Job rotation as a learning mechanism

  There is a famous principle for human resource development which is “70:20:10 Model”.   The important factor of human resource development “70% come from experience by on the job training OJT” , “20% from feedback” and “10% from learning by training and reading” .  

   Ironically, HR department can spend their time 10% for experience, 20% for feedback and 70% for learning in order to develop their employees, because the job rotation or promotion is very much depend on not HR but their bosses or management.   

   In the total company life, the high flyers experience around 10 different jobs except the person who engages in the specialist job. It means they rotate each three or four years. It may be shorter than average in the junior time and senior time. You may need more time in the middle time to really get the ability to execute your expertise or to spend more time for your family at that time. 

  Is it the boss’s responsibility? 

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  If you are good and capable staff, normally your boss wants to keep you. The boss who tends to keep a good staff isn’t capable. That’s why he needs you to perform on behalf of him. He will probably not be promoted, thus you will not be promoted either. If you are not capable, you can’t be rotated because no other departments need you even your boss tries to do so. This happens when you become senior in terms of the position and age.  

  So is it your own responsibility?

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  You also don’t want to change your job taking risk while you are showing a good performance and getting good recognition by your boss. Why do I have to change the job? I am still learning in this job. This is another “trap” to welcome you to the “comfort zone”. Your learning is much smaller than the one when you change the job. 　

  There is another complicated issue. In the career plan sheet, you should state clearly your wish as “I would like to challenge other job within a year “. However if your boss is so nice guy, you tend to state in more moderate way to be nice for him like “I would like to challenge other job within three years” to give some hint to your boss to find out your real intention. Since your nice boss needs you, he will try to understand as you mentioned. He will think about your rotation three years later if he still in this position at that time.

   If you are recruited in the head quarter, you want to work in the big organization rather than small organization especially young time.  You prefer to say “I am working in the head quarter rather than in the branch”.   This is also aother “trap”. When you are in the big organization, your responsibility is small. However, when you are in the small organization, your responsibility is bigger.

 So if there are two person and have the different career in the head quarter and branch in the junior time, there is a high possibility that the person in the branch would be developed better. However, if you insist to stay in the branch for many years only because you can have a wider responsibility, you will go easily to the comfort zone. 

Someday, you will realize that you need change after many years in the same position. Normally you can’t help changing the company, because your boss is good for you. You don’t need any conflict with him in the company. This might be the way to change the situation.

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  However, especially young one changes a company because of non-satisfaction of the company life like low speed of promotion, communication problem with the boss and so on. This change gives the fatal issue. You get the way how to escape the difficulty. The young person who resigns the company for a few years tends to leave company again.   

   So if we leave this important rotation to the bosses or leave this to the staff’s wish all the time, the staff will not rotate in the ideal timing and will not get the ideal OJT.

   So HR department should conduct the official “career talk” program like a company’s midrange plan. The staff writes down their three years career plan together with his immediate boss. And the senior manager and HR check this plan not let the staff stay the same position more than five years.

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