gap analysis and identify the experience, knowledge, and skills that are needed in order for the employee to progress. The identification of the training development, as well as experience, activities that may be needed to then be placed into some type of timeframe in order to create a framework for the IDP. This will create a framework IDP which will then need to be reviewed by the training and development department and department manager….....

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