Training and Development - Research Paper Example

Training and development is said to be beneficial for both firms and the employees. However, some individuals as well as organisations are reluctant to invest in training and development as a result of various reasons better known to themselves. Against this background, this essay seeks to critically analyse the significance of training and development to the organisation as well as the employees working within that particular organisation. It starts by giving a detailed analysis and explanations of the concepts of training and development. The body of the essay will develop into an analysis of various factors that characterise training and development such as human resources development as well as mentoring and coaching. This section will also attempt to investigate why other organisations and individuals are reluctant to invest in this noble initiative that is beneficial to both parties involved. A conclusion will be drawn at the end on the basis of the main ideas that are going to be raised in the main part of the discussion which is centred on training and development. During the contemporary period, it can be noted that organisations operate in a dynamic environment which is characterised by different changes. In most cases, these changes are necessitated by various factors which include the following: economic, political, social as well as cultural and demographic among others (Schultz et al 2003). In order for the organisation to remain viable as well keep pace with the changes taking place in the environment, it is imperative for them to put measures that the employees are developed and trained to know the changes that may take place in their operations so as to be prepared to face the consequences that may affect their day to day dispensation of duties. Workers’ skills ought to be upgraded to meet the dictates of the constantly changing environment in which they will be operating. It is imperative to provide basic training to the employees so that they are equipped with the required knowledge to undertake the challenging tasks that can arise as a result of change in the operations of the organisation that can be encountered. Basically, employee training is job related learning that is provided by the employers for their employers and the aim is improvement of the employees’ skills, knowledge and attitude so that they can perform their duties according to the set standards (Swanepoel et al 1998). More often than not, successful training begins with the needs assessment to determine which employees need to be trained and what they need to be trained to do. This training needs analysis often leads to the formulation of a set of objectives which clearly state the purpose of the training and the competencies required of the trainees once they have completed the training program. Swanepoel et al (1998) posit to the effect that needs analysis of training requires time, money and expertise and it can be noted that training that undertaken without a careful analysis of the requirements is likely to be ineffective and to reduce the motivation of the employees. On the other hand, employee development is a broad term which relates to training, education and other intentional or unintentional learning which refers to general growth through learning (Kleynhans et al 2007). Employee development can take place through training and the main purpose of offering development initiatives to the employees is to improve their performance which can also lead to the growth of the organisation. One advantage of offering training and development skills to the employees is that they would have hands on experience with the operations of the organisation. It is expected that through learning and development, both the organisation and the employees will immensely benefit given that the employees’ skills in particular will be improved which in turn means an improvement of the in their performance which is beneficial to the organisation as a whole. It can be noted that training and development are mainly concerned with human resources development (HRD) for the betterment of the organisation as well as the employees as well. Basically, “HRD can be defined as a learning experience organised mainly by the employer, usually within a specified period of time, to bring about the possibility of performance improvement and or personal growth (Nadler & Nadler 1989: as cited in Swanepoel et al 1998). Thus, organizations must perceive and respond to changes in their environments and learn from their experiences to come up with effective strategies that can ensure that human resources development is in compliance with change. The importance of HRD as the means of ensuring that organisations maintain their competitiveness in the ever changing environment cannot be overemphasized. Thus, the main focus of HRD is learning and its principal aim is to attain the objectives of both the organisation and the individual and this often takes place over a certain period of time. As noted above, the main aim of HRD is the possibility of performance improvement or personal growth which is beneficial to the organisation as well as the individual employees within the organisation. HRD specifically focuses on satisfying the needs of the employer and the employee so as to ensure that there is personal growth as well as organisational growth. It is imperative that HRD should be tailored in such a manner that it fits the organisation’s strategy and structure with the aim of improving the performance of the employees who do not meet the required standards of performance. HRD is also meant to prepare the employees for future positions. This will be meant to help the employee to make better decisions and increases job satisfaction which in turn is expected to benefit the organisation. HRD is also concerned with improving interpersonal skills and to make the organisation a better place to work. All these factors are very important components of training and development initiatives which are meant to benefit both the organisation and the employees. On the job training and development can be in the form of coaching and mentoring which are all very important in motivating the employees to have a positive feeling towards their work. Mentoring is an important support tool that an organisation can use to help young inexperienced employees to develop a better understanding of the work through the guidance of an older, more experienced employee or mentor (Jackson and Schuler 2000). On the other hand, Kay and Hinds (2005) define mentoring as “a relationship between two parties who are not connected within a line management structure, in which one party (a mentor) guides the other (the mentee) through a period of change towards an agreed objective.” It is about giving help and support in a non-threatening way, in a manner that the recipient will appreciate and value and that will empower them to move forward with confidence towards what they want to achieve in the workplace. This process is also concerned with creating an informal environment in which one person can feel encouraged to discuss their needs and circumstances openly and in confidence with another person who is in a position to be of positive help to them. On the other hand, coaching is a planned one on one instruction method where a coach working with only one learner at a time sets a good example of what is to be done (Kleynhans 2006). A one on one coaching situation is suitable for training and development purposes given that there are likely chances that the employee would quickly understand the dictates of the changing environment in which their organisation would be operating and it would be hands on experience. Mentoring can also play a critical role in which an established employee in this particular case can take a leading role in guiding the development of a less-experienced worker in a bid to increase his competencies, achievement and understanding of the organisational requirements in a bid to improve its competitiveness. In essence, knowledge acquisition through training is very helpful in that it will constantly develop the skills of the employees to meet the demands of their duties at work. This would remove unnecessary fears among the employees as they would immensely benefit from the knowledge of senior and experienced workers in a cordial fashion which encourages growth of interpersonal relationship. Where there is a cordial relationship among the workers, there would be very high chances of successfully achieving the goals of the organisation as well as their personal growth (Kay and Hinds 2005). In the same vein, coaches also encourage their trainees to discuss difficult situations as they arise and work through alternative scenarios to deal with those difficult situations. The main aim will be to develop the employees so that they will be positioned to take head on the challenges they may encounter in their operations. The essence of running a business is to gain a competitive advantage over the other rival competitors while at the same time ensuring that the organisation is better positioned to achieve its goals. Thus, in both the coaching and mentoring processes, communication forms a very significant role in that it allows the parties involved to interact and have an interpersonal relationship which promotes mutual understanding between them. It can be noted that interpersonal communication is primarily concerned with linking two or more people directly where they can freely express their feelings as well as ideas and this is a viable tool of ensuring effective communication in the coaching process (Kritzinger, Bowler and Goliath 2003). There are likely chances that people would understand each other better and clearly in a face to face situation which will certainly go a long way in promoting learning which is the essence of coaching. However, regardless of the notable benefits of coaching and training discussed above, it can be noted that some organisations as well as the individuals are reluctant to invest in training. Organisations in particular are sceptical in investing in training in that it is expensive and costly to them. As noted in the discussion above, a training initiative that is not well planned is likely to perform badly. Some organisations may be struggling to meet their day to day operating costs hence they will not be better positioned to part with other financial resources if they are facing viability problems. There will be every need to motivate the employees such that they will take the training program seriously should it be implemented otherwise they may not feel to be part of the initiative which will be rather a waste of time and resources (Kay & Hinds 2005). Proper planning has to be taken into consideration the reason why other individuals will end up thinking that it will be time consuming to pull together all the resources required in ensuring that the goals of the intended program will be attained. The organisations may be reluctant to invest in training and development initiatives for fear of wasting time and resources given that there will be likely chances that the trained employees can be snatched by the other rival competitors in the industry. Some organisations may offer higher benefits in terms of remuneration as well as the other incentives related to motivation which can attract the employees from the other organisations. In the event that the organisation would have invested in training its employees and at the end of the day they will leave the organisation, it will be a great loss to that particular organisation. In some cases, it may be difficult to retain all the employees in the organisation given that they will have the freedom of movement if they are attracted by the other organisations with better incentives compared to what they will be getting at that particular moment they are lured (Amos et al 2008). Jackson & Schuler (2000) posit to the effect that other organisations as well as recruitment agencies are mainly concerned with headhunting of skilled and talented employees which makes the other organisations reluctant to invest in training and development of the employees since they can be snatched at any given moment. Given that many organisations are operating in a dynamic environment that is characterised by stiff competition, it becomes imperative for them to hunt for highly skilled employees as a way of improving their competitiveness, it is becoming increasingly tricky for the other organisations to invest in training and development of their employees as a result of the uncertainty that surrounds the decisions likely to be made by these employees once they get their training. It will be like training the employees for the other organisations which will just over high salaries as a way of luring the highly skilled people who are sought after by many organisations. In some cases, the organisational structure may make it a bit challenging for the organisation to invest in training and development of the employees. In some cases, training and developing the employees would entail that there will be need for them to be elevated to higher stages but in some cases, the organisations may not be capable of accommodating this new development which can make them reluctant to invest in training (Amos et al 2008). Under normal circumstances, an organisation should offer salaries that are commensurate with the position held within the organisation. Whilst offering training and development may be a noble idea, the employees may be reluctant to buy it because they are afraid of increasing the burden of more work on what they already have. Training and development would entail that they will need to learn more which will mean more work for them. Other people are more often comfortable with the usual way of doing things in the organisation and they will be sceptical about any changes that may affect the way they are used to operate. Such initiatives may mean that the workers will have to take additional responsibilities and tasks which they can grudgingly do which may not bring about the intended benefits. The employees may lack the motivation to undergo training and development since they may not have the autonomy to use that knowledge to make decisions in their day to day operations (Werner 2007). The employees ought to be persuaded in order to take additional tasks in the organisation so that they will feel to be part of the organisation. If all the decisions are just made by a few people on top and they are made to simply follow, them they may not be interested in learning since it will not bring them any tangible result. Over and above, it can be noted that training and development is said to be beneficial for both firms and the employees. However, some individuals as well as organisations are reluctant to invest in training and development as a result of various reasons that have been discussed above. Some of them include the following: the employers are afraid of losing money through training people who can leave the organisation for greener pastures any time, there may be little positions to cater for upgraded employees and the employees may be reluctant to go for training for fear of increasing the load of their tasks and they may not be motivated to acquire more knowledge which may not benefit them in terms of earnings. References Grobler P. Et al (2006). Human Resource Management. 3rd Edition. London. Thompson Learning. Kay D & Hinds R (2005). A practical guide to mentoring. 2nd Edition. London. How to books. 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