LEAD Awards 2018: Interview with Dr. Diane Barish, Relief International
Supporting the Career Development of Staff
Posted on 05-23-2018, Read Time: Min
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Category: Best Use of a Learning Management System
LEAD Award Rank: 5
Category: Best Global/ International Leadership Program
LEAD Award Rank: 12
Organization: Relief International
Program: RI Academy
Program Director: Dr. Diane Barish
Visit: www.ri.org
Supporting the Career Development of Staff
Our editorial team interviewed Dr. Diane Barish from Relief International at the LEAD2018 Awards this past February. Here are some excerpts from the exclusive interview.
What is the overall objective of your program?
Relief International (RI) regards staff development and the capacity building of local staff in the developing countries in which we operate as an integral part of organization strategic planning. RI’s Organizational Development and Training Unit (OD&T) provides learning and development opportunities to more than 1800 staff members in 20 countries. The central aim of the RI Academy is to support the professional and career development of staff through relevant training initiatives that are identified through an engaging process between the supervisor, the employee and the OD&T Unit. Tying training and development to performance ensures that learning is relevant to the employee and supports the performance goals and outcomes of the individual and the organization.
Who do you impact with your program?
RI Academy supports staff at all levels of the organization, including the Head Office and the field offices in 20 countries. RI has 1800 staff located in 3 regions; Africa, Asia and the Middle East with head offices in the US and the UK. RI focuses on four main sectors: Education, Health, Water and Sanitation (WASH) and Economic Opportunity/Livelihoods.
What are the lessons you’ve learned this year from facilitating your program?
a. Key factors in successful development programs are
- Effective communication with organization leaders, helping them understand how staff development supports not only the individual’s performance but also department/program outcomes.
- Obtaining leadership support and buy-in ensures that the resources and time are made available for staff to engage in development opportunities.
- Collaboration between the employee and the supervisor. By working with their staff to identify knowledge or competency gaps and then seeking appropriate interventions there is a commitment from both the supervisor and the employee to engage in development.
- Framing performance management as a development opportunity and not just an assessment of past performance.
- Engaging staff in identifying their training needs is the most effective marketing tool for the program
b. Leaders who understand the value of staff development and its relationship to a successful Program have lower attrition (unrelated to the duration of a program), promote more staff, and have higher staff engagement and satisfaction ratings.
c. A well-developed Performance Management system should be relevant and appropriate for the audience. Compliance with the Performance Management process is increased when the system and processes are easy to follow, accessible and related to job performance.
How do you measure the return on investment and success of the program?
To measure the effectiveness and value of the program we track several indicators.
a. We look at the number of staff who are promoted or “hired from within.”
b. We track the percentage of staff performance reviews that are either in progress or completed with a maximum delay of 3 months from the process deadline.
c. We track the number of staff across the organization who are engaged in some sort of training or development activity, through the RI Academy Learning Management System or through external training programs.
d. We measure engagement and satisfaction on an annual basis, incorporating the feedback and survey results into the following year’s objectives to continuously improve the program.
What lies ahead for the program and how will it continue to succeed?
The RI Academy will continue to build its catalog. To ensure that programs are effective and relevant we will encourage staff to provide feedback and reviews on course offerings and cultivate their suggestions for additional resources and program providers.
RI Academy will work with Programs leadership to develop targeted learning programs, in support of specific technical competencies and KSAs.
We will continue to reinforce, with leadership, managers and supervisors, the importance of linking training and development to performance.
We aim to improve our capacity to support staff, by creating and supporting Coaching and Mentoring relationships.
RI Academy will work to increase interaction, sharing and the exchange of ideas through the RI Academy Community Site with the support and engagement of the Centers of Excellence – Technical Team Leaders.
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