Benefits and challenges of training and development
Benefits of training and development
Training and development act as a motivator for employees. This can be justified through motivational theories such as Hergberg’s two factor theory and Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. According to Hergberg’s two factor theory, training and development act as a motivator resulting in advancement and growth. Therefore, the theory suggests that when employees are motived, it leads to job satisfaction (Carson, 2005). Further, as per Maslow’s hierarchy of needs (Figure 01), training and development addresses physiological, social and fulfillment needs of an individual (Ganta, 2014). Induction training sessions meet physiological needs as they prepare employees to the job and familiarize them with their job roles. Trainings designed to enhance communication skills, public speaking and team cohesiveness meet social needs of the employees. Leadership programs to prepare highly skilled employees to their next role as part of succession planning meets fulfillment needs of the employees. Highly motivated employees will develop affective commitment to the organization by developing emotional attachment as they feel value and their contribution to the organizational success is important and the expected benefits of the training act as motivator (Tharenou, 2001).
Figure 01: Application of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs to workplace
Source: Ozguner et. al, 2014
With
reference to Cooper and Marshall, career development is one of the five
stressors (Johnson et. al, 2005). Therefore, when employees are under or over
promoted, they undergo stress which eventually affect organizational performance.
It is essential that organizations provide career development opportunities
through training and development. For instance, the training opportunities at
Seylan Bank PLC helped 131 employees to advance their career with promotions in
FY2020 (Seylan, 2020). When employees are given opportunities to advance and
grow, they become highly skilled and motivated (Agboola, et. al, 2020). This
promotes a positive organizational climate. A positive organizational climate
positively influences employee perceptions on HR practices, Key Performance
Indicators (KPIs) also known as targets and organizational objectives thus
enhancing organizational performance (Ahmad et. al, 2018).
Challenges of training and development
With different theories suggesting different factors for motivation, there is no single theory that points universal needs (Fowler, 2014). The challenges to training and development can be reviewed from three dimensions: HR professionals, line managers and employees/learners.
The challenges posed by HR professionals in implementing training and development include identifying training needs, who delivers the content of the training, who develops the training, how to standardize training when the workforce includes multicultural and generational dynamics (Effront Learning, 2020). Rapid changes in technology and business environment can leave the training and development team less time to prepare adequate training materials. Scheduling the training program also is a difficult task as employees are expected to stay away from during this time and it may lead to loss of productivity (Dixit, 2017). Training sessions are expensive, therefore ineffective design can lead to loss. If the training and development programs fail to address individual needs of learners, then it may contribute towards demotivation and employee turnover (Dixit, 2017).
The challenges posed by managers are that line managers view production output more important than supporting training and development activities and fail to provide adequate support for employees to transfer learning to the workplace (Abdullah, 2009). Lack of physical, social and psychological conditions to support employees can discourage them to acquire new skills or knowledge.
The
challenges to training and development posed by employees are that they
demonstrate pessimistic attitudes. Studies have identified that employees have
demonstrated lack of commitment to training and development and it is almost
impossible to achieve full attendance for in-house training programs (Abdullah,
2009). The main reason behind pessimistic attitudes is that employees resist
change.
References
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Agboola, O., Aremu,
M., O., Eze, B., U. & Wahab, N., O. (2020). Effect of Training and Career
Development on Bank Employees’ Performance: Evidence from Selected Banks in
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Carson, C., M.
(2005). A historical view of Douglas McGregor’s Theory Y. Management Decision.
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(2020). What are the most common training challenges and how do successful
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Agreed with you Sathaharan,to survive in current competitive market & to achieve short term & long term financial performance, all organization should invest for better training & developments strategies, there is imperative need to effectively manage training and development programmes(Nda & Fard,2013).
ReplyDeleteAgreed, The importance of employee development and training programs is growing for the organizations pursuing to receive an advantage among competitors. Employees are the valuable resource of the organization and the success or failure of the organization relies on the performance of employees. Therefore, organizations are investing a large amount of funds in employee training and development programs (Jehanzeb and Bashir, 2013).
ReplyDeleteAgreed with you Sathaharan, The success of organizations is however dependent on its knowledgeable, skilled as well as experienced workforce. Therefore, in order to maintain sustainability, organizations must see continuous employee training and development as invaluable. Training and development is very essential at all employee levels, due to the reason that skills erode and become obsolete over a period of time and has to be replenished (Nda & Fard, 2013).
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteAgree with you. Aguinis and Kraiger (2009) propose below factors to maximize the benefits of training
ReplyDelete1. paying attention to needs assessment and pre-training states of trainees (e.g., trainee motivation)
2. training design and delivery (e.g., advantages of using error training)
3. training evaluation (e.g.,documenting training success differently depending on the stakeholder in question)
4. transfer of training (i.e., the importance of interpersonal factors).
Yes Sathaharan, its a quite a changeling but Culture is learned over a period of time. Schein (1984) stated that there are two ways in which this learning takes place.
ReplyDelete*First, the trauma model, in which members of the organization learn to cope with some threat by the erection of defense mechanisms.
*Second, the positive reinforcement model, where things that seem to work
become embedded and entrenched.
Agreed, Today most of the companies are investing a lot of money on the training and development of employees in order to remain competitive and successful part of the organization. The importance of training for employees is rapidly growing and organizations are using this tool to compete with their competitors in the market (Jehanzeb,K. & Bashir,N.A.,2013).
ReplyDeleteYes, I agree with you. Jennings et al. (2009) further explain that in-house most beneficial systems such as coaching and mentoring employees and regulated guidebooks deliver uniformity and productivity. In addition, companies are standardizing training programs that assure employees' motivation to focus on the general company strategies. However, these methods require strictly overseeing whether these processes work properly with in-house and outside environmental circumstances.
ReplyDeleteAgreed with you. Training and development is HR function that use to fill the gap between what is expected and what has been delivered by the employees (Elnaga and Imran, 2013). This is important to get the employees to expected level to achieve company objectives.
ReplyDeleteWhile agreeing with you, I suggest that training and development reflect employee retention as well. Effective training programs help in constructing a more conducive learning environment for the workforce and train them to cope with the upcoming challenges more easily and in time (Wei-Tai, 2006).
ReplyDeleteAgree with you. Training and development is well worth the investment. As plenty of research proves, prioritizing learning within your own company can lead to numerous benefits, including:
ReplyDeleteA more knowledgeable workforce, Improved employee engagement, Increased employee retention, A more positive employer brand, A more bonded team (Boogaard, 2019).