Beyond Seminars: Effective People Development

In a constantly changing world of work, modern and future-oriented people development is of great importance to companies. With the right measures and tools, the potential and strengths of employees can be developed and their loyalty to the company strengthened. In this blog article, you will find out how to achieve this and what constitutes effective personnel development, combined with practical tips.

New requirements, new skills!

Technologies and developments, such as digitalization and automation, are changing the demands on workers and their skills. According to a study by the World Economic Forum, by 2025 about 50% of the core competencies for most jobs will have been redefined (source: “The Future of Jobs Report 2020” by the World Economic Forum). Modern human resource development enables employees to continuously develop their skills and know-how in order to proactively shape change.

Motivation, commitment and loyalty

With effective HR development measures, you increase the motivation, commitment and even retention of your employees. This is because investing your people and their development signals to employees that they are interested in their individual development and career, which in turn is reflected in employee satisfaction, stronger retention and lower turnover. This is also underscored by study results, such as the Gallup Institute’s “State of the American Workplace” and “Upskilling Study 2022” commissioned by Workplace Intelligence & Amazon.

Learning culture as a key

Modern people development goes beyond traditional training and creates a culture of learning within the company. This means employees are encouraged to continuously learn, acquire new skills and share their knowledge. According to a Harvard Business School study, companies with a strong learning culture have a higher capacity for innovation (source: “Creating a Learning Culture: Strategy, Technology, and Practice” by David A. Garvin and Amy C. Edmondson). By fostering learning and development, companies enable their employees to contribute innovative ideas and contribute to the continuous improvement of the company.

5 tips for all with personnel responsibility

1. Identify the individual development needs of your employees through feedback and development meetings that address goals, strengths and interests.
2. Offer a variety of development measures aimed at professional and personal growth. These can include internal and training, coaching, mentoring, and job rotation. It is important that measures for team development and effective collaboration are also offered.
3. Encourage knowledge transfer and sharing of best practices within the company to benefit from the knowledge and experience of other colleagues or departments. Depending on the setting, this could be quarterly targeted workshops, a dedicated channel in MS Teams / Slack, or casual come-togethers over coffee or a walk.
4. Enable continuous learning, because we humans learn more effectively and sustainably when we receive content in “bites” and can retrieve it depending on the situation. With a digital solution, such as our Leaders21 platform, continuing education becomes part of everyday work.
5. Return on investment: The investment in people development pays off if you have chosen the right measures. Use regular evaluations to gather feedback from employees and make adjustments if necessary. Don’t forget that changes in culture, etc., take time and cannot be measured immediately.

Focus on long-term people development