Debunking myths of developing people

Developing people is one of the key managerial challenges. Even though, many leaders proclaim that people are their biggest asset, the level of enthusiasm they show when it comes to developing people is questionable.

People development initiatives get suppressed because of several myths prevailing in society. Today’s column will shed light in identifying seven such key myths. It also attempts to discuss ways and means of debunking them.

I would like to call these seven Rs referring to rationale, resource, rush, reach, range, recess and routine. Let’s look at them in detail.

 

1. Rationale myth

Why should an organisation need to invest in people? Is it less important compared to investing in machinery, infrastructure and equipment? The need to justify people development investments on a comparative basis is a myth.

As we know, there are various resources in an organisation. Physical, financial and informational resources will be in no avail, if we do not have the most precious resource. That is the human resource. It is the only resource that has life, with associated dynamism and vitality. If this emphasis is not found in decisions made at the top, there is a fundamental issue on rationale.

Wise leaders worldwide have shown the way of investing in people development, in order to ensure a competitive advantage in the long run. Selecting employees at lower levels and grooming them in house to take up higher positions is the best practice associated in debunking this myth.

2. Resource myth

Who should be the resource involved in developing people? Thinking that HR Department has to do it is a myth.

To understand this clearly, let’s look at the nature of HRM, which is constantly evolving. Having started as personnel management, it has come a long way to occupy a prominent place in organisational top levels with strategic human resource management.

Among numerous ways of describing HRM, Garry Dessler offers, perhaps the simplest. HRM is all about policies, practices and processes of performing the people aspect of a management position. It does not confine to a particular department, division, section or a unit. Every manager has a people role to play.

Let’s take the case of an acclaimed accountant. He/she must be very good in the accounting related technical matters. But without managing the people reporting to him/her, the results cannot be achieved. It is a case of knowing the art and science of getting things done through the people, with the people and from the people. That leads to the golden rule in HRM: Every manager is a human resource manager.

Therefore the sure cure way of developing people is to get functional managers involved in developing their respective employees, aptly guided by a centralised HR initiative.

3. Rush myth

People development initiatives take time to yield results. Rushing for quick results is a myth.

It reminds me what Lao Tsu, a Chinese philosopher, said a long time ago: If you want to plan for one year, plant corn; if you want to plan for three years, plant a tree; if you want to plan for 10 years, plant people. People development is a long term affair. You cannot rush sunshine.

There was a European CEO whom I knew, who used to yell at his senior colleagues, “Where is my EBITDA?” EBITDA stands for Earnings Before Interests, Taxes, Depreciation and Amortisation. Surely, he should have been interested in that, but the issue was that he was only interested in that. People development went down the drain.

The way forward has to be convincing the leaders on the nature of people development that require long term commitment with possible investments.

4. Reach myth

Does everyone in an organisation need same level of development? Thinking that development should reach all employees all times is a myth.

It is the right person who needs the right type of training in order to do his/her job in the right manner producing right results. Based on the typical performance measures, high performers, medium performers and low performers can be segregated.

The nature of development needed by these three categories is different. Low performers require performance coaching for them to improve. They might get a second chance if they are loyal as advocated by Jack Welch, who earned a reputation as a sensible people developer.

Medium performers need o be training on identified gaps with regards to their knowledge, skills and attitudes. High performers need leadership training as a matter of priority, as they are the potential successors for higher position holders.

Hence, the reach has to be carefully dealt with in order to cater for the deserving employees in their development matters.

5. Range myth

Training is not the panacea for all people illnesses. People development should go beyond mere training. Just offering training and expect people to develop is a myth.

Humans have potential and unleashing it has to happen in the organisational setting in order to obtain the desired results. That is the promise. The other side of the coin is the fact that humans are neither rational nor irrational; they are natural, or ‘a-rational,’ if I am to coin a term.

There is a high degree of unpredictability in human behaviour. There can be swinging between emotional extremes, be it glad, sad or mad. Managing people is an art and science in that respect. It needs an appeal to head, with structure, direction and control. That is being scientific. It also needs an appeal to the heart, with purpose, passion and positivity. That is being artistic. Hence, a carefully planned set of “head” and “heart” strategies should be on offer.

Training should be coupled with coaching, mentoring and counselling where necessary as a comprehensive range of interventions for people development. Creating a leadership pipeline is one such novel approach. This is a concept (based on a model by Walt Mahler) made popular by leadership consultants Steve Drotter, Jim Noel and Ram Charan. Embarking on such initiatives will debunk the range myth.

6. Recess myth

Developing people include identifying ways and means of balancing their lives. The thinking that recess spoils productivity is a myth.

Recess refers to a vacation, retreat or a time off. Resting involves recharging. Expecting people to be workaholics has dire consequences. Assisting people to plan their earned leave should be an important activity in the HR list. In some organisational cultures, there is an element of guilt associated with taking leave even for a genuine reason. There were stories in the west that when one comes back after a vacation, he/she is not sure whether his/ her position still exists or not.

The point here is to ensure proper balance in employee lives, where work, family and society gets the required priorities. Planned recess should be encouraged as opposed to ad hoc absenteeism.

7. Routine myth

People development takes place in a changing world. There is a need to be creative and review the plans. Blindly adhering to a routine of offering training is a myth.

I have seen training hours per employee as a key performance indicator of HR in some organisations. It indicates how many were sent for training but falls short of gauging the effectiveness of training offered.

I recall what one of my Indian academic colleagues had told me about the routine nature of training. He had been conducting a series of training programs on a weekly basis for a leading bank. He had seen this one participant is present in almost every program he conducted.

Out of curiosity, he had checked with the seniors of the bank as to why they recommend this person for all programs. The response was stunning. “He is idling in the department as a non-performer” and all high performers are busy at work. This highlights a classic case of mixing up priorities. Training just for the sake of training in a routine habitual manner will not bring results.

Way forward

Debunking the seven myths discussed above should have a central focus on integration. All people development initiatives should be well integrated to organisational strategic priorities. People development should lead to sustainable results in making organisation profitably growing with satisfied well-developed employees.

In essence, the above seven Rs should lead to one big ‘R,’ which is organisational results. The challenge is to act promptly. As Benjamin Franklyn, a former US President, insisted: “Well done is better than well said”. Developing people needs a committed approach with clarity from all involved.

(Dr. Ajantha Dharmasiri is a learner, teacher, trainer, researcher, writer and a thinker in the areas of Human Resource Management and Organisational Behaviour. He can be reached on [email protected].)