Training and Development - Getting the bigger bang for your bucks
Author: Chris Lloyd
Have you ever wondered why your investment in training and development doesn’t always deliver the expected improvements to the business bottom line, and in some instances actually makes it worse?
There are many potential reasons for this connected with the training process itself. Examples include poor Training Needs Analysis (TNA) at the onset, and lack of support/coaching to enable the individual to practice their new skills and knowledge on their return to work until it becomes part of their “tool kit”.
I believe that there are a further two key elements, connected with this conundrum that has nothing to do with the training process….
The first of these, business leaders have directly within their control. This is to be clear where they need to take the business over the next three to five years and to communicate that vision.
Naturally this wouldn’t be written in “tablets of stone”. Circumstances and requirements change, and therefore the direction needs to be reviewed on a regular basis. However, the ability to describe the business direction as accurately as possible in a way that management and individuals can relate to is a significant step forward.
I wouldn’t expect this to be a complicated document, as it would be easy at this stage for it to get unwieldy and too difficult for employees to understand, and as a result not much would get done. A few simple clear statements help to create understanding.
The second key element is to develop targets that support the business direction. The targets must be must be made tangible and as part of the on-going activity, progress against these targets must be monitored. If the targets themselves are regularly reviewed this will to enable further tweaking of the business tiller when and where necessary.
In summary there is an opportunity to make a real difference to the way companies and individuals are managed by introducing a performance management system.
To do this successfully will require all of the management team to be coached in the process so that they are confident of delivering the activity consistently and fairly. Failure to do this can lead to the whole system falling into disrepute and being abandoned.
The person whose contribution will be reviewed must also be coached, bearing in mind that some of the managers will also find themselves in this position. This will allow the individuals to understand:
- How the contribution required from them over the next twelve months will be communicated through targets.
- How they can monitor their progress towards their targets (record keeping etc)
- How to prepare fully for their own performance review (recording at the time significant events/issues)
Oh and by the way, at this point there may be the need for some additional activity to support the business direction and develop the individual’s current capabilities to help them both achieve the targets.
This can include:
- Providing the individual with further skills/knowledge to become competent in their current role
- Providing additional skills to deal with new equipment/IT systems etc
- Providing skills/knowledge required due to future changes in operations, regulations or legal requirements.
- The organisation considering succession planning/ promotion issues
- Providing managers with people skills/coaching tools etc.
The possibilities are endless, but by doing the “up front” analysis and subsequent development of the employees you are in with a better chance of getting a “bigger bang” for any expenditure on staff development.
The following diagram shows how the two activities fit together;
