Personnel Development 4.0 – what does that actually mean? We answer this question for you in this article and provide you with helpful tips for implementation.
Update: We initially published the original article in January 2017; after 3 years, the topic deserves an update! Therefore, we have researched again and brought the article up to date for you. Enjoy reading 😊
In order to discuss the topic of Personnel Development 4.0, we should first agree on a definition of personnel development.
Definition of Personnel Development (Gabler Economic Dictionary)
Personnel development (PE) includes the alignment of education, promotion, and organizational development based on individual company needs, as well as deriving suitable measures and strategies aimed at qualifying human resources. The development of successful personnel development measures requires consideration of several aspects: deriving development goals from corporate goals, establishing a link to organizational development, and aligning measures with the various stakeholder groups of the company (e.g. career starters, specialists, high potentials).
So what does 4.0 mean?
The addition of 4.0 describes the expected changes in the learning and working world over the next 5 - 20 years. It is used in various combinations (e.g. Industry 4.0, Work 4.0, or Further Education 4.0).
The driver of these changes is digitization. Predicted changes include …
in production through intelligent factories, new conditions for the work tasks of humans (e.g. in these factories),
for new ways to provide services (e.g. with the help of bots, drones, and robots,
and for the entire human-machine interaction, which is increasingly integrated into everyday life.
These also lead to new demands and challenges in the areas of safety, education, competence development, communication, teamwork, leadership, health, demographic development, and occupational safety.
The significance of 4.0 for personnel development
Personnel developers in companies must adjust to new tasks. After all, digitization demands new competencies and methods in all areas. These must not only be mastered by personnel developers themselves, but they must also be able to pass on the knowledge to their employees. In the context of Personnel Development 4.0, personnel developers take on the role of a learning companion. However, the goals from the perspective of companies and employees are also changing:
Personnel Development 4.0 for Companies
In the context of Personnel Development 4.0, the role of HR professionals is evolving into a passive, supportive stance, entirely in line with the role of a learning companion. They provide the necessary learning content, ensure accessibility, and offer content that goes beyond the actual learning objectives.
Employees are learning constantly, independently, and especially spontaneously – preventive learning in planned face-to-face events is now outdated. Therefore, it is even more important to equip your employees with the necessary tools. Companies and HR professionals must still decide what knowledge needs to be updated and what competencies employees need:
Alongside classic self-learning competencies, employees will need especially soft skills in the future. Soft skills are the foundation for collaboration in a heterogeneous, multicultural team. An important question remains the transfer of training, i.e., what is practically implemented after the measure. Especially for soft skills, practicing and applying is crucial for transfer.
Personnel Development 4.0 for Employees
The development of competencies should increasingly take place in a self-responsible manner, in line with self-organized learning. Employees determine when and to what extent they learn. This not only enhances their competencies but also makes them particularly efficient – after all, they know best when they are truly motivated for further education. Another way to make further education flexible is to offer Learning on Demand. Employees and learners need:
Learning motivation and self-discipline for responsible learning
Media and selection competence to choose relevant knowledge content
The ability to acquire knowledge independently and pass it on to others
It is sensible to give your own employees responsibility not only regarding further education. For example, actively involve them in planning and let them create User Generated Content themselves.
Further Education 4.0 as a result of Personnel Development 4.0?
The constant technological advancement also affects the working world indirectly, for example, through new demands placed on employees. What those demands are has been summarized by Markus Dormann and Karl-Heinz Gerholz in the article “Training and Further Education 4.0: Implementation Possibilities.” The following five core competencies are important for future-oriented further education:
Competency requirements of Further Education 4.0 // Illustration: blink.it, based on personalSCHWEIZ,
It becomes clear that 4.0 has arrived in all areas of the working world and that digitization brings new opportunities. However, 4.0 also demands new competencies.
As a personnel developer, you need to pay attention to some things: Due to the constant presence of digital devices and the increasing information overload, there is a need for conscious breaks and short, intensive learning phases. Offer employees small learning bites instead of large training courses. The key term: Microlearning!
Learning Culture as a response to Personnel Development 4.0?
In order for a shift towards Personnel Development 4.0 to succeed, not only must there be a change in thinking among HR professionals and employees. The culture of the company must also adapt!
For employees to learn independently and during their work, a culture of learning must prevail within the company. Personnel developers have a particularly important role in this: They are responsible for the organizational establishment of a learning culture. We have already explained how a learning culture becomes visible in our blog.
