Learning and development (L&D) as a field of management research and practice is concerned with how individuals (individually or as groups) acquire or create knowledge and skills which enable them to perform and grow in their current or future occupational role.
Training is most often equated to learning and development in the traditional view or from a non-L&D perspective. But for employees L&D is considered much broader than the provision of training courses. Training is certainly of value to individuals and organizations, but it cannot run the complete show by any means. Training is considered instrumental and can be described in the terms of its process and effects.
Organization and individual should develop and progress simultaneously for their survival and attainment of mutual goals. So every modem management has to develop the organization through human resource development. Employee training is the important sub-system of human resource development. Employee training is a specialized function and is one of the fundamental operative functions for human resources management. Human Resources are the most important resources of any organization. Trained Employee is a priceless stone
Meaning
After an employee is selected, placed and introduced he or she must be provided with training facilities. Training is the act of increasing the knowledge and skill of an employee for doing a particular job. Training is a short-term educational process and utilizing a systematic and organized procedure by which employees learn technical knowledge and skills for a definite purpose. Dale S. Beach define the training as “… the organized procedure by which people learn knowledge and/or skill for a definite purpose.
In other words training improves, changes, moulds the employee’s knowledge, skill, behavior, aptitude, and attitude towards the requirements of the job and organization. Training refers to the teaching and learning activities carried on for the primary purpose of helping members of an organization, to acquire and apply the knowledge, skills, abilities and attitudes needed by a particular job and. organization.
Training is the art of increasing knowledge & skills of an employee for doing a particular job. (By Flippo) Training is the intentional act of providing means for learning to take place. (By Planty)
Training tries to improve skills or add to the existing level of knowledge so that the employees is better equipped to do his present job or to prepare him for a higher position with increased responsibility and are also able to cope with the pressures of a changing environment.
Training is a systematic process of changing the behavior, knowledge and attitude to bridge gap between employee characteristics and organization expectations.
Thus, training bridges the differences between job requirements and employee’s present specifications
Areas of Training
Organization provide training to their employees in the following areas
- Company Policies and Procedures: This area of training is to be provided with a view to acquainting the new employee with the Company Rules, Practices, Procedures, Tradition, Management, Organization Structure, and Environment Product! Services offered by the company etc. This acquaintance enables the new employee to adjust himself with the changing situations. Information regarding company rules and policies creates favorable attitudes of confidence in the minds of new employee about the company and its products/services, as well as it develops in him a sense of respect for the existing employees of the company and the like. The company also provides first hand information to the employee about the skills needed by the company, its development programmers, quality of products/services and the like. This enables the new employees to know his share of contribution to the organization’s growth and development. .
- Training in Specific Skills: This area of training is to enable the employee more effective on the job. The trainer trains the employee regarding. Various skills necessary to do the actual job For example, the clerk in the bank should be trained in the skills of making entries correctly in the edge, skills and arithmetical calculations, quick comparison of figures, entries and the like. Similarly, the technical officers are to be trained in the skills of project appraisal, supervision, follow-up and the like
- Human Relations Training: Human relations training assume greater significance in organizations as employees have to maintain human relations not only with other employees but also with their customers. Employees are to be trained in the areas of self-learning, interpersonal competence, group dynamics, perception, leadership styles, motivation, grievance redressal, disciplinary procedure, and the like. This training enables the employees for better team work, which leads to improved efficiency and productivity of the organization.
- Problem Solving Training: Most of the organizational problems are common to the employees dealing the same activity at different levels of the organization. Further some of the problems of different managers may have the same root cause. Hence, management may call together all managerial personnel to discuss common problems so as to arrive at effective solutions across the table. This not only helps in solving the problems but also serves as a forum for the exchange of ideas and information that could be utilized. The trainer has to organize such meetings, train and encourage the trainees to participate actively in such meetings.
- Managerial and Supervisory Training: Even the non- managers sometimes perform managerial and supervisory functions like planning, decision-making, organizing, maintaining inter-personal relations, directing and controlling. Hence, management has to train the employee in managerial and supervisory skills also.
- Apprentice Training: The Apprentice Act, 1961 requires industrial units of specified industries to provide training in basic skills and knowledge in specified trades to educated unemployed /apprentices with a view to improving their employment opportunities or to enable them to start their own industry this type of training generally ranges between one year to four years. This training is generally used for providing technical Knowledge in the areas like trades, crafts etc.
Types of Training
The companies training policy should also have the types of training company will offer after the deification of training needs
The types of training can be categorized in following ways as per the prevailing practice in industry:
- Based on Technology
- Technical training
- Non technical (soft skills training)
- Based on type of employee
- For Skilled staff
- For Semi Skilled staff
- For Unskilled employees staff
- Based on employee life cycle
- Induction Training
- In process Training
- Value Added Training
Policy for Training
Policies provide the framework within which the decision-makers are expected to operate while making decisions relating to the organization. They are a guide to the thinking and action of sub-ordinates for the purpose of achieving the objectives of the business successfully.
According to George R Terry-”Policy is a verbal, written or implied overall guide setting up boundaries that supply the general limits and directions in which managerial actions will take place.”
Further, according to Koontz and 0 ‘Donnell “Policies were identified as guides to thinking in decision-making. They assume that when decisions are made, these will fall within certain boundaries.”
From these two definitions it is clear that policies are a guide to thinking and action of those who have to make decisions. They also lay down the limits within which decisions have to be made for accomplishing the enterprise objectives. They are the basis for executive operation and provide ready answers to all questions faced in running the enterprise. Some of the example of policies are an enterprise may follow a policy of selling its products only on cash basis or may adopt a policy of employing only local people or may have a policy not to employ any person over sixty years of age.
Policy is a written Statement expressing company’s vision mission regarding training. Policy is guideline for action. A Training policy includes training needs identification process, Training budget, people to be trained and areas of training, types of training, responsibility for training. Training policy should be in align with Business strategies in past few years.
Training Need Assessment
The right identification of training needs is the most significant and crucial job for a manager. As a Manager you must also know what are various methods to training need identification.
A Needs Assessment is a systematic exploration of the way things are and the way they should be. These “things” are usually associated with organizational and/or individual performance.
WHY design and conduct a Needs Assessment? We need to consider the benefits of any Human Resource Development (HRD) intervention before we just go and do it
- What learning will be accomplished?
- What changes in behavior and performance are expected?
- Will we get them?
- What are the expected economic costs and benefits of any projected solutions?
We are often in too much of a hurry. We implement a solution, sometimes but not always the correct intervention. But we plan, very carefully and cautiously, before making most other investments in process changes and in capital and operating expenditures. We need to do the same for Human Resource Development.
The largest expense for HRD programs, by far, is attributable to the time spent by the participants in training programs, career development, and/or organization development activities. In training, costs due to lost production and travel time can be as much as 90-95% of the total program costs. Direct and indirect costs for the delivery of training are about 6% of the total cost, and design and development count for only about 1-2% of the total (2). Realistically, it makes sense to invest in an assessment of needs to make sure we are making wise investments in training and other possible interventions.
Training needs are identified on the basis of organizational analysis, job al1alysis and man analysis. Training programme, training methods and course content are to be planned on the basis of training needs. Training needs are those aspects necessary to perform the job in an organization in which employee is lacking attitude/aptitude, knowledge and skill.
Training needs = Job and Organizational requirement – Employee specifications
Training needs can be identified through identifying the organizational needs based on:
- Organizational Analysis: This includes analysis of objectives, resource utilization, environments canning and organisati0nal climate: Organizational strengths and weaknesses in different areas like accidents, excessive scrap, frequent breakage of machinery, excessive labour turn-over, market share, and other marketing areas, quality and quantity of the output, production schedule, raw materials and other production areas, personnel, finance, etc.
- Departmental analysis: Departmental strength and weakness including special problems of the department or a common problem of a group of employees like acquiring skills and knowledge in operating computer by accounting personnel.
- Job Role Analysis: This includes study of jobs/roles, design of jobs due to changes, job enlargement, and job enrichment etc.
- Manpower Analysis: Individual strengths and weaknesses in the areas of job knowledge, skills etc
Methods Used in Training Needs Assessment
Group or Organizational Analysis Individual Analysis
Organizational goal and objectives Performance appraisal
Personnel/ Skill inventories Work Sampling
Organizational climate indices Interviews
Efficiency indices Questionnaires
Exist interviews Attitude survey
MBO or work planning systems Training progress
Quality circles Rating scales
Customer survey/satisfaction data Observation of behavior
Consideration of current and projected changes
Assessment Methods The following methods are used to assess the training needs:
- Organizational requirements/weakness.
- Departmental requirements/weaknesses.
- Job specifications and employee specifications. iv. Identifying specific problems. v. Anticipating future problems.
- Management’s requests. vii. Observation.
- interviews
- Group conferences.
- Questionnaire surveys.
- Test or examinations xii. Check lists 87
- Performance Appraisal
Training Needs for Employees at different Level
