Personal Development Plans

The Professional Behaviours Framework and the Staff Review and Development Discussion

• What is the Professional Behaviours Framework?
• How do I use the framework to inform my Personal Development Plan?
• Summary of Benefits for Individuals of a Personal Development Plan.

What is the Professional Behaviours Framework?

The framework offers a model of professional behaviours which has been developed through desk research, consultation questionnaires, workshops and focus groups. The model builds on best practice in the Higher Education (HE) sector and elsewhere and draws on National Occupational Standards.  It provides a clear steer on key and valued behaviours of people working in HE, and at Bristol, today.  Full details of the Framework can be found on the Staff Development website at: http://www.bristol.ac.uk/staffdevelopment/professional-behaviours/  

The framework sits comfortably with the University of Bristol Positive Working Environment objectives to make work for all of us “productive, rewarding, enjoyable and healthy”.

How can it help me?

The Staff Review and Development discussion provides an opportunity for most of us think about and discuss our career development and training.  The behaviour framework sets out the standards and expectations of effective people in HE, and at Bristol, today.  It offers a ‘benchmark’ against which we can all judge ourselves with a view to getting even better at what we do.

Looking at your own staff review objectives (past and proposed) through this ‘lens’ of Professional Behaviours provides a number of opportunities and benefits:

• helps you to identify your training needs
• recognises that ‘how’ we work is an important as ‘what’ we do
• builds on your current strengths, skills and knowledge
• helps you increase your effectiveness in the workplace
• enhances motivation to learn, build confidence and self-esteem
• enhances your transferable skills 
• helps you develop new areas of capability (for existing role or your wider career development)
• helps prioritise and meet training needs across a team or department
• forms part of a wider system of training needs identification increasingly recognised across the whole University
• helps the University decide the areas in which we need to develop our people

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How do I use the framework to inform my Personal Development Plan?

Examine the objectives you set yourself in last years Staff Review.  These are contained on the form in Part A – “Taking Stock”.  Refer to the full Framework Document, and ask yourself these questions:

• Which behaviours were most important in achieving each objective?
• How well do you think you displayed these behaviours in relation to the objective?
• How did you feel about these behaviours when you were working on the objective?
• Do you think you could have achieved the objective better if you were more confident in the behaviour area that you have identified as being important?
• Will that particular behaviour be important to you and your role in the future?
• Do you have any thoughts as to how you may improve in the behaviour areas that you have highlighted as being important now and for the future?

Repeat this process during the Part B “Planning Ahead” part of the staff review form/process, where you are thinking about the objectives, challenges and changes you are likely to face over the coming year.

Use the Personal Development Plan Form (PDF, 25kB) to help guide your thoughts and to record your thinking on what you will need for the future, how you might develop in that area, and how you might implement and apply your learning. 

Discuss your draft Personal Development Plan as part of the Staff Review and Development process and agree a final version with your Reviewer.

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Summary of Benefits for Individuals of a Personal Development Plan

Continuing Professional Development is essential for maintaining the standard and integrity of all HE professionals.  The University strongly supports the following principles:

• professional development is a continuous process that applies throughout working life
• individuals are responsible for managing and undertaking CPD activities and ensuring that their learning is integrated into their professional practice
• individuals should identify for themselves their learning needs and determine how best to fulfil them
• learning objectives should reflect the needs of the institution and its stakeholders as well as the individual’s goals
• learning should come from a wide range of activities, both formal and informal
• learning is most effective when it is acknowledged as an integral part of all work activity rather than as an additional optional activity
• all professional services staff should have equality of opportunity to engage in and benefit from CPD activities

A good Personal Development Plan, coupled with the appropriate development and support, will help achieve the following benefits for individuals:

• builds on current capabilities, skills and knowledge
• increases effectiveness in the workplace
• increases motivation to learn, build confidence and self-esteem
• enhances recognition in institution and sector
• enhances transferable skills that are recognised and valued across public, private and voluntary sectors
• expands and develops new areas of capability, which might be for existing role or for career development
• maximises and builds on strengths

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