Career Planning and Development

It refers to identifying career goals and objectives of the individual employee and assisting them to achieve them by matching them with the organizational goals. The aim of the system is to aid the individual to choose career options and opportunities and develop in that direction after being made aware of one’s capabilities an potential with the help of other system and the support of his superiors.

A. Contextual Analysis

• Carrying of periodic analysis of the changes in social, political and business contexts, global changes and business trends, new opportunities and competitors plan.
• Designing of organizational structure and roles to reflect and anticipate changes.
• Information to employees about performance of the company, opportunities and growth plans.
• Communication of organization’s future plans, structures and careers.
• Communication of the technological changes, management practice changes, market changes to individuals.

Career paths based on role analysis and clarity

• Presence of well laid-out career paths based on role analysis and role clarity.
• Role clarity based planning
• Linkage of career planning to role clarity at all levels.
• Awareness of roles and responsibilities of self and others.
• Adequacies and inadequacies of the HR systems to promote role analysis based career planning and structuring.
• Involvement of line managers in ensuring role clarity.

Identification of capabilities and potential supported by other systems

• Use of multiple approaches in assessment of capabilities and potential
• Linkage of performance appraisal and potential appraisal to career planning.
• Use of assessment/development centers.
• Use of scientific methods like 360 0 feedback for potential and career planning.

Development of the individual carried out in a systematically phased manner using several mechanisms

• Ensuring a strong conceptual base and focusing on managerial skills and leadership qualities
• Learning technical and job related skills.
• Learning general managerial skills.
• Developing leadership skills and qualities.
• Getting acquainted with other departments and functions
• Job rotation or temporary placements/assignments in all important functions to get feel of their functioning.
• Presence of mentoring of career counseling systems
• Involvement of senior management in mentoring individuals.
• Counseling on career path issues.
• Realistic assessment of capabilities and potential.
• Use of initiative, creativity and challenges.

Specific strategies for different group of employees

• Approach for fresh recruits
  • Developing technical and general managerial capabilities.
  • Short term placement in various departments.
  • Mentoring
• Approach for those who have spent their time in the same position for a long time and shown potential
  • Job rotation.
  • Creating positions for lateral movements.
  • Developing leadership capabilities.
• Approach for highly promising employees
  • Special interventions.
  • Involvement in strategic teams and committees.
• Mentoring
• Approach for those who have reached a stage beyond which it is not possible to progress vertically
  • Counseling
  • Creating challenges in the current job.
• Changes in career plans made depending on changes in the strategy, structure and working practices
  • Alteration in career plans in case of any changes in business environment leading to changes in the business strategy, structure and working practices.

Perceived as an integral part of the culture

• Culture focused on competency building and commitment building
  • Attention on competency building.
  • Focus on commitment building.
• Openness in sharing the information with the employees

Transparency in the process.

Sharing of career paths and plans with employees.

• Commitments made to employees are met

Planned and promised interventions to the employees are met.

Trust of employees in the career planning and counseling.

Auditing Methods and Techniques for career planning and development

Interviews

• HR Managers: To be familiar with
• Mechanisms for the survey of global, national and local business trends and development.
• Evaluation of existing structure for grabbing new opportunities.
• Communication of these mechanisms to employees.
• Role of this communication in assisting employees in career development.
• Activities to clarify roles.
• Mechanisms to share performance expectation and directions between seniors and juniors.
• Use of role analysis for career path planning and coaching.
• Use of various methods for assessment and their implementation.
• Mechanisms involved in career planning system.
• Use of mentoring and counseling system.
• Issues discussed in counseling.
• Involvement of top management in counseling.
• Attitude towards various groups of employees in developing managerial and technical capabilities.
• Impact of change in business environment or organizational structure on career plans.
• Transparency and openness of the process.
• Line managers: To ascertain
• Nature of information shared with different departments about changing nature of organization, its structure and career opportunities.
• Communication of changes in technology, market and management to enhance role clarity.
• Clarity about roles and responsibilities.
• Methods for measuring competencies.
• Skill and knowledge of counselors and mentors.
• Sharing of career paths among employees.

Documents/Secondary Data

• Circulars and communications with employees explaining business trends, performance and plans.
• Role directories.
• Workshop documents on role clarity and role negotiations.
• Performance appraisal reports.
• KPAs, KRAs, job analysis or role clarity reports.
• Assessment/Development centers.
• Potential appraisal reports.
• Career planning reports.
• Material on job rotation.
• Material on mentoring and counseling.
• Report on study conducted on culture of the organization.
• Career plans of the employees.