Use a powerful experience model
If you’re creating a development plan built around on-the-job experience, you can make it a better plan and avoid some common pitfalls by using our Experience Model.
The idea is a simple, but powerful one. You can think about any work experience using two fundamental dimensions: Intensity and Stretch.
INTENSITY
Intensity describes the extent to which a situation requires you to face more performance demands than you’ve faced before. Intensity comes from a number of sources:
- Time pressure
- Holistic responsibility
- Risk
- Impact
- Visibility
- Expectations
When these components of Intensity are at high levels, they become Learning Drivers and present you with both challenges and opportunities to learn.
STRETCH
Stretch describes the extent to which a situation requires you to face different performance demands than you’ve faced before—to be successful you need to learn new and different things, often in unfamiliar areas. Stretch comes from a number of sources:
- Relationships
- Expertise/Knowledge
- Adaptability
- Context
- How-to skills
When these components of Stretch are at high levels, they also become Learning Drivers and present you with both challenges and opportunities to learn.
The Experience Model
If you put these two dimensions together, you create the Experience Model which outlines four types of experience.
As you start writing a development plan built around on-the-job experience, the model can help you to quickly see two critical things: First, based on the amount of Intensity and Stretch in an opportunity, the Better Development Plans tool will tell you the Type of experience it will it be and what that means for you. This can help you decide if an experience is right for you. If you take on that assignment you’ve been thinking about, will it be a Mastering Experience for you? And, importantly, do you need more Mastering?
Second, when you use the Better Development Plans tool to profile a development opportunity, you gain insight into the most critical Learning Drivers, specifically for you. Where will the biggest sources of learning come from? Are there some risks you should also keep in mind before taking on this experience?
In just a few minutes with the tool, you’ll have everything you need to create your own better development plans.
