Canadian HR Reporter

Andrew Thompson, CEO and Dr. Alaina Roach O'Keefe, Corporate HR Planner THE FOUNDATION OF LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT Approximately 660 civil service employees are eligible to retire in 2020 from the Government of PEI (GPEI), 135 of these are in management roles. An important part of the PEI Public Service Commission's (PSC) HR planning model involving succes- sion planning and talent management is to foster leadership development across the organization in multiple ways. In order to situate these opportunities for leadership development, the PSC recently launched a new Public Service Leadership Compe- tencies Framework for the Civil Service. The Framework is aligned with the vision for a public service that is collaborative, innovative, streamlined, high performing, adaptable and diverse (Government of Canada, 2016). The Leadership Competencies Framework includes the archetypal leadership competencies of: leading others and creating vision, building relationships and fostering teamwork, influence and self-awareness, and focusing on results. The Leadership Competencies are integrated within human resources processes and can serve as the basis for recruitment, selection, learning and development, performance and talent management. The framework includes examples of effective behaviours for specific leadership levels (core, advanced and excellence). A STRATEGIC APPROACH TO LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT AND EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT Lifelong learning and leadership development continue to be a goal within the current Business HR Plan 2018-2020 for the PSC for several reasons. First, developing leaders within the organization is a strategy in HR planning through succession planning and internal talent mobility. Second, it is also directly linked with higher employee engagement, improved performance and productivity (Hall & Comeau, 2018), greater innovation, retention of talent and improved employee well-being. Leadership is essential to the success of today's organizations. The Conference Board of Canada (2018) suggests that middle managers are among the most important factors in employee engagement. The degree to which employees are engaged depends greatly on interactions with both senior and middle manage- ment. It is important to consider; however, how engaging middle managers can help engage their direct reports – complementing a larger employee engagement strategy (Hall, 2018). THE EVOLUTION OF PURSUING LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT IN PEI PUBLIC SERVICE OR CIVIL SERVICE The Province's employee engagement survey forms part of the Employee Engagement Pan Canadian Inter-jurisdictional Initiative, and in 2018, a fifth employee engagement survey was deployed. Based on the engagement scores, over the past decade, the PEI PSC has focused on offering several ways that employees can gain leadership skills to advance their career in the public service. They have invested in developing leaders and the employee engagement results reflect these efforts. Several of the questions pertaining to immediate supervision have shown improvement over multiple years, and the latest employee engagement index was the highest ever recorded, indicating that both employee's and manager's engagement is positive. From 2013-2015 years, 216 employees participated in various leadership programs offered through UPEI. Based on feedback from participants, there was a need to diversify and tailor opportunities available with a greater focus on learning opportunities that were more specific to working in the public service, or government. As a result, PSC's programs have evolved and innovated and now there are four diverse pathways for employees who want to pursue leadership development. These include PSC's: Leaders in Action program; Mid-Level Leadership – Insights Transformational Leader- ship program; Pathways to Learning workshops; Training and Development Funds to support employee directed learning. These are explained below. In 2017, a new program was created for public service leadership development called Leaders in Action. It is run in a cohort model of 24 employees who must apply to the program. Applications are available to employees who are interested in developing their leadership skills and are committed to assuming a senior leadership role and position in the public service as part of their career plan. It is an 18-24 month commit- ment that includes: one to two days of pre-scheduled learning sessions per month over two year period; development of a personal learning plan; completion of five hours per month on individual learning; and active participation in a corporate project with a team. Evaluation from the first cohort revealed that participants highly valued the networking that emerged across departments and the collaborative and innovative nature of the corporate project work. The first cohort graduated in December 2018, and a second cohort begins this spring. Based on inter-jurisdictional research, in 2019, PSC launched a new Mid-Level Leadership – Insights Transformational Leadership program available to 185 classified mid-level managers across the civil service. It will be rolled out in a cohort model over the next several years and all managers will have the opportunity to participate. It is designed to develop leadership competencies through participation in: Six pre-scheduled learning sessions based on Insights Transformational Leadership (ITL) Profiles aligned with the NEW Public Service Leadership Competencies Framework for the Civil Service. ITL is highly focused on "leading self" and aligns with the transformational leadership model (Bass & Riggio, 2006). PSC also offers workshops available annually to employees about a variety of topics, including leadership and management. In addition, government employees who initiate a learning opportunity that will enhance their current job skills or potential uture responsibilities relevant to the public service may apply to the Development and Training Fund for up to $2,500 per fiscal year. MEASURING THE OUTCOMES OF LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS Leadership is a full time job, not an add on. But leaders – those who are accountable, intentional, and clear – are made, not born, particularly in companies where technical skills predominate. How do you make great leaders? You create the conditions for social capital to grow in your organization. You create leadership development programs that are clear, efficient, and simple enough to stick. And you measure your leaders by measuring the results they produce (Conference Keynotes, 2018, p.191). Learning culture refers to the attitudes and practices within the organization that is related to the importance placed on organizational learning and employee develop- ment. Organizations with strong learning cultures are better positioned for agility and resilience. In this vein, PSC has committed to measuring the outcomes of its leadership development initiatives and programs. They have also developed a partnership with the University of Prince Edward Island researcher Dr. Hayden Woodley, who will conduct research and evaluation which will examine the effectiveness of a leadership development program (i.e., the transfer of training) by investigating how a mid-level leader's personality traits will impact his or her ability to develop (transformational) leadership behaviours. RECRUITMENT AND RETENTION OF LEADERS IN THE PUBLIC SERVICE An important tenant to the strategic business direction of fostering lifelong learning and leadership development is to shape the future of internal talent mobility. It is an exciting time in the public service that we can offer fully funded opportunities for personal and professional leadership development. There is diversity in programming and oppor- tunities to meet and network with leaders within and across the public service, which also fosters communities of practice that promote informal learning. Programs enable participants to learn about their leadership style and apply what they learn, then reflect, and learn again. This is an attractive incentive to working for GPEI those appeals to both current and future employees in the public service. Anticipated outcomes from investment in GPEI employees fostering leadership development is not only to have leaders poised to fill the eventual vacancies that will exist as the baby boomer generation retires, but to also continue to raise the employee engagement index, improve the performance of services for the Island community, and to recruit and retain a talented workforce. CPHRPEI.CA Chartered Professionals in Human Resources of PEI (CPHR PEI) • 101 Kent Street, PO Box 2151, Charlottetown, PE C1A 8B9 Bass, B. M., & Riggio, R. E. (2006). Transformational leadership. Psychology Press. Conference Keynotes, 2018. 23 Truths about Leadership Development. The Conference Board of Canada. Retrieved from: https://www.conferenceboard.ca/temp/5a8dd60b-4f10-4551- 801d-587313eb6bbd/TCB-Conference-Insights-23-Truths-about-Leadership%20Develop- ment-April-2018.pdf Hall, C. (2018). Employee Engagement: Driving Engagement From the Middle. Conference Board of Canada Webinar. Retrieved from: https://www.conferenceboard.ca/e-Library/abstract. aspx?did=9848. Hall, C., & Comeau, C. (2018) Employee Engagement: Driving Engagement From the Middle. Ottawa: The Conference Board of Canada. Retrieved from: https://www.conferenceboard.ca/ temp/4e3f00cb-23eb-40bc-8d5a-e5407c0e8fb7/9876_EmployeeEngagement-RPT.pdf Joint Report of the Interjurisdictional Working Groups Public Service Service Commissioners Conference, 2017. Unpublished/ Internal Document. Government of Canada (GOC). (2016). Key Leadership Competencies. Retrieved from: https:// www.canada.ca/en/treasury-board-secretariat/services/professional-development/key-leader- ship-competency-profile.html Shaping the Future of Leadership Development in the PEI Public Service

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