As we enter the final month of 2014, I like to reflect on the year and think about the future. Because it is the people within organizations that drive change, performance, and achievement, I truly believe it is imperative for institutional leaders to put a greater emphasis on developing their talent. Thus, I'd like to share three key ideas on employee development that I hope will provide some perspective for institutions as we approach 2015.

1. Increase Focus on Employee Development and Training

As we know, the demand for higher education is expected to increase. However, higher education institutions will… >>>

"Today's economy is not a recession. It's the end of an era." When I first heard this quote from Arthur Brock, it struck a chord. We have indeed entered a new era as well as a knowledge-based economy where an organization's effective utilization of intangible assets such as employee skills, abilities and innovation are key to building a competitive edge. What does this mean for career colleges?

Career colleges, just like all organizations, must improve their adaptive capabilities to sustain long-term competitive advantage. Likewise today, every institution must be exceptional at creating change; not just responding to it. Disruption has… >>>

The upsurge in investigations, lawsuits, and school closures due to compliance issues may have some believing that more regulatory oversight is necessary for career colleges and universities. The reality is that career education is already one of the most highly regulated sectors in all of higher education. For example, a career college may be approved and/or licensed by several separate state agencies, an institutional accreditor, several different programmatic accreditors and the U.S. Department of Education. Amid this amount of regulation, does even more oversight sound like a reasonable solution to reducing compliance issues? Or does effective employee training have more… >>>

Most employees enjoy the opportunity to learn and are eager to participate in training to advance their careers.  So why do some employees hate training and how can organizations prevent this from happening? 

1. Training as Punishment – Employee training and development can help enhance performance but some organizations use training purely as a disciplinary action when employees underperform.  This leads employees to view training as punishment.

How to Avoid: Support all employees with continuous training opportunities as part of your organizational development strategy.  Employees are energized about training that is truly available to support them, not… >>>

Employee job satisfaction is critical to any institution’s success.  Dissatisfied employees are less engaged, less committed, and less likely to perform.  Studies confirm organizations that support their employees through training increase job satisfaction resulting in better business results.  Employee training, however, is not only linked to improved business results but is also a powerful factor in shaping employee attitudes.  It creates motivation for increased discretionary behavior and a satisfaction with career development that ultimately leads to increased job satisfaction of two types: intrinsic and extrinsic. 

Intrinsic Job Satisfaction

Intrinsic job satisfaction is when employees consider the type… >>>

Managing people has evolved from old approaches of "commanding and controling" to "developing and empowering." Over the years, managers have taken some responsibility for ensuring that their staff members maintain the knowledge and skills necessary to perform. Additionally, organizations have developed more expansive models of what development looks like. Compare the old versus new approaches below:

1. Focus on Poor Performers vs. High Performers

• Old Approach: Poor performers are the only staff members who need development
• New Approach: Every staff member within an organization should be developed with particular attention to high performers

2. Development as Responsibility of Human Resources… >>>