In today's world, organizational restructuring and technological change are the norm. Individuals, in the search for career satisfaction, may no longer plan to spend their entire work lives in one organization. Maximizing an individual's career potential as a way of enhancing the success of the organization furthers a systems approach for organizational career development.
This session will provide an overview of professional development strategies used by Ohio State University Extension to support personnel. They will share a professional development model and its application within extension. Continuing professional development of employees is necessary to meet the demands and expectations of the evolving workplace.
The presenters will share examples of organizational strategies for professional development related to each of four career stages. The session will explore the entry phase or the encounter stage of employment. One can characterize this stage as the initial phase of employment when the essential motivators for development include understanding the organization, the organizational structure and culture, and obtaining essential skills to perform the job role. Some approaches used by OSU Extension in this stage include: The Orientation Process, Learning the Ropes on-the-job training, CORE Training and providing peer mentors for new staff.
The colleague stage of the model focuses upon developing both an area of expertise and a professional identity. Becoming an independent contributor in problem solving is a key outcome. This stage is characterized by rapid growth in professional knowledge, growing independence, and autonomy. Approaches used by OSU Extension include specialized subject matter training, formal academic coursework, experiential learning opportunities, and special study assignments.
The final portion of this session will address the counselor and advisor stages. Characteristics of these stages include movement for independent contribution to a focus on interdependence and the ability to work through others. Other outcomes of these stages include greater responsibility in decision making and problem solving and the ability to represent the organization both internally and externally. OSU Extension has utilized career development retreats, mentoring roles, an assessment center for leadership, trainer agents, and organizational sounding boards to address the development needs within these stages.
This model provides an excellent base from which extension can develop strategies to meet the developmental needs of individuals as well as the organization.