Training and development is one of the most vital functions in human resource management. Human resources are such a valuable resource in every organization; therefore, increasing human resources’ effectiveness is so beneficial. The training and development function’s role is to enhance employee’s skills, knowledge, and behavior to accomplish organizational goals and objectives. This chapter briefly discusses the following areas, which are related to training and development.
Learning objectives
- Understand the meaning of training and development
- Understand the importance of T & D
- Know the importance of training & development
- Identify the difference between training and development
- Understand the advantages and disadvantages of training and development
What is training and development?
Training and management is a critical function in human resource management. It can be referred to as a structured process with various organizations’ methods to improve employee’s knowledge and skills.
Training & development is an educational tool, and it uses information, methods, and instructions to improve employees’ existing skills and employee performance.
Enhancing employee’s knowledge, skills and behavior is a necessity due to the changing environment. Therefore T & D plays a vital role as a continuous task in organizations. Effective employees with improved skills and knowledge will help the organization to achieve future goals.
When considering this HRM function, training and development are two different terms, and each has different procedures. Moreover, each has different characteristics and different purposes.
Training
The meaning of training is a well-structured effort by an organization to provide employees learning of job-related capabilities. The capabilities include knowledge, skills, and behavior. Furthermore, they are so essential for job performance. Usually, this training is for non-management employees in the organization, and it is a short-term job-oriented process.
The primary purpose of training is for employees to master the capabilities and apply them to their regular activities.
In addition to that, the training can be identified as a way to create intellectual capital. Intellectual capital includes understanding the manufacturing system, understanding customers, basic skills, advanced skills, and inspired creativity.
Development
When it comes to development, the development is basically for the management and, executives or managers get skills and other capabilities for future tasks. Therefore, development is a career-oriented long-term process, and it enhances the managers’ overall personality and helps them improve their performance.
Development involves problem-solving, technical skills, and decision-making skills. This is also known as executive development or management development.
Importance of training and development
- The training and development function is so essential for an organization in many ways such as,
- It helps to inspire employees and increase their productivity.
- The job satisfaction of employees increases
- The organization will able to utilize its human resources effectively and efficiently.
- T & D is a good reason for improving leadership and team management.
- T & D is vital to increase the profitability of the company.
- The organizational culture will improve due to training and development procedures.
- It develops the corporate image of the company.
- It develops the relationship between employer and employee.
Objectives of training and development
The main objective of training and development is to ensure skilled and inspired employees to an organization. The other objectives can be mainly categorized into four objectives: individual objectives, organizational objectives, functional objectives, and social objectives.
Individual objectives
T & D allows employees to achieve their personal goals. Moreover, it drives the individual contribution to organizational success. For instance, individual objectives may personal growth, gain knowledge about the industry, salary improvements, or get a promotion.
Organizational objectives
The organization will able to achieve its objectives by improving individual effectiveness. It means the T & D can indirectly influence organizational success by improving employees’ skills, knowledge, and behavior. Some examples for organizational objectives are increased profitability, motivated workforce, reduced cost, reduced wastages, and effective management.
Functional objectives
Production, marketing, finance, HRM, and R & D are the organization’s primary functions. Because of the training and development, the organization can maintain the departmental contribution to achieve objectives. Some functional objectives may be to increase the market share, increase productivity, reduce waste, and improve the products’ quality.
Societal objectives
This means an organization makes sure that they are ethically and socially responding to the needs and challenges of society. For example, providing qualitative service, generating employment, employee welfare, developing industrial relations, and solving social problems are some societal objectives of an organization.
Difference between training and development
- The training focuses on a particular job role, whereas development focuses on the person.
- Usually, training is a short-term process. However, development is a long-term process.
- Training increases the employee’s skills, knowledge, and behavior to do a specific job, whereas development enhances the overall personality.
- Organizations use training for their operative employees, whereas development uses for executives or managers in the organization.
- Training is a job-oriented process. Nevertheless, development is a career-oriented process.
- Training focuses on short-term achievements, while development is focusing on long-term achievements.
Advantages and disadvantages of training and development
Advantages
- It enhances individual performance, team performance, and organizational performance.
- Update employee’s job knowledge, job skills, and attitudes.
- It helps to reduce mistakes
- Reduces labor turnover
- No need for all time supervision
- Job satisfaction increases.
- Motivated employees in the organization
- Reduces costs and waste.
- Create new job positions
Disadvantages
- The organization needs to hire trainers, spend money on programs.
- The organization needs to pay wages for employees as well as the trainers.
- Employee stress may increase due to T & D programs
- Too many theoretical lecturers
- Employees may be bored with some training sessions
- Some employees think that they do not need any training programs.
Conclusion
- Training and management is a structured process with various methods used by organizations to improve employee’s knowledge and skills.
- It is an educational tool, and it uses information, methods, and instructions to improve employees’ existing skills and employee performance.
- Training is a job-oriented process that organizations use to develop employee’s job skills, knowledge, and attitudes. It helps non-managerial employees to improve their job performance.
- Development is a career-oriented process that organizations use to enhance managerial employee’s overall personality.
- The main objective of T & D is to ensure the availability of skilled and inspired employees to an organization.
