HUMAN DEVELOPMENT is described as a lifelong process. it is a way for people to assess their skills and qualities, consider their aims in life and set goals in order to realise and maximise their potential.
The phrase “lifelong process” suggests that a human being has the capability of continuously learning throughout their life span; growing, improving and as a result impacting many areas, but more specifically the workforce. Self-development consists of various components such as responsibility, learning, behaviour and attitude. A conscientious effort to improve these areas can contribute significantly to the overall sustainability of the workforce in terms of dynamics and the sustainability of the individual as well.
Self-development is relevant to the workplace as research has proven where it is prioritised by human resource strategies it can be linked to highly motivated workers which in turn can result in high productivity.
There are of course variables such as employee turnover and, at a business strategy level, supply and demand. Employers are seeking to employ and anticipate having persons on their team who are constantly becoming more knowledgeable and adept in their professions.
This contributes to the value of the employee to the workforce. The ideal employee is capable of handling and understanding more than one position as this allows for greater flexibility within an organisation.
The self-development of staff is just as important as the development of a business itself. Without a clear training and development structure, employees can easily lose motivation and become disengaged; this will have a direct impact on productivity, moral and profit.
From the employer point of view, the best work environments are those that manage employees in a structured and considerate way. This includes balancing the drive to achieve company goals with the development of employee’s workplace skills and training.
Yes, it is easier to manage and balance employees in smaller organisations as these organisations are able to pinpoint gaps needed to improve staff development. However, with adequate strategic planning this can be achieved in larger organisations as well.
From the employee point of view, in cases where employees suspect that their employer is not taking their self-development seriously, instances of discouragement, low levels of productivity, absenteeism and employees being stagnant in positions occur.
Abraham Maslow was the first theorist to link self-development to the workplace. His famous categorising of needs had self-realisation as the ultimate goal. Maslow defined self realisation as the desire to increasingly become everything one is able to become. In Maslow’s view, 99 per cent of people were destined never to reach this goal, but they could achieve other goals, for example, the possession of job security in a position that provided stability.
The goal of self-development begins with the individual. In order for progress to take place the individual needs to be committed to his/her development. During the earlier part of the 20th century, employers and organisations were widely regarded as responsible for providing the needs that motivate human behaviour to employees. The introduction of globalisation has changed this.
According to Peter Drucker, writing in the Harvard Business Review, employees themselves are now responsible for managing their own careers, including taking the steps necessary to achieve long term security.
In the new view of business, this self- management is of benefit to both individuals and employers. This is because productivity and profitability result from the effort put into human capital. As employees engage in self- development activities, they increase their own economic value, and this in turn has implications for the businesses which are harvesting their talents. These implications stem not only from productivity but also innovation, creativity and quality, which is enhanced through the self-development of individual employees.
Many companies are now investing in more formal services designed to enhance human capital in the organisation. Some of these services include training programmes, workshops, open forums, in-house training and seminars. In many cases, however, employees do not have direct access to these types of programmes and the target groups are mainly workers believed to be of great future value to the organisation. Other businesses may reserve these programmes for specific groups of employees, such as entire divisions, new hires or workers engaged in functions which match closely with the topic being covered.
In these types of workshops, the topics covered are essential for the strategic goals of a business. Such training may include productivity and innovation in the workplace, project plan, human resource metrics and performance management, to name a few.
In order to facilitate a workforce which caters to the needs of the economy on a whole, a fully rounded workforce is needed. This includes cumulative updates to one’s job skills, being current on trends and changes in the workforce and making an effort to set out a personal development plan.
With all of these in mind, the final goal can be achieved through the understanding that self- development, though facilitated for the most part by the employer, begins with self.