Overview

In this chapter and the next the learning matrix database developed and implemented in the preceding chapters will be applied to the individual employee s continued development. This chapter discusses employee learning from the perspective of the individual employee. In the next chapter the roles and expectations of the employee s direct supervisor will be taken up.

The perspective taken in this chapter begins with the assumption that each person holds primary responsibility for their own professional development. The notion that employees can or should sit back and wait for the company (in the form of the supervisor, organization, or training department) to take the lead in telling the employees what training they need, and when, is to be completely rejected. This is not intended to sound harsh, but to emphasize that it is clearly in the employees best interests to take the lead in their own development. The company s role is to encourage and support each person in their learning process. Because employees do not always recognize this fact, the company needs to provide a clear message to this effect. The learning matrix database is a tool to provide aid and guidance, and set expectations pertaining to the employee s efforts.

This chapter begins with the employees review of the database to select a learning matrix that best reflects the specific work they perform, or if necessary, to combine skills from two or more matrices. Successive sections will then cover the employee s self-evaluation concerning their current proficiencies in each subject...