47 P. Van den Bossche et al. (eds.), Facilitating Learning in the 21st Century: Leading through Technology, Diversity and Authenticity, Advances in Business Education and Training 5, DOI 10.1007/978-94-007-6137-7_3, © Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht 2013 Introduction In our current society, fast-developing and competing companies are confronted with challenges of global competitions and social change. Organizations need to incorporate technological advances and changes in work design, while they are con- fronted with an aging population. In order to keep competing, companies need to gain competitive advantages by attracting and integrating new highly skilled work- ers and developing, motivating, and retaining the current workers. This concern is believed to drive business success and has put the continuing professional develop- ment of employees high on the strategic agenda of many organizations (McKinsey & Company 2005; Noe et al. 2008). Professional development can be enhanced by organizing off-the-job training programs or courses or increasingly by stimulating formal and informal learning activities in the workplace (e.g., learning-by-doing, coaching, team learning) (Bartram and Roe 2008). Next, among the various inter- ventions implemented to support the professional development of employees, PDP assessment, often embedded in annual assessment cycles, is gaining popularity. For example, within the context of talent management is 89% of the companies in Limburg, the Netherlands, using PDPs (GITP 2008). “Using a personal development plan (PDP) leads towards nothing. It is frustrat- ing and not motivating. Against my will, I fill in the form every year again. Why are they torturing us with this tool? It’s not that I do not know what to do with my time. Chapter 3 The Crucial Role of the Supervisor in Supporting Employees’ Use of a Personal Development Plan: An Exploratory Intervention Study Simon Beausaert, Mien Segers, Anniek van den Berge, Jeannette Hommes, and Wim Gijselaers S. Beausaert (*) Educational Research and Development, School of Business and Economics, Maastricht University, Tongersestraat 53, 6211 LM, Maastricht, The Netherlands e-mail: s.beausaert@maastrichtuniversity.nl M. Segers • A. van den Berge • J. Hommes • W. Gijselaers Educational Research and Development, School of Business and Economics, Maastricht University, PO Box 616, 6200 MD, Maastricht, The Netherlands