Lecture 10: Adult Development

Lecture 10: Adult Development

1. Development refers to systematic efforts affecting individuals’ knowledge or skills for purposes of personal growth or future jobs or roles

2. Importance: retain key employees, manage talent, reduce turnover as well as meet challenge of global and social change.

3. Taxonomy of Development Activities

   • Employment Assessment
     • Assessment centre to test for strengths and weaknesses
       • E.g. Personality assessments, benchmarks, assessment centres performance appraisals
   • On-the-job experiences
     • E.g. secondments, job rotation, job enlargement, promotions, transfers
   • Formal Course and Programs
     • E.g. executive development programs
   • Pro Relationships
     • Coaching, mentoring, or sponsoring relationships where an experienced employee is matched with a less experienced employee to provide guidance and professional development

4. The most effective development strategies involve individualisation, learner control and ongoing support.

5. Life-Management Theory

   • Three classes of behaviour (SOC) Selection- Articulation and setting of goals Optimisation- Optimisation and use of goal-relevant means Compensation- Availability and use of compensatory means to maintain goal attainment when previously available means are no longer available or are blocked