Getting the most out of staff development in the credit crunch
This month we focus on getting the most out of your training and development budget, whilst this is always important it becomes essential during times like these!
All too often, potential benefits from training and development programmes are lost because the supports required for the application of learning are absent. And let's face it -- nobody can afford to send people for training just for the fun of it. We all expect that training will somehow impact upon a person's present or future ability to contribute to the employing organization. How do we "make it so"?
General Principles
Staff Development that adds value tends to be integrated with other management systems. That is, training decisions and actions are carried out with reference to performance management systems, strategic planning processes, and career development initiatives. Training must be managed so that it is planned, and deliberately and clearly linked to workplace outcomes. When training is used as a reward, or its goals aren't clear to all concerned, it is rare that it has any positive impact.
Second, development that adds value actually has three components. First there is the planning component. Then the inputs occur. Most important is the third component -- follow-up. Mechanisms must be in place to provide reinforcement to the learner for his or her efforts to implement what has been learned.
Finally, development that adds value occurs when there is an infrastructure in place that supports the learner's application of what has been learned. For example, if people attend a workshop on situational leadership, this will only add value if support systems and measurement are available and in place when the person returns to the workplace. While we normally think of infrastructure as relating to things, it can also refer to elements like time. For example, people attending a seminar on the use of effective management techniques will only be able to use what has been learned if they have sufficient time to do so.
