Individual Development Plan for Business

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CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW

Individual Development Plan for Business

Introduction

With the advent of 21st Century, the competition amongst employees has significantly increased to stand out in an organization, to achieve a higher position in the respective organizational hierarchy. This increased rivalry among organizations and their employees has posed serious threats as well as opportunities to outshine in a particular industry (Jassim, n.d.). In an organizational setting, a supervisor is responsible to train and develop employees by developing and IDP for each employee (Wilson, 2010). Similarly, for employers, it is also becoming a matter of serious concern to pull out the appropriate leader for their business management, who eventually will lead the organization in the future.

Individual Development Plan, however, is providing employers as well as employees a brighter opportunity to strategically plan their mutual future development strategies, with higher success and low risk ratios. It is a process that identifies training, work experience and activities that can contribute to improved self development and job performance (National Guard Bureau, n.d.).

The Literary articles, discussed in the chapter, will further elaborate the effectiveness of Individual Development Plan in the field of business. It has been recognized as a tool to assist employees in their personal and career development (U.S. Office of Personnel Management, n.d.). Many scholars, intellectuals and researchers have written about the value of IDP and many theories also supported the ideation of IDP. Some major theories includes “Adult Learning Theory” and “Goal Setting Theory”, which contribute in the progress of individual development plan and helps employer as well as an employee to successfully pursue the plan. In other words, IDP can be stated as one of the prime components of the mentoring program that can benefit both employee and employer (Irish Research Council, n.d.).

Adult Learning Theory

Every individual is primarily of a different nature therefore there is no single theory that can be applied to every individual, considering them homogenized and many researchers have addressed the process of adult learning from socio-cultural perspective (Bonk & Kim, 1998). An Adult Learning Theory basically comprised of different learning approaches, which are primarily the key factors on which the learning of an adult human being lies. It is composed of a variety of apparently self-evident axioms about how adults may learn (Norman, 1999).

There is no doubt that the past work of scholars and researchers have brought up various models, sets of suppositions, philosophies, theories, and justifications, which eventually build up the basis of Adult Learning Theory (Aderinto, 2006). The more adult instructors got familiar with these approaches, the better and effective their practice can become, and eventually they become more responsive to the needs of the learners. The established literature on adult theories has proposed three major theories, which are needed to be put under consideration while educating an adult (Lawler, 1991).

Andragogy

Malcolm Knowles, an American practitioner and theorist of adult education, who defined Andragogy as "the art and science of helping adults learn" (QOTFC, 2007). He popularized the concept ...