E-learning and LMS blog articles

With nearly 80% of companies reporting a leadership development gap, ineffective leadership in today’s working world poses a significant threat to the success and longevity of any business. To combat this, HR teams need to place a greater focus on development opportunities for those in leadership roles. Implementing effective HR strategies for developing management teams is the most effective way to create strong management that nurtures and supports subordinates to produce better business outcomes. In this blog, we’ll explore six of the best HR strategy examples that will support the development of your management teams, along with the most effective e-learning tools and solutions to support them.

HR strategy 1: 360-degree feedback

Feedback and evaluation are key practices that have long supported the development of employees. Traditional feedback mechanisms typically involve input from one source such as a supervisor. But when it comes to developing management teams, taking a multi-perspective approach can yield better results. Enter the 360-degree feedback approach, which typically requires input from superiors, peers, subordinates, and some self-evaluation.

By using this strategy, managers gain a holistic understanding of their performance as a manager, including strengths and areas for improvement. Any employer will agree that the best managers are self-aware and eager to improve, and while these are typically inherent qualities, a method such as 360 feedback can help foster them.

The most efficient way to collect 360-degree feedback is to use a performance management system such as Totara Perform. Admins can set customised questions and distribute these to the relevant people via the platform. Feedback is collated automatically and can be done so anonymously, to ensure that employees feel comfortable sharing their feedback with management teams. With this data, employers can support the development of management teams by creating targeted and personalised development activities which incorporate the data collected through 360-degree feedback practices, addressing any concerns or considerations head-on.

HR strategy 2: Structured ‘onboarding’ programme for new managers

Induction programmes and onboarding procedures are standard practice for any new hires; however, many organisations fail to deliver thorough onboarding procedures for management employees who have been promoted internally. As a result, managers often lack the relevant knowledge and skills required to take on their new position as efficiently as possible.

When an employee has risen through the ranks to a management position, their first day in their new role should be treated as the start of the onboarding process. HR and L&D teams need to deliver a development programme that directly addresses any specific skills and knowledge gaps. Subject matter such as office orientation and company history can be omitted in this scenario, reserved for external new hires. While this may ring alarm bells for admins wondering how they can develop a tailored onboarding programme that addresses the unique requirements of each new manager, using a flexible and highly customisable e-learning platform with automation technology can streamline the process.

Read our ultimate onboarding checklist to deliver the best induction experience.

HR strategy 3: Mentorship

Taking on a management position can be a daunting task, particularly for those with no previous experience managing employees. One of the most powerful HR strategies that can support inexperienced managers is mentorship. Mentorship programmes for management employees, though often overlooked, are easy to implement, cost-effective, and proven to deliver real results.

By simply pairing experienced management employees with less experienced management employees, mentorship can strengthen the development process for both mentors and mentees. With this HR strategy, experienced managers can share real on-the-job experiences and impart knowledge in an informal manner that can simply be carried out in the flow of work or scheduled one-to-one sessions.

What's the difference between mentoring and coaching? Find out here.

HR strategy 4: Peer development forums

Using mentorship to tap into the wealth of employee knowledge is a powerful development strategy that adds a ‘human’ element to the L&D process. Relying on the sharing of real-life experience to drive employee development, peer development can also be achieved with social features in a virtual learning environment - encouraging employees to engage in development practices with their peers.

Features such as forums and discussion boards can be used to facilitate peer-to-peer learning and development for internal management teams. Using these tools, employees can share experiences, knowledge, and best practices to support each other, fostering a community of learning amongst management teams.

Get social with a learning experience platform (LXP) - discover Totara Engage.

HR strategy 5: CPD

With fewer than 20% of organisations boasting a bench of capable leaders ready to fill critical roles, management teams need long-term development opportunities in place to remain agile enough to fill new positions and keep up with new demands in a changing landscape. It is, therefore, important that employers create a culture of continuous learning by deploying a CPD strategy.

Using an e-learning platform, management teams can stay up to date with the latest best practices, skills, and knowledge, enrolling on new courses and completing assigned training. With a constant flow of updated development opportunities, employers mitigate the risk of stagnation and can close skills gaps that prevent them from remaining competitive within their sector.

Why is continuing professional development so important? Find out here.

HR strategy 6: Succession planning

Many HR strategy examples focus on supporting the development of current management employees. However, it's also essential for businesses to prioritise the development of future leaders. Hiring managers internally can be more cost-effective along with producing higher employee satisfaction rates while reducing staff turnover.

The first step in effective succession planning is to encourage employees to voice their ambitions, putting themselves forward for future management opportunities - facilitated through performance management practises such as one-to-one sessions with employees and managers.

Once employees have expressed their interest in future management roles, HR teams may wish to enrol them in leadership development e-learning programmes. By affording management development opportunities to employees before they have ascended to a management position, HR teams can identify those who are successfully navigating their way through development programmes, achieving high scores, and showing high engagement levels. And, when it comes to appointing new managers, employees who have already completed management courses will likely perform better in their new position than those who haven’t.

Supporting HR strategies with powerful e-learning tools

With nearly 95% of learning organisations planning to increase or maintain their current investment in leadership development, it’s clear that now is the right time to invest in the relevant technology and software that will support the development of management teams. To support the HR strategy examples explored above, you need a Totara or Moodle solution from Hubken. Discover everything you need to know about these powerful platforms by visiting our product pages and when you’re ready to see what Hubken can do for your HR strategies, get in touch with one of our e-learning experts.