Investment in Employee Learning - Coursework Example

Critically examine the proposition that it is essential for organizations to continually train and develop their employees.” Human resource is the backbone of any organizations. There are observers who even point out that workers should not be called “resources” because their contribution is in the context of human creativity and the fact that humans are social beings. This paper will critically examine the proposition that it is essential for organizations to continually train and develop their employees. As the ensuing arguments would underscore, engaging employees to continually develop and better themselves translates into the healthy well-being and profitability for the company. It is our main contention that training equates to skills transfer. This transfer takes place through observation, imitation, practice, and adaptation. The company benefits as employee upgrade and acquire new skills. Investment Employees may very well be considered as an important investment for an organization. Recruitment, for instance, is one of the aspects of human resources that receives close attention. However, employee training and development is, perhaps, the most neglected of all human resource systems in organizations attempting to deal with more effective strategic planning and implementation to the introduction of new technologies into existing business. (Fombrun, Tichy and Devanna 1984, p. 54) There is a great disparity among companies when it comes to this issue due to budgetary considerations, previous experiences (positive or negative), and the overall style and philosophy of the specific organization. Rebecca Mazin and Shawn Smith (2004) stressed that: In difficult economic times, organizations often instinctively eliminate their entire training budgets, but it is shortsighted to cut all employee development. Tough periods are usually good times to learn skills needed to remain competitive and you do not want to risk ending up with skill gaps when business improves. (p. 60) Sound training and employee development strategy is incumbent in solving employee-related problems such as low productivity and diminished innovative capabilities. In a way, it also addresses dissatisfaction, low morale and lack in motivation among the workforce as well as the perennial problem of low employee retention rate. Knowledge Management Developing a training program requires some reasoned decisions about whether training is in fact necessary under the circumstances, and if so, what types of development efforts will best suit your budget and needs. Otherwise training programs will serve as a negative experience, jeopardizing future employee training strategies. There are various techniques employed in introducing training programs for employees. The most notable of which include those that aim to incorporate training strategy in the creation of a corporate culture that engages employees to identify with their organization and feel a strong emotional bond. This cultivates the intrinsic motivation of workers in order to help their company/organization succeed. There are several approaches to employee training and these include self-instruction, mentoring, on-the-job training and seminars. According to Cummins et al. (1992), these approaches are best applied when guided by the behavior modeling, which is based on the principle that if a person sees a task being done correctly, and then has it explained as to why it is being done that way; it will transfer to the workplace more effectively. He/she will not only know how to do it but why it must be done a particular way. Cummins et al., explains how it works: The trainer does the task and then explains to the person what he/she has done and why he/she has done it that way. Then the trainer asks the employees to perform the task, explaining how to do it and why. The trainer gives feedback as to how the training went. He/she may repeat this process several times until the person has the skill down effectively. (p. 638) The techniques and methodology employed in drafting and implementing training programs are crucial because it provides a systematic way of knowledge/ skills transfer and acquisition as well as the training control and evaluation. Orientation Training The orientation training is considered as one of the most important training programs for employees. This is primarily because if a new employee is not made to feel comfortable and confident during the first few days or weeks of their employment, there will be a higher-than-average chance they will leave. All the troubles – the time and expenditures in the recruitment – would be worthless if the result is a negative retention rate. All organizations should have an orientation stage – whether structured or unstructured – to provide essential knowledge and information about working at the company and increase comfort for new hires. Doris Sims illustrates typically effective orientation approaches designed to energize, motivate and welcome employees: These programs include the traditional paperwork and basic information, but they also include interactive training courses that alternate between presenting industry concepts and explaining company structure and strategy. (p. 4) Such programs according to Sims are basically aimed at helping employees build relationships with other employees and with those who teach, coach and mentor them during the whole period besides those advantages mentioned above. Specialized Training One emergent area in employee training is the development requirement of special groups as the workforce expands and accommodates the changing landscape of the increasingly global workplace. One of these concerns that of diversity. Boone and Kurtz explain that diversity training aims to educate employees about different cultures, languages, attitudes, and perceptions that may surround them in the global workplace. (p. 126) They stressed that although there is no across-the-board standard content, most diversity training programs address the following aspects: To improve employee retention rate, satisfaction and productivity Encourage employees to think beyond the issues of race while considering other issues such as religion, nationality and gender Increase people awareness of their own stereotypes since the goal of diversity is one of acceptance and understanding among employees It would take us no extensive analytical skills to say that a company with an established diversity program has the respect and commitment of its employees. Training Pitfalls Workforce training for the sake of training is one of the errors committed by organization managers. Errors in training practices will result to a mismatch in knowledge which, in effect, could cripple the training and, henceforth, the company’s objectives, in effect, wasting time and money. Common training pitfalls according to Ed Cohen (2006) occur when: there is good training but wrong subject there is good training but wrong tracking there is wrong training and wrong tracking To avoid these mistakes administrators and training departments must establish concrete metrics for evaluating workforce knowledge through the use of a sophisticated learning management system and the application of intelligent management analysis. Cummins et al. listed two important methods to evaluate whether the training process met the objectives set: the oral and the written method. Oral method involves interviews where employees recount training experiences and learning outcomes while in written evaluation, workers fill up an individualized form designed to retrieve specific evaluation data. Organizational Learning In many ways, skills transfer and knowledge management can be considered to be within the parameters of organizational learning (OL) since the concept is the area of knowledge which theorizes how organizations learn and adapt in order to develop. (Sicilia 2007, p. 21) This concept has become very prominent in the near past because it is one of the factors behind organizational/management movements. According to Klaus Beck (1997), “managers see OL as a powerful tool to improve the performance of an organization. Thus, it is not only the scholars of organization studies who are interested in the phenomenon of OL but also the practitioners who have to deal with the subject of OL.” How does organizational learning affect the performance of an organization? The keyword here is learning. It is a characteristic of adaptation which is an important element for a company to be competitive. To be specific, organizational learning promotes an intensive study on several models that would facilitate learning and the development in an organization. For instance, it explores theories such as the “diffusion of innovations” which studies why people adopt new ideas, practices and products. (Greve 2003, p. 169) The development of methodologies and models are also helpful in creating and implementing training program and strategies in consonance with the organization’s philosophy and objectives. Organizational learning is also related to another concept called the Learning Organization. This concept utilizes the theoretical findings of organizational learning and other research in the area of organizational development, system theory, and cognitive science, in prescribing specific recommendations with regards to creating organizations that continuously and effectively learn. (Cahill 1996, p. 129) This paper has illustrated why training is essential for organizations in order to develop and be competitive: Training addresses perennial employee-related problems and provides opportunities for growth. This is the reason why investing in training is beneficial to the well-being of both the company and its employees. An effective training strategy consisted of a well-thought program and an effective control and knowledge management could be translated to a quantified profit for an organization. However, this paper also highlights the fact that training deserves a thorough study in order for it to be productive and to avoid failures in achieving its objectives. References Beck, Klaus. (1997). Organizational Learning. Retrieved February 20, 2007, from http://www.sfb504.uni-mannheim.de/glossary/orglearn.htm Boone, Louis and Kurts, David. (2005). Contemporary Business. Thomson South-Western Cahill, Dennis. (1996). Internal Marketing: your companys next stage of growth. Haworth Press Cohen, Ed. (2006).Misinformation Management: Measuring Workforce Knowledge. Retrieved February 19, 2007, from, http://www.clomedia.com/content/templates/clo_article.asp?articleid=1402&zoneid=67 Cummins, A.B., Given, I.A. and Hartman, Howard. (1992). SME Mining Engineering Handbook. SME Fombrun, Charles, Tichy, Noel and Devanna, Mary Anne. (1984). Strategic Human Resource Management. John Wiley and Sons Greve, Henrich. (2003). Organizational Learning from Performance Feedback. Cambridge University Press Mazin, Rebecca and Smith, Shawn. (2004). The HR Answer Book: An Indispensable Guide fro Managers and Human Resources Professionals. AMACOM Div American Management Association. Sicilia, Miguel-Angel. (2007). Competencies in Organizational E-learning: Concepts and Tools. Idea Group Inc (IGI) Sims, Doris. (2002). Creative New Employee Orientation Programs. McGraw-Hill Professional. Read More