The Importance of Employee Promotions
Employee promotions contribute immensely to the triumph of an organization
as it inspires and also acts a part for career growth. They acknowledge effort
and dedication, but they also drive continuous learning and self-improvement.
One of the most popular models within experiential learning (specifically
through trying/doing) is David Kolb´s Learning Cycle and it can perfectly help
us understand how promotions could serve to increase employee growth and
performance. If companies are to adopt the Kolb way of thinking on their
promotional activities, then they will probably have a better work culture for
growth and development.
The Kolb Learning Cycle has 4 stages: Concrete Experience, Reflective
Observation, Abstract Conceptualization and Active Experimentation. The stages
shown above overlap; this process is cyclical (Kolb, 1984), pushing us to a
continuous improvement. Promotions will take advantage of the cycle to help
promote professional development of employee.
The first stage is Concrete Experiment where I directly undertake new roles
or responsibilities. When you are offered promotions, with them come new
experiences to handle: managing a team {Leading From Behind – How To Be A Great
Leader (And More Valuable Employee)}, running a project or understanding more
complex things. This prompts employers outside of the usual one, providing an
opportunity for employees to update and strengthen their domain-specific skills
(Kolb 1984).
The second step is Reflective Observation encourages employees to think
about the new experiences. Give team members some time, after a promotion to
reflect on how they have performed in their new role so far and what areas for
improvement that need addressing. And this is essential for learning, ensuring
that employees learn from experience (Kolb & Fry, 1975).
Abstract Conceptualization If you reflect on context, it will then become
systematically connected and shaped in certain respects to form new ideas or
strategies for improvement based upon those contexts that have been previously
experienced or studied. Employees at this stage start incubating new ideas and
ways they can serve in their roles. Promotions need to be designed in a way
that encourage this kind of critical thought; allowing employees to turn
reflective practice into actionable strategies (Kolb, 1984).
Active Experimentation encourages employees to practice new, creative
solutions based on what they have learned in a practical setting. Lastly, this
final stage closes the loop in learning as employees being their new roles.
Promotions designed to facilitate this experimentation provide employees with
exposure and a venue in which they can test out their new behaviors (Kolb,
1984).
This way, combining how we promote employees with Kolb's Learning Cycle
means organizational promotions can have even more consequential developmental
benefits. By doing this we not only appreciate our employees but also the ones
who encourage keep learning continuously and hence making them more reliable,
flexible & motivated team workforce.
References
Kolb, D. A. (1984). Experiential Learning: Experience as the Source of
Learning and Development. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall.
Kolb, D. A., & Fry, R. (1975). Toward an Applied Theory of
Experiential Learning. In C. Cooper (Ed.), Theories of Group Process.
London: John Wiley & Sons.
The article makes an excellent case for how the processes of employee promotion can work in terms of growth and development. I particularly liked the way that you wove in David Kolb's Learning Cycle to explain how this process of promotion could work in terms of learning and performance improvement.
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ReplyDeleteThis blog connects Kolb's Learning Cycle to employee promotions in a simple and intuitive way. It shows how each phase can contribute to professional growth.Organizing the matching of promotion with Kolb's model can help organizations place people not only in jobs they are comfortable doing but also where they have room for continuous learning and development, so leading to a more motivated and adaptable workforce. It's a practical way to foster talent and drive performance.
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