Introduction

Training and development are significant in enhancing employees’ abilities, knowledge and attitude towards their work. It is significant for the growth of an organization, and this is the reason most of them develop future-oriented methods towards improving their workforce capabilities. There are various forms of training and development, however as long as they conform to a particular business plan, then their effects on commitment levels and performances are high (Herat 2). Training is conducted to test and enable the staff to conduct their tasks effectively and then evaluation is done on their progress to see if they achieve the set goals.  The Indian government, for instance, has set aside funds that promote training strategies and upgrade systems to enhance skills of the workforce (Bhatia and Lovleen 75). Training and Development have contributed to the enhancement of projects and employee retention in such countries.  The topic also relates to the quality of work life since it is the backbone to better performance. This paper discusses and analyses the literature findings on the scope of training and development (T & D) impact on productivity and its major trends.  The study was also undertaken to answer the below questions.

1. What roles does training and development play on the workforce in an organization?
2. What methods are used and the stages of T & D?
3. How are these methods evaluated and the emerging issues associated with them?

Literature Review

Training and Development

Training is the process of promoting the skills, knowledge, and changing attitude of employees towards performing duties efficiently in a company (Bhatia and Lovleen 77). These are the primary goals of training but others include: Individual, Functional Social, and Organizational.

• Individual Objectives– These aims enable the achievement of personal aims, and as a result promote a person’s contribution in a firm.
• Social Objectives– These objectives contribute towards socially and ethically addressing needs and issues in the society.
• Organizational Objectives– Organizational objectives help a particular company achieve its main objectives by promoting employee effectiveness.
• Functional Objectives– These aims stress on units contribution to growth and achievement of an organizations’ requirements.

Other objectives include:

• Avoiding obsolescence
• Preparation of the staff for other high level responsibilities.
• Enhance efficient functioning of every unit.
• Exposure of the workforce to updates techniques, and information needed in their fields.
• Preparation of existing and incoming employees to anticipate and meet new requirements of a particular position and the organization as a whole.

Development programs are meant to achieve particular objectives that enhance productivity of both the organization and its staff to (Bhatia and Lovleen 77). The steps of management development include; reviewing company’s objectives, evaluation of its management resources, identification of each employee needs, development and implementation of these programs, evaluation and measurement of the bearing on value of work. The formulae use by many firms to determine employee development many differ but the universal one is the following.

Employee Development = Skills + Education + Efficiency of Training + Quality of Work Life (Kulkarni 139)

Role of Training and Development of the Workforce

There is a growing need for training and development programs. Such formal approaches are easier ways of transferring a company’s values or set goals to a group simultaneously. Managers also arise from training since it instills competency skills required to manage trends in an organization. According to Delery and Dorothea (11), in the case of multinational companies, training and development is a vital facet in sharing corporate values and enhancing network building. Training of employees brings about huge productivity through proper utilization of the human resource, timely completion of targets, reduced labor turnover, minimal costs and absenteeism, high retention rates and a decrease in mistakes. Herat (2) stated that proper training results in better output in regards to customer services, acquisition of new skills, and product development.  The connection between business strategies and training has opened ways for companies to compete even in global markets. Such is due to it becoming a competitive advantage to the organization.

Human Resource Management (HRM) practices of training and development promote employee capabilities to handle tasks. Delery and Dorothea (10) argue that the success of the training programs depends on the helpfulness of the planning and measuring. However, the three important determinant factors include process classification, proposed method identification, and delivery. This goes on to say that availability of well-trained staff is an added advantage and places a company in better position to compete against other rivals within the same industry. According to Racko, Eivor, and Michael (2), scarcity of the expertise needed acts as a prime constraint even as these organizations take measures to rearrange and properly align their training programs with their goals. The outcome of efficiently implemented training and development programs are revealed through the performance managing practice.  This is an approach that employers use to gauge the progress level of their employees in attaining goals and it they are on the right path. Using the performance management method in training also means that employers need to shed more light on what they require from the employees regarding their contribution to agreed targets.

Training and Development improve not only organizations productivity but also that of the employees (Faulconbridge and Daniel 91).  It is a catalyst to self-improvement, better job satisfaction, easier adoption and coping with new changes. The aim of any firm training program is to empower employees’ problem resolution, and customer service skills (Racko, Eivor, and Michael 10). Increasing the willingness of employees to take part in the training is by including them in the description of the job position sent out to applicants. This reflects a consideration of the people participating in the train and candidates feel more confident in it and are motivated to apply.

Employee Training Methods

There are many methods of training the staff in an organization although, with the advancement in technology, new programs have been developed that are more effective. Application of technology has enabled designing of the instructional design and the computing technology approaches (Khilji and Xiaoyun 1172). Coming up with a training method is based on the primary objectives of training. Additionally, it is vital to consider the existing expertise level that the current employees have. The process involves identifying the need for training and then followed by designing an effective approach to address these needs.  Training methods in most organizations can be categorized into off the job and on the job approaches.

On the Job Training Approach

On-the-job training (OJT) involves training an individual through the actual engagement in the particular job (Racko, Eivor, and Michael 4). Bhatia and Lovleen (8) refer on the job training as an approach where the trainee enhances skills in the real work setting by essentially employing the firm’s facilities and machinery during the learning process.  It is a fundamental way of learning because the trainee uses the skills acquire in the ongoing training process in real-time. This is advantageous against any method that may include sitting in a learning room and maybe later forgetting this knowledge and how to apply it in real work environment. On the other hand, off-the-job training gives the trainee a better chance to broaden their learning limits which also act as a prerequisite for the on-the-job training.

However, motivation to using this kind of training is from the favorable link between training advantages and demerits, and the targeted transfer of what is learned to the work environment. Citing Delery and Dorothea (19), there are contradicting findings on whether the on the job training method results in benefits or not. At the same time, its effectiveness is in question due to critics that sufficient information may not be available to confirm these claims. The various methods that fall under the job training program include: firstly, there is the job rotation approach that entails having trainees move to from one department to another to expand their understanding and also how different units function in the organization. The trainees are expected to achieve a holistic view of a company by undertaking tasks in different departments or from plant to plant (Faulconbridge and Daniel 20). The advantage of this method is that it increases the scope of experience of the employees. Additionally, they get an opportunity to understand every operation in the organization which enables them to decide wisely on which areas they are the best fit and would be more productive. It also reduces chances of unit provincialism that entails the opinion that ones’ department is superior or better than another and so their problems are the least of another’s concern.

Job rotation serves as a means to sharing new ideas and hence assisting other units to improve (Conlon 285).  The other on the job method is the Lecture approach that entails teaching the trainees through word of mouth. Many companies use the classroom method to teach their trainees what they need to know. It involves oral presentations that concentrate on well-defined concepts and identified topics. Benefits of this approach are that a trainer passes large amounts of information quickly and easily to a large number of people at the same time, it is less time consuming and less costly. It equips the learners with better and sufficient details of the job description or the upgrade and therefore making them aware of the changes (Jokinen 202). However, just like any other method, it has its own limitations. The prime disadvantage is that there is less learner participation and therefore making it difficult to gauge what the extent of their understanding. Computer-based training enables trainees to learn some of the computer programs that they may not be aware of and should be used in a particular company.

Off the Job Training

Classroom lectures usually happen beyond the walls of a business environment. It could be done in a business premise locations such as meeting rooms or relaxing points (Jokinen 205). The advantages of setting training off business environment are that it enables the use of techniques such as role plays and videos. Besides, this kind of setting features controlled distraction levels, therefore, is conducive to learning. Conlon (289) suggests that this type of job method contributes to the building of inquisitive nature, improves communication skills relevant to progress in a work environment. Since the advent of technology, many firms globally have used the e-learning method to teach their employees Conlon (289). In this case, physical contact is not a must, and this is the reason it is used in various contexts. In most scenarios, businesses employ technology through instructional descriptive, educational videos and content that address knowledge and skills enhancement (Kiessling and Michael 35). Simulation engages the trainees in experiments meant to test a hypothesis of a real scenario before applying it in the real world. Simulation allows individuals identify the subject, in this case, a particular task, test or try to solve it either mathematically or theoretically before implementing it practically real time. Imitation of a scenario brings to perspective various aspects of it that the employees would not realize in a real setting or would take a lot of time before noticing.

A workforce that has undergone such type of training is definitely going to be problem solvers, experts and good at their jobs. This is advantageous to a company since in due time its productivity will increase to international levels. Learners can also gain confidence since they are introduced and given a glimpse of how the real business world would be, and this process prepares them gained necessary entry skills eliminating any form of nervousness. Simulation is a necessity in case it proves financially straining to train the staff on the job (Kiessling and Michael 39). Role playing, on the other hand, is a very significant technique used worldwide by most organizations since it equips participants with sales, communication, leadership and other skills.

Evaluation of Global Training and Development

The Kirkpatrick four-level is a widely used training evaluation tool among international organizations. The decision-based evaluation tool has been recommended by most companies across the world. It involves a comprehensive examination of the training program, alterations in the learner, and any firm changes. Furthermore, the internal referencing strategy that involves comparison of the effect levels for non-trained and trained behaviors has been widely used too (Khilji and Xiaoyun 1175). Training designs and delivery continues to improve since most researchers focus on how to utilize different reactions to establish a better training tool. Despite various critics of the benefits of training, its overall advantage neutralizes them.

Training Transfer

Training efforts will only bear fruits in case the knowledge, skills, and talents nurtured are fully moved to real-time jobs. Training still affects the way transfer of training is conducted. Supervision and peer support influence the transfer training relationship. The Learning Transfer System Inventory is used to determine the transfer attributes. It is composed of 68 items that break down into 16 conceptual frameworks and in turn, are categorized into four. They include; the work environment (superior support, and productivity coaching), trainee motivation and ability. The organizational-level factors stress on the workplace and transfer climate. The latter comprises quality management and job design while the transfer climate entails accountability of the training, peer and supervisor support, and rewards, and knowledge usage.

Evaluation of the training will only be successful if it is measured against training transfers (Faulconbridge and Daniel 10). It determines the impact of the training at the organizational, personal and unit levels. There is no efficient method of evaluation just as there is not an effective way of training the workforce.

One can realize the training impact based on the performance of firms which is also resulted in the personal productivity of each employee. Citing Jokinen (200), most employers evaluate by considering the previous indicators of performance before and after the program. Some of these indicators are revenue and sales levels, cost and productivity ratios and rate of complaints from customers. With this in place, firms in the international market can determine their progress and in the end, increase their market share. Successful training is evident with the ability of the trainees to transfer and even use the skills acquired in the real job setting (Khilji and Xiaoyun 1181).

Emerging Trends in Training and Development

Most employers today focus on providing training that will only result in a positive impact to the company. This means some of the training today are outsourced, and if an organization is to spend a lot of funds to train employees, then it better are worth the effort. Faulconbridge and Daniel (92) assert that mentoring or coaching is vital for the success of any company. Therefore, supportive peers are required in the work setting to accelerate motivation and commitment to achieving set organizational goals.

Other trends yet to be expected are the more openness of the Training and Development policies from the employers, development of a training program that enhances critical thinking and innovation. To improve retention and engagement of employees globally, a manager should stop playing the catch-up approach towards leadership development projects especially because of the increasing competition in international markets.

Conclusion

Training and Development strategies benefit different firms in many ways. The strategies are vital in promoting positive and progressive productivity of the employee through knowledge and skills acquisition. For a company to compete in the international market, it must consider training its employees so that in the long run they could increase the returns and sales volume. Employees are trained on personal development, problem-solving skills, technical practices, managerial skills, time management, and business premise safety management.

Training and development transform the participants through attitude reformation into cooperative and commitment personnel. For any organization to succeed in the international market, it needs to improve its employee performance by providing them motivation to work hard through the knowledge and skills they are offered. However, after training, there should be mentoring and follow-ups to check on the progress of these trainees to see if they are properly using their new techniques in benefiting the firm as a whole. The literature touched on the different training methods employers could offer their employees. The two major are the on the job and off the on methods.

This literature would give employers more questions on the best strategies that will ensure effective training. Besides, it focused specifically on job rotation and role-playing since they are mostly used. It is vital for an organization to teach and well-prepare its employees since they are essential assets. The approaches should be able to turn them into problem foreseers and be able to deal with a circumstance immediately in a proper manner. However, there are current and emerging trends that show the need for managers to continuously offer training and development programs to employees if they want to realize and retain best groups. Employees who can speak professionally can brainstorm and bring new ideas to the organization. This is because their morale has been boosted, enhances utilization of learned knowledge and skills in the business processes, teamwork and hence resulting in job satisfaction.

 

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