The technological environment changes very fast. For businesses which are involved in technological development, it is always important to remain relevant. This challenge is especially bigger for a young company which has to deal with other business challenges which face companies that are trying to establish themselves in a market. A company like Start Software therefore needs to invest in the best talent available in the market in order to be able to compete in a fast changing technological environment. Available talent should be developed and upgraded regularly and the impact of the development assessed to establish if there have been any changes positive or otherwise.
Start Software has the advantage of being a young company and therefore has a relatively adjustable structure. A small size allows the company to speedily adopt change. This might be a challenge for an already established company. Other resources that the company has are a control system that is able to identify shortfall. An analysis revealed that previous employee development sessions had not brought any significant improvement to company performance (Reid, Barrington, and Brown, 2004; Torrington, Hall, and Taylor, 2005). The management is also willing to undertake steps towards growth and development for the company. This has enabled the team to acknowledge that the external trainers that have been used previously are not as effective as was expected. The company also has the resources to seek alternative solutions to the issue. This is a resource because to hold a successful training program requires financial support, time and corporation form company and employees
The objectives of Star software are to identify pitfalls in the previous training models and attempt to understand why they have not been effective despite adequate investment. The second objective is to develop an alternative approach to learning that will be able to meet company needs in terms of talent development and improvement. Finally the company intends to have a well trained staff that will be able to contribute positively to company growth and competitiveness in the industry. The essence of the entire knowledge development and training program will be to improve the skills and knowledge of the company’s employees Martin, Whiting, & Jackson, 2010. This will enable them to contribute positively to the firm’s performance enabling it to continue in its growth path to becoming well-established (Lado, & Wilson, 1994; Ulrich, 1996).
Previous approaches to talent development have been borrowed heavily from the industry. This may seem like a good idea because one is supposed to understand how an industry works in order to operate successfully in it. This approach may apply for most other industries, but in a highly competitive and dynamic environment, a company may be forced to seek development ideas from other sources (Losey, Meisinger, and Ulrich, 2005). A good source for example would be analyzing trends form other countries whose technological industries are above or at par with yours. To succeed, Star software has to ensure that it is able to continually come up with innovative products and solutions for its customers. This can only be done by first hiring highly motivated and talented individuals and ensuring that they are constantly exposed to emerging trends and trained on how to adopt and implement them for the company (Losey, Meisinger, and Ulrich, 2005).
Talent development is the process in which employees of an organization are taken through training and development to increase or improve their performance for the good of the organization. This is usually a function of the human resource department. This department identifies areas within the organization which require improved skills and knowledge and then develops a training program to facilitate the learning. The process is made up of three main activities which are training, education and development. Training is based on and evaluated against the job that the trainee holds (Mathis, and Harold, 2008). Education is done based on future projections of what the employee might do. It becomes measurable when the employee finally gets to do the job. Development based on what the employee is currently doing and on what they may be able to do in the future (Mathis, and Harold, 2008). It is almost impossible to evaluate the effectiveness of development.
The types of training available can be described based on the objectives of the training session. It is form these objectives that the methodology to be used in facilitating learning is identified. Learning can be broadly categorized as knowledge based, skill based and awareness generating sessions. Knowledge based learning sessions are focused on imparting new information. It requires lectures where the learners take notes, demonstrations, field visits and even self learning sessions where the learner is given an assignment. For adult learners, it is important that the session is kept relevant to the subject matter in order to hold their attention. Skills based sessions are those whose main purpose is to improve or increase the technical abilities which the learners already possess. These sessions are usually more interactive and may require demonstrations, practical and apprenticeship. The last type of training is awareness generating sessions. This are usually designed to shed some light and create awareness of certain predetermined issues. Individual experiences are usually an important part of learning. Some of the activities conducted to facilitate learning are group discussions, games and case studies.
The training materials used of the three types of learning vary depending on the activities undertaken during each session. The most important thing is that learners should have enough material to write and read. They should also have appropriate visual aids and demonstration of the subject under discussion. Such visual aids include chalk boards, flip charts, models, photographs, slides, video and overheads. Trainers should be picked base on their knowledge of the subject to be presented. There are professional trainers in many aspects of business (Muller, Croucher, Leigh, 2008). These can be hired after an evaluation of their material and its appropriateness to the company training needs. Company employees can also be equipped with the same knowledge and used to train others (Werner, and DeSimone, 2008). Those chosen should have excellent presentation skill and the ability to relate company goals with the objectives of the training (Wilson, 1999). The trainees should select based on the knowledge and skills they possess in relation to the training material. Other training sessions may require all employees to be present.
The second model, which is relevant to talent development training, is the Honey and Mumford’s model (Kold’s, 1984). This model involves four stages which are identified from when one has an experience, reviews and concludes it before planning for the next step. The styles of learning in this model go together with each stage of the experience. These are listed as Activist, then Reflector followed by Theorist and finally Pragmatist (Kold’s, 1984). Managers often use this model to conduct self assessment checklists on their work related conduct. From here they are able to identify underutilized strengths and correct errors in decision making.
Another model of learning that can be used to develop an n effective training program is the Cognitive approach to learning (Kold’s, 1984). This model analyses and identifies various student attitudes, which affect learning. From these studies, various learning styles were identified. Students were then grouped into avoidant, participative, competitive, collaborative, dependent and independent learners.
These various models will help in developing training programs that will recognize learner attitudes, which can then be tacked appropriately during the learning process (Prakash, 2006). The other sessions did not work because they did not incorporate full meet the knowledge, skill and awareness needs of the company (Prakash, 2006). Future approaches will utilize industry sources and adopt them to the needs of the company. The training sessions will put into consideration the various learning styles of the participants to ensure that they all benefit and come out with developed talents.
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