Using a conceptual model adapted from Richard Bolles by co-author John Scherer, many individual development efforts in the workplace focus on the Work Content Area and somewhat on the Functional/Transferable Area in the pyramid shown in
Figure 14.4. These skills are more directly connected to a person’s effectiveness on the job. Technical training, a huge commitment in many organizations, is aimed at this area. We all know people, however, who have mastered the
work content skills for their jobs, yet fail dismally as members of the organization. There is more to individual effectiveness than this level of skill.