Training and Development Practices Followed by the British and Chinese Firms - Coursework Example

Critical comparison of the training and development practices followed by the British firms compared to the Chinese firms 1. Introduction The increase of competition in all industries worldwide has led firms to search for the most effective strategic measures that can offer them an advantage towards their rivals. Human resources strategies have been proved to be of crucial importance for the performance of firms of all sizes. It is for this reason that continuous efforts are made by HR managers in order to ensure the effectiveness of the HR policies used across their organizations. Current paper focuses on a particular aspect of HR strategies: the training and development practices developed by firms in Britain and China. Reference is made not just to the characteristics and the implications of these practices but also to their effectiveness on firms of different cultural characteristics; for instance, it is discussed if and how the training programs adopted by firms in China would be effective and feasible for foreign firms operating across the particular country. It is concluded that the training and development policies used by British and Chinese firms present many similarities; however, differentiations have not been avoided especially because of the different cultural background and ethics of each country. 2. Training and development practices – description and comparative analysis by referring to British and Chinese firms The HR practices developed by firms in Britain and China are related to a series of different factors; apart from the organizational characteristics other elements, like the culture and the social ethics are likely to influence the decisions of HR managers in both the above countries. Moreover, it seems that the attitudes of HR managers in Britain and China are differentiated – at this point again the influence of culture and ethics can be strong; for this reason, the understanding of the relationship between the training and development (T&D) schemes used in British and Chinese firms requires the reference to the criteria on which these schemes are based. Primarily, a brief reference to the training and development (T&D) framework developed in modern organizations is required – in order to understand the scope and the importance of this framework for firms internationally – including the British and the Chinese market. Usually, training and development policies are incorporated in modern organizations in order to meet the following requirements: a) to increase the competencies of employees in one or more fields, b) to follow the similar practices of rivals – aiming to increase the firm’s competitiveness within its industry and c) to support the employee motivation – a fact that can also benefit the performance of the organization (Blanpain et al. 2010, 45). 2.1 Training and development practices in British and Chinese firms – presentation and comparison Training and development is of crucial importance in firms across Britain; in accordance with a survey developed in 1998, a percentage of 86% of British firms – participated in the survey – had developed a training and development scheme – monitored by a supervisor (Cully 1999, p.56). In other words, training and development are indispensable parts of workplace in Britain; however, the time spent on training seems to be limited – in a relevant survey it has been revealed that employees in Britain spend just about an hour on training – on a weekly basis (Gregg et al. 1999, p.127). The criteria used by British firms regarding the development of T&D programs have been identified and tested in the academic literature using different criteria and standards. Crawshaw et al. (2010) tried to identify the issues and the facts that are expected to influence employees in British firms regarding their career choices; the relevant research was based on the views of 325 employees of a large financial institution based in Britain. It was revealed that trust is highly important for employees in British firms regarding their career choices; in the same context, trust would influence the responses of employees to the HR policies – including the T&D programs – initiated by their firms (Crawshaw et al. 2010, 106). From another point of view, the study of Roodhouse et al. (2010) has revealed that in British firms the performance and the response of employees to various organizational policies – including HR schemes of various forms – are depended on the educational background and status of these employees (Roodhouse et al., 2010, 319), a fact taken into consideration by the British governments when having to update the rules regulating the particular sector. Moreover, the study of Tinline et al. (2010) emphasized on the following issue: the relationship between the employee performance and the employee satisfaction and engagement. For this reason, it is suggested that in Britain, the ability of employers to introduce successful HR policies is depended on their ability to propose measures that will improve the well being of their employees (Tinline et al. 2010, 19), a criterion which is usually ignored by Chinese managers when having to develop such plans, as explained through the studies presented below. Additional factors that are expected to influence the T&D programs introduced by managers in British firms are the following ones: a) the power of collective bargaining in Britain; in the above country, the power of unions to intervene in the development of industrial relations across the country has been traditionally strong, a fact that can explain the influence of HR policies introduced in British firms by the relevant rules and suggestions of the country’s unions (Blanpain et al 2010, 643); in Chinese firms, the role of unions in the country’s industrial relations is quite limited – almost non-existent, b) in British firms, the use of standardized organizational principles is often decided in order to develop effective strategic is often decided – aiming to minimize the risk of potential failures; an example is the case of lean principles used by many British firms, a fact highlighted in the study of Coopey et al (2009, 141), c) despite the promotion of equality in firms across Britain, still problems have been identified regarding the provision of training to employees of different levels in British firms; it has been proved that not all employees in Britain are equally supported with training and professional support schemes, a problem also identified by the British government (Polachek et al 2010, 36), d) also, the provision of professional support to employees in British firms has not been proved to guarantee the loyalty of these employees; the above fact has been identified through the research developed by Coopey et al (2009, 143) and explains the lack of high performance of employees even in British firms where advanced T&D programs have been introduced. In China, the introduction of T&D schemes has been based on the need for increasing the competitiveness of Chinese enterprises towards their global competitors; however, it should be noted that the T&D schemes adopted by firms in China were appropriately transformed in order to meet the local culture and traditions (Cooke et al., 2005, p.106). Moreover, these schemes have not been standardized, a fact indicating the need for continuous update of these programmes in order to meet the local needs; in the study of Zhu (2005, p.194) emphasis is given on the differences of the forms of training programmes adopted by Chinese firms between the years 1994 and 2001 – mostly preferred programmes have been those focusing on the provision of language and cultural support to the employees. The following differentiation exists at this point between the T&D programmes developed by the Chinese and the British firms: the former are likely to emphasize on the language and the cultural difficulties faced by employees while the latter (British firms) have to deal with the technical expertise and the educational gaps of their employees – in regard to the needs of their job position (Zhu, 2005, 194, Gregg et al., 1999, 127). In any case, training and development is promoted in Chinese firms, but different priorities seem to be set by managers in China in regard to T&D schemes of various forms. As a result, T&D schemes which have been proved successfully in Western firms may not be able to perform well in Chinese firms – either because they are not adequately supported or because the employees are not willing to accept these schemes – often because the relevant policies are considered to be used as a vehicle for introducing radical changes within the organization involved. An indicative example of such problem is provided through the study of Chen et al. (2010); in the above study the effectiveness of an appraisal system introduced in a Chinese organization is set under examination. It is concluded that the specific system failed to meet its requirements mostly because of the following reason: the lack of support of this plan by the employees who conceived this plan as a major threat to their working rights and benefits (Chen et al. 2010, 244). The above finding indicates one of the major weaknesses of T&D plans: their failure to be aligned with the employees’ attitudes and expectations; this failure can lead to severe organizational turbulences if it is not addressed on time. Another aspect of T&D schemes used in Chinese firms is revealed through the study of Qin et al. (2010); in accordance with this study, the cultural differentiations between China can be a significant barrier for the personal development of employees of all levels – taking into consideration the fact that many of workers and employees in Chinese firm are foreigners. In fact, the need for cultural training of employees in Chinese firms can be such that without this type of training, employees are often unable to respond to their obligations – as set within a particular organization. Another aspect of the cultural training provided by the Chinese firms is the following one: the success of the relevant programs may not be understood or expressed immediately. This means that even if a cross-cultural training program took place in the past, it would be able to support current organizational activities –as appropriate. From another point of view, this view means that the investment made by the firm on T&D cannot be characterized as wasted – the results of the relevant activity may appear in the future (Qin et al 2010, 196). The importance of culture as an element of T&D programs is also highlighted in the study of Rovai (2010); it is explained that due to globalization, the number of foreign staff in the workplace of Chinese firms has been significantly increased; therefore, the training of this staff to the Trade and Commercial Practices followed by Chinese firms would be particularly important. At this point, a differentiation between the British and the Chinese firms – in regard to their T&D priorities is established; in Britain the needs of T&D programs in terms of cultural approaches used by employees are not so high like in Chinese firms. It is perhaps the fact that in China culture and ethics are strongly differentiated from the Western ones that lead Chinese firms to focus on the cultural approaches used by their employees. The critical role of Chinese culture and ethics in the forms of T&D programs developed by Chinese firms is also highlighted in the study of Zhang et al. (2009, 272). In fact, local culture can influence not only the types of HR policies – and T&D programs – developed in Chinese firms but also the responsiveness of employees to the particular schemes (Weng, 2008, 14). The strong influence of culture on the social and economic life of China can help to the standardization of the relevant initiatives but it can lead to the following problem: innovative practices in the specific sectors may be faced with skepticism, a fact that can cause delays to the promotion of effective – but innovative – organizational policies (including T&D schemes); the above problem is highlighted in the study of Alas et al. (2007, 225) where the negative influence of bureaucracy on the development of organizational policies in firms across China is highly criticized – a phenomenon which is not developed, at least not at such level in British firms. The content and the criteria of the T&D schemes used by the Chinese firms are expected to be influenced by the social characteristics of the particular society; the interaction between the social and the professional framework in China is highlighted in the study of Te Lin (2010, 55); in the above study, reference is made to the limitation of friendship in workplaces across China – referring to the supervisors’ level of a series of Chinese firms – as opposed to the workplaces in firms across Taiwan – where the level of friendship among supervisors has been found to be higher compared to the Chinese firms. In Britain also, the level of friendship among employees in workplace is expected to be high – compared to the Chinese firms – leading to another differentiation between the Chinese and the British firms. This characteristic of workplace in China is expected to influence the structure and the criteria of T&D programs developed in the particular country – establishing significant differences from the similar practices of British firms. Using the findings of the study of Te Lin (2010) the following problem can be set: can British employees perform well in T&D programs of Chinese firms when being asked to work in the latter? The answer would be negative if referring to the limitation of friendship developed in the workplace of Chinese firms. The above fact would be of significant importance when having to evaluate the potential performance of T&D programs of Chinese firms addressing the foreign employees of these firms. On the other hand, through the study of Zheng et al. (2009, 175) it has been proved that the willingness of managers in Chinese firms to introduce innovative HR policies is influenced by the ownership status and the performance of these firms; the findings of the above study are based on a research developed across 74 SMEs in different industrial sectors of China. In accordance with the above study, in state-owned Chinese firms, the promotion of innovative HR practices – including T&D programs – would face significant delays. Such issue would not be expected to appear in British firms where ownership structure and performance are not – at least primarily – used as decisive criteria for introducing HR practices; in British firms, the form of HR policies is more depended on organizational needs and the competencies of employees – as revealed through the study of Rose (2008, 17). Another issue that should be taken into consideration when trying to evaluate the T&D schemes developed by firms in China is the fact that HR initiatives in the particular firms have been a rather recent phenomenon. The above fact has been revealed through the study of Sumelius et al. (2009, 295), which was based on findings from 142 subsidiaries of Western subsidiaries in China. It was proved that these firms delayed in introducing T&D schemes following the similar practices of the local enterprises. From this point of view, the following issue appears: in China, the practices of Western firms in regard to HR policies can be influenced by the social and cultural traditions and practices of the Chinese firms. This fact indicates the power of the local social and cultural framework in regard to all parts of social activity, including the country’s economic life. 3. Conclusion The managers in both the British and the Chinese firms have used training and development policies as a tool for enhancing employee performance – which can also influence organizational development. However, the criteria and the priorities set in the relevant plans are differentiated, in the context described above. This differentiation has been explained by referring to the different social and cultural framework of each country. On the other hand, it has been proved that society and culture are not the decisive factors influencing the content and the structure of HR policies – including the T&D schemes – in British and Chinese firms. Issues like the personal attitudes and the professional background of employees, the ethical and organizational standards of each market but also the leadership styles mostly promoted in firms of each country have been proved to have a key role in the T&D policies introduced in British and Chinese firms. The differentiation described above has also led to the following conclusion: T&D plans initiated in British firms may not be appropriate for Chinese employees and vice versa. Under these terms, the performance of T&D schemes developed within the British and the Chinese firms cannot be guaranteed in advance; only estimations can be made taking into consideration the existing findings of relevant studies in each particular market. The use of common and standardized organizational principles and frameworks – for instance, the Total Quality Management Framework – would be also reduce the risks for severe failures in regard to the particular initiatives. Bibliography Alas, R., Sun, W. (2007) "Organizational changes in Chinese companies: a resource-based view", Chinese Management Studies, Vol. 1 Iss: 4, pp.225 - 242 Al Ariss, A. 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