Training and development needs and common approaches - Written by Sewwandi Wijesekara
Training and development Needs
The needs for employee training and development may occur at any level of the organization, such strategic, tactical or operational. Nassazi (2013) mentioned that needs occurred at the strategic level are identified by senior leaders based on organizational goals, mission, and strategy. Middle management is responsible in identifying the needs at the tactical level with the cooperation of other lines of businesses.
Nassazi (2013) commented that, while going through the needs identification process, leaders should also be thinking about the needs to create, develop, maintain, and improve any systems pertinent to the job and required skills, in addition to the methods that will be used to implement training and development programs.
Common Approaches
There are several approaches being used in the employee training and development arena, for examples: Problem centered is focused on analyzing and resolving performance issues due to insufficient skills (Nassazi, 2013). Profile comparison is used to match the competencies with the new or existing job filled (Nassazi, 2013). Formal training and development program is a pre-planned approach, which includes performance evaluations and learning solutions that may be completed during work or off-work for a specific duration of time. (Nassazi, 2013). On-the-job is provided to individuals while performing their work with the same working venues; for examples, job rotations, job transfers, coaching, and mentoring (Nassazi, 2013). Off-the-job involves taking individuals away from their workplace so they can concentrate on the training; for examples, conferences and role playing (Nassazi, 2013).
Coaching and mentoring is focused on developing particular skills for the task and performance expectations in the workplace; in addition to enhancing mutually beneficial relationships (Nassazi, 2013), while peers cooperate and participate on each other’s development (Elnaga & Imran, 2013). Job rotation and transfers is focused on moving individuals from one responsibility to another one or moving them to from one country to another one in order to acquire knowledge about diverse operations (Nassazi, 2013).
Orientation is focused on getting new employees familiarized and trained on the new roles, responsibilities, systems, technology, workplace layout, culture, benefits, working conditions, processes, and procedures (Nassazi, 2013).Career planning and goal setting is used to assist individuals in managing their diverse stages of their professional lives by classifying work, priorities, and skills necessary for promotion or particular goals (Jehanzeb & Bashir, 2013).
Conclusion
Identifying the right learning opportunities for employees will help the organization in achieving its competitive posture in today’s global market. Identifying the important training and development requirements of your employees is the first step. An ongoing commitment to the training and development of your employees will ensure your business is better positioned to harness the potential economic thrust that is synonymous with the introduction of new technology.
Reference
Nassazi, N. (2013). Effects of training on employee performance: Evidence from Uganda (Unpublished doctoral dissertation). University of Applied Sciences, Vassa, Finland.
Elnaga, A., & Imran, A. (2013). The Effect of Training on Employee Performance. European Journal of Business and Management, 5(4), 137-147.
Jehanzeb, K., & Bashir, N. A. (2013). Training and development program and its benefits to employee and organization: A conceptual study. European Journal of Business and Management, 5(2), 243-252
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What are the training and development need and how those impact for organizational success?
ReplyDeleteAccording to Wognum and Torrington et al. (as cited by Nassazi, 2013), there are three categories of identifying employee training and development needs:
Delete(1) Resolving problems that are focused on individuals’ performance,
(2) continuous improvement of working practices regardless of individual’s performance issues,
(3) renewing the organization through innovations and strategic changes
Those things are impact to organization increase training and development process. The training and development function is mainly responsible for employee performance (Asim, 2013). Performance can be demonstrated in the improvement of production, easiness in utilizing new technology, or being a highly motivated individual (Nassazi, 2013). As organizational leaders strive to achieve higher levels of employee performance, they should establish goals and standards, which performance can be measured against.
This article provides a comprehensive and well-structured overview of various approaches in employee training and development. The clear delineation of each approach, supported by relevant sources, demonstrates a deep understanding of the subject matter. The inclusion of examples, such as problem-centered, on-the-job, and off-the-job training, adds practical context to the discussion. The article effectively showcases the diverse strategies organizations can employ to enhance employee skills, foster growth, and create a thriving work environment. It serves as a valuable reference for anyone seeking to grasp the nuances of training and development methodologies.
ReplyDeleteThank you for your valuable insights are shared with me Prasadini, Yes agreed. When employees receive the requisite training for them to understand their roles and foster their skills, it's more likely that they'll perform their jobs with precision. Therefore, you should try to implement robust training programs when employees transition into roles that will prepare them to succeed.
DeleteFrom here, you can also encourage continued employee development through supplemental training programs, professional retreats, conferences, workshops and coaching systems. These tactics can help your employees expand and strengthen their skill sets, which in turn, can help them improve their performance.
In addition, investing in an employee's development can help foster a culture of loyalty and respect that may reduce turnover and increase engagement. Employees often highly value flexibility in their roles. Offering flexible work schedules and telecommuting options to your employees can help them be more productive overall and foster a sense of trust among your staff. While many managers believe employees are less productive when they work unmonitored from home, this is a common misconception.
Interesting article to read through. Sewwandi,as you mentioned in your conclusion, Identifying the important training and development requirements of your employees is the first step. Would you let me know how you identify the important training and development requirements of your employees?
ReplyDeleteThank you Nuwan. Yeah, will explain to you.
DeleteSet clear expectations for each role.
Identify employee training and development requirements, must set clear expectations for each role within business. This creates a benchmark to monitor performance against. Review job descriptions when new positions are created, or when making substantial changes to existing roles. Remember to periodically account for smaller changes as well. Doing this makes it easier to understand what skills an employee needs if they are to be successful in each role. And in turn this helps you identify skills gaps and potential training and development needs.
Monitor employee performance.
Measuring and monitoring performance should be embraced as a means of supporting employees and can be a valuable tool in identifying development opportunities. Conversely, if an employee continuously over delivers, you could work with them to set more challenging goals to stretch their abilities.
Set up a system of mentoring and coaching.
Closely aligning staff with a mentor will help develop skills while identifying additional employee training and development needs. Mentoring programmed are a great way of helping employees succeed in their careers and can be as powerful for the mentors as they are for the mentees.
Make the most of personal development plans.
Giving employees the opportunity to lead their personal development can have a profound effect on their motivation and their engagement in your business. Well managed personal development plans improve communication and will also help you identify any relevant training and development needs.
It's all very well understanding the importance of training and development, but actually identifying your employees' needs is the crucial bit.
According Nassazi (2013) Employee training and development needs can arise at strategic, tactical, and operational levels of an organization. Senior leaders and executives are responsible for identifying training needs, aligning them with the company's long-term goals and mission. Middle management plays a crucial role in identifying training needs at the tactical level, collaborating with other departments to tailor training efforts to specific functional areas. Employees can also contribute valuable insights, as they possess firsthand knowledge of their roles and responsibilities. A collaborative and inclusive approach to identifying training needs enhances overall performance, competitiveness, and workforce satisfaction.
ReplyDeleteThank you Nalin for your valuable expectations shared with me. The knowledge and skills of an organization's workforce have become increasingly important factors, which contribute to its effectiveness such as performance, competitiveness, and innovation. For organizations to maintain competitive advantage, drive innovation, reduce operational costs, increase profits and achieve organizational goals continuous learning and improvement achieved through training and development must be a strategic consideration of human resources professionals. Given the benefits cited, training as part of an overall HR strategy, in human resource planning makes sound business sense.
DeleteIdentifying the right learning opportunities for employees will help the organization achieve its competitive posture in today’s global market. How do you identify the right learning opportunities for employees?
ReplyDeleteAs learning opportunities increase, they become natural for employees. They, in essence, become part of the job, not something extra that employees feel are a burden crammed into their already overloaded workdays.
DeletePush learning opportunities are integrated bite-sized performance support or upskilling objects – these could include bite sized. learning objects such as infographics or active coaching by leaders, and real-time feedback loops on employee performance.
Pull learning opportunities are presented through tools that store information that’s easy to access, easy to search, and retrieves exactly what employees need the instance they need it. Short videos that are accurately titled and tagged are example of this type of learning opportunity. It’s important to note that content of this nature requires a deeper than normal empathy for learners, what they do, and how they search for information so that the content can be organized in a way that makes sense to them.
New learning opportunities, even when designed well, may at first seem foreign and confusing to employees.
How can the organization set up a collaborative process involving senior leaders, middle management, and staff to identify and priorities training needs that are in line with the organization's goals and objectives, taking into account the Four Major Theories of Training and Development—B. F. Skinner's Theory of Reinforcement (1930), Gagné's Theory of Learning (1965), Bandura's Social Cognitive Theory (1973), and Rogers' Experiential Theory of Learning (1983)?
ReplyDeleteCollaborative leaders seek to achieve organizational goals by harnessing and encouraging the power of diverse teams. By managing individuals from different functions to solve problems, collaborative leaders empower co-workers to use their wide range of knowledge, skills and experience to work together successfully. Imagine a CEO asking their employees to launch a new product. The senior manager has their ideas about the product’s features, retail price and USPs, and assembles a cross-functional team to iron out the more minor details.
DeleteNow imagine a CEO asking a cross-functional team to discuss the feasibility of launching a new product. Listening to frontline staff at this earlier stage could provide insight that leads to a better-designed project. It could even result in an entirely different solution. According to an American Express report, a third of millennials believe “the CEO role will no longer be relevant in its current format,” within 10 years. And 85% of respondents in a Deloitte survey rated C-suite collaboration as 'important' or 'very important'. For leaders to remain relevant, the expectation is they'll need to be more visible to workers, more approachable, and more collaborative outside of their traditional hierarchies.
Collaborative leadership is responsible for even bigger decisions. Rather than CEOs pulling strings as in a traditional top-down model, forward-thinking organizations use the skills, knowledge and experience of multiple departments as much as possible. This could mean assembling diverse teams in specific scenarios or calling on leaders from different functions for all high-level decisions.
This thinking has already given rise to a new term, the “symphonic c-suite" - a team combining CEOs, CFOs (Chief Financial Officers), COOs (Chief Operating Officers), and others to harmonious effect. Think of it as teams leading teams.
Great article to read and well structured. Then you explain training and development approaches in this article
ReplyDeleteTraining and Development is one of the main functions executed by the Human Resource department to build a quality workforce in an organization. Following training and development approaches can apply to organization.
DeleteReactive Approach
The traditional approaches to training can be generally termed as reactionary, driven by tactical delivery of technical skills in bricks and mortar, classrooms trainings and where training is seen as an event-oriented activity.
Proactive Approach
In the learning organization this approach aligns all learning activities with the corporate business strategy, and its focus is on developing competencies.
Active Learning Approach
In this approach, trainees play a leading role in learning by exploring issues and situational problems under the guidance of their facilitator. The trainees learn by asking thought provoking questions, searching for answers, and interpreting various observations made during the process. The active learning approach has its lasting impact on learning since it helps in long-term retention and finding better solutions in the challenging situations.
In today’s fast paced world, continuous learning is essential to success. Individuals need to learn to succeed in life and at work. Companies need to ensure their employees continue to learn, so they can keep up with increased job demands and so the company can gain or maintain competitive advantage.
This blog post is a goldmine of insights into Training and Development needs and approaches! I was grappling with how to identify what exactly my team required for their growth, and this post came at the perfect time. The breakdown of needs into job-specific, task-specific, and knowledge-specific categories was a game-changer for me. Also, the discussion on the 70-20-10 model and how it blends experiential learning, social learning, and formal learning was an eye-opener. I appreciated how the post highlighted the significance of personalized development plans to cater to individual strengths and weaknesses. This is the kind of practical advice that can truly transform workplaces. Thanks for sharing your expertise in such a clear and concise manner!
ReplyDeleteThank you for your valuable comments and your expectations also shared with me. yeah, we can use those approaches for your organization success. In additionally, Active learning approach is best training and development method to identify the team growth. Training is a systematic process that improves the knowledge, skills, and competence of the employees. It aims to enhance the work performance and productivity of the employees. Development is a progression to training that enhances the capabilities of the employees for future roles.
DeleteActive Learning Approach 😊
In this approach, trainees play a leading role in learning by exploring issues and situational problems under the guidance of their facilitator. The trainees learn by asking thought provoking questions, searching for answers, and interpreting various observations made during the process. The active learning approach has its lasting impact on learning since it helps in long-term retention and finding better solutions in the challenging situations.
In today’s fast paced world, continuous learning is essential to success. Individuals need to learn to succeed in life and at work. Companies need to ensure their employees continue to learn, so they can keep up with increased job demands and so the company can gain or maintain competitive advantage.
I really liked reading this blog post about the requirements for training and development. It was incredibly useful and educational. I particularly enjoyed the segment on determining training needs. I consider this to be a really important subject, so thank you for taking the time to write about it.
ReplyDeleteI'd also add that it's crucial to make sure that training is in line with organizational objectives. It probably won't work if that happens.
This post was excellent overall, in my opinion. Thank you for revealing!