Page 210 - Psychological Management of Individual Performance

measuring and developing high potential 193
used only generate a small amount of practically applicable knowledge. People who
have just become managers often feel that they are not prepared for their task. They are
prepared for the technical aspects of their job, such as keeping track of the budget, but
cannot handle other ‘softer’ aspects, such as their identity as a manager (Hill, 1992).
The essence of the above is that the knowledge and skills that are acquired by means
of traditional approaches are, for various reasons, not adequate or it is not possible
to put them into practice (Thompson & Henningsen, 1996). That knowledge can only
be applied to an insufficient extent and that new skills can only be experimented with
unsatisfactorily is a fundamental error of the organisation system, given that knowledge
and skills only have value in an organisation when they are applied. There already is a
long-standing interest in the use of the workplace as an effective development resource
for managers. Mumford (1988), who investigated this in the context of enhancing indi-
vidual learning styles, and Revans (1982), who pioneered ‘action learning’, are two early
advocates of the workplace as a superior source of managerial learning compared with
college or structured training programmes. Management Development activities are now
partly motivated by the labour market and are being extended to include the workplace
of the manager.

Job rotation

Job rotation is a tool which aims to contribute to broader employability and the possibility
of further developing management potential on the one hand, and offering the challenges
desired by the individual employee on the other. By gaining experience in different
locations within the organisation, a broad basis is formed and competencies relating to
different positions are combined. It is exactly by presenting new challenges when they
are required that someone will remain motivated and challenged to function well (among
others: Vogelaar, 1997). Another advantage is that the mobility of the person concerned
is enlarged, which has a positive effect on both the organisation and the individual.
Job rotation thus contributes to the possibility of promoting “employability”, by which,
simultaneously, the so-called “psychological contract” between the employee and the
employer also receives a new impulse (Gaspersz & Ott, 1996). Job rotation appears,
furthermore, to be a good instrument that is implemented in order to achieve the goal
of continuous learning experiences. In addition to this, another goal of job rotation is
knowledge management; participants gain insight into all the primary processes at work
in an organisation in a short time.
Job rotation does not, however, appear to be unproblematic in all cases. Such areas as
production process technology and the essential specialist knowledge required for certain
tasks, often stand in the way of job rotation. Managers, on the other hand, who increas-
ingly define their position according to the mottos of “empowerment” and “coaching”,
have the advantage that at higher management levels the management and steering of
processes is increasingly at the forefront in contradistinction to specialist support. In var-
ious literature relating to the field of Management Development warning is given of the
very short cycles in which the development of employees is set. Analysis shows (among
others: Lynn, Piehler, & Kieler, 1993) that the gradual competency development pattern
(whereby it is possible to broaden knowledge and skills) allows employees to achieve
substantially better when challenging but rapid and large steps are taken. There are