About this session
Talent development is stronger when it connects employee growth with the work the organization needs people to perform. A large catalog of courses may create access to learning without creating a coherent path from current capability to stronger contribution.
Participants begin by identifying the business and workforce priorities that development needs to support. They define the employee populations and capabilities in scope, distinguish different starting points, and decide where structured development will create meaningful value.
The objective is not to create one universal pathway for every employee.
They then build progressive development journeys.
Formal learning can play an important role, but capability also develops through practice, feedback, coaching, mentoring, peer learning, stretch assignments, project experience, internal movement, and access to increasingly demanding work.
Participants learn to combine these methods according to the capability and population rather than filling every pathway with the same activities.
The final challenge is creating the conditions for development to work. Employees need realistic access to opportunities, managers need clear responsibilities and capacity, and development needs to connect with actual work.
Participants establish evidence showing whether people are applying and strengthening capability and use that evidence to improve the development portfolio over time.
What your people take away
- Connect talent-development priorities with business and workforce capability needs
- Segment development needs according to role, capability, starting point, and context
- Build progressive pathways combining learning, practice, feedback, and experience
- Create practical manager support and meaningful employee ownership of development
- Remove organizational barriers that prevent development from being applied
- Measure capability growth and improve the development portfolio using evidence
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What each length covers
30 minutes
30 Minutes — Key Points: Set the Talent Development PrioritiesA focused 30-minute session on three key points from Set the Talent Development Priorities: start with the capability the business needs, define who the development is for and segment the development need.
- Start with the capability the business needs
- Define who the development is for
- Segment the development need
Covers 3 of 4 points in Set the Talent Development Priorities.
60 minutes
Talent Growth by Design EssentialsA focused introduction to talent-development architecture. Participants select one employee population and capability priority, define the development outcome, and sketch a pathway connecting learning with workplace application.
- Business need → development priority
- Target employee population
- Capability outcome
- Different development starting points
- Learning vs. application
- Development method selection
- Manager support
- Talent Growth Quick Canvas
- Live Q&A
Covers 1 of 4 parts: Set the Talent Development Priorities.
90 minutes
Build a Development Pathway That Goes Beyond TrainingThe extended session covers Modules 1 and 2. Participants define a development priority, segment employee needs, and build a progressive pathway combining learning, practice, feedback, and meaningful workplace experience.
- Module 1 — Set the Talent Development Priorities
- Module 2 — Build Development Pathways That Create Capability
- Population and need segmentation
- Development outcomes
- Progression design
- Formal learning
- Practice and feedback
- Coaching and mentoring
- Stretch experience
- Employee choice
- Guided output: Development Pathway Map
- Live Q&A
Covers 2 of 4 parts: Set the Talent Development Priorities and Build Development Pathways That Create Capability.
3 hours
Covers 3 of 4 parts: Set the Talent Development Priorities, Build Development Pathways That Create Capability and Create the Conditions for Development to Work.
Full day
Talent Growth & Development Architecture LabA hands-on full-day workshop covering all four modules. Participants design a development pathway for one real or realistic workforce population, including progression, learning and experience, manager support, workplace application, access, and evidence of capability growth.
- Module 1 — Set the Talent Development Priorities
- Module 2 — Build Development Pathways That Create Capability
- Module 3 — Create the Conditions for Development to Work
- Module 4 — Measure Capability Growth & Improve the Portfolio
- Capability-to-Development Map
- Employee Population & Need Segmentation
- Development Pathway Architecture
- Learning / Practice / Experience Mix
- Manager Enablement Plan
- Coaching & Mentoring Design
- Development Opportunity Access Review
- Application Barrier Map
- Capability Evidence Plan
- Development Portfolio Review
- Guided output: Talent Growth & Development Blueprint
- Live Q&A
Covers all 4 parts.
Also available as a 4-week or 8-week program, for change that lasts. Ask us about it.
What’s covered
Set the Talent Development Priorities
Every length- Start with the capability the business needsParticipants begin with the work the organization needs people to perform now and in the future rather than starting with the current training catalog.
- Define who the development is forParticipants identify the employee population the pathway is intended to support and examine the different starting points within that group.
- Segment the development needParticipants distinguish foundational learning, applied practice, advanced capability, new-role preparation, specialist depth, and broader career development where relevant.
- Set the development outcomesParticipants describe what employees should understand, do, apply, or handle more effectively as a result of the pathway.
Build Development Pathways That Create Capability
90 minutes and longer- Design a progressive journeyParticipants build development pathways that move from appropriate foundations into practice, feedback, more complex application, and increasingly independent performance.
- Use the right development methodsParticipants choose among facilitated learning, self-directed resources, deliberate practice, coaching, mentoring, peer learning, job aids, project experience, stretch assignments, shadowing, and other methods according to the capability being developed.
- Build practice into real workParticipants identify where employees can use the target capability in authentic work and how the challenge can increase progressively without requiring people to perform beyond appropriate authority or support.
- Create choice without losing directionDevelopment can provide employees with meaningful choice while still serving defined capability needs.
Create the Conditions for Development to Work
3 hours and longer- Make the manager's role practicalParticipants define what managers need to do before, during, and after development.
- Build coaching, mentoring & peer support with purposeParticipants decide where coaching, mentoring, subject-matter guidance, peer practice, or learning communities add value and clarify the role each form of support is expected to play.
- Make experience accessibleStretch assignments, projects, internal opportunities, and exposure can accelerate development, but they are only useful when employees can realistically access them.
- Remove the workplace barriers to applicationParticipants identify conditions that could prevent newly developed capability from being used, including workload, conflicting processes, unclear authority, unavailable tools, missing data, manager resistance, or lack of appropriate assignments.
Measure Capability Growth & Improve the Portfolio
Full day only- Separate participation from capabilityParticipants distinguish registrations, attendance, completions, and learning activity from evidence that employees can perform or apply the target capability more effectively.
- Choose evidence that fits the capabilityDepending on the pathway, useful evidence may include work samples, demonstrations, observed practice, project outcomes, structured feedback, simulations, readiness reviews, or other appropriate indicators.
- Review the development portfolioParticipants examine which development activities are reaching the intended populations, producing useful application, addressing current priorities, or duplicating other programs.
- Build the continuous development loopParticipants establish a practical review rhythm connecting capability needs, pathway evidence, employee and manager feedback, emerging work requirements, and development investment.
Tools and materials
- Capability-to-Development Brief
- Development Need Segmentation Map
- Development Pathway Architecture
- Learning / Practice / Experience Mix
- Development Method Selector
- Manager Enablement Planner
- Development Opportunity Map
- Application Barrier Map
- Capability Evidence Plan
- Development Portfolio Review
How booking works
- Book online. Create a free Workbliss profile, then pay with session credits, by card or by invoice.
- Pick a date. Choose a date at least 14 days ahead, or book now and set the date later.
- Choose your expert. Within 3 working days, we send you profiles of the experts available for your date.
- We deliver it. Your expert is briefed on your people and goals, then runs the session live online or at your site.
Questions about Talent Growth by Design: Build Development Pathways That Scale
How long is Talent Growth by Design: Build Development Pathways That Scale?
Talent Growth by Design: Build Development Pathways That Scale runs as 30 minutes, 60 minutes, 90 minutes, 3 hours or full day. You choose the length when you book. A 30-minute session covers three key points from Set the Talent Development Priorities: start with the capability the business needs, define who the development is for and segment the development need. A 60-minute session covers Set the Talent Development Priorities in full, with a live Q&A. A 90-minute session adds Build Development Pathways That Create Capability. A 3-hour session adds Create the Conditions for Development to Work. A full-day session adds Measure Capability Growth & Improve the Portfolio. It is also available as a 4-week or 8-week program.
Can Talent Growth by Design: Build Development Pathways That Scale be delivered online or in person?
Yes, both. It runs live online, so every office can join at the same time, or in person at your site, in any country.
How do we book Talent Growth by Design: Build Development Pathways That Scale?
Create a free Workbliss profile with your work email, then open Talent Growth by Design: Build Development Pathways That Scale to see the price for each length and book it. You can pay with session credits, by card or by invoice, and choose a date at least 14 days ahead, or set it later.
Who leads the session?
A vetted Workbliss expert, briefed on your people, culture and goals before the session. After you book, we send you profiles of the experts available for your date within 3 working days, so you can choose who leads it.
Can it be tailored to our company?
Yes. Every session is shaped around your goals, your people and the benefits you already offer, and delivered by experts in your people’s languages.