Training & Development

Meaning:

T & D is the function of HR focusing on improving the performance of individual

employees and groups in an organization.

Training involves an educational journey for developing concepts, gaining knowledge

and changing attitudes to enhance employee’s performances, ultimately contributing to
the overall organizational development.

It’s all about knowing about your present state and reaching your desirable state with
your abilities.

Training Vs Development

As such there is a visible connect between training and development. Still there are few
aspects differentiation between them on the basis of their expected outcomes.

Training and Development Process:

It’s a continuous process because for a call for continuous up gradation of knowledge,
skill and Quality of work. Changing business scenarios across globe & sectors and
technological revolutions like Cloud computing, Artificial Intelligence coming in,
companies need to focus of their employees training and development activities and
chart.

The basic steps of Training and development process are:

1. Identifying and determining individual and teams training and development needs

2. Establishing clear cut objectives & goals be achieved

3. Selecting training methods

4. Conducting and delivering training & development programs for employees

5. Evaluating the output & performance post T & D sessions, with continuous monitoring
and feedback for any changes or requirement of further training

Importance of Training and Development:

The current market scenario with changing business environments and competition do
strengthen the role of human resource of any organization as capital providing them
with competitive advantage. Hence, continuous learning and picking up skills becomes
a necessity. In continuation to the above sentence, the importance of training and
development are as follow:

• Provide best possible use (optimum utilization) of human resources

• Increase employees productivity and level of motivation
• Inculcate team spirit and develop team management
• Develop Organizational culture
• Develop Time Management and leadership skills
• Improve Safety and quality dimension at workplace
• Improve employee morale
• Enhance Corporate image
• Contribute to overall profitability

Benefits / Advantages of Training and Development:

• The benefits of training are not restricted to an individual only, but also to the
organization
• they work in, as well as to various inter and intra group relations along with policy
implementation.
• Benefits to Organization:
• Improved organizational efficiency and productivity
• Identifying & Reducing / eliminating operational bottle necks
• Creation of learning Organization
• Provide best possible use (optimum utilization) of human resources
• Increase employees productivity and level of motivation
• Inculcate team spirit and develop team management
• Develop Organizational culture
• Develop Time Management and leadership skills
• Improve Safety and quality dimension at workplace
• Improve employee morale
• Enhance Corporate image
• Contribute to overall profitability

Benefits / Advantages of Training and Development:

• The benefits of training are not restricted to an individual only, but also to the
organization
• they work in, as well as to various inter and intra group relations along with policy
implementation.

Benefits to Organization:

• Improved organizational efficiency and productivity

• Identifying & Reducing / eliminating operational bottle necks
• Creation of learning Organization
• Profit Orientated attitude
• Enhanced job knowledge and skill at various levels of organization
 • Organizational goal communication
• Enhanced Corporate Image
• Climate of trust and openness
• Boss and sub-ordinate relationship development
• Supports in Organizational Development
• Idea generation from trainees
• Recheck of organizational policy
• Better prepared for decision making & problem solving
• Developing leadership skills
• Move towards better QWL
• Reduction of cost in various organizational domains
• Develop sense of organizational commitment
• Foster Organizational citizenship
• Improve labour management relationship
• Organizational culture development
• Support Organizational communication
• Preparing organization to face uncertainties and changes
• Aid in conflict management (ultimately reducing stress and tension)
• Benefits to Individuals (Employees):
• Develop new skills (for better decision and solving)
• Increase in knowledge base
• Enhanced individual productivity & efficiency
• Escalating motivation and morale
• Setting up career aspiration and ambitions (preparation for promotion and
growth)
• Source of reward and recognition
• Decision to stay back or move to other organization (in case of no/ improper
• training)
• Preparedness for handling stress, conflict, tension and frustration.
• Enhanced communication (relationship development)

successful training needs analysis will identify those who need training and what kind of
training is needed. It is counter-productive to offer training to individuals who do not
need it or to offer the wrong kind of training. A Training Needs Analysis helps to put the
training resources to good use.

Identifying training and development needs

Many needs assessments are available for use in different employment contexts. Sources
that can help you determine which needs analysis is appropriate for your situation are
described below.
 • Organizational Analysis. An analysis of the business needs or other reasons
the training is desired. An analysis of the organization's strategies, goals, and
objectives. What is the organization overall trying to accomplish? The important
questions being answered by this analysis are who decided that training should
be conducted, why a training program is seen as the recommended solution to a
business problem, what the history of the organization has been with regard to
employee training and other management interventions.
• Person Analysis. Analysis dealing with potential participants and instructors
involved in the process. The important questions being answered by this analysis
are who will receive the training and their level of existing knowledge on the
subject, what is their learning style, and who will conduct the training. Do the
employees have required skills? Are there changes to policies, procedures,
software, or equipment that require or necessitate training?
• Work analysis / Task Analysis. Analysis of the tasks being performed. This is
an analysis of the job and the requirements for performing the work. Also known
as a task analysis or job analysis, this analysis seeks to specify the main duties
and skill level required. This helps ensure that the training which is developed will
include relevant links to the content of the job.
• Performance Analysis. Are the employees performing up to the established
standard? If performance is below expectations, can training help to improve this
performance? Is there a Performance Gap?
• Content Analysis. Analysis of documents, laws, procedures used on the job.
This analysis answers questions about what knowledge or information is used on
this job. This information comes from manuals, documents, or regulations. It is
important that the content of the training does not conflict or contradict job
requirements. An experienced worker can assist (as a subject matter expert) in
determining the appropriate content.
• Training Suitability Analysis. Analysis of whether training is the desired
solution. Training is one of several solutions to employment problems. However, it
may not always be the best solution. It is important to determine if training will
be effective in its usage.
• Cost-Benefit Analysis. Analysis of the return on investment (ROI) of training.
Effective training results in a return of value to the organization that is greater
than the initial investment to produce or administer the training.

How do you design a training program?

Training programs are created by companies to improve the skillset of workers. These programs
can range from customer service, improving computer skills, safety and quality assurance etc.
Training programs can take place in a classroom setting or online.

Due to the vast amount of training programs available, these can be tailored in order to meet an
organisation’s needs and ensure employees obtain all the information required. Not only are
training programs a great way to ensure your employees are kept up-to-date, but well run
programs can help to attract talented staff and boost retention rates. Training programs need to
be planned and implemented strategically as the last thing a company wants is unhelpful or
unclear training that could confuse or demotivate staff. With that said, here are a few key steps
to designing your training program:

Designing an effective training program

Step 1 - Assess training needs – The main thing to find out as a company is what employees
need to be trained on. As training programs can be developed for various different reasons, it is
crucial to know what would be most beneficial to improve the performance and knowledge of
employees.

Step 2 - Develop learning objectives – Training objectives keep employees focused, and
helps to ensure that individuals are working towards the same goal within the program. This
makes it easier for individuals to achieve the desired results.

Step 3 - Design training materials – Designing training programs is important as although you
may know what you would like to include, it helps to determine correct placement and the best
way to deliver the programs. A few questions to ask yourself: are the resources ready? What is
the most efficient way to deliver the training program? Will my employees understand the
training that I am providing? Will they remember what has been said in training?

Step 4 - Conduct the training – Once the program has been created, it is time to implement
the training. It is also important to know how to deliver the training. Current employees should
be made aware of the new training program, why they need to do it and how it can help the
business.

Step 6 - Evaluate the training – Once the training program has been delivered, it is a good
idea to check the progress and evaluate the training session that you have provided. This could
be in the form of a survey that is sent to employees where they can anonymously provide
feedback. This is a great source of knowledge, as if there are points within the training that need
changing, these parts can be amended to improve future learning.

Competency-Based Training
Competency-based training is a type of employee training that focuses on specific
skills or competencies. In this learning system, learners must demonstrate the
required knowledge and skills (competency) on a topic or task before advancing to
the next level.

Here, training is broken down into small units, each focusing on a single key skill.
If you think you can do it, that’s confidence. If you do it, that’s competence. – Morris
Code
For example, you can train your learners using modules in an online course. Each
module focuses on a specific competency. Learners need to master it and meet
course objectives first before moving to the next related and usually more advanced
topic.

Fast learners and those with prior experience will gain competency quicker than
newbies and slow learners.

After completing a course, learners receive certificates or other forms of recognition

for their qualifications.
This type of training is also known as outcome-based training or skills-based
training. It’s tied to a certain outcome or skill acquisition that learners are expected
to make at the end of a course. They must demonstrate an ability to perform a task
following such training programs.

Advantages of Competency-Based Training

No human being will work hard at anything unless they believe that they are working
for competence. – William Glasser

Some of the advantages or benefits of a competency-based training model are as

follows:
• Identification of skill gaps so you can provide targeted training
• Personalized development plans for employees based on their learning
needs
• Cost-efficiency as it focuses on specific skills and participants unlike large-
scale training programs
• Availability of relevant training materials since CBT is designed around a
specific skill or competency
• Less overwhelming for learners as they don’t have to learn multiples things
at a time
• Better knowledge retention as learners remain focused on a specific skill
area
• A better way to identify employees for promotion & succession plans
• An effective way to map career paths
• Lower turnover due to continuous employee training & development
Limitations of Competency-Based Training

CBT has its share of limitations or weaknesses. They are worth knowing before you
implement this training type in your organization.
• It focuses on an organization’s immediate needs without considering the
uncertain future situations.
• It doesn’t suit skill areas such as leadership & management, where
knowledge and competencies keep evolving rapidly.
• The training itself won’t cut it without follow-up assistance for employees.
• The training will remain ineffective if the process of identifying existing
competencies in employees is poor.
• When you rely on a single material for CBT and do not utilize a combination
of courses, guides, knowledge base, checklists, mentoring, and coaching, it
wouldn’t be truly competency-based.
• CBT may not fit into the learning styles and preferences of some learners.
• Since there’s no fixed timeframe for mastering competency, it may lead to
procrastination among learners.
• It neglects social learning since participants will be learning their
individuals’ skills in their own way.

Role-Based Training
Role-based training is a must-have component of your employee
training program. It’s a perfect way to introduce new hires to their
responsibilities or expand existing employees’ capabilities in their
roles.

Role-based training is a set of learning activities focused on

equipping employees with the specific knowledge and skills needed
to excel at their jobs.
Benefits of Role-Based Training

Role-based training has a lot of benefits for both employers and

employees. Here are the most significant ones.

1.Higher training ROI and reduced ramp-up time for new

employees
Often, companies rely on in-person training when onboarding new hires.
This approach is counter-productive when you hire at scale. Your
operative management gets too involved in micromanaging new
employees, which hurts your organizational efficiency.

By including a standard training plan for different roles in your employee

onboarding process, you’ll reduce the time needed to introduce new
hires to their roles and, therefore, increase your training ROI.

2. Improves problem-solving skills

One of the biggest problems for every manager is working with people
who aren’t proactive in problem-solving. They require constant
attention and guidance in making daily work decisions, taking a lot of
time from their direct supervisors and colleagues.

The sad truth is it’s difficult to find candidates with excellent problem-
solving skills. But you can help your employees gain these skills through
role-based training.

Since role-based training is very practical, it helps employees navigate

real-life situations and solve problems more effectively. Employees
won’t need to turn to supervisors or reinvent the wheel when they need
to make decisions or address unexpected issues.
3. Creates higher engagement

Nobody feels excited about learning something they’ll never apply in

their life. This is why, it is important to include only the most relevant
learning activities in your employee training plans.

Knowing they’re gaining skills they’ll practice at work every day (or
every other day), your staff will be more involved in the training process
and feel more motivated to complete it successfully.

4. Cost-effective

Ineffective training not only hurts employee motivation but also costs
you a lot of money. It wastes the time of managers and learners — and
your know that time is money.

Role-specific training — especially when standardized and documented

— is incredibly cost-effective. Once you implement it, you won’t need
to spend much time supervising and micromanaging new hires. Also,
when being informed on how to act in different situations, your
employees will avoid many costly mistakes in the future.

5. Identifies employee strengths and weaknesses

Treat your training program as a simulator for real-life scenarios. You

can use it to discover your new and existing hires’ potential and oversee
their development.

By monitoring how your employees progress through role-based

training, you can determine their strengths and weaknesses and
personalize learning paths or adjust work assignments accordingly.
6. Direct and personalized

When tailored to employees’ skills and proficiency, role-based training

offers personalized learning experiences that have a much higher
impact on employee development than general training.

7. Anticipates and fills skills gaps

Not only does role-based training help you onboard new hires, but it’s
also an effective way to fill skills gaps. Whenever you need to implement
new technology or processes, you can run skill-specific training and
help your employees successfully navigate the change.

8. Creates a culture of accountability

Well-trained employees show high levels of ownership of their daily

tasks and voluntarily assume responsibility for making decisions and
resolving problems. It’s much easier to entrust projects to self-
motivated, accountable individuals and achieve positive business
outcomes.

9. Prevents information overload

Information overload is what happens when you provide learners with

too much information at one time. And when there are too many things
to remember, it’s hard to memorize anything at all. Role-specific training
presented in digestible chunks improves information memorability and
avoids over-training.
 Evaluating Training Effectiveness
The most common model for analyzing and evaluating the results of education
training and development programs is the Kirkpatrick Model, developed by
Donald Kirkpatrick in 1995 for his Ph.D. dissertation. [1] The model consists of
four levels, including the following:

• Level 1: Reaction—Measures how participants react to the training. A

common method of determining this is a post-training survey.
• Level 2: Learning—Assess what the employee learned from the
training. Learning can be evaluated by post-tests or demonstration of
the knowledge, skill or ability.
• Level 3: Behavior—Are participants using what they learned? This
might be assessed by observation or management evaluations.
• Level 4: Results—What is the organizational impact? For example, was
there an increase in productivity, in project management or management
effectiveness?

The way to use this model is not moving from Level 1–Level 4 as it is often taught,
but in the reverse order. As LinkedIn Learning Instructor Jeff Toister advises: “Start
at level four and identify the results you want to achieve, then work backward to level
three to think about what participants need to do on the job to achieve those results,
and so on. This will make it easier to connect the training to organizational
goals.”[2] Toister’s recommendation is echoed in an image that notes that by moving
from Level 1–Level 4, ROI is an afterthought; flipping the sequence puts the
emphasis on the business results; that is ROI is designed in at the start.[3]
In his “The Best Way to Use the Kirkpatrick Model” blog post on the LinkedIn
Learning Blog, Paul Petrone notes that there are other models—all with their
strengths and weaknesses—but that “it’s not so much what model you choose, but
instead how well you execute it.”[4]

Training Process Outsourcing

Training outsourcing is also known as learning or training business
process outsourcing (BPO) or managed learning services.
Training outsourcing involves hiring external organisations to manage and
deliver training programmes for your employees. Here are 10
strong reasons why businesses choose to outsource their training
activities:
1. Expertise and specialisation:
Training outsourcing allows you to leverage the expertise of
specialised training providers. These organisations often have
experienced trainers, instructional designers, and technology
infrastructure dedicated to delivering effective training
programmes.
 2. Cost efficiency:
Outsourcing training can be more cost-effective than maintaining
an in-house training department. It eliminates the need for
investing in training facilities, technology, and hiring and training
full-time staff.
3. Focus on core competencies:
Outsourcing training enables your organisation to concentrate
on its core competencies and strategic objectives. By leaving
training to experts, you free up internal resources to focus on
activities that directly contribute to your business’s success.
4. Scalability and flexibility:
Training needs can vary based on business cycles, industry
changes, or expansion. Outsourcing provides the flexibility to
scale training programmes up or down based on your current
requirements without the fixed costs associated with maintaining
an in-house team.
5. Access to latest technologies:
Training outsourcing providers often invest in the latest
technologies and methodologies to deliver more effective training
programmes. This ensures that your employees benefit from the
latest and most effective learning technologies.
6. Global reach:
For businesses with a global footprint, training outsourcing can
provide consistency in training content and delivery across different
locations. This is particularly important for maintaining uniform
standards and ensuring compliance with local regulations in
different regions.
7. Reduced administrative burden:
Managing training programmes internally involves administrative
tasks such as scheduling, tracking attendance, and reporting.
Outsourcing these functions reduces the administrative burden on
your internal staff, allowing them to focus on strategic activities.
8. Quick deployment:
Training outsourcing providers are often equipped to quickly deploy
training programmes, especially in the case of urgent or time-
sensitive training needs. This agility can be crucial in responding to
rapidly changing business environments.
9. Quality assurance:
Reputable training outsourcing providers are committed to
 maintaining high-quality standards. They often have quality
assurance measures in place, including ongoing evaluation and
improvement of training content and delivery methods.
10. Risk mitigation:
Training outsourcing can help mitigate risks associated with changes
in regulations, compliance requirements, or industry standards.
Professional training providers stay informed about these changes
and can adjust compliance related training
programmes accordingly.

Management development

Management development is a process used to create effective managers. A

manager is anyone who works between the executive and entry-level personnel
within an organization and helps those people perform labor to ensure the
company reaches its goals. Management development programs usually enable
managers to enhance their existing skills, such as resolving conflicts and
communicating with others.There are both internal and external management
development programs. A company might implement an internal management
development program by providing individual mentorship, instruction from
a human resources department representative or management assignments
for new or experienced managers to complete on-site. External management
development might include conferences, seminars or even university graduate
programs.

Importance of management development

Management development is important because it helps those who are new
to management positions understand what the job entails and gain the
necessary soft skills and interpersonal knowledge. It's also important for
experienced managers because it can teach them new ideas in workplace
management and remind them of other techniques to use. Here are some
additional benefits of management development:

• More effective communication: Management development can help

new and existing managers learn better ways to connect with their
coworkers and report to their supervisors.
 • Motivated team members: This process can make managers more
effective at empathizing with their team members and providing the
motivation and incentive that teams need to succeed.
• Cost-efficient leadership: When an organization promotes managers
from within the company, it can save itself the cost of hiring and training
new managers.
• Wide knowledge of company policies: Providing management
development for existing managers can keep everyone updated on
company expectations, the workplace culture and any new policies.
• Long-term management availability: A company with a robust
management development program can better ensure that it has
knowledgeable and effective managers in the long term.

Key principles of management development

Here are some of the key principles of management development:

Knowledge, skills and abilities development

Many management development programs share the idea that the main
aspects of a team member's value are their abilities, skills and knowledge. They
consider abilities to be innate, meaning individuals are responsible for
improving their own capabilities, which can vary based on the person.
Development programs instead focus on building skills and knowledge.

Personal process
Management development depends on individuals being willing to develop
their management skills. For this type of program to be effective, participants
need to track and be accountable for their own progress. An effective
management development program must also recognize and adapt to each
participant's individual skills and abilities.

Time investment
A successful management development program works to improve skills and
knowledge over the long term, rather than the short term. Some programs may
implement this principle with regular class education sessions over a longer
period of time, while other programs may involve less or no classwork but have
longer projects or check-ins with mentors. A program with a longer timeline
allows participants to implement the ideas they learn and potentially remember
the concepts better.

Organized process
An important principle of management development programs, particularly
programs in larger companies, is an organized approach. This type of program
provides specific objectives, paths and accomplishments for each participant,
rather than encouraging managers to learn individually. Having a set plan
allows participants to know exactly what to expect from the program.

Career Development

Career development is the series of activities in an on-going/lifelong process of developing

one’s career which includes defining new goals regularly and acquiring skills to achieve
them. Career development usually refers to managing one’s career in an intra-organizational
or inter-organizational scenario. It involves training on new skills, moving to higher job
responsibilities, making a career change within the same organization, moving to a different
organization or starting one’s own business.
Career development is directly linked to the goals and objectives set by an individual. It
starts with self-actualization and self-assessment of one’s interests and capabilities. The
interests are then matched with the available options.
The individual needs to train himself to acquire the skills needed for the option or career
path chosen by him. Finally, after acquiring the desired competency, he has to perform to
achieve the goals and targets set by him.
Career development is directly linked to an individual’s growth and satisfaction and hence
should be managed by the individual and not left to the employer. Career development helps
an individual grow not only professionally but also personally. Learning new skills like
leadership, time management, good governance, communication management, team
management etc. also help an employee develop and shape their career.
5 Steps of Career Development
There are various steps or stages in a person's overall career development:
1. Self Assessment
The first step in career development is the self assessment which means that the
individual has to assess oneself on the kind of career and growth one wants and
what kind of skills and interests are there.
2. Career Awareness
This stage is when an individual explores various career paths which align with the
self assessment done in the first step. Career awareness can be how a person can
explore various domains and types of jobs/work available
3. Goal Setting
This is the most important step in career development because this is where one
defines clear short term and long term goals to meet the career one aspires. Both
short term and long term goals need to be defined to begin with.
Short team goals would be more actionable but long term goals can be changed or
tweaked as per the growth.
4. Skill Training
Once the career and goals are set, one needs to acquire the right skills to achieve
the growth. Skill training can be done through self training or joining a structured
training program online or offline.
Once the right skills are acquired, one can start the final stage.
5. Performing
With all the right knowledge and skills, the important part is to perform the tasks and
jobs in the career successfully to grow in the career path.
The 5 steps are part of an ongoing process. Many times in a career, the person
would need to revisit the cycle to get the right career growth.

Importance of Career Development

Every employee working in an organization is looking for a career development
which moves in the right direction. Career path taken by an employee determines
the growth. Career should be planned in a way that it moves forward.

Career development provides the framework with skills, goals, awareness,

assessment and performance which helps an individual to move in the right
direction and achieve the goals one has in one's career. Careful career planning is
always useful for individuals to succeed professionally and also helps to boost
employee motivation in the organization.
Career Development Strategies
The development of an individual's career is driven by several factors. Strategies to
improve someone's career can be driven either by the company through
organization development or by the individual himself or herself. Some strategies of
career development are as following.

1. By Companies

Training and development by companies can help in employees learn new skills.
Companies help in providing leadership development, management development
etc. This is all done through employee training sessions or developmental
counselling. Employee development in the long run helps in career development.

2. By Employees

Individuals can themselves boost their own career. This is done through constant
evaluation of their skills using techniques like continuing professional development.

Continuous and repetitive efforts can help in the career development for an
employee.
Career Development Example
Imagine a person working in an organization in delivery department. The
responsibilities include delivery packages and picking up return requests. Over time
after becoming and expert the person decided to learn order management and
starts training for it within the organization and learns the skills. He takes a role in
another organization and enters the order management and delivery domain hence
rising in the career.

Few years in the role, the person understand the supply chain management and
warehouse management quite well and in the same organization moves as a
manager in the supply chain department and keeps acquiring more skills in the
SCM department. This is an example of how a person can develop career over the
years by acquiring new skills through experience and training and can move to
different roles within the organization or with other organizations.