How Much Is Too Much Stretch?

How Much Is Too Much Stretch?

by Kellye Whitney | Chief Learning Officer

 

"They often involve higher levels of motivation, and emotions play an important role in the context of learning," said Paul Tesluk, professor of organizational behavior at the University of Maryland. "Doing something that's new, being in a situation that requires creating change, taking on a high level of visibility and responsibility, all of those situations can heighten positive effects, learning and integration of new knowledge."

 

A leader does not just provide technical or thought leadership in a particular domain, that person has responsibility for a team and making sure team objectives are aligned with the direction of the organization. On-the-job experiences involve creating change, managing interactions with others, as well as managing the diversity of people and business functions. Tesluk said all of those things shape people's leadership identities.

 

Tesluk shared a few guiding principles for structuring stretch assignments. First, these learning opportunities should be used solely as developmental tools, not as a way to get the best people into roles where they will excel from a performance standpoint. On-the-job assignments or job rotation opportunities also should be built around employees' developmental needs, which starts with helping people identify their strengths and needs.

 

"A highly proficient engineer who knows technical work very well but has not had exposure working with other functional or core areas like marketing and finance...put them into an assignment where they're responsible for leading a cross-functional task force," he said. "That puts them in a situation where they have to lead a diverse team work with other parts of the organization in a boundary-spanning type of a role."

 

It's also important to determine how much stretch is too much. A leader should learn new skills and competencies where they are not naturally strong. But if the assignment has a high level of responsibility or high stakes attached to it, there can be a lot of pressure. "Look at the support mechanisms that may need to be in place. Mentoring may be one, pairing that person with a more senior level executive or someone who has been in that situation and excelled," Tesluk said. "They can provide some internal coaching and some psychological support for someone when they're struggling."

 

To develop skills, provide a leadership or executive coach who can serve as a sounding board to help the leader work on specific skills.

 

"Framing a stretch assignment as a learning development opportunity is important for motivational as well as support reasons," Tesluk said. "We find that when things are framed as opportunities for someone to master a new skill - and not just demonstrate performance - they're more likely to invest the effort in developing the skill, admit when they're struggling and actively seek help, and they're more likely to seek early feedback on how they're doing, particularly from a boss or manager."

 

It is important for supervisors to play a proactive role in the process. The more managers have ownership over the success of employees in a stretch assignments, the greater the likelihood of success. They provide direct feedback and make sure the different parts of the support structure - the mentor, connections to HR experts who can help locate the right executive or leadership coach - are accessible.

 

 

[About the Author: Kellye Whitney is managing editor of Chief Learning Officer magazine.]