New methods in employee development: Assessing the relational importance of developing profound strengths

Based on their experience consulting with individuals in a variety of companies, John Zenger & Joe Folkman (2002) have observed that individuals who spend time and energy developing profound strengths in an organization are more likely to be seen as high-performing individuals. An exhaustive literature search showed that their idea has not been discussed nor directly studied, yet it is a unique observation that has many implications to developing individuals in organizations. Relating to the literature on performance development in individuals, this is a new and groundbreaking direction offering an alternative to current theories of training and development. According to Zenger and Folkman, a profound strength is defined as any individual rated in the top 10% of a competency on any type of employee feedback. Two cross-sectional studies using multi-source feedback showed that the presence of a profound strength has no significant impact on two different external measures. A third cross-sectional study using supervisor-only ratings showed that the presence of profound strength significantly differentiates between individuals on three external measures of performance evaluation. A fourth longitudinal study yielded significant results on changes in three separate external measures of performance when individuals who increased in a profound strength between time 1 and time 2 as compared to individuals who either did not change in the presence of a profound strength or decreased in the presence of a profound strength. Limitations in the research are discussed along with suggestions for future research. This research validated Zenger and Folkman's claim that individuals who choose to become extraordinary performers in an organization should find out, through a feedback process, what they are good at and develop it. It is suggested that organizations---particularly human resource departments---can more effectively develop individuals by investing time and energy on developing proficiencies.