“Training is considered as a short-term process, in which a planned, systematic and organized procedure is used, which includes a set of educational and administrative actions aimed at changing and improving the knowledge, skills and attitudes of staff, in order to promote better levels of performance compatible with the demands of the position he holds, and therefore enables his personal development, as well as the effectiveness, efficiency and business effectiveness he serves. ” (Ibáñez).
Introduction
One of the big questions that always comes up when talking about training has to do with its effectiveness in increasing performance in the management of each of the positions in the organization. The search for new and better training methods have led us to innovative and novel processes that manage to demonstrate that it is worth investing in improving people's knowledge, training skills and developing attitudes more and more. according to the needs of the organization.
The success of the training is demonstrated when we can affirm that we have capable people in our organization, that is, superior performances and therefore competent people who contribute in a positive and permanent way in achieving the strategic objectives.
A first differentiation that I want to propose has to do with the training function in the company and another one with the training department or area, since not all companies have a section dedicated exclusively to dealing with training, training and development issues. Therefore, the fact of not having a specific department dedicated to these topics does not mean that this topic is not valuable or taken into account by the administrators, managers or owners of the companies, regardless of the size of the same.
Training has a strategic dimension as its scope goes beyond identifying and executing actions that meet the training, education and development needs of the people who make up each of the work teams, in this sense, we can mention by way of Example the following actions:
- Update technological, legal and functional issues for each of the occupants of the positions in the company. Offer spaces for creation and innovation that contribute to improving management. Promote events aimed at improving the skills of each of the company's officials. Design programs tailored to the training of specific job skills according to roles and responsibilities. Etc.
The proposal of this article is then to offer some elements that allow managers and managers of training in companies to reflect on the main Responsibilities they have and thus contribute to structure and strengthen processes aimed at increasing the performance of those who have part of the different work teams and also recognize the impact on productivity in the organization of having capable people in the development of each of the positions.
Training Management
In order to have clarity on the term Management, I resort to the following definition that will surely be a good reference for the subsequent reflections of this article:
"Management: It is the process of planning, organization, performance and control of the organization's operations, which allow, through the coordination of essential human and material resources, to achieve its objectives in an effective and efficient manner. "Management Dictionary * Digital Pyramid.
One of the recurring characteristics of many organizations is the obvious disconnect or distance between what the company needs, in terms of training, and the events attended by officials, which effectively makes participants feel that this time and content Dedicated to attending seminars and courses, they do not necessarily impact urgent problems that could be solved with adequate and focused training. On the other hand, managers tend to think that the allocated resources are not generating measurable and effective return on the management and operation of the organization.
Therefore, training is a process that requires management to be oriented to the real needs of the organization and be aligned with the strategic purposes of the company.
I propose below a model that includes the key steps to make training an impact process in the organization:
- Plan Manage Execute Evaluate
Let's see then some brief reflections on each of the components of training management:
To plan:
Each company has its priorities in terms of training, education and development, therefore training should be designed in such a way that it becomes a factor that positively contributes to recognizing the areas in which the greatest efforts must be made so that we can find the best way to deliver the learning to those who will participate in each of the programs that will be established based on the diagnosis of training needs.
Some important elements when starting a training plan have to do with:
- Have key prior information such as the competencies defined for the organization, work teams and people, with the corporate strategic plan and expected results as the horizon. Define the budget available and carry out the necessary costing for each of the components in which these resources will be invested. Know the total number of participants in the plan identifying them by work areas. Have a base of training providers, both internal and external, for the different topics resulting from the needs assessment carried out. Have the organization's training policies, so that we can have a good foundation when managing them.Anticipate the way in which some unforeseen events that may arise during the development of the established programs will be handled. Allow the participation of other managers and area managers in the construction and planning process so that they feel part of the plan. Prepare the necessary formats for the administration phase, such as the objectives and content sheets for each of the topics to be developed, the time and attendance formats and also the evaluation formats. Participate in the definition of the methodologies required for each of the major topics for example how many and which will be attended with:Prepare the necessary formats for the administration phase, such as the objectives and content sheets for each of the topics to be developed, the time and attendance formats and also the evaluation formats. Participate in the definition of the methodologies required for each one of the great themes, for example, how many and which will be addressed with:Prepare the necessary formats for the administration phase, such as the objectives and content sheets for each of the topics to be developed, the time and attendance formats and also the evaluation formats. Participate in the definition of the methodologies required for each one of the great themes, for example, how many and which will be addressed with:
- On-site training. With internal or external instructors. Learning by e-learning or b-learning. Coaching and / or mentoring processes. Simulators Etc..
All these elements, and some others, will allow the person in charge of the training processes to have valuable inputs to also establish the indicators based on which they can subsequently not only measure the results of the training, education and development processes, but also make monitoring the effectiveness of training.
Manage:
Once the training plan is established, it is important to develop the administration phase of the training program in which it must be known not only by the managers or heads of area, but also by all those who will participate in the different seminars, workshops and others. events and activities included in the company's training plan.
Some important aspects that must be taken into account when administering the training process have to do with:
1. To integrate, as far as possible, a training committee made up of the heads or managers of the area in such a way that follow-up meetings are scheduled where the head of training delivers a periodic report of the progress and difficulties of the process, proposing adjustments to the plan and integrate new actions aimed at strengthening the development of the plan.
2. Gather and systematize all the information required for the proper development of the training plan such as:
- The list of each of the internal and external training providers. Documentation of the content required for each of the courses, seminars, coach, simulations, etc. Prepare an inventory of all the logistics component necessary for the proper development of the training program. Having information on the sites where each of the scheduled events will take place. Have the document where the topics, participants, duration, provider, costs and dates appear. Have the formats of invitation to the participants Etc.
3. Assign and control the financial resources for the development of each of the programmed activities, it is important to take into account all the aspects included in the budget so that a record can be kept that can later be presented in the different variables required by management.
4. Meet prior to the scheduled events with the instructors in order to learn a little more about each of them, regardless of whether they are offered by entities of recognized prestige. It is not superfluous to ask each of them for their resume.
5. Verification of the places where the events will take place in order to guarantee that the learning process has all the necessary requirements for its proper development.
The administration of the training then becomes a very important function since it involves developing actions conducive to keeping the process active not only in the participants but also being attentive to the development of its execution and evaluation.
Run:
Once the training planning has been carried out and the programs to be developed have been defined and the administrative function has been established in order to guarantee the success of the program, the execution comes as such, forcing the person responsible for the process to be permanently informed of all the situations that are going giving in it, some of these actions are:
- Ensure that all attendees receive the respective invitations with the necessary information for their attendance. Verify that the conditions agreed with the logistics operators are met and that the required sites, materials, manuals and equipment are available to the instructors and Participants.Contact, if you are not going to be present, with the instructor and with some of the participants to know the progress of the event.Ensure that the instructor applies the reaction evaluation for the participating group and the other evaluations at the end of the event. that have been agreed.
In this phase, unless the instructor is the instructor himself, it is important to maintain contact with the event in order to know first-hand if the key aspects of the process are being met.
Evaluate:
At the end of the training processes, it is important, from the training management, to include all the elements that allow recognizing the effectiveness of the training and the process itself, therefore it is suggested to follow some or all of the following proposals:
- The 5 steps offered by Donald Kilpatrick in order to go beyond the simple reaction obtained by the participants.Request the instructor, lecturer or facilitator for a written report on their perception of the work done.Meet the training committee to recognize the aspects that favored and hindered the development of the program Identify if the technological platform used for the development of e-learning programs is adequate Collect the information corresponding to the results of the efficiency and effectiveness indicators proposed for the process and that include aspects such as levels of participation, distribution percentage of the budget executed by areas, levels of transfer of learning, improvement of performance and results in jobs, etc.
Evaluating the training process allows us to know how the competencies required by the organization begin to be evident in the results of the company and in this way allows us to ensure that the efforts, time and resources invested are manifested in greater productivity that directly impacts in the competitiveness of the company, in such a way that training becomes a strategic component of the greatest importance in the organization.
