The Effect of Using a Personal Development Plan on the Pharmacy Assistant’s Learning and Performance

• In Event: Roundtable Session 33
  In Roundtable Session: Factors Affecting Success

Abstract

In order to promote employees’ learning and development, more and more companies are starting to implement Personal Development Plans (PDPs). Empirical studies researching the effectiveness of PDPs in the workplace are scarce, however. To help rectify this, this study examines the effects of using a PDP on the undertaking of learning activities and the employee’s job competencies. To that end data from European pharmacy assistants was collected (N=2271). The results indicate that PDP users undertook more learning activities in the past than non-users, but using a PDP does not stimulate users to plan more learning activities in the future. Next, PDP users do not score themselves significantly higher on job competencies than non-users.

Authors

• Simon Beausaert, Maastricht University

• Mien Segers, Maastricht University

• Didier Fouarge, Maastricht University

• Wim H. Gijselaers, Maastricht University