Virtual Methods of Learning and HR Role in Career Development
Virtual Methods of Learning
The development of technology has been influencing businesses for many decades. The reality shows that this relationship is mutual as the business, with their growing complexity and increased demand for cost-saving, flexibility and market responsiveness influence the direction in which technology develops and Research and Development (R&D) activities are done. One of the most influential factors for technological development and new technology integration in the companies is diversity and cross-cultural working teams, which become more common, due to geographical expansion and organic growth of modern companies. Technology have built on the concept of virtual learning and latest years have shown the scope of technology potential to further develop this concept of training and learning. Some of the most cost-effective methods of learning in the contemporary business environment are virtual learning spaces, developed within the companies, which offer self-learning resources, such as subject and personality training modules. Secondly, companies give more attention to Webex and skype learning sessions, which allow building on virtual face-to-face environment, where people can study and work in groups and avoid personal meeting and costly actions, required to arrange physical meeting (Nemiro, 2004). Moreover, many organizations go beyond this and invest in online and virtual academies, which enable complex online interactive learning environment, breaking time and space barriers.
Looking at the current trends, it is possible to argue that financial saving and reduction of investment in training will continue to outline the direction of technology evolution. Diminishing financial resources continue putting pressure on the companies and virtual learning environment and technology-based classrooms are the way to build future corporate learning landscape (Lipnack and Stamps, 2000).
It is hard to argue that the role of Human Resource Management (HRM) have evolved from a function, which is responsible for administration of recruitment and compensation to a strategic function, one of the responsibilities of which is to build on motivation, personal and professional development and retention of employees. That said, more companies today see HRM as the key for building high-performance culture and effectiveness of the organizational activities. HRM today can significantly impact career development for various reasons. First of all, company-wide performance management systems give a lot of attention to personal and professional growth of individuals, as the companies recognize the contribution that employee satisfaction programs and training can make to the business. Secondly, modern companies experience more and more pressure from an external environment with regards to development and retention of the talent. The fact is that employment market has become more competitive today and this necessitates organizational response to build on different competitive advantage strategies, including HRM. As a result, companies build on internal training and long-term talent and management development programs, creating career opportunities and opening up boundaries for personal and professional growth of individuals.
The role of training in contemporary companies is paramount, as globalization and business complexity demand more specific and unique skills, “tailor-made” for the companies. These skills in many cases can only be developed within the company and cannot be acquired from outside. With that in mind, training and internal development become essential for companies´ HR agenda. The effectiveness of such training programs is reasonably easy to evaluate as it directly impact the performance of individuals (Mello, 2011). Once “smart” goals are set for training session or program, HR can evaluate the return against the set targets. When it comes to emotional management and other non-job related trainings, the evaluation process becomes more complex, but it still can be measured, once it is incorporated into the performance management system and measured against the individual targets set between the manager and assessed employees.
References
Nemiro J. (2004). Creativity in Virtual Teams: Key Components for Success. Chapter 1. Mapping Out the Creative Process and Work Design Approach. John Willey & Sons Publishing. Print.
Lipnack, J., and Stamps, J. (2000). Virtual Teams: People Working Across Boundaries With Technology. New York: John Wiley & Sons publishing. Print.
Mello J.A. (2011). Strategic Human Resource Management. London, UK: Cengage Learning. Print.
