Training and Development and Organisational Growth - Assignment Example

Career Management, Training and Development and Organisational Growth Introduction "Given the organizational changes that have occurred in recent years (downsizing, delayering, decentralization, reorganization, cost-reduction, IT innovation, competency measurement, and performance related measurement), and their potential negative psychological impacts (anxiety, lowered self-esteem, competitive behaviours, frustration, stress, lowered self-efficacy, and low trust behaviours), a positive framework is required for approaching the future" (Career Management Guide). "The critical situation of companies such as rapid expansions, transition periods, mergers, acquisitions etc, invariable mean a sudden increase in workload and an urgent need for competent professionals who can step in and see projects through to successful conclusion" (Robert Half). Almost every job undergoes change in the fast moving business environment requiring intensive training to the staff to meet those changes (Self Improvement). Another reason that makes career training important to individuals is their own career progression. Even in cases where there is no change in the industry in which one person is working career training could make their promotions faster. Competitive business environment in particular will necessitate an employee to undergo as much career related as possible to further their career. This has given rise to different approaches to career management and training and development. This paper analyzes the importance of career management and training and development to improve the marketability and employability. Need for Career Management - Organisational Perspective It is always the case with a majority of the organisations that the career management of the employees remains peripheral. This situation is mainly due to the attitude of the organisation to look into career management as optional which results in a lack of time and resources as well as the commitment from the management dedicated to such a strategy. Career management also requires a long term commitment which very often is overlooked in favour of the short term organisational expectations. In order that career management activities are made into an effective strategy it is linked both to business strategies as well as Human Resources Management strategies. The major objective of career management as perceived by a majority of organisations is to develop future leaders. But in the present day business context this objective alone can not meet the talent requirements of any organisation. Hence it is not enough if the organisations talk only about opportunities for advancement and progression within the organisation but also about the marketability and employability of the employees. This calls for the filling the future skill gaps and thereby retaining the employees. This again calls for the organisation developing strategies with respect to career management that cover all the employees and support all of their activities towards individual and organisational advancements. Another shortcoming with the career management policies of the organisations is that they carry the discussion relating to the career management at the fag end of the performance appraisal meetings at which point the employees will not have the opportunity to express their career options. As such the performance appraisal meetings will be ineffective as the individual employees will not be able to voice their opinion about their career advancement if they feel it is going to affect their performance measures. Principles of Career Management Zella King points out the important principles that can make the career management strategy effective to make the employee remain motivated. These principles outline what is expected out of the individual employees also to make their career growth beneficial to them. The following are some of the principles that can ensure the implementation of an effective career management strategy: Consistency The individuals are likely to gather information from a number of sources like their supervisors and managers, human resources department and their friends. Therefore it becomes important that the individual employees are able to assimilate all information without getting them contradicting one another. It is also equally important that the view point of the organisation is expressed clearly and honestly and the individuals are about the scope of their career growth and development prospects within and outside the organisation. Proactive Approach Any organisation is subject to radical changes due to the highly competitive business environment in which they play. This would call for an efficient and supportive team of employees and managers. Therefore the organisation must anticipate the possible future changes and align their strategies towards career management to meet the overall business strategies. Collaboration between Employer and Employee Unless a proper cooperation between the employer and the employee is accomplished it would be difficult for the organisation to achieve its overall business goals. Career management in any organisation should therefore have a quality of initiating a collaborative approach. Taking a partnership approach between the employer and the employee will be able to develop those solutions which will have the effect of satisfying both the parties. Dynamism Since changes in the business environment are inevitable the underlying business and other strategies of any organisation should be capable of adapting themselves to the changing circumstance to enhance the competitive strength of the organisation concerned. Therefore it becomes important that the career management takes a dynamic approach to make it an ongoing process in the organisation which is not only flexible but also can change by itself over a period of time. Developing a Career Management Strategy To make the employees employable and marketable it is very much necessary that they should carefully plan their career path and move according to the career plan so that they can render themselves useful to the organisation. This requires the adoption of well structured career management strategies that comprise of different approaches: Review of the Current Situation It becomes the foremost duty of the employers to examine and make a thorough review of the existing career management strategies. The examination should be undertaken with a view to assess the effectiveness of the strategies. This can be achieved by gathering opinions of staff about the current practices. A review of the current statistics, reports, employee surveys, results of employee focus groups can indicate the effectiveness of the current strategies. The organisation can also use the technique of benchmarking against the standards of other organisations in the industry may also be used to make an assessment of the existing strategies with a view to improve upon them. (1) Discovering the Perspectives of Employees In order to introduce dynamic and efficient career management strategies the organisation should seek and make an overview of the perspectives of the individual employees on the career management. The conduct of surveys, focus groups, and interviews may help the organisation to make a review of the current career management policies. The main purpose of taking such steps is to discover the view point of the individual employees towards the organisation in terms of their career goals; how effectively they feel the current career management is and also such analysis would outline the supportive action that the employers expect from the employers with respect to their career advancement. The employers should make it a point that they strive to discover the strengths, weaknesses, interests, and goals of the individual employees. This will only enable the organisation to develop a career management strategy that will suit the needs of the organisation as well as the individual employees. Discovering the Organisational Perspectives In the implementation of an effective career management strategy it is important that the employers consider what is the benefits that it would like to derive from the career management. For example it is important that the management should seriously consider whether they are looking for filling a future skill shortage or whether they are looking at filling the future vacancies. The management should give a careful thought over the needs of the future skills of the organisation. This would need an evaluation of the future business requirements and the also the corresponding needs of skill sets from the employees. Establishing Key Issues Carrying out the above steps will enable the organisation to find out whether the perspectives of the individual and the organisation align with each other. It also enables the management to find out the possible gaps that exist between the business and career management strategies and to find out probable solutions to bridge the gap. (2) Reviewing the Options While establishing any career management strategy it is important the employers consider the feasibility of different strategies that the organisations can adapt. This review of the available options should take into consideration the organisational culture, timing, and cost involved in implementing the new or revised career management strategy. The employer should also review the organisational position as to its capability to accept changes in the career management strategies. Factors like size, sector, and organisational culture will have their influence on the types of career management activities that will fit into the organisational environment. For instance smaller organisational set up nay not have the resources to incorporate complex career management initiatives like development centers or assessment centers. Implementation of a Proper Strategy After the formulation of the exact career management strategy the employers should make a careful planning for the implementation there of. For an effective implementation the Human Resources activities of the organisation should remain consistent. The organisations should take the necessary steps to map out the proper links and also filter out any possible conflicts in the implementation of the strategies. It is important that the HR executives, managers, and employees of the organisation act in unison. For this they should have access to all available information, and identify where the responsible for the implementation of career management lies. The employees on their part should be able to garner adequate support and they should also know where they can find this. For a successful implementation, there is the necessity that the line managers should also be provided with adequate support. It is important that they are trained properly to deliver the strategies and provide the support necessary to the employees. It may also do well for the organisation to start the implementation with a small sample group as a pilot project before the implementation is extended to the whole organisation. It is also important that a well structured documentation precedes the implementation plan. For this the strategy should be publicized. There should be a review of manuals and handbooks and all the messages concerning the career management strategies reinforced through meetings, internal newsletters, job adverts etc Evaluating Success of the Career Management Strategy The career management strategy can not be expected to produce tangible results in the short term. It needs a long term implementation policy, as it is difficult to monitor the success of the strategies in the short run. In order to ensure that the organisation gets a proper assessment of the success of the career management strategy the organisation can get the feedback from the employees, conduct exit interviews and monitor other factors like employee turnover which provide a meaningful assessment of the success or otherwise of career management strategies adopted by the organisation. Training and Development for Employee Motivation One important factor in the employee motivation and retention is the opportunity available to the employees to continue to grow within the organisation and to develop career developing skills. In fact this opportunity to continue to grow and develop through training and development is one of the most important factors in employee motivation. The training and development can be imparted through the responsibilities in an employee's current job. This is accomplished by Expanding the job to include higher level responsibilities Reassigning responsibilities which the employee dislikes or which are routine providing more authority to the employees to manage themselves and make decisions Inviting the employees to take part in the decision making process as well as planning important department or company-wide activities Providing more access to the employees for attending important planning meetings Providing more information to the employees on issues relating to the company by including them in the mailing list Assigning more staff members to his or her leadership and supervision Assigning the employees to head projects Enabling the employees to spend as much time as possible with his or her boss Providing the opportunity for the employees to train them in other roles and responsibilities (Susan Heathfield) By providing all the above opportunities the employees are equipped with the necessary skills and expertise to elevate them to senior levels. By this way the organisation has the twin benefits of motivating the employees and retaining the right talents with the company. Ways to Improve the Effectiveness of the Career Management and Training and Development For successfully implementing the career management, and training and development of the employees the organisations should: Make comprehensive advertisements about the training and develop opportunities to all the employees of the organisation. This is very important in view of the fact a proper communication in this respect would reach those employees who may well fit into the desired position and unless the employee is aware of the existence of the position he may not offer his services Identify the strengths of the employees so that a proper assessment of the skills and efficiencies of them can be made. For any successful adoption of a career management policy it is important that the employee strengths are identified and understood properly Make and announce a clear policy on the career growth prospects available within the company and also the career advancement opportunities available should be explained clearly to all the employees. This will provide the employees a comprehensive view of the available opportunities and enable them determine their ability to place themselves in a proper position to suit them Have an open discussion with the individual employees about their career development plans and ways of implementing them. It is important from an organisational point of view that the employees are apprised of their chances within the organisation with respect to their career advancement. This would be greatly facilitated by the discussions the organisation can hold with the individual employees Provide proper and detailed explanation on the job options available so that the employees look at the options with a proper perspective and understanding. This would enable the employees to take up the positions which they think that they will be able to perform with ease and expertise. provide extensive training for the managers in the areas of coaching and counseling so that they are equipped with the necessary skills for assessing the strengths of the employee and the career opportunities available to them within the organisation make the developmental plans of the organisation in the areas of career management strategies clear and explicit to all those who are responsible for the implementation of the developmental plans Make the overall goals of the organisation clear to all the employees of the organisation and also design the different aspects of the career management plans suitable to the organisational needs. This needs a careful evaluation of the progress made by the company in achieving the career management goals Provide support to all the employees in the organisation so that all are given an equal opportunity for career advancement. This will enable the organisation to identify the possible talents within the organisation (Career Management) Conclusion Thus there is a radical change in the attitude and outlook of the employers towards the issue of career management to not to look at providing the opportunities only to individual employees to further their career advancement but to look at all available opportunities for improving the marketability and employability of all employees in the organisation. Hence there is point in the statement by Adamson et al. (1998: 225) that "most organisations are now not talking of opportunities for advancement and/ or progression but of opportunities to improve marketability and employability". References Career Management 'Career Management' Career Management Guide Robert Half 'Career Management' Self Improvement 'Career Training; why do you need it' Susan Heathfield 'Training and Development for Employee Motivation and Retention' http://humanresources.about.com/od/training/a/training_dev.htm Read More