Training and development are a very important aspect of organisational growth. It speaks of continuous improvement in terms of the people’s skills and knowledge related to the performance of their tasks. In effect, training and development is the heart and soul of organisational change. If desirable change is to occur, an organisation should devise a comprehensive training and development programme that takes into consideration the wellbeing of its people.
Achieving a Match between Organisational Members and Changing Task Demands
Developing and implementing a programme for organisational change requires the alignment of two important factors: implementation capability and the level to which the individual members of the organisation value the need for change.
Bryan J. Weiner described the shared resolve of organisational members to implement change as a reflection of organisational readiness. Weiner further posited that the degree to which members value the need for change is dependent on how they appraise task demands, situational factors, and resource availability.
One of the most critical determinants that organisations must address is changing task demands. They need to help their members realise that the change expected of them is something achievable. Most organisational members have this idea that any change introduced into the organisation will involve a very difficult transition. They tend to view the demands of the new task to be beyond their capabilities. The role of change managers is to make sure that the proposed change is something that all members of the organisation can perform, given the proper training and correct and timely support.
The observation is that the success of any proposed change hinges on the level of organisational readiness. In a high state of organisational readiness, all members of the organisation will be more than willing to initiate change themselves. They will also exert more effort and display a behaviour that is more amiable and cooperative. Organisational members can also showcase greater persistence. All of these can result in the more effective and more efficient implementation of the organisational change program.
Systematic Approach to Training
Training change in an organisation requires a systematic and organised approach. This helps provide clarity of direction and allows for easier identification of potential problem areas throughout the different phases of training. Here are activities that are critical to the successful design and implementation of an organisational change programme.
- Training Needs Analysis
The principal objective of training needs analysis is the identification of gaps in the competencies of organisational members before such ‘gaps’ present as major issues. The activity focuses more on the prevention of a potential problem by ‘filling’ the gaps in competencies.
- System-Level Reviews
People work within an organisation and organisations exist within a given system. Change managers should also evaluate the relationship between organisational factors and system-level factors in the design and implementation of change training programmes.
- Task Analysis
Weiner suggested that task demands are a very important parameter for determining the level of organisational readiness. That is why it is important for organisations to make an in-depth analysis of how different tasks get accomplished. This includes a review of the different activities and the factors that can impact the performance of such tasks.
- Person Analysis
This is an integral part of TNA whereby the focus is in the identification of specific organisational members requiring training. It often involves the identification of who in the organisation are not meeting the organisation’s performance requirements. It can be done through interviews and observations.
- Training Design and Delivery
There are many reasons why organisations would want to design a comprehensive and relevant training programme. It can be to improve task performance or introduce a new technology or process to people. A well-designed training programme can also help change people’s attitudes. All of these speak of change. That is why managers should be very cautious and deliberate when designing a training programme. Part of the design is the operationalisability of the training. It is one thing to have a well-written programme. It is another matter if the organisation can deliver the programme elements in an efficient manner.
- Training Objectives Compatibility
The goal of a training programme is often stated in a very general sense. That is why training specialists always break down the goal into smaller measurable units. The idea of training objectives compatibility is to create several objectives that people can accomplish with greater ease. This makes it more realistic for them than looking at the goal a few years into the future. The objectives should allow training participants to accomplish the goal in a more efficient way.
- Knowledge Transfer
All training programmes involve the transfer or dissemination of knowledge among different parts of an organisation. It should never be a one-way street. An effective training programme always has a feedback mechanism whereby trainers can also get input from the trainees. This two-way communication can promote a better understanding of the effectiveness of the programme.
- Resource Availability
Developers of training programmes must consider all the resources needed to facilitate knowledge transfer and new skill acquisition. It can include people resources, material resources, and information resources, among others. The training programme should clearly identify the different resources required for each step. If a resource is unavailable, then the organisation should be prepared to provide alternatives.
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- Trainee-Related Factors
The success of a training programme partly depends on the unique characteristics of individual trainees. For instance, some will learn faster. Others will be more receptive to a certain kind of training methodology. There are also those who value self-reliance a lot more than others. The point here is that the training programme should take these unique trainee-related factors into consideration.
- Evaluating Training Effectiveness
An important part of training design is the provision of evaluation activities. Trainers should be able to measure their training objectives to help determine any areas that need improvement. No training programme is perfect right from the start. Often, minor tweaks and adjustments must be made in the succeeding programme sessions to ensure the effectiveness of the training programme.
Organisations that want to improve will have to invest in a good training and development programme. Having a clear idea of the current gaps in the performance of its people is a good place to start. It is the responsibility of change agents and managers to design a comprehensive training programme that is both organised and systematic. This is the most efficient way of ensuring the success of any change training and development programme.