Government policies that stimulate employers to invest in training through tax benefits have made it possible to advance substantially in the number of workers who year after year benefit from it. The increasing importance that is being given to investing in training requires that the human resources professional must be highly prepared to design training projects based on demands generated by everyday events in the global context in which they compete.
In the era of globalization, it is a challenge for companies in developing countries to design contingent and technically affordable training projects that allow them to compete hand-in-hand with developed countries and thus achieve growth and development that allows them to open up to world in conditions of equivalence.
Chile is currently in this situation. Although there is an investment in training every year, there are many companies that do not measure the impacts of training with concrete results, there is no follow-up on it and the policy seems to be: "you just have to take advantage of the franchise." Furthermore, contacts with OTEC allow them to "study interesting offers", but there is no prior diagnosis that allows them to identify training needs according to departmental or organizational objectives, therefore, such courses respond more to the need to spend 1% than the need to adequately train workers to compete with highly developed personnel in the open market in which they are immersed.
For this reason, many times courses are contracted but the results of the training are not measured, there are no evaluation indicators to compare with respect to before and after, and there is less follow-up regarding how the knowledge of the training to the working life of the worker and his performance in office.
If there is a colleague who believes that this is happening in your company, I invite you to examine this document. In it, I raise the need for each human resources professional to prepare, implement and evaluate training projects in a systemic, results-oriented approach. The proposed approach places it in a context of Organizational Development, where the training action is entirely related to the processes of change and improvement that any intervention at this level seeks. It has been designed as a practical guide that allows knowing the basic stages to be considered and best addressed, either as an external consultant or as an internal professional in the company.
1 STAGES OF A TRAINING PROJECT
We all know how the world is changing minute by minute. This is why many training plans fail, even in their most core parts such as the methodology used or the deadlines. This is why the Analyst - Consultant must go beyond the simple training action when preparing the project. You should consider foreseeable situations (typical of engineering) and unpredictable situations (typical of human sciences).
Abraham Pain, in his book "A Training Engineering Approach" points out that the four stages of a training project (Demand Analysis, Project Development, Implementation and Evaluation) must be planned in parallel, because it allows fundamental criticism of the process project development (especially the formulation of objectives), ensure adequate contact with the environment and improve the structure of the project. This avoids the risks of a segmented treatment.
Figure No. 1.1. presents a summary table of the stages of the training project, with which I intend to induce the reader to understand the advantages of approaching them in a systemic way.
Figure No. 1.1
| Aspects
Stages |
For the achievement of what goals? | With what tools? | What issues will be worked on? |
| Analysis of demand | · Diagnosis
· Contracting Conditions |
· Meetings
· Observations · Document analysis · Analysis of the situation · Strategic analysis · Analysis of Organizational Culture |
· Problems
· Expectations · Protagonists · Risks · Recipients · Expected results |
| Development of the project | · Preliminary draft
· Analytical Project · Conditions of success |
· Coherence criterion
· Criteria for media selection · Calculation of terms · Criteria for choosing the participants |
· Purposes, goals and objectives
· Media · Definition of the action |
| Implementation | · Schedule of activities
· Responsible · Tracking and adjustment system |
· Coordination group
· Claims support · Observations · Meetings · Surveys |
· Organization of the action
· Responsibilities · Conditions of success · Tracing |
| Evaluation | · Adjustments and Ideas for new projects | · Meetings
· Questionnaires · Observations · Test |
· Results and effects
· Conditions of success |
1.1 SYSTEMIC MODEL OF A TRAINING PROJECT
Approaching the project in a systemic way implies, as indicated by the systems model, an input, a process and an output that feeds back the input. Figure No. 1.1 graphs the above.
Systemic approach to training
Below I will present each of the stages separately with useful suggestions to consider for the Analyst - Consultant in charge of project development.
1.2. ANALYSIS OF DEMAND
There are companies that have good performance evaluation systems and allow them to work with valid indicators to make serious diagnoses of training needs. Others develop surveys and apply them to workers and their direct bosses. However, this is not the most common. There are a large number of companies that do not have a performance evaluation system, and even less do they develop training plans. A diagnosis is not even part of the language of the company.
The origin of training demands are usually diverse: new technology, union pressure, operational managers or the workers themselves. Many demand training in some subjects that they believe are necessary but are unaware of the real underlying problems or the solutions they seek.
One of the keys to consider is the environment, understanding the situation in which the workers who are going to be trained act and the use they can make of the learning obtained. This requires the analyst or consultant to consider the company's strategic focus and technical character. When the project is approached in this way, it is possible to better define the roles that each of the protagonists will have, whether they are rapporteur, trained or analyst. In this way, the analysis of the relationships between each of them will allow defining the field of action, the zones of consensus and conflict, in which negotiation is required so that the training action can be developed and achieve its objectives.
For the Analyst - Consultant, there are several advantages when preparing the project, which are summarized in figure Nº 1.2.1
Figure Nº 1.2.1
| ADVANTAGE | To the Project itself | To the Analyst in charge | To the enterprise |
| · Bring together people from different universes around the same logic (Production workers, Unions, Managers, DO Analysts, HR Analysts)
· Facilitate stakeholder engagement on the basis of clear risks · Define the roles and responsibilities of each of the protagonists |
· Provide evaluation procedures from the start of the project
· Differentiate the goals and means of training. · Detect the problems behind a spontaneous demand, in order to enable a more appropriate response. · Strengthen the role of advisor responsible for training vis-à-vis operational personnel · Place training in the medium and long-term perspective in the company. |
· Hold trainers responsible for the global problems of the company
· Engage training and trainers with a working method of direct interaction with users. · Define precisely the objectives to be achieved and the methodology for the implementation of the project. · Commit the training company in terms of results. |
Given that many companies know that training is required, but they do not know how, when and with what, and other times, performance deficiencies are detected but are not adequately related to subjects and methodologies, it is necessary for the human resources professional to intervene and offer the right solutions.
Here are some aspects that should be considered in general to address the diagnostic phase:
- At the time of establishing the origin of the demand: regarding what matters or needs, its relationship with the counterpart (workers - managers), reasons or reasons for the request, etc. At the time of talking with the interlocutor (union president, operational manager, etc.): learn about their training, their position and role in the company and regarding training, their professional motivations, their attitude towards training and trainers, etc. At the time of formulating the first hypothesis: under what form did the problem arise, what are the manifest expectations, what antecedents are there, what is the origin of the problem, what causes were detected, etc. Surrounding analysis: how the problem is situated in the context of the company, what is the current situation of the company (climate, skills, projects), how they relate to other units (processes). Expectations: what expectations do the protagonists express regarding the project, what role do they assign to the Analyst - Consultant. The protagonists: Who are the beneficiaries, who decide, have previously received similar training, what is their level of competencies (know-how and know-how), who are most involved, etc. The obstacles: what obstacles did you perceive when conducting the interviews, what restrictions should be considered, etc. Resources: what resources are available (rooms, auditoriums, deadlines, committed amounts, etc.)
Most likely, as human resources specialists, our main interest is more in people in their jobs than in processes (own engineering subjects). For the same reason, we will be oriented to analyze the protagonists regarding the expected training. For this I suggest considering the following aspects when analyzing demand:
- Knowledge: what are the competences required to perform in that position ?; What is desirable and what is indispensable ?; What are the rules of access to that position? (check if they exist); What are the procedures ?; How many people within the company or work unit have the same knowledge? How long does it take to train a person in those competitions? Control of the rules: What degree of autonomy does the worker have ?; Can you properly interpret work procedures ?; Can you create new procedures or just apply them? The hierarchical position: Does it filter information to superior and inferior controls ?; Do you make decisions that influence other people or media allocation?
Many have wondered, once the project was carried out in a “perfect” way in its development and implementation phases, why the measurement could not be carried out. Great reason is because the diagnosis did not consider people's expectations and their attitudes. For this it is very important to consider the culture and organizational climate. Some questions the analyst should consider are the following: What are the common feelings and values ?; What are the problems that create conflict, mistrust, hostility and how do they manifest themselves ?; What are your opinions regarding the usefulness of teamwork ?; What is your opinion of the committees and working meetings ?; How do people position themselves regarding the possibility of negotiating or the existence of rules and procedures?
1.3. DEVELOPMENT OF THE PROJECT
This stage consists of translating the perception of the situation, seen in the previous stage, into a concrete action system. The phases of this stage are:
- Preparation of the preliminary project Analysis of the preliminary project with senior management Reformulation, analysis of the analytical project Preparation of the final project
1.3.1 PREPARATION OF THE PRE-PROJECT
The advantage of preparing a preliminary project is to propose a response to the previous analysis on the technical, economic, social and political feasibility of the project. This preliminary project should be used as a tool between the Analyst - Consultant and Senior Management to define the operation of the project after successive adjustments. A preliminary draft should include the following aspects:
- Definition of the problem from the analysis of the diagnostic phase Definition of the objectives Goals to be achieved with the training Population benefited by the project Course contents and selection of the methodology to be used Estimate of the resources involved Dates and deadlines
1.3.2 ELABORATION OF THE ANALYTICAL PROJECT
The analytical project is the result of exchanges between the analyst - consultant and senior management based on the preliminary project. In this way, the objectives, goals and objectives, the population involved, the deadlines, the action mechanisms, the evaluation criteria and the commitment of the necessary resources can be discussed with senior management.
Finally the project is in a position to be presented. Figure No. 1.3.2 presents in outline form the contents of the project, its supporting diagnosis, the contracting conditions (company, OTEC, etc.) and the clarification of the roles.
Figure Nº 1.3.2
| Diagnosis | Contracting Conditions | Clarification of roles |
| It involves defining:
· Initial situation · Problem detected · Expectations and sensitivity of the environment. · Available means of the company (weak and strong points). |
It implies:
· Definition of the objectives and goals to be achieved. · What is the population involved (benefited workers) · Definition of the selection criteria for the participants. · Selection of the course content (study and evaluation of the offer if applicable, according to the diagnosis). · Methodological support to use. · Schedule and deadlines. · Resources mobilized. · Criteria and means of evaluating the results. |
It implies:
· Responsibility of company management (senior management). · Responsibility of the OTEC or training agency. · Responsibility of the benefited workers regarding the program. · Responsibility of the Analyst - Consultant. · Responsibility of the rapporteurs. · Responsibility for the general coordination of the project |
1.4. PROJECT IMPLEMENTATION
The implementation stage is where the analysis and forecasts made in the previous stages are tested and confronted with reality.
On many occasions, experienced and successful reporters in training courses have noticed few or no results in courses that respond to technically well-done projects. This is because the framework created by the protagonists (bosses, workers) was not adequate, and that is an implementation problem.
This involves motivating participants and mobilizing them to fully assume their responsibilities in operational and strategic aspects. In this, operational managers and senior management must be vigilant, since much of the success or failure will depend on how they assume their responsibility. This is why the Analyst - Consultant must, on the one hand, ensure that the preconditions for the training action are created, and on the other, that the operational managers and the management integrate these training achievements into the daily life of the company.
The main tasks to be performed are.
- Start the project, coordinate activities and create the conditions for its optimal development. This implies the clarification of roles with each of the protagonists, guaranteeing the adjustment of the project, recording the feed-back of the benefited workers and providing the elements to readjust the project where necessary and allow its evolution. adjustment.
Point No. 2 is not minor. In rigid and inflexible institutions, many training programs fail because they have implemented them to the letter down to the smallest details, letting circumstances, every incident that comes from the environment or from the same company change the situation. The key is to ensure the validity of the initial conditions, verify the stability of the situation analyzed at the time of diagnosis, in order to react quickly to the perceived modifications and find the necessary adjustments so that the action can overcome eventual difficulties. Hence the importance of maintaining regular contact with the protagonists involved, how they perceive the difficulties in each of the implementation phases,from the coordination of the groups to the way the instruction is delivered. To facilitate the progress of the program, it is very important that the workers feel that their opinions have been taken into account in the preceding stages.
Coordinating the monitoring and adjustment system also corresponds to the implementation stage. The main objective is to ensure the return of information. The training must be practical and contingent at all times, that is why the Analyst - Consultant in charge must prepare and propose the tools to ensure the results of the training sessions in the field. Workers and operational managers must collaborate, as it is the master key that will allow the training project to be inserted into the life of the company.
1.5. PROJECT EVALUATION
This stage is very important, since it completes the process, provides feedback and prepares new scenarios for future training actions. This stage should not be confused with the execution of the monitoring system, which is typical of the implementation of the project. The evaluation consists of the analysis of the data delivered in the previous stage based on the previously defined conditions of success and the adjustments made. This is where observations made about the results and effects of the activity are exploited, producing useful information for senior management, about the project itself, the general training plan (if any) and the general operation of the company..
It is common for companies that take training projects seriously to conduct a post-evaluation. In these cases, performance evaluation systems are a great alternative, however, they do not give us an overview of each project in particular. This is because there are variables that are not commonly considered and because each project is carried out based on a specific need as previously analyzed.
Here it is important that the interests and expectations of the workers are crossed again to determine the meeting point that allowed the project to be drawn up, the intervention methodology carried out and the final evaluation criteria and indicators to be drawn up.
The main functions are:
- Verify compliance with the contract agreed at the beginning of the operation. It should be an opportunity for honest feedback between the protagonists, the coordinators, the analyst - consultant in charge of project design, the project manager, and the rapporteurs. Collect the perceptions of the protagonists regarding the project, in its results (which think you learned) and its effects (how you used it in the unit of work) This function can be subdivided into two:
- Check to what extent the objectives set out above were achieved Observe the effects of training in the work unit
Measuring the consequences of executed training projects is a complex activity. When working with tools that allow management control to be carried out, the deviations between the expected results and the unforeseen effects can be verified. This is vital for the analyzes that allow the final reports to be delivered to senior management.
Given that projects are always exposed to changes in the environment and that making adjustments during their implementation is part of it, it is vital to reach consensus in all phases of the project, including evaluation. This is because it is necessary to understand that the effects of training are not only in the improvement of a production process, but also in the perception of the worker regarding it, which affects the organizational climate and smoothes resistance for future intervention actions.
CONCLUSION
As you surely perceived, training projects seek results from a social and operational point of view. Training programs should always aim at change, be it developing skills and competences, reinforcing knowledge, improving performance, optimizing processes, communication flows, customer service, among others.
In this context, placing training projects in Organizational Development programs has far superior advantages. The importance of approaching the projects in a systemic way, by feeding each phase back with the perceptions that the workers have, allows to fulfill the final objectives that were detected in the diagnosis.
We cannot stop considering that the work that is carried out is not only to impart knowledge, but to develop people, which is basically the organization.
So the approach given seems more like a DO program than a typical training program. My interest is to show that we can approach training projects in a much broader context that involves people and the entire organization. The results can be considered as a great organizational learning opportunity, not only for the Analyst - Consultant, but for the coordinating chiefs, the operational managers, the workers, and in general, the entire organization.
As specialists in human resources, we have a responsibility with respect to the company in which we work or will work in the future. This will not only be to enroll and settle courses in SENCE, or coordinate workshops with OTEC, but to see training as the development opportunity that each worker expects and that will result in companies more prepared to compete against the world that opens up to us every day.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
- "Personnel management and human resources"; Williams Werther, Kaith Davis; 5th Edition "An approach to Training Engineering"; Abraham Pain
