Training and Development - Zadco Company - Case Study Example

Name Institution Tutor Date Introduction Training and development is a significant Human Resource function. This is because it enhances the knowledge and skills of the employees. In addition it assists employees to adapt to the changing business environment. Many organizations have therefore constantly undertaken training. This particular paper presents a report of training in Zadco Company. The resource person interviewed is Zadik Ahmed who is the Human Resource specialist in charge of Training and development. Background of Zadco Company Zadco Company is one of the leading global oil companies producing over 2.7 million barrels of oil each day. Zadco Company was established in 1977 by Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan. The company has three main shareholders which include; the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) that holds 60%, ExxonMobil holds a 28% share and Japan Oil Development Company limited (JODCO) has a share of 12%. The key activities of the company include the production of natural gas and crude oil, exploration, transportation and supply and marketing. One of the main technical accomplishments of the company is the establishment of the Upper Zakum reservoir which has facilitated the processing of crude oil and the installation of gas. The company also utilizes the latest technology in order to develop and manage its oil field. Furthermore, the standards of operations adopted by the company are in most cases World class and this has resulted to excellent performance. Zadco Company is also an organization that is performance driven and is fully committed to its workforce/ employees. In order for the employees to continue attaining the future challenges and performance requirements of the organization training and development has been a significant aspect. The objective of the Training Program in Zadco Company Zadco Company considers training as very important. One of the key objectives of training in Zadco Company is performance management. Performance management is process that contributes to the effective management of people and teams to attain high levels of performance within the organization (Buckley and Caple, p 21). Zadik discloses that the performance management process in Zadco Company is initiated by the senior management. The company usually reviews of the performance of the employees during the year. The reviews usually consist of evaluating what the employees were able to achieve and what they were not able to attain, during the year and at the end of the year. In the event that attaining the required objective were hindered due to lack of adequate skill and knowledge. The company then initiates training as strategy of performance management. Another objective of training is to increase motivation for the employees. As argued by Conger and Kanungo (p471) employees who are motivated have the ability to put in more effort in their work as opposed to employees who are not motivated. Consequently, motivation is an essential remedy for the productivity of the workforce. According to Zadik motivation within the Oil industry is very significant. This is because of the level of complexity of the projects that employees are supposed to undertake. In addition technology in the in this particular industry keeps on changing as a result the employees level of motivation may decline due to the existing pressure and challenges of skills. Training is therefore an effective way to stimulate employees to adopt a behaviour that is geared towards dealing with the complexities that occur in the business environment such as change in technology and the complexity in the projects undertaken by the organization. Zadik highlights that Zadco Company therefore considers training as an investment that motivates employees to develop more skills in order to deal with the challenges that exist in the industry. An additional objective of training in the organization is to enhance the effectiveness in the business processes of the company and thus leading to an increase in monetary gains. Zadco Company has a business processes framework that requires continuous performance improvement. This implies that the performance of the employees should constantly meet the set performance measurements of the organization which entail increasing productivity and enhancing efficiency. Zadik therefore highlights that in order to effectively enhance continuous performance improvement; the skills and the knowledge of the employees have got to improve. Training of employees therefore becomes an essential approach of improving the business processes of the company. Training is also geared towards to increasing the innovation capabilities of the employees. Zadco Company has always worked towards fostering employee innovation. As argued by Evans (p1), employee driven innovation can transform an organization to positive transformations. Consequently, it is essential organizations to implement employee driven motivation. Zadik highlights that Zadco Company undertakes employee training for the purpose of enhancing their innovative capabilities in areas such as new techniques of exploration and the production and development of oil and gas. Who Develops the Training Program at Zadco Company The training program at Zadco Company is prepared by the Training Programs coordinator. The Types of Training Available Zadco Company has adopted various type of training for the employees. One of the approaches is the on the job training (OJT). From the interview, Zadik as the Human Resource specialist in charge of training highlights that on the job training enables newly employed employees to learn more about the practical skills used in the organization alongside employees that are more experienced. Zadco Company is a company that recruits employees regularly based on the demands of the market. Consequently, in order to save time and costs associated to training new employees; the adoption of on the on the job training (OJT), was a good option. The company operates three major operation fields which include; Upper Zakum, Umm Al-Dalkh and Satah (ST). In all these fields new employees are frequently recruited. The company therefore adopted on the job training as an effective method giving skills to new employees. Another type of on the job training adopted by Zadco Company is the use of job rotation. Job rotation involves the realignment of employees to different departments within the organization in order for them to acquire the existing knowledge and skills in those departments. Zadik highlights that job rotation is usually undertaken on departments such as production and exploration, transportation and supply and marketing. Mentoring is another on the Job type of training undertaken by the company. Zadik highlights that the senior management of the company or the most experienced employees are mostly involved in conducting mentoring. The mentors provide skills to their mentees on the new methods of production of oil and the use new technology. Zadco Company also conducts seminars for employees. The seminars are usually formalized training conducted within the organization for both the middle and top level management employees. The seminars cover various topics such as performance improvement, innovation and change management. Zadco Company also conducts off the job training which include web –based training. Zadik highlights that web such as e-training have been common methods that have been used by the organization to give employees information concerning new safety requirements and risk management. The company has also adopted extensive IT partnership training for its employees. For instance in 2009 the company got into an agreement with ICDL Foundation in order to ascertain that the employees gain adequate training on computer literacy. Byline, (p1) highlights that employees that are IT enabled provide higher levels of productivity. Zadik discloses that the partnership training has so far boosted the employee’s productivity especially in attaining the corporate objectives of the organization. How often the organization conducts training Zadco Company conducts training after every four months or basically three times a year. The training Benefits that the organization has received so far The company has attained numerous benefits as a result of training. These include: Enhancing the efficiency of the workforce, based on the fact that Zadco Company conducts an effective training programme, employee continues to gain confidence is their capabilities. This is finally projected in their results and outputs. Furthermore, employees have also been able to gain skills on using new technology. Training has assisted the organization to lessen the level of supervision. Supervision is an essential aspect in the workplace. Nevertheless, when the workforce has effective supervision they are bound to make fewer errors. This has therefore reduced the supervisor’s role. Training has also assisted the company to reduce wastage. Zadco Company has been able to save a lot of money due to the existence of training in the organization. This is because well trained employees have sufficient skills and knowledge that can assist in reducing possible wastage of resources. Conducting Orientation and Induction training Zadco Company does conduct orientation and induction training. The orientation process is not usually a long one. It involves first making the new employee familiar with the organization. This is done by taking /him or her around the organization in areas such as the offices, production and manufacturing sites. The next step entails giving the employee information concerning the organization, the existing employees and the other areas that surround the organization. The orientation process is usually formal as a result such information may be offered in an arranged discussion or lecture. The employees can also be given manuals, pamphlets and handbooks to read. On other occasions, orientation programs may be non formal whereby, it is the fellow employees that undertake the induction training. The new employees are provided with information about the working environment and the basic skills and techniques used in the job by the existing employees in the organization. Conduction of Training Needs Analysis Zadco Company does conduct a training Needs Analysis. As argued by Gitman and McDanie, (2008) training needs analysis is significant in enabling the manager to anticipate and attain the training needs in an effective and timely manner. The process of training needs analysis in the organization is undertaken by the following steps. Foremost, it involves collecting information from the organization in order to come up with the necessities of training which are further noted down. The next step involves conduction interviews, performance reviews and the use of a job analysis grid in order to evaluate the end result of the training. The readiness of the employees to undertake the training is then examined. The next step involves education the employees about the various methods of training and selecting those that are in line with their needs. How employees are selected to attend Training Zadco Company selects employees for training through preparing an annual plan for training. It is out of this particular annual plan that the training department identifies employees that need training. The training plan assist in identifying the employees career development needs, their level of knowledge, performance and skills that the employee possess and the interest of the employee in terms of improving their skills. After analyzing this aspect the employees are then selected for training. How to evaluate the effectiveness of the training provided to the employees The company uses the Kirkpatrick Model in order to evaluate the effectiveness of the training provided to the employees. Zadik highlights that model has assisted the training department to analyze the effectiveness on various levels of training. The major levels include reaction which entails analyzing the reaction of the employees towards the training, learning which involves analyzing the level of skills and knowledge acquired by employees, behaviour which involves the change of behavior resulting from the training, results which entails analyzing the benefits derived from the training and Return on Investment (ROI) which entails making a comparison of the training. Training plan, Training Budget and individual training plans Zadco Company has a training plan which is prepared annually. The plan has assisted the organization to lay down strategies for training. It is however difficult to prepare individual training plans due to the existence a large number of employees. However, the training program is also subjected to a budget. Common learning outcomes for adult learning One of the common learning outcomes attained for adult learning is that by the end of the training the employees are able to use new technology in order to improve their performance. Another learning outcome by the end of most training programs is that employees become more motivated to work. Problems faced when conduction training One of the problems faced by the organization during training is the time allocated for training. Sometimes the training periods are too short yet the context is too much. Also there are employees who do not fully cooperate during the training programs. Conclusion and Recommendations The above report has presented findings on training adopted by Zadco Company. From the interview conducted it was noted that training is in deed a significant Human Resource function in the organization. Nevertheless, this particular report proposes that training programs should be expanded in order to cater for all employees. In addition the organization should device individual training programs in order to make the training to be more effective. Works Cited Buckley, Roger and Caple, Jim. The Theory and Practice of Training. Kogan Page Publishers. 2009. Byline, D,2009, Zadco extends 3-year partnership with ICDL, Retrieved From Conger, J, A and Kanungo, R.N. The Empowerment Process: Integrating Theory and Practice, The Academy of Management Review, Vol. 13, No. 3 . 1988, pp. 471-482. Charney, Cyril and Conway, Kathy. The trainer's tool kit. AMACOM Div . 2005, Evans ,K, , Employee-driven innovation and workplace learning: Exploring present realities, future possibilities and enduring challenges. 2012. Gitman, Lawrence and McDanie, Carl. The Future of Business: The Essentials. Cengage Learning. 2008. Read More