Abstract
Training and Development is a field in Human Resource Management that has gained a crucial status in almost all the organizations, owing to increase in competition in markets. Training is more oriented with learning job specific skills while development is more of an individualistic aspect. However, they both are crucial in industry today. Following is a discussion of how Training and Placement go hand in hand in creating better individuals as well as how they should be implemented to employees in an organization.
Introduction
“Training” is an activity generally required to teach and hone necessary job-related skills, techniques and knowledge (Salvi, 2013). Skills are very crucial when it comes to making progress personally as well as in an organization. However, development is entirely a different story. Training is more oriented with learning job specific skills while development is more of an individualistic aspect. However, they both are crucial in industry today. The truth is that the best way to develop skills and virtues in individuals is very different from what conventional skills training have to offer, because conventional job training from many employees’ perspective is a very negative aspect. Employees would undergo job training none the less, but they would not perform as well in it as the training would be in relation to work and not about their growth as individuals or in groups. The best method to build up highly efficient employees is a different one; it is a method that would include catering knowledge, developing skills and growth of each individual (Chapman, 2013).
In the next step, once the training has been successfully implemented, focus should shift onto enable knowledge and individual growth. This can be challenging because each individual is different and may develop different abilities. However, such development expands the variety of progress; way beyond what conventional work training skills may produce, and creates much more exciting, stimulating, motivational prospects for both the employer and the employee (Salvi, 2013). What follows is a discussion of comparison between training and development, and how both of these go hand in hand for creating a better organization.
Discussion
Organizations these days need to defend tremendous amounts of stress to keep the cycle of modification running these days, owing to the pressure of competition and the need to not just acquire but to upgrade talented working staff (Cohn, Khurana and Reeves, 2005). Many companies put in great efforts to make all round personal development possible along with established training methods. However, training is the first step to development as a person needs to understand the intricacies of the work that they must attempt, before they actually begin to work. One may begin to think that development should replace training; it is not possible to accomplish development in an individual before they have gained the requisite prowess required in their field.
There are various training and development methods. On-the-job training, product training, informal training, technical training, skills training, classroom training, training assignments and tasks, internal training courses, external training courses, on-the-job coaching, life-coaching, mentoring, behavioral development training, role-playing and role-play games and exercises, attitudinal training and development, accredited training and learning, distance learning are some of the methods of training and development, at the trainers and HR’s disposal to apply according to the suitability of individual caliber and their training requirements and organizational needs.
Training is also accessible beyond the reaches of the conventional classroom. What is more important is the fact that for a trainer to view training from the trainee's perspective is anything that offers learning, development and experience (Chapman, 2013). Training is all the more important when it concerns employees who have been indicted very recently into an organization. The first training that any individual may receive is induction training. Managers must make sure that the induction training process is planned and carried out properly (Lombardo and Eichinger, 1998). Induction training must be planned and issued to every new employee, so as to facilitate them and everyone else involved what is happening and all that is crucial to know to be a part of the firm is included.
Induction training ideologies are essentially focused on the important skills and knowhow that a new starter needs to possess to smoothly settle in the new surroundings and begin performing their job. It must be noted that it can be greatly advantageous if personal development needs, wishes, special strengths, talents, opportunities etc. are addressed in the beginning (Lombardo and Eichinger, 1998). This is so because an organization needs to understand and utilize its employee's skills and the right kind training choices for their employees can prove very advantageous to the organization. An organization can assess training needs of their employees by a number of methods and then implement the best way that the training and development can be delivered to the employee. In such assessments managers and supervisors play a very important role. Training priority is clearly allotted to develop essential capabilities.
A person’s inner strengths, competencies, aims and desires and special talents also need assessment, so as to create an understanding of the individual in the manager’s mind, and to facilitate the person to be aware of the fact that the opportunities for development and accomplishment in the organization are not limited by their job, or their skill-set. Therefore, training and development acquire crucial position in preparing employees for better performance.
Training should be measured and assessed as it is must be a cost effective affair. Measuring training hours per person as an average across the organization, typically per year, is often a useful training and development KPI (Key Performance Indicator) of the training function - more training acronyms here (Chapman, 2013).
Training and development has many aspects in its folds such as: attitude and behavior, ethics and morality, leadership and determination, and not to forget the sharpening of skills and knowledge. Development in itself is not restricted by training, although it happens best when it is experienced by a trained individual. Indeed development is any process or experience that helps a person to grow, in aptitude, expertise, self-confidence, patience, commitment, resourcefulness, inter-personal skills, empathy, willpower, discipline, motivation and much more.
When the attributes of highly effective and successful people, for example leaders, entrepreneurs or even technicians, are taken into consideration, the most important quality that defines a good performer is the attitude they carry all day long (Lombardo and Eichinger, 1998). To have all the skills and knowledge of the world and its people does not provide the exact advantage to become successful. The key factor that makes people effective in any organization and appreciated by their subordinate, equals and superiors alike is their attitude. Attitude comprises of qualities that needs different kind of training and development methods. Attitude stems from a person's mind-set, belief system, emotional maturity, self-confidence, and experience. These are the greatest training and development challenges faced, and there are better ways of achieving this sort of change and development than putting people in a classroom, or indeed by delivering most sorts of conventional business or skills training, which people see as a chore.
The leader's ethics and behavior set the customary for their subordinates, which define how effectively they put their skills and understanding to use (Gregory, 2002). Training does not have any effect without the proper motivation applied to it effectually. The real determining factor of how well leaders perform in their work depends on how strong is their capability to plan and manage skills and training of their subordinates, how they acquire information, and how they develop motivation and attitude in their organization.
Conclusion
All HR officials, trainers and managers should facilitate and deliver training and development to the employees of their organization. Undoubtedly training develops the underlying skills of the individual (Chapman, 2013). Apart from this training and development increases performance and raises the employees’ morale. Training and developing people has many benefits, it increases the healthy functioning and efficiency of the organization, and the overall productivity of the business.
What a leader or an HR, who undertakes Training and Development, should let their trainees understand is that their job in the organization does not describe their potential as an individual working within the organization or functioning outside (Gregory, 2002). Trainees should be made to realize that their skills and knowledge are not subject to organizational policy and that their managers look to develop each of them in a relevant manner that they will enjoy and seek out development of their individuality, beyond their role in the organization, and beyond their requirement in work (Lombardo and Eichinger, 1998). For these reasons training and developmental activities must spread far beyond orthodox classroom training sessions. The more dynamic this process becomes, the better are the chances for an organization to acquire talents that can serve them better and increase the overall efficiency.
References
Chapman, Alan (2013). Training and Learning Development. Businessballs.com. Retrieved from http://www.businessballs.com/traindev.htm
Cohn JM, Khurana R, and Reeves L (October 2005). Growing talent as if your business depended on it. Harvard Business Review 83 (10): 62–70. PMID 16250625.
Gregory C. Kesler (2002). Why the leadership bench never gets deeper: Ten insights about executive talent development (PDF). HR Planning Society Journal 25 (1)
Lombardo, Michael M. and Eichinger, Robert W. (1998). HR's role in building competitive edge leaders. Human Resource Management (John Wiley & Sons, Inc.) 36 (1): 141–146.doi:10.1002/ (SICI) 1099-050X (199721)36:1<141: AID-HRM22>3.0.CO; 2-D.
Salvi, Siddheshwar S. (2013). What is Training and Development? Amherst College. Retrieved from https://www.amherst.edu/offices/human_resources/training/whatistraining
