Professional Staff Career Development at UTAS

Transcription

1 Professional Staff Career Development at UTAS Guidance & Resources to Help You Actively Manage Your Career Human Resources

2 Professional Staff Career UTAS Continuous learning and development is a strong focus of the Performance and Career Development process at UTAS. The University is a large complex organisation where a range of career possibilities exist. Professional staff career development at UTAS is based upon the premise that in the current work environment Ongoing rapid change in the higher education sector is a constant Career paths are rarely well defined Continuous learning and the ability to self manage careers is fundamental to staying employable A career, involves ongoing learning, and participation in a range of different activities, and can include vertical and sideways progression. Connectedness (through people networks and the latest information and ideas in an area of expertise) is critical to career success All staff need to continually develop and upgrade specific job and interpersonal skills so they can remain current and respond quickly to change and the opportunities it brings What are the roles and responsibilities of staff for career development? Professional staff at all levels should be the planners and drivers of their own careers Line managers act as coaches and facilitators and provide staff members with guidance on career possibilities within their workplace/school/division and the University Human Resources staff have support systems to provide information and advice on careers within the University Our learning and development philosophy is built upon how individuals internalise and apply what they learn based on how they acquire knowledge. We rely on the 70/20/10 formula* that describes how learning occurs: 70% from real life and on-the-job experiences, tasks and problem solving. This is the most important aspect of any learning and development plan. 20% from feedback and from observing and working with role models. 10% from formal training. * 70/20/10 learning concept was developed by Morgan McCall, Robert W. Eichinger, and Michael M. Lombardo at the Center for Creative Leadership and is specifically mentioned in The Career Architect Development Planner 3rd edition by Michael M. Lombardo and Robert W. Eichinger.

3 Possible Options for Staff Development in Schools/Institutes/Divisions The development of adaptable staff in the higher education environment involves not only mentoring, support and training but often job movement. This latter type of development may involve where appropriate, renewing staff, multi-skilling, moving across functional boundaries with a mixture of regular duties and special projects. Specialist staff members, however, often want to maintain their career focus in their chosen area of expertise. They may find challenge in continuing professional development and challenging projects. In the past there was a tendency to maintain a staff member s position in an area where they performed well. This would seem logical in the short and immediate term but in the medium to longer term they are likely to stagnate. Staff need to be provided with opportunities to remain flexible, take risks, face new challenges and develop new skills. Options for Staff Growth Supervisors need to be aware of a range of options and flexible arrangements to be considered in supporting the development of professional staff members. Implementation of any one or more of these options is up to the discretion of the individual supervisor depending upon the circumstances in the area involved. Advice and guidance on the development of these options is available to line managers from HR Employment Advisers. Role of Line Managers in Career Development of Staff Members Managers play a vital role in encouraging and providing opportunities for team members to develop the capabilities they require to manage their careers. Managers can support team members to develop their careers through: Providing feedback Providing information If invited providing support and feedback in identifying career goals, aspirations, expectations and interests Providing feedback on observed behaviours and demonstrated skills and talents Informing staff about their options, opportunities available and barriers Referring Referring to mentor or coach Linking to appropriate university staff Facilitating and Guiding Encouraging staff members to focus on realistic career goals and giving feedback on the appropriateness of selected goals Coaching Coaching team members through their development and implementation of a career strategy plan Developing Recognising, discussion and working towards a team member s readiness for promotion. Providing access to skill development in current job, formal training and or career counselling Assigning staff to developmental tasks (examples below)

4 NETWORKING/RELATIONSHIPS Coaching Mentoring Networking Professional associations Visiting other institutions Communities of practice FORMAL EDUCATION Courses Online courses Conferences Seminars Development Options ON THE JOB Secondments Transfers Shadowing Project work Job rotation Vertical progression Cross training Enrichment Lateral change Realignment OTHER OPTIONS Reading books Internet/library research Online learning materials Watching videos

5 Vertical Progression Vertical progression through the organisation is the traditional approach to career development. A supervisor may decide to assist a staff member to prepare for a more senior role. This forms part of succession planning in a School/Division. Job Rotation Job rotation involves staff within the school/area undertaking tasks on a rotational basis. The staff members involved gain additional experience and skills. It can make jobs more rewarding and may renew interest and offer new challenges. Job rotation can also assist in providing additional expertise in the department/area. Cross Training Cross training is slightly different from job rotation in that it spreads skills among staff so that more people can do the required tasks. It provides individual staff members with career development opportunities and at the same time it can give departments the flexibility to quickly recover from staff loss or to move people around during growth spurts. Development of systematic cross-training program could involve the following processes: Define the major tasks performed by each staff member in your school/division/institute. Make a list of who knows how to do what. These people are your potential trainers. Make a list of the tasks each person does not know how to do. Set priorities on the training needs based on where you have the least back up and the most critical functions. The first cross training should be to teach people to do these tasks that only one person can now do. Make a training schedule for each task so that cross training occurs at a time when the least possible disruption will result for staff trainers and trainees. Support the cross training by maintaining the schedule, recognising staff trainers and trainees, and participating yourself. Your participation will communicate your commitments to cross-training and employee development. Once staff have converged the major tasks in their own area it may be appropriate to start a cross-training exchange with other areas.

6 Enrichment Job enrichment entails the provision of opportunities to increase people and technical skills. It is essential for all staff to have access to job enrichment opportunities. As part of the new career model it is even more important to have a broad understanding of opportunities available for enrichment. Job enrichment may include: Taking on additional or new responsibilities Acting as a secretary for a committee to develop skills in understanding university meeting procedures and writing minutes Temporary assignments/special project Supervised project work for early career stage staff Performance of higher duties Attendance at conferences Being on a selection panel Becoming a mentor or a mentee Developing improvements in a specific work process Developing and/or delivering a training program drawing on an area of work skill or expertise. Lateral Change Lateral change involves the movement of a staff member from the job they are in and/or a change in their career direction. Lateral change can prevent demotivation and stimulate career growth. The experience can offer a complete change at the same/similar level and provide new challenges. Secondments and International Exchanges Secondment entails a staff member moving to another organisation for a specific period after which they will return to duty at the University. Secondments are based on mutual agreement between the staff member, the University and the host area/organisation. Transfer Transfers within the University are at times available to staff on a permanent or temporary basis. A transfer may assist with the career and skills development.

7 Realignment Realignment may involve a shift away from the management ladder or administrative responsibilities to more flexible work arrangements, sideways to a project responsibility or to a specialist or technical area. In the contemporary workplace environment it may be necessary at times to take one-step back in order to take two steps forward. A career realignment should be worked out in consultation between the staff member concerned and their supervisor. A staff member s decision to seek such an arrangement may be motivated by a range of professional; personal and life balance reasons. A staff member may wish to move to: Part-time work Specific task or project work Casual work Job share arrangement Sessional arrangement Home based work Purchased leave Averaged service fraction Study leave arrangement Take on: Additional research responsibilities A particular project A staff member who decides to realign their career may be in a position to provide development opportunities for their new colleagues.

8 CHECKLISTS Career Planning in a School/Division/Institute Supervisors should consider the following actions/options before working with individual staff members to put together their career development plans. Do you use work projects and work relationships as a means of continuous learning for your staff? Are career development activities part of the operational plan of the work area? Are you using staff mobility such as cross training, job rotation, lateral transfers and secondments to support career development of staff? Have you developed a succession plan, which puts emphasis upon staff development as well as identification of staff with the potential to fill key positions? Do your staff have significant input into plans for their future development and assignments? Does career development include opportunities for risk taking and learning? Does career development include personal growth eg interpersonal skills, communication and time management as well as task learning? Does career development take family and personal balance needs into account? Are your staff encouraged to be empowered and self-directed in their careers? Are individual staff aware of the University s career development activities? Is there recognition in your school/division/institute for those who act as trainers, role models, coaches Anti-Discrimination Advisers or mentors? Do you provide opportunities for staff to work collectively to reflect on various projects and processes in order to improve their capability to make decisions and take action?

9 Planning Career Development for each Staff Member A staff member s participation in particular career development activities should be carefully considered within the context of the: Staff member s individual development plan Needs and strategic goals of the University/Faculty/School/Institute/Division Resources of the school/institute/division Advantages of one type of training over another Training needs and plans of other staff in the local work area Effect on workload and on other staff Life/career phase or stage

10 Supporting the Career Development of Staff Consideration of the following career development options may be appropriate: Networking and training Secondment Position redesign Study leave Work enriching experiences (reassignment of specific tasks) Lateral change Transfer to another area in the university Realignment Job rotation University course work Attending conferences Joining and participating in professional organisations Working towards gaining professional recognition in a particular area of expertise Writing professional articles or books Individual career counselling Working with a mentor or coach management development programs Self-study or reading assignments Computer based training Participating in projects Involvement in campus organisations Participating in teams, working groups or committees Cross training Visiting other work places Becoming a trainer of other staff when a department decides to cross train its staff Learning on the job from supervisors and work colleagues