Sustainable programmes for people development

People development programmes are becoming a key tool for combating the skills shortage, as well as for increasing the commitment and motivation of teams in companies. But implementing standardised programmes without tailoring them, or at least partially tailoring them, to the specific needs of people in an organisation and to the strategic and development goals of the organisation itself can only lead to partial success. And in specific situations where there is a mismatch between the actual needs of the people and the initiated programs, even to frustration.

We invited Galina Stoilova from our team, together with Kameliya Atanasova, Chief Administrative Officer at Pontica Solutions, to tell us how talent assessment tests can be applied as a preparatory step for developing sustainable people development programs and why Pontica Solutions chose Harrison Assessment for its entire leadership team as a strategic step in this direction.

What role do talent assessment tests play in developing sustainable people development programmes?

Galina Stoilova (Manpower): One of the main ways that talent assessment testing helps in developing sustainable people development programs is by providing an objective assessment of individual talents and abilities. The tools measure various aspects of individual potential, such as cognitive ability, creative skills, social skills, and more. With such information, companies are able to structure their development programs to the specific needs of their people to provide a customized and effective development approach. The effectiveness of training that is planned in this way is much higher because there is a perceived need based on objective criteria.

In addition, talent assessment tests can also help in identifying hidden talents and development opportunities that the individual may not have realized or manifested. Often people have hidden talents or abilities that have not been expressed or developed because the right environment or situation was lacking. The results can suggest if and who could be involved in a project and develop the potential they carry within themselves.

What is the impact of development programmes on the engagement and motivation levels of your teams?

Kameliya Atanasova (Pontica Solutions): It's long been about more than just office initiatives, entertainment, and a portfolio of benefits.

"The 'new benefits' will be about having an environment where you can hone different skills and develop new ones, feel supported in every way by your manager and the company, and it should offer a safe environment and be a responsible employer to the world around us (CSR). We have seen this in the last 1-2 years and in our regular internal feedback surveys - colleagues are looking for more opportunities to develop their skills.

In this regard, we believe that training and development programmes will positively impact engagement and motivation levels, but this is something we are yet to explore and track over the next 1 year.

Why did you choose to conduct a Harrison Assessment for your entire leadership team as a first step toward sustainable people development?

Kameliya Atanasova (Pontica Solutions): This is also at the heart of the decision to apply the Harrison Assessment to the entire management team and have the results be the starting point from which to build the training strategy.

Managers for us are the culture bearers and embody how we should communicate and work. Accordingly, they have the strongest influence on team engagement. We are proud of the fact that we see high levels of engagement in our teams, above the global average in our industry, and our highest scores are for manager-colleague relationships, receiving feedback and understanding from the manager.

How do you interpret data from these assessments to support individual and organizational development?

Galina Stoilova (Manpower): Interpreting the data from these assessments is a key process that helps understand the strengths and potential growth opportunities of both individuals and organizations as a whole. Here's a look at the differences in these two areas:

• Individual Development

The analysis provides information on the developmental levels of a person's core competencies and strongest characteristics. A person's strengths are a great starting point on which to build.

In addition to strengths, assessment data can reveal areas for improvement. Each person's scores can be compared to the levels required for a specific position and points of discrepancy can be identified. This analysis can serve as a starting point for developing a personal improvement and development plan.

• Organisational Development

Based on individual results, group or team results can be derived. The data highlights interesting trends at the team level, which can help inform future development strategies in a given area. On the other hand, looking at multiple teams from one organization shows trends at the company level. This information often shows the level of overall development of the company, as well as clearly illustrates the culture and values that have been built up to that point. On this basis, management can chart a path in the desired direction and build its development concept on the objective basis of the analysis data.