Categories of Employee Development Methods
The four broad categories of employee development methods include on-the-job training (OJT), formal training programs, coaching and mentoring, and cross-functional assignments. OJT involves learning new skills while performing regular job duties (Byrne, 2022). Formal training can be described as classroom instruction, workshops, and seminars. Coaching and mentoring work through one-on-one guidance and support from a more experienced colleague or manager (Byrne, 2022). Finally, cross-functional training provides opportunities for employees to gain experience in different areas of the organization.
Basic Options for Work Experience-Based Employee Development
Work experience can be used as a method of employee development. There are seven options available to companies opting to engage their employees this way. They are as follows: OJT, job rotation, mentoring, coaching, cross-functional assignments, action learning, and job shadowing (Byrne, 2022). These methods can be used separately or together, in order to create a unique job experience suitable to individual employee and company needs.
The Roles of a Coach and the Differences Between Coaching and Mentoring
Coaching and mentoring are often confused due to surface-level similarities in training activities. Both impart experience and wisdom to the trainee, but there are many fundamental differences between them. The three roles of a coach are those of a teacher, encouragement provider, and quality control (Byrne, 2022). Coaches teach new knowledge and skills, encourage individuals to discover their own solutions to issues, and ensure commitment to goals and actions. Mentoring, on the other hand, is less goal-driven and more focused on individual growth and development as a person and a professional (Byrne, 2022). Due to the lengthier periods of time necessary to achieve the latter, mentoring tends to be a more long-term engagement when compared to coaching.
Some of the advantages of an outside coach are that they bring ideas and points of view different from established truisms inside of the organization. An outsider is not engaged in the internal politics of the company and cannot be swayed by interpersonal relationships (Byrne, 2022). They may also bring experience and skills the organization may not have at a cheaper price. The disadvantages include the lack of in-depth understanding of how the business works, as well as the absence of connections, trust, and authority (Byrne, 2022). A company must weigh these considerations carefully before inviting an outsider to fix its problems.
Reference
Byrne, Z. S. (2022). Understanding employee engagement: Theory, research, and practice. Routledge.