STRATEGIES AND CHALLENGES OF TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT

Training and Development

Training

Training is a learning process that involves the acquisition of knowledge, sharpening of skills, concepts, rules, or changing of attitudes and behaviors to enhance the performance of employees. Training refers to the process of imparting specific skills this activity is both focused upon, and evaluated against, the job that an individual currently hold

Development

Efforts to improve employee’s ability to handle a variety of assignmentDevelopment refers to those learning opportunities designed to help employees grow. Development is not primarily skill-oriented. Instead, it provides general knowledge and attitudes

training and development basically concerned with organizational activity aimed at bettering the performance of individuals and groups in organizational settings.A business' most important asset is often its people. Training and developing them can be one of the most important investments a business can make. The right training can ensure that your business has the right skills to tackle the future. It can also help attract and retain good quality staff, as well as increasing the job satisfaction of those presently with you - increasing the chances that they will satisfy your customers.

A formal definition of training and development is: “It is any attempt to improve current or future employee performance by increasing an employee’s ability to perform through learning, usually by changing the employee’s attitudes or increasing his or her skills and knowledge.” OR

"Training programmes are directed toward maintaining and improving current job performance, while development programmes seek to develop competencies for future roles.To be

effective, training and development must meet a number of goals. First, they must be focused on individual training needs but still reflect organizational goals in terms of desired or expected performance. Second, training and development must reflect learning goals or outcomes, outlining what will be accomplished by this process. Third, they must be based on sound learning principles, be perceived as important by trainees, and be conducted in a manner that maximizes learning. Last, they must be evaluated to determine effectiveness and to help guide change and improvement.

Training and Development Differentiated

Training Development

FOCUS

Learn specific behaviors and actions, demonstrate technique and processes

TIME FRAME

Short Term

EFFECTIVENESS MEASURES

Performance appraisals, cost benefit analysis, passing test or certification

Understand information, concept and context, develop judgment expand capabilities

Long Term

Qualified people available when needed promotion from within possible, HR based competitive advantage

Training Strategy

Training and development provision is not an end in itself but needs to underpin and support the achievement of organizational objectives

. The strategy needs to address at least two elements simultaneously:

1. Specific training and development initiatives aimed at supporting the achievement of key organizational objectives

2. The creation of an appropriate infrastructure and culture within which training and development decisions are taken and resources allocated in a timely and targeted way

Training and development in an organization requires implementation to achieve success. Therefore, the strategy will require vision, focus, direction and an action planning document. A training strategy is a mechanism that establishes what competencies an organization requires in the future and a means to achieve it. It is a strategy that needs to support the optimization of the human resource capital in the organization. It is essential that the training strategy is aligned to the organization's strategy and enables its vision to be realized.

Training Strategy's Components

There are many important aspects to consider here. To create the Strategic Training and Development Plan, you will need a detailed profile of your;Employee Training and Train-the-Trainer needs, Team Building and Team Development, Leadership Development,

Executive Coaching, Competency Requirements and Skills Profiling, Objectives and Action Plans, Vision All of these profiles will further have to be considered within the realms of Equity and Diversity, Organization Values, Business Process Improvement, Change Management and Organization Design and Structure.

How are Training Strategies Created?

The most successful and profitable approach has been to;Identify the customer's training needs in terms of their organizational strategic plan, HR strategic plan, personal development plans and focus on comprehensive interviews or focus groups,Establish development gaps, present and future, Set organizational training objectives, Create a training action plan, which must ensure that the necessary systems are in place, access resources, source or design training and position the training. The training must then be delivered and co-ordinate Monitor the training Evaluate the training by assessment and verification, and Revise training and/or training plan.

Implementation of Training Strategies

In order to bring about the best results for the training strategy, the training products or services need to be marketed and promoted by manipulating the following;Product/Service - keep the training cutting edge and future focused. Make sure there is a practical transfer of learning, put a development support network in place, and ensure alignment to quality standards. Promotion - commit to a core training value system. Create a slogan or tagline to brand your training. Bridge the gap between perception and reality. Give your training a personality and a brand, and remember your customers (your employees are customers) want to know, "What's in it for me". Price - cost the training accurately and calculate the value received. Place - decide between on-the-job, classroom, distance learning, web-based and virtual learning. Access, location, and distribution are key to consider. People's needs - establish what your customers want and need. Ensure your customers know the training is meeting their needs and that these needs provide a base for decisions in all other areas. Project Management - Establish roles and responsibilities. Action the Training and Development Strategic Plan. Monitor and evaluate progress and make adjustments where necessary.

Impact of Training and Development on Performance and Organizational Effectiveness

One current method of evaluating the impact and importance of training is to examine the potential—or real—benefits to be achieved through training and development. Although not all benefits can be measured on a strict cost-benefit analysis basis, most benefits can be at least informally measured and used to determine effectiveness. The most significant direct benefits of training are the following:It clarifies job duties and responsibilities It increases an individual's job competence It provides the foundation for further development It assists in conducting an accurate performance appraisal It produces higher levels of performanceIn addition, training may also be evaluated in terms of indirect benefits that can add additional value. These indirect benefits could include the following:Enhancing teamwork and team building Producing a strong sense of commitment to the organization Achieving higher levels of employee motivation Assisting in cross-training/job rotationAlthough the impact of training can be measured in terms of individual learning and performance, another way to determine its impact is in relation to organizational growth, development, or effectiveness. As organizations have changed in recent times, there has emerged a need to study the critical elements that make organizations prosper and relate these to training and development. It is common today to view organizations in a dynamic sense, noting that they are constantly changing, renewing themselves, and in need of being reflective of current business practices. One current prospective is to view an organization as a "learning culture," reflecting its need to be constantly involved with learning how to become better and to provide significant training opportunities for employees. Accordingly, when organizations adopt this learning culture, they create a variety of training opportunities for all employees and develop performance expectations that instill in all employees the need for and value of training and development on a continual basis.

THE TRAINING PROCESS

Organizational Objectives

and Strategies

Assessment of Training

Needs

THE DEVELOPMENT PROCESS

Development starts with the HR plans of an organization because these plans analyze, forecast, and identify current and future organizational needs for human resource. Also HR planning anticipates the movement of people in the organization due to retirement, promotion, and transfers. Also it helps to identify the capabilities needed by the organization in the future and the development necessary for people to be available to meet those needs.

Formulate HR Plans

Establishment of Training

Goals

Devising Training

Programme

Implementation of

Training programme

Evaluation of Results

Identify Necessary Capabilities

Carry Out Succession Planning

Assess Development Needs

Conduct Development Planning

.Organizational .Individual

Determine Development Approaches

Job Site Off Site

Evaluate Development Success

CHALLENGES OF TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT

To identify the specific needs of learners and for learners to identify their own

development needs

Objectives should be set by trainers, rather than the learners

Little acceptance by learners of the need to take responsibility for their own

development

Constraints of time for preparation and participation in learning events

Learning should be beyond an event or course

Training budget cuts when resources get tight.

Management not fully supportive of training effort.

No data documenting the impact of training to the bottom line.

Training programs don't support the organization's mission and strategic

goals.

Training programs are poorly attended.

Training program presenters are not well received by attendees.

Training program evaluation is ineffective and incomplete.

To achieve high value via transfer of the learning

Objectives of Training and Development

Staying ahead in today's business world is more challenging than ever. Building trust and promoting teamwork are just two expectations of any business leader.Training and development programs are designed to keep an organization at the front of its industry maximize performance and energize every level of the organization. Training and Development is also seen to strengthen the tie between employee development and strategic operation objectives.

The objectives of Training and Development are as follows: -

Efficiency: Employees become efficient after undergoing training. Efficient employees contribute to the growth of the organization.

Fewer accidents: Accidents, scrap and damage to machinery and equipment can be avoided or minimized through training. Even dissatisfaction, complaints, absenteeism, and turnover can be reduced if employees are trained well.

Meeting man power needs: Future needs of employees will be met through training and development programmes. Training serves as an effective source of recruitment. Training is an investment in human resource with promise of better returns in future.

Improves quality: Better-informed workers are likely to make less operational mistakes. Quality of products or services will definitely increase. This can be well measured through the reduction in rejections.

Versatility in operations: Training makes the employees versatile in operations. All rounder can be transferred to any job. Flexibility is therefore ensured. Growth indicates prosperity, which is reflected in profits every year.

Employee stability: Training contributes to employee stability in at least 2 ways. Employees become efficient after undergoing training. Efficient employees contribute to the growth of the organization. Growth renders stability to the work force. Further trained employees tend to stay with the organization.

Impact of Training and Development on Performance and Organizational Effectiveness

One current method of evaluating the impact and importance of training is to examine the potential—or real—benefits to be achieved through training and development. Although not all benefits can be measured on a strict cost-benefit analysis basis, most benefits can be at least informally measured and used to determine effectiveness. The most significant direct benefits of training are the following:It clarifies job duties and responsibilities It increases an individual's job competence It provides the foundation for further development It assists in conducting an accurate performance appraisal It produces higher levels of performanceIn addition, training may also be evaluated in terms of indirect benefits that can add additional value. These indirect benefits could include the following:Enhancing teamwork and team building Producing a strong sense of commitment to the organization Achieving higher levels of employee motivation Assisting in cross-training/job rotationAlthough the impact of training can be measured in terms of individual learning and performance, another way to determine its impact is in relation to organizational growth, development, or effectiveness. As organizations have changed in recent times, there has emerged a need to study the critical elements that make organizations prosper and relate these to training and development. It is common today to view organizations in a dynamic sense, noting that they are constantly changing, renewing themselves, and in need of being reflective of current business practices. One current prospective is to view an organization as a "learning culture," reflecting its need to be constantly involved with learning how to become better and to provide significant training opportunities for employees (Senge, 1990). Accordingly, when organizations adopt this learning culture, they create a variety of training opportunities for all employees and develop performance expectations that instill in all employees the need for and value of training and development on a continual basis.

BENEFITS OF EMPLOYEE TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT

Increased job satisfaction and morale among employees. Better inter personal relationship and customer satisfaction.

Increased employee motivation. Increased efficiencies in processes, resulting in improved financial gain. Increased capacity to adopt new technologies and methods. Increased innovation in strategies and products. Reduced employee turnover. Enhanced company image. Better Risk management and staff safety consciousness. Increase in productivity.

REFERENCES

Raymond A Noe: Training and Development, (McGrew Hill 2005) Robert Mathins: Human Resourse Management, (Thomson 2002) Dave Hall, Rob Jones: Business Studies, (Italy, Causeway Press Ltd, 2000) M. Radhaswamy: General Management Knowledge, (New Delhi, S. Chand

Press, 1990) Richard Young, Sue Grant: Management (London, Macmillan Press, 1989) www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Training