Page 213 - Psychological Management of Individual Performance

196 assessing potential and future performance
their current performance. In many cases this concerns a superior, colleague-managers or
subordinates.
This method also results in increasing the insight into the functioning in the present
position in which “section managers profile” also was basic. According to this, taking
into account the standard profile of a manager, the manager together with his/her superior
develops a development plan. In the case of this group of managers, an analysis is made
for the development needs of the entire team. In doing so, individual scores were discussed
together at the beginning. Afterwards scores were also put together, averaged and compared
to the standard of the preferred management style of the particular department, which is
derived from the management style of Fuji Tilburg. Where the majority seem to show a
weakness on certain competencies, a development programme can also take place at the
group level—for example, by means of theme-related group sessions, intervision groups or
workshops about certain items, such as motivation and motivating others.
After a period of about two years a further 360-degree feedback round takes place to test
the extent to which the desired goals have been realised. This is also applicable to the group
of managers that have participated in a development centre at an earlier stage. Although this
mostly concerns the determination of an individual plan based on the person’s own responsi-
bility and voluntariness, the development of competencies is not entirely free of obligations.
Fuji expects its managers to actively and continuously develop themselves and consider
development as a serious item. By means of a development contract that is signed between
the manager and his/her superior (and to which they both need to be committed) and by
means of monitoring by a MD officer, the development becomes a continuous process.
In practice we have learned that this method of development is very successful, that it
is particularly perceived as extremely practice and process-oriented, that it truly stimulates
development and that managers are inspired to put effort into the process. The difficulty
for the group that participated in a development centre was in translating the plan to the
work setting and forming a concrete action plan in their practice. In the case of the group
practising an internal 360-degree feedback, this followed more apparently from the feedback
they received, especially because it was function-oriented. However, this approach lacks
the more general character of a potential measurement besides the organisational context. A
combination of both methods would certainly be worth considering despite the investment
in time it demands from managers.

THE INTERACTIVE MODEL: FINAL COMMENTS

The interactive model that we discussed in this chapter seems to be a worthwhile tool in
the area of human development. As the Fuji case illustrates, human development asks
for a tailor-made solution that incorporates sound instruments and a human development
policy that sustains the process around development. The management of psychological
contracts is essential to this, but also the way in which use is made of the continuous
feedback moments, the learning experiences of people and the choice of new learning
methods (such as group learning, etc.).
In our opinion modern management development and human development are char-
acterised by a serious attention for the choice of adequate techniques and instruments
(content) and of adequate activities to sustain the working and successes of these tech-
niques and instruments (process). The fact that development is an ongoing activity seems
obvious in this instance.

NOTES

1. We realise that this situation may differ for the various countries in Europe and other parts of
the world. Anyhow, one may conclude that developments (technical, markets, demographic)
take place in a more rapid way compared to, e.g., several decades ago.