Who is responsible for developing the individual development plan (IDP) and what are the benefits?
Development of the IDP, which serves as a supplemental tool to address the employees training and development needs, is driven by the employee. Supervisors are responsible for offering an employee the opportunity to develop an IDP; however the responsibility to initiate development of the IDP lies with the employee. This does not remove the supervisors responsibility for developing the employee. Therefore, the supervisor must necessarily participate in the development of the IDP. Development of an IDP is beneficial to both the employee and the supervisor. For employees, development of an IDP: • Creates a logical, clear and orderly sequence for identifying appropriate training and other developmental experiences; • Documents short-term and long-term goals to keep an employee on track and accountable for their own career development; and • Helps to ensure that the employee will participate in developmental activities. For supervisors, an employee IDP: • Allows for coaching and the assess
