DEVELOPMENT OF AN APPROACH
TO
ASSESS, IDENTIFY AND SHARE
CAREER DEVELOPMENT SERVICES
BEST PRACTICES
CDSWG Report: 2009
Outline
2
•
Background and Importance of the project
•
Issues to Address
•
Methodology
•
The Results: Findings & Recommendations
•
Additional Findings
•
Impact on Career Development
Background and Importance
3
 Purpose of the study
 To identify and promote best practices in career
development services
- Examine the best way of determining best
practices then use that information to provide a
framework/approach to identify best practices in
the area of career development
ISSUES TO ADDRESS
4
1.How has “best practice” been variously defined?
2. What distinguishes regular practice from best/exemplary
practice?
3. What are the criteria used in determining best practice?
What is the rationale for each?
4. What governance structures are used for deciding upon
best practices?
5.What decision rules are used to select best practices?
ISSUES TO ADDRESS, con’t
5
6. What resources are typically required to run a best
practice program?
7.What events are typically used to acknowledge best
practices?
8.What categories of best practices have been utilized?
METHODOLOGY
6
 Literature Review
Peer-Reviewed Journals
 Grey Literature
 Internet-based Documents
 Key Informant Interviews
 Organizations (6)
 Experts (10)

7
THE RESULTS:
KEY FINDINGS BY ISSUE &
RECOMMENDATIONS
ISSUE 1: HOW HAS “BEST
PRACTICE” BEEN
VARIOUSLY DEFINED
8
Findings
 Definitions for the term “best practice” vary widely,
ranging from a low-evidenced approach to a more
highly-evidenced approach.
 Some experts and organizations prefer alternate terms
to “best practice”, to reflect the ongoing nature of
identifying best practices and/or the importance of
context.
ISSUE 2: WHAT DISTINGUISHES
REGULAR PRACTICE FROM
BEST/EXEMPLARY PRACTICE?
9
Finding
 Best practice can be distinguished from regular practice
in that best practices are judged to produce superior
results
ISSUE 3: WHAT ARE THE
CRITERIA USED IN DETERMINING
BEST PRACTICE?
10
Findings
• Specific criteria utilized in determining best practices
are somewhat shaky and are highly variable
depending on the sector.
• Five key criteria used in determining best practices
emerged from the interviews, including: supported,
evidence-based, sustainable, replicable, and
relevant
ISSUE 4: WHAT GOVERNANCE
STRUCTURES ARE USED FOR
DECIDING UPON BEST PRACTICES
11
Findings
• Governance structures used for deciding upon best
practices within an organization tend to be loosely
defined.
ISSUE 5: WHAT DECISION
RULES ARE USED TO SELECT
BEST PRACTICES?
Findings
12
• Decision rules used to select best practices were not
explicitly identified by respondents.
• However, organizational guiding principles and business
practices may help to identify implicit decision rules
employed by organizations that would inform the
selection of future best practices.
ISSUE 6: WHAT RESOURCES ARE
TYPICALLY REQUIRED TO RUN A
BEST PRACTICE PROGRAM?
13
Findings
 Pursuing best practices is an ongoing process that requires a
significant commitment of time and effort, along with capacitybuilding.
 For certain organizations, adopting an integrated approach is
most suitable.
 High level of organizational commitment
 Time
 Significant effort
 Capacity-building
 Integrate
 Not viewed as an "extra"
ISSUE 7: WHAT EVENTS ARE
TYPICALLY USED TO
ACKNOWLEDGE BEST PRACTICES?
14
Findings
 Events to acknowledge best practices are rare – at least
“events” in the traditional sense of the word.
 However, many other communication modes are used to
acknowledge best practices.
ISSUE 8: WHAT CATEGORIES
OF BEST PRACTICES HAVE
BEEN UTILIZED?
15
Finding
 The categories of best practices vary widely, depending
on the organization’s profile.
 Examples gathered included: business excellence,
healthy workplace, range of consulting areas,
programming, operations, public works, gaming, career
development, and levels of achievement.
Recommendations
16
 Consider using an alternate term for “best practice” that
reflects the focus on continuous quality improvement and
the reality/importance of different contexts (e.g. “promising
practices”)
 Criteria used by the Working Group (and associated
stakeholders) should be:
 replicable,
 supported,
 relevant to career
 evidence-based,
development services in
Canada.
 sustainable,
Recommendations con’t
17
 Include all relevant stakeholders, or at least
representatives of each stakeholder group expected to
engage in and utilize the best practice, when discussing
and deciding upon best practices.
 Encourage integration of a best-practice approach into
government planning and reporting processes.
 Identify at least one champion at each level of government
— federal, provincial, territorial — to create enthusiasm for
pursuing best practices.
 Work towards instilling the belief that identifying, pursuing
and sharing best practices are integral duties of staff.
Such a belief is especially important for key personnel and
stakeholders directly involved in career-development
services.
Recommendations con’t
18
 Develop best-practice training sessions, and deliver this
training to key personnel and stakeholders.
 Explore various communication modes for
acknowledging best practices in career development
services:
 Databases
 Policy & Procedures
 Newsletter
 Annual Compendiums
 Virtual Communities
 Posters
 Meetings & Training Events
ADDITIONAL FINDINGS
19
• Interconnectedness of best practices
• Best practices are essentially human practices
• What really matters is the outcome
• There are many sources for generating ideas
• Pursue best practices in an interconnected fashion,
rather than a silo approach.
IMPACT ON CAREER
DEVELOPMENT
 Enthusiasm for




excellence
Pride in achievement and
organizations
More disciplined
approach
Financial and company
growth
Employee
engagement/buy in
20
 Better communication
 Greater understanding
of interconnectedness
of various departments
and organizations
 Superior decisionmaking
 Greater focus on
organizational culture
Contact Information
21
For full report and additional questions: Forum of Labour
Market Ministers
Heather Collier
Carol Forster
Director
Ph. 780-427-3975
Fax. 780-427-0354
Email. Heather.collier@gov.ab.ca
Senior Policy Analyst
Ph. 780-427-4741
Fax. 780-427-0354
Email. Carol.forster@gov.ab.ca