Training and Development for Your Organization that Works

At The Corporate Learning Institute, we often advise clients to consider the type of training and development that their organization needs to thrive. We are often confronted with the issue of helping clients decide where to put scarce funds to get the biggest impact. To do this, there are several ways to determine training and development across their organization. We advise clients to follow three simple steps to determine the training and development needs of their organization. The first thing an organization should do is to utilize culture or engagement surveys to gain an understanding of employee perception of training and development strengths and deficits within the organization.

There are many surveys and assessments available for this purpose. The second step is to prioritize the findings so that training and development dollars can be allocated to the neediest areas. This often involves forming a small task force of stakeholders so that the allocation decisions are mutually agreed upon. The third step in the process is to decide on the training and development approach to be taken. There are three main training and development resource areas for an organization to consider on-line or learning training and development, internal training and development opportunities or external training and development opportunities.

Each area has its own benefits and drawbacks. Online or learning is gaining popularity because of its expediency, cost-effectiveness, and timely availability. Elearning is the fastest growing training and learning platform today. Despite increasingly sophisticated approaches to elearning sites such as simulations and video, it remains for some a limited choice. Some say that while they learned about new skills on-line that there was little ability to interact and practice the skills in real time. Internal training offered within an organization is often offered through a training department or human resources area. Often, internal trainers or consultants provide the needed training and development. This has the advantage of being cost-effective as well as custom-designed to fit the organizational culture and needs of the trainee. Some detractors of this practice claim that internal trainers may not have the expertise to manage specific training needed.

This reasoning often leads many to consider external training and development resources. External training and development options include open enrollment or public workshops that are topically based, or custom-designed training and development offered through training organizations or consultants. External training and development organization or consultants are sometimes an excellent choice when a content expert is being sought. There are many ways to tell if a particular training and development organization or trainer will fit your needs. We advise clients to ask three questions to determine a good fit: What endorsement and references does the organization or consultant has in the particular area being sought, does the organization or consultant fit your culture, and do they have the expertise and skills sets to meet the identified needs in your organization?

Finally, putting more time upfront in the discovery phase of your organization’s training and development needs, and carefully selecting the best training and development approach for you will payoff for your organization in the end.