Tying Training to Business Goals

The aim of training is to seek long-term change in employees’ skills, knowledge, attitudes and behavior in order to improve work performance in the organization.

However, many organizations do not spend enough on staff training. This is unfortunate because training and development benefit both the employee and the employer.

A well-organized and well-presented training program develops and maintains an organization’s sustainable competitive advantage.

Ongoing training for all employees is becoming critical due to rapid technological change and global competition — so critical that many organizations now promote the concept of a learning organization.

A learning organization is aware of its actions and its environment and tries to improve its understanding of the relationship between the two. All employees are involved in developing knowledge and insights that allow the organization to continually grow and improve.

A number of training methods are available to organizations:

• Off-the-job experience: for example, classroom activities, simulations etc.
• On-the-job experience: for example, coaching or job rotation.
• Action learning: learning by experience, solving real workplace problems. For example, IBM uses this form of training.
• Competency-based training: identifies skill strengths and areas where further training is required.
• Training within industry: specifically developing the skills of first-line supervisors.
• Corporate universities: organizations can also form partnerships with academic institutions to develop training.
• Training technologies: computer-based training, multimedia training, web-based training etc.

Effective development programs ensure that staff are retained, and that motivation and commitment are enhanced through promotion opportunities for all employees over the longer term. Training is a big part of developing staff and assisting them to reach their true potential.

In the early stages of an employee’s career, the focus may be on gaining qualifications. As they move from one employment area to another, younger employees focus on experiencing a variety of roles to determine their interests and talents.

Later, developing specialist or managerial competencies may become important as employees move into senior positions.

• Job Rotation — the employee experiences many different aspects of an organization. For example, a manager may move from one section of the business to another, taking with them their management skills and applying them to a different situation. This ensures that the employee is exposed to a variety of situations.

• Mentoring — a mentor acts like a coach, supporting the employee as they learn. The employee is able to gain from the experience and skills of another person in the organization.

• Formal Business Training — this may be done through programs such as an MBA.

Closely related to developing staff is the concept of succession  planning. Succession planning is ensuring that there are managers in the organization who can step into senior management positions, if for some reason a vacancy occurs.

This is particularly important for many organizations, because some management roles require specific skills and a detailed knowledge of how the organization operates. It may take years of grooming the right person to ensure that when a senior manager does move on, there is someone to take his or her place.

• Management Development
• Soft Skills Development
• Technical Skills Development
• Personal Effectiveness
• Basic Skill Development
• Time Management
• Effective Leadership