Training and Development is the framework for helping employees to develop their personal and organizational skills, knowledge, and abilities. The focus of all aspects of Human Resource Development is on developing the most superior workforce so that the organization and individual employees can accomplish their work goals in service to customers.

All employees want to be valuable and remain competitive in the labour market at all times. This can only be achieved through employee training and development. Employees will always want to develop career-enhancing skills, which will always lead to employee motivation and retention. There is no doubt that a well trained and developed staff will be a valuable asset to the company and thereby increasing the chances of his efficiency in discharging his or her duties.

Trainings in an organization can be mainly of two types; Internal and External training sessions. Internal training involves when training is organized in-house by the Human resources department or training department using either a senior staff or any talented staff in the particular department as a resource person.

On the other hand External training is normally arranged outside the firm and is mostly organized by training institutes or consultants. Whichever training, it is very essential for all staff and helps in building career positioning and preparing staff for greater challenges.

Employers of labour should enable employees to pursue training and development in a direction that they choose and are interested in, not just in company-assigned directions. Companies should support learning, in general, and not just in support of knowledge needed for the employee’s current or next anticipated job. It should be noted that the key factor is keeping the employee interested, attending, engaged, motivated and retained.

For every employee to perform well especially Supervisors and Managers, there is need for constant training and development. The right employee training, development and education provides big payoffs for the employer in increased productivity, knowledge, loyalty, and contribution to general growth of the firm. In most cases external trainings for instance provide participants with the avenue to meet new set of people in the same field and network. The meeting will give them the chance to compare issues and find out what is obtainable in each other’s environment. This for sure will introduce positive changes where necessary.

REASONS FOR EMPLOYEE TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT:

The reasons behind employee training and development cannot be overemphasized. From our discussions so far, one can easily deduce some reasons behind firms engaging in training and developing their staff. We will summarize some of the reasons thus;

When needs arise as a result of findings from the outcome of performance appraisal.
As part of professional development plan.
As part of succession planning to help an employee be eligible for a planned change in role in the organization.
To imbibe and inculcate a new technology in the system.
Because of the dynamic nature of the business world and changing technologies.

SOME TOPICS TREATED IN EMPLOYEE TRAININGS:

Communications: The increasing diversity of today’s workforce brings a wide variety of languages and customs, thus staff should be able to be very good in both written and verbal communication.

Computer skills: Computer skills are becoming a necessity for conducting administrative and office tasks. In this era of technological advancement, computer skills are very necessary for almost of departments in an organization.

Customer service: Increased competition in today’s global marketplace makes it critical that employees understand and meet the needs of customers. The firm that stands out from the crowd is that firm that puts its customers first before every other goal. Then the need to always train staff on customer service.

Diversity: This includes explanation about people and their different perspectives and views, and how this can be handled.

Ethics: There are divergent ethics in different firms. Some firms attach more importance to certain issues like moral, work period, lateness etc than other issues. Today’s society has increasing expectations about corporate social responsibility. Also, today’s diverse workforce brings a wide variety of values and morals to the workplace. This calls for the need for staff to be reminded of these always through training and development.

Human relations: The increased stresses of today’s workplace can include misunderstandings and conflict. Training can help people to get along in the workplace with good understanding of each other and the office inter personal relationship to reduce official conflict.

Quality Management: Initiatives such as Total Quality Management, Quality Circles, benchmarking, etc., require basic training about quality concepts, guidelines and standards for quality, etc.

Safety: Safety training is critical where working with heavy equipment, hazardous chemicals, repetitive activities etc. Staff should be made to understand that despite the fact that they have a safety department, the safety of each staff is in his /her own hands.

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.

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I write a lot about the general importance of improving communications between IT and the business and the havoc that poor communication between the two camps can wreak.

Considering the strategic importance of software applications to many companies and the high costs of development and, in particular, of going back and doing major code fixes, development is one process where communication would appear to be especially important. There’s also users’ general dissatisfaction with enterprise applications to consider.

Close communication between users and developers is a key characteristic of a process Computerworld calls application development 2.0. I’m no expert, but I think the article is referring to Agile software development, which departs from the traditional waterfall development process in a number of ways.

As is the case with a number of other tech trends, Agile first gained popularity with consumer-oriented applications and is making its move to a somewhat skeptical enterprise. Looking at it from a high (and admittedly non-technical) level, I am not sure why companies seem so suspicious. Agile values flexibility, simplicity and getting tasks accomplished quickly – three characteristics that are hard to see as negative.

I learned a little about Agile development in a recent discussion I had with Doug Mow, senior VP of marketing for outsourcing provider Exigen Services. Perhaps the single biggest difference, says Mow, is that “Agile methods assume that change is inevitable and seek to incorporate change, not resist change.”

In outsourced application development, a competitive force, regulation or other factor that leads companies to ask for a change not included in original design specifications leads to a change in scope and a change order with added cost. While added costs may not be as obvious for an in-house project, delays do drive up costs and also often create ill feelings between the business and IT. As Mow puts it:

“There’s often this gap of IT saying, “The business can’t make up their minds” and business saying, “IT can’t keep up.”

Agile’s emphasis on speed and its iterative nature result in greater user participation, fewer hard feelings and hopefully, happier business people. Says Mow:

“One of the benefits of this is that you deliver working code much sooner. The business community can request changes in between each one of these iterations. The business community is watching this system become more malleable instead of more rigid. The changes they request are actually being incorporated. The issues they raise are addressed sooner in the process. Their participation actually has an effect on what happens – this isn’t always the case with more traditional development methodologies. You really get a greater degree of alignment between IT and the business.”

A caveat: Whether a project is in-house or outsourced, Agile requires a high degree of collaboration between IT and the business, something that not every organization is prepared to offer.

According to the Computerworld article, which echoes many of Mow’s points, 70 percent of developers participating in a recent TopCoder online coding competition said that traditional corporate development teams could benefit from newer techniques, especially incremental feature releases, speedy user feedback and quality assurance programs involving users.

The article offers five suggestions for tech executives who want to try Web 2.0 development:

Encourage close contact between developers and end users, and involve users in quality assurance processes;
Stress simplicity;
Use dynamic scripting languages like Ruby, Python and Perl rather than Java or .NET;
Emphasize frequent releases;
Users, not developers, should determine new features.

Another endorsement for Agile: General Electric engineers apparently use Agile methods for frequent tweaks to the company’s much-vaunted SupportCentral network, which serves 400,000 users in 6,000 locations around the world.

Read Ann’s complete interview with Doug Mow, senior VP of marketing at Exigen Services, “Outsourcing, with an Agile Twist” – [http://www.itbusinessedge.com/item/?ci=42547]

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Recent developments in America suggest that learning and development could be resurrected from the dark, dusty recesses of human resources into a bright new future.

Ever since 1994 and the merger between the Institute of Training and Development and the Institute of Personnel Management to form what in 2000 became the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development, there has been no argument about which area was the dominant one. Factors concerning the development of employee skills seemingly became secondary to the rising importance of Human Resource Management.

I was recently provided a glaring example of this by an acquaintance in a senior learning and development role at one of the largest organisations in the UK. With a sad, but knowing look in his eye he presented me with the yearly objectives for the HR department. Not one of them related to employee development in any way. When you consider that the company employ over five hundred people in roles that are directly related to learning this is truly amazing, although hardly isolated.

Most HR Directors will argue that they’ve always had one eye on the learning needs of the workforce, but with all due respect to diversity laws, this is a two-eyed job. In the same way that sales is the only department of an organisation that generates revenue, learning and development is the only area where we can expect the process of developing our workforce to be the uppermost concern.

Learning and development is increasingly noted as the most important factor of HR. Driving up the skills of the workforce and ensuring that employees have the necessary skills to perform the role and, perhaps more importantly, the skills to progress throughout the business is becoming a no-brainer when compared to the often bureaucratic functions of HR, which serve to ensure the business is ‘ticking over’ and doesn’t get embroiled in any legal issues.

Another colleague of mine who owns a recruitment consultancy highlighted the importance of learning and development from the prospective employee’s point of view recently. Often before the subject of money is raised, the first concern of the individual is, ‘What development can I expect?’ and so it should be. In fact when discussing the value of development, there are two key viewpoints we should take into account.

The employee – understands more than ever the value of their own development. Often requires a business to fill the gaps in their education and provide hands on experience in a real environment. Realises that to succeed in the business world they must gather as many skills as possible.

The employer – understands the value of a continually skilled workforce. Knows that if the business is to succeed then it needs an educated and motivated team behind it. A team willing to challenge current thinking and hungry for success.

So, businesses that ignore the value of learning and development do so at their peril.

This isn’t a knew theory, but somehow we thought we could achieve it through an HR department that in all fairness cannot possibly be expected to manage the important role it has to play in overseeing the needs of the workforce and still rise to the vast challenge that development presents.

The good news is that in America there seems to be a turning tide. Many of the large organisations there are developing the role of Chief Learning Officer (CLO), whose role on the board of directors has been provided at the expense of the HR Director who may well have applied for the new position of Head of HR, which reports to, you guessed it, the CLO.

The CLO is skilled in all aspects of learning and development, with a key focus on; coaching, training, motivation and project management, which shows an obvious leaning towards the development of the workforce in order to drive the success of the business. In my mind this is the correct focus and ensures that the organisation is focused on continuous improvement rather than fighting fires.

Although the UK has yet to put in place many CLO’s (currently five in the FTSE 100), there is little doubt that we are likely to follow suit. After all, it was the US that brought HRM to us all those years ago!

Andrew is the Managing Director of Trainer Bubble Ltd. who provide training course materials, training games, exercises and other useful tools for trainers and managers. You can view these great training resources at our website Trainer Bubble

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“At senior levels of an organization, the ability to adapt, to make decisions quickly in situations of high uncertainty, and to steer through wrenching change is critical. But at a time when the need for superior talent is increasing, big U.S. companies are finding it difficult to attract and retain good people. Executives and experts point to a severe and worsening shortage of the people needed to run divisions and manage critical functions, let alone lead companies. Everyone knows organizations where key jobs go begging, business objectives languish, and compensation packages skyrocket.”

Elizabeth Chambers etal, McKinsey & Company, The War for Talent

In a recent interview, Dr. Jay Conger states, “Business organizations are not designed to be great training grounds for leadership development. They are great training grounds for execution of an existing business model and, if [the business model is] right, all you need are managers. The problem is that every few years that business model comes under attack and, when it does, you need leaders. Now the problem is that you haven’t been developing them, so you get blown out of the water.” (“Why Chief Executives Fail,” May 2003, Management Today)

As faithful readers know, I’ve had the pleasure and honor to meet some of the world’s greatest leaders and leadership gurus from Sir Richard Branson, General Tommy Franks, and Captain Mike Abrashoff to Dr. Warren Bennis, Dr. Henry Mintzberg, Tom Peters, and most recently Dr. Jay Conger. Through our work with Linkage Inc., we help support broadcasts of these famous people by designing and developing participant and facilitator guides that many clients use to turn a 90-minute presentation into a true learning and growth opportunity.

I recently had the opportunity to meet with Dr. Jay Conger to discuss the topic of leadership development and succession planning. Dr. Conger has found that companies who are successful at identifying and developing leadership talent address each of the following key components:

o Sponsorship – personal, active, and regular involvement at the highest levels.

o Selection – matching capabilities with organizational needs; avoiding complex competency models; acknowledging and addressing things that will derail a potential leader.

o Assessors – objectively and subjectively measuring performance and results.

o Participants – engaged and personally committed potential leaders, resulting in greater self-direction and organizational loyalty.

o Development linkages – using stretch goals and a myriad of assignments, participants are being developed – not merely identified – for succession in a purposeful and planned manner.

o Tracking – measuring the effectiveness of the leader – and the leadership selection and development process – to ensure continual improvement in developing the leadership bench.

In his book, Growing Your Company’s Leaders: How Great Organizations Use Succession Management to Sustain Competitive Advantage, Dr. Conger outlines the characteristics of companies who are winning the war for talent through their leadership development systems. These characteristics include:

First, the most effective systems are simple and easy to use. All participants – not just those running the systems but candidates as well – have easy access to them. Data is secure but open to those who need it. The winning systems are nonbureaucratic, uncomplicated processes. As an element of that simplicity, there is a unified approach to succession management to ensure consistency and to maintain objectivity of succession management between different business units, organizational levels, and geographic areas.

Second, the best systems are developmentally oriented rather than simply focused or replacement oriented. System processes are clearly more concerned with the continuing growth and development of the employee than with an ultimate job title. They introduce a discipline into the organization that continually reminds everyone that leadership development and talent retention are critical priorities and every manager’s responsibility. The system becomes a proactive vehicle for managers and executives to reflect on the progress of their talent and the opportunities they require for genuine development.

Third, highly effective systems always actively involve the very top players of the organization. The CEO and the executive team are committed sponsors and champions-proactively participating in determinations of talent and in “next steps” to ensure the maximum development of their talented employees. Effective succession management is seen as a critical strategic tool by senior executives for attracting and retaining their most talented leaders.

Fourth, best practice succession systems are effective at spotting gaps in talent and at identifying important “linchpin” positions. They highlight existing or emerging needs where there are potential shortages of talent within the firm. They focus intensively on linchpin positions-a select set of jobs that are critical to the overall success of the organization. These positions and the individuals who fill them merit and receive regular and intensive attention. The better systems also identify the best jobs for development and whether there are a sufficient number of these or shortages.

Fifth, succession planning still does the job of monitoring the succession process, enabling the company to make certain that the right people are moving into the right jobs at the right time and that gaps are being spotted early. The best systems incorporate frequent checkpoints throughout the year. These checkpoints monitor who is where and where the person should be going next. A checkpoint function is built into the system to spot a problem before it becomes a problem! Succession management is so important that the best practitioners don’t ignore this function for even a quarter.

Finally, the most successful systems are built around continual reinvention. One of the clearest insights from our research is that effective succession management is a journey, not a destination. Best practice companies did not succeed in their first efforts at succession management. Similarly, none have rested on their laurels since having their process up and running. They continually refine and adjust their systems as they receive feedback from line executives and participants, monitor developments in technology, and learn from other leading organizations. To avoid the ever-present danger of becoming bureaucratized and mechanical, best practice systems therefore actively incorporate dialogues and debates about talent and about the succession process. There are continuous “conversations” about what is needed for the future of each candidate, about who should be where, and when. There are continuous conversations on the part of the guardians and designers about the planning process and how its utilization can be improved.

(Growing Your Company’s Leaders, pp 12-15)

Leadership Development/Succession Planning Capability Scorecard

Entelechy has created a Leadership Development/Succession Planning Scorecard based on Dr. Jay Conger’s research to help you determine the strength of your company’s (or department’s) succession planning/leadership development process.

Terence R. Traut is the president of Entelechy, Inc., a company that helps organizations unlock the potential of their people through customized training programs in the areas of sales, management, customer service, and training. Terence can be reached at 603-424-1237 or ttraut@unlockit.com.

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