by Russell T. Westcott

The quality of an organization’s processes, products, and services depends largely on the quality of its work force. If the selection, hiring, assimilation, training, and development processes are inadequate, this will affect the quality of the output, and, thus, customer satisfaction. This article highlights key checkpoints for quality auditors to consider in assessing the quality (adequacy and effectiveness) in the processes of acquiring, assimilating, and developing personnel at all organizational levels.

Human development process: Historical perspective

It’s difficult to pinpoint when human development as an organizational process actually began. There has been education, training, mentoring, apprenticeships, job cross-training, and a host of other techniques aimed at improving the knowledge and skills of individuals throughout the ages, from gladiators to astronauts. In the beginning of our nation, large numbers of untrained workers were required. Such workers usually received minimal training and virtually no opportunities to improve themselves to qualify for better work and work conditions.

For many previous years, people who had the desire to improve their competency and economic status had to rely on their organizations’ management to provide professional development opportunities and guidance. Times have changed. Technology has replaced or eliminated many lower-level jobs. Even in the present poor economy, knowledgeable, skilled, and adaptable employees are in demand to fill more complex jobs. Education is a requirement. In many fields, formal certification of knowledge and skills is frequently mandatory. Responses to employees’ own development aspirations are also changing. Though it used be the norm, it’s now uncommon for organizations to prescribe a limited number of specific career paths they expect their employees to follow. The individual’s role, assuming he or she wishes to improve his or her value to the organization, is to proactively create and pursue his or her own career path. Accordingly, organizations that realize the value of human development provide opportunities for professional development and support, and they sometimes offer mentoring and coaching.

An integrated human development process typically includes:

• Assessment of the human resource needs of an organization
• Specification of the organization’s needs (number of people needed, what knowledge, experience, skills, aptitude, attitude [KESAA] factors are required, and when they’re needed)
• Funding of the human development process
• Employment of qualified individuals in the selection, hiring, and assimilation functions
• Verification that the work unit to which a hiree is assigned has an effective training plan and execution
• Assurance that the hiree has received adequate explanation and instruction in all pertinent facets of the work assigned and the workplace environment, including organization policies, procedures, and work rules
• Assurance that he or she has easy access to all the equipment, tools, supplies, and material needed to correctly perform the work assigned
• Assurance that the hiree has received appropriate information and direction as to what he or she is expected to do and how his or her work will be evaluated
• Information about how the new employee can progress to higher positions within the organization
• Assurance that the employee’s manager is trained in properly providing positive reinforcement for work done well. (“Auditing a Subsystem: Performance Feedback.” The Auditor, November–December 2010.)

Human development process: Hiring and assimilation process

When considering the effectiveness of a human development process, key issues to address include:

• Are the employee selection, hiring, and assimilation steps clearly delineated and followed?
• Is there a policy, process, and procedure for assessing the need for additional employees? Including: The criteria for selection developed from a task analysis (what the work consists of and its key requirements), when the new hire is needed, what funds are available, etc.; The preferred attributes of the person or persons to be selected, developed from a KESAA analysis; A formal request or requisition for hiring?
  • Is there an effective approach to selecting the method(s) for recruitment? Method for selection, e.g., internal recommendations, internal job posting, newspaper/Internet advertising, personnel agencies, headhunters, job fairs, college recruiting; Are there trained employees for effectively recruiting, interviewing, and selecting potential new hires?
    • Is there a formalized and effective process for contacting job applicants and extending hiring offers? Is the elapsed time between first contact and extending an offer appropriately short? When an offer is made, is the candidate fully informed of any conditions applicable, action dates, and the expected time frame to accept or decline the offer? Can dates be adjusted depending upon the urgency of the organization’s need, competition, potential organization delays, or other special circumstances?
  • When the hiree reports for work, are the following assimilation actions taken? Is the hiree officially welcomed to the organization by a representative of the organization’s human resource function and/or the report-to manager?
  • Is an orientation to the organization (live or video) provided consisting of (as appropriate): Organization’s history; products and services produced; types of customers served; primary policies—quality, customer satisfaction, employee satisfaction, etc.; primary locations and major functions performed at each location; organization chart (short version); employee benefits overview (booklets and forms for benefit signup provided with deadline for submission) and/or employee handbook; overview of work rules, including shift times and any probationary period; issuance of any required safety equipment and work rules; introduction to new employee’s workplace by his or her direct manager; workplace acclimatization, e.g., parking, restrooms, break areas, lockers, decontamination showers, emergency procedures, etc.; facility tour (optional depending on work assignment); introduction to associates with whom the new employee will be in immediate contact; instruction/training in what is expected from the assigned job/position; critical information needed to perform the assignment; where to go for answers to questions; briefing on how new employee’s work will be evaluated and by whom; briefing on how employee feedback is handled, including grievances; cautions and consequences?

Human development process: Key issues

Key issues to address in the employee development process include:

• Are employees offered information and opportunities about promotional or upgrading possibilities within the organization? Does this assistance include: Cross-training to expand employees’ repertoire of skills and knowledge; rotational job assignments to broaden employees’ business knowledge and gain experience; special project participation to enlarge employees’ competencies; opportunity to shadow other jobs to determine if interest in upward mobility exists; paid-for training and educational opportunities beyond the scope of present job; mentoring program to expose employees to more experienced and knowledgeable people who can provide guidance; books, publications, electronic media are readily available for all employees; planned visits to customer and supplier facilities to widen employees’ knowledge of the effect of the employer’s process inputs and outputs; encouragement to employees to participate in civic and professional associations; guidance in seeking preparation for and achieving professional certifications; opportunities for employees to gain experience writing and/or speaking about their work and the organization?
  • Are records of employees’ achievements and developmental activities maintained?
  • Are the records readily accessible as a source for employees who want another job in the company?
  • Are employees encouraged to submit data and information to be added to their files?
  • Is the record of any employee readily available on request for review by that employee?
  • Are such records maintained electronically to facilitate statistical analysis of work force?

Questions to ask in auditing/assessing the effectiveness of the human development process:

• Is there an integrated human development plan and process working that encompasses the above points?
• What do the numbers indicate? Unfilled positions; voluntary terminations; involuntary terminations; internal promotions and transfers relating to development of individuals; significant elapsed time between documenting a need to hire and the reporting date of a hiree; successes in recruiting the best talent vs. the recruitment offers; retention of hirees (after one year, two years, three years, etc.); grievances/complaints relating to organization policies, rules, working conditions, supervision, lack of opportunities to progress, unsuitability of work assignment?

Human development process: Conclusion

When your organization is developing a product or new service, it’s essential to procure the best raw materials, facilities, equipment, and people. The organization should strive for the highest-quality personnel possible. There may be methodologies in place for selecting quality raw materials, quality facilities, and quality equipment, but are there methods and practices that enable the selection, hiring, assimilating, and developing a quality work force?

My experience indicates that even organizations which are working with less-than-ideal processes, materials, equipment, tooling, and work environment can still manage to produce a quality product or service. Why? Because they have a dedicated and motivated work force of knowledgeable, experienced, skilled people with the aptitude to adapt to difficult circumstances, satisfy customers, and sustain the business. Without high-quality people working within a management-supported human development process, even the most elegant QMS will be ineffective.

Quality begins with people.

About the author

Russell T. Westcott is an ASQ Fellow, certified quality auditor, and certified manager of quality/organizational excellence. He edited The ASQ Certified Manager of Quality/Organizational Excellence Handbook, Third edition (ASQ Quality Press, 2005), and was a co-editor of the ASQ Quality Improvement Handbook. Westcott authored Simplified Project Management for the Quality Professional (ASQ Quality Press, 2005), and Stepping Up to ISO 9004:2000 (Paton Professional, 2003). He is active in ASQ’s quality management division and the Thames Valley, Connecticut section management.

Westcott instructs the ASQ certified manager of quality/organizational excellence refresher course nationwide. He writes for Quality Progress, Quality Digest, The Quality Management Forum, The Auditor, and other publications.

Westcott is president of R.T. Westcott & Associates, founded in 1979 in Old Saybrook, Connecticut. He guides clients in implementing quality management systems, applying the Baldrige criteria, strategic planning, and project management practices.

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