Peer response about employee development.

please respond

Employee Development

Describe your best experience in terms of employee development and explain why it was so effective. Then describe your worst experience in terms of employee development and explain why it was so unproductive.

peer #1 Josh

In the medical device field employee development is crucial to the success of the organization. I currently work in sales and portfolios are always changing and growing. Also, our clients purchase products based on scientific data. For these reasons successful device companies foster a learning environment (week 8 experts of practice). With that being said, some companies embrace this environment better than others.

My current organization does embrace development. We have a strong training system in place for new employees and for current employees as well. This training reviews new products and the published clinical data for several journals. On top of that we have sales training twice a year. These tools help develop our staff and more importantly this bring every brain in the game (Winning 2005). We also offer staff additional training if they wish, management classes, course reimbursements and so on. The goal is to always have our staff learning and growing.

One of my previous employers did thing much different. They were the market leader and believed their products would always keep them there. As most device companies were changing to the method described above this organization didn’t see the value. The sales staff was not clinically trained but instead given an elevator pitch. They didn’t believe in candor or education the staff. The approach was very methodical, here is your product and your elevator, hit your numbers or find new work. They wanted their employees to be robots there was zero development. Needless to say, this company had and still has large turnover and are no longer the market leader.

Cheers,

Josh

References:

JWI Week 8, Experts of practice, Jack Welch

peer #2 Karen

Hi Dr. C and Class,

I would have to say the best experience I had in employee development was at my first company, McGraw-Hill. We received quarterly reviews and each year we set development goals that were followed up by the manager during the quarterly reviews. In these goals, it was asked what position you would like to be promoted to and you were given a development plan to make that happen in the future. The company was also good with training courses, both internal and external. You were always learning and growing in your present job and getting promoted when you were doing well. In this week’s lecture, it states that money is among the most powerful of all rewards—and therefore an almost universally eﬀective way to motivate people (1). I do believe this is one way that motivated me in this company. I knew if my performance reviews were good and I was pushing my learning skills, there would be more of an increase for me financially. This did motivate me to do my best. I enjoyed my thirteen years there and if they were not downsizing, I probably would have stayed there because I felt like I was valued and what I did mattered.

I have to say my current agency is probably the worst experience in terms of employee development because there is nothing set in place. I do not have any goals set in place or even any learning development plan. I am not sure if I am doing a good job or what areas I need to improve on. Since I have been there three years and have gotten two higher positions, that I must be doing something right. I would just like to know what is positive and what I need to work to improve. I do feel a sense of being lost in my job at times and do not know what direction I am going in, but changes are coming with the new administration. We will be having performance reviews and goals, as well as new training classes to grow starting in this summer.

Karen

References:

JWI520. Week 8. Lecture 1. Motivating People.

Welch, J. April 2005. Winning

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