subject: Training & development techniques in the current context [print this page] Training & development techniques in the current context
"I hated every minute of Training, but I said, ''Don't Quit
Suffer now and live the rest of your life as a Champion!"
- Muhammad Ali (Olympic Champion)
The role of the Human Resource function is changing at a blurring pace in the contemporary business environment. And with this change, the relationship between the training function and other management activity is also changing. The training and development activities are now equally important with that of other HR functions. Training and Development (T&D) can be the most important HRM function to treat people well and increase the competitive power for the organizations.
What is Training?
Training refers to improving competencies needed by professionals today or in the near future.
Training is a learning process that involves the acquisition of knowledge, sharpening of skills, concepts, rules, or changing of attitudes and behaviors to enhance the performance of employees. Training is activity leading to skilled behavior.
It is a subsystem of an organization. It ensures that randomness is reduced and learning or behavioural change takes place in structured format.
Development, on the other hand is a more long-term perspective of bringing about a permanent change in the skills and attitudes of the person and grooming the professional for a larger role in the late future.
Approaches to Training and Development
n Traditional approach: Most of the organizations before never used to believe in training. They were holding the traditional view that managers are born and not made. There were also some views that training is a very costly affair and not worth. Organizations used to believe more in executive pinching.
n Modern approach: It is that Indian Organizations have realized the importance of corporate training. Training is now considered as more of retention tool than a cost. The training system in Indian Industry has been changed to create a smarter workforce and yield the best results.
Importance of Training & Development
Optimum Utilization of Human Resources Training and Development helps in optimizing the utilization of human resource that further helps the employee to achieve the organizational goals as well as their individual goals.
Development of Human Resources Training and Development helps to provide an opportunity and broad structure for the development of human resources' technical and behavioral skills in an organization. It also helps the employees in attaining personal growth.
Development of skills of employees Training and Development helps in increasing the job knowledge and skills of employees at each level. It helps to expand the horizons of human intellect and an overall personality of the employees.
Productivity Training and Development helps in increasing the productivity of the employees that helps the organization further to achieve its long-term goal.
Team spirit Training and Development helps in inculcating the sense of team work, team spirit, and inter-team collaborations. It helps in inculcating the zeal to learn within the employees.
Organization Culture Training and Development helps to develop and improve the organizational health culture and effectiveness. It helps in creating the learning culture within the organization.
Organization Climate Training and Development helps building the positive perception and feeling about the organization. The employees get these feelings from leaders, subordinates, and peers.
Quality Training and Development helps in improving upon the quality of work and work-life.
Healthy work environment Training and Development helps in creating the healthy working environment. It helps to build good employee, relationship so that individual goals aligns with organizational goal.
Health and Safety Training and Development helps in improving the health and safety of the organization thus preventing obsolescence.
Morale Training and Development helps in improving the morale of the work force.
Image Training and Development helps in creating a better corporate image.
Profitability Training and Development leads to improved profitability and more positive attitudes towards profit orientation.
Training and Development aids in organizational development i.e. Organization gets more effective decision making and problem solving. It helps in understanding and carrying out organizational policies
Methods of Training
There are various methods of training, which can be divided in to cognitive and behavioral methods. Trainers need to understand the pros and cons of each method, also its impact on trainees keeping their background and skills in mind before giving training.
n Cognitive Methods
Cognitive methods are more of giving theoretical training to the trainees. The various methods under Cognitive approach provide the rules for how to do something, written or verbal information, demonstrate relationships among concepts, etc.
FOCUSES- changes in knowledge and attitude by learning.
n Behavioral Methods
Behavioral methods are more of giving practical training to the trainees. The various methods in this allows the trainee to behavior in a real fashion
These methods are best used for skill development.
Methods of Cognitive Training
n LECTURES
- This method is used to create understanding of a topic or to influence behavior, attitudes through lecture.
- A lecture can be in printed or oral form.
- Lecture is given to enhance the knowledge of listener or to give him the theoretical aspect of a topic.
- It is difficult to imagine training without lecture format.
- There are some variations in Lecture method.
- The variation here means that some forms of lectures are interactive while some are not.
n DEMONSTRATION
- This method is a visual display of how something works or how to do something.
- Example: The trainer shows the trainees how to perform or how to do the tasks of the job.
- Helps the focusing their attention on critical aspects of the task
n DISCUSSION METHOD
- This method uses a lecturer to provide the learners with context that is supported, elaborated, explains, or expanded on through interactions both among the trainees and between the trainer and the trainees.
- Discussion method is a two-way flow of communication
- Knowledge in the form of lecture is communicated to trainees. Then understanding is conveyed back by trainees to trainer.
n COMPUTER BASED TRAINING (CBT)
- Providing training to employees through Intranet or Internet.
- CBT does not require face-to-face interaction with a human trainer.
Benefits of CBT are:
* It Reduces Cost of Training
* Provides Instructional Consistency
* Reduces Trainee Learning Time
* Increases Access to Training
*Affords Privacy of Learning
* Allows the Trainee to Master Learning
Methods of Behavioral Training
n GAMES & SIMULATIONS
- Game is defined as spirited activity or exercise in which trainees compete with each other according to the defined set of rules.
- Simulation is creating computer versions of real-life games.
- It is about imitating or making judgment or opining how events occur in a real situation.
n BUSINESS GAMES
- These are based on the set of rules, procedures, plans, relationships, principles derived from the research.
- In business games, trainees are given some information that describes a particular situation and are then asked to make decisions that will best suit in the favour of the company.
n ROLE PLAYS
- Role play is a simulation in which each participant is given a role to play.
- Information is given to Trainees related to:
Description of the role
Concerns
Objectives
Responsibilities
Emotions, etc.
Then, a general description of the situation, and the problem that each one of them faces, is given.example,
Situation could be strike in factory,
Managing conflict between two parties
Scheduling vacation days, etc.
n IN-BASKET TECHNIQUES
- In this technique, trainee is given some information about the role to be played such as, description, responsibilities, general context about the role.
- The trainee is then given the log of materials that make up the in-basket and asked to respond to materials within a particular time period.
- After all the trainees complete in-basket, a discussion with the trainer takes place.
n CASE STUDIES
- The trainee is given with some written material, and the some complex situations of a real or imaginary organization.
MANAGEMENT DEVELOPMENT
The more future oriented method and more concerned with education of the employees. To become a better performer by education implies that management development activities attempt to install sound reasoning processes.
Parts of Management Development
n ON THE JOB TRAINING:
The development of a manager's abilities can take place on the job.
n OFF THE JOB TRAINING:
There are many management development techniques that an employee can take in off the job.
On The Job Training
n COACHING
- Coaching is one of the training methods, which is considered as a corrective method for inadequate performance.
- Coaching is the best training plan
- It is one-to-one interaction
- It can be done on phone, meetings, through mails, chat etc.
n MENTORING
- Mentoring is an ongoing relationship that is developed between a senior and junior employee.
- Mentoring provides guidance and clear understanding of how the organization goes to achieve its vision and mission to the junior employee.
n JOB ROTATION
- This approach allows the manger to operate in diverse roles and understand the different issues that crop up.
- It is the process of preparing employees at a lower level to replace someone at the next higher level.
n JOB INSTRUCTION TECHNIQUE (JIT)
- Job Instruction Technique (JIT) uses a strategy with focus on knowledge (factual and procedural), skills and attitudes development.
Off the Job Training
n SENSITIVITY TRAINING
- Sensitivity training is about making people understand about themselves and others reasonably, which is done by developing in them social sensitivity and behavioural flexibility.
n TRANSACTIONAL ANALYSIS
- Transactional Analysis provides trainees with a realistic and useful method for Analysing and understanding the behavior of others.
- In every social interaction, there is a motivation provided by one person and a reaction to that motivation given by another person. This motivation-reaction relationship between two persons is a transaction.
n LECTURES
- Lecture is given to enhance the knowledge of listener or to give him the theoretical aspect of a topic.
- Training is basically incomplete without lecture.
Conclusion
Hence, it can be said that Training is about knowing where you stand at present, no matter how good or bad the current situation looks, and where you will be after some point of time. And all the techniques of Training and Development are different means towards achieving those ends for the organization.
The better trained the employees of any industry will be, the better would be its productivity.
