Training and Development: Strategies for Organizational Performance

This report delves into the crucial role of training and development in fostering organizational growth. It begins by exploring the historical context of employee training, highlighting the commitment organizations make to employee development. The report then provides a comprehensive literature review, examining various training and development programs and their impact on employee skills and organizational goals. Key benefits discussed include market growth, improved organizational performance, and enhanced employee retention. The report emphasizes the importance of investing in employee training programs to gain a competitive advantage and highlights the link between training and development and employee retention. Finally, the report concludes by summarizing the benefits of training and development programs and poses research questions to further investigate the topic.

Training and development on organizational growth
Introduction:
In the early 1970s, organization selected young employees having great talent and
devoted them training and development towards their career. Organizations set long term
goals, make plans to achieve future targets and provide training and development to their
new employees to get prominent positions in business (Moses, 1999). Employees made
customary promises with organization that they will give his services with full potential
to the organization after getting training programs. This commitment can be explain as
employees offered agreement of loyalty with organization on the other side, organizations
also provide guarantees to the employees of healthy work environment, career
development programs, and training programs (Feldman, 2000).
Today every organization is investing a lot of funds to make training and developments
program for their employees in order to get sustainable development and have
competitive advantage. Employees training and development programs are growing
rapidly and organization are using this tool to remain competitive in the market.
According to the scholars and professionals discussion training and development has
huge impacts on organizational goals. There are some scholars which consider training
programs in financial benefits whereas the other scholars believe that training and
development opportunity link with employees’ retention (Colarelli and Montei 1996;
Becker 1993). According to the Goldstein and Ford learning and development would
increase through organized training system which brings effectiveness in organization,
individual task and team intentions (Goldstein and Ford 2002).
Literature Review:
In order to improve employees skills and abilities organizations are offering different
training and development programs globally. In the early 90s Sear Credit started a career
development program for employees in which they arranged skills for job specialization
and this program created value for the company (O’Herron and Simonsen 1995). A
countrywide departmental store JC Penny, initiated a virtual university to provide specific
skills and abilities to employees to perform particular task according to the job (Garger
1999). UST University was established by U.S, Tsubaki, Illinois to facilitate
organizational improvement programs which accomplish individual need and as well as
organization need (Callahan 2000). On the basis of this same logic most of the companies
are providing number of programs for the upgrading and abilities development of their
employees.
According to the Kleiman employee orientation, management skills and operational skills
are the constructed products of the employees training programs (Mel Kleiman, 2000).
The practices of training and development programs must be include capability and
suitable structure so that organizations apply these practices in business at the corporate
level (Janet Kottke, 1999). There are some important parts of this theory such as improve
knowledge, collaboration, creative thinking and problem solving techniques (Kottke,
1999). On of the most significant objective of any training and development program is
to convert company vision and help employee to learn organization culture (Gerbman
2000).

Organizational benefits from training and developments programs:
Market Growth: For any organization employee development programs are necessary
because of hold competitive advantage in the market and to stay in funds. Organizational
investment on employees training programs is very costly activity but it gives
organization an advantage to hold strong position in the market. According to the
American Society for Training and Development there are two main purposes of
employees training programs, firstly employees understand importance of the program
and it practices in the organization, secondly organization management staff ensures that
particular development program is suitable in current business environment (Fenn, 2000).
Though, it has estimated that employees training programs cost high prices but give
benefits of return on investment. Microsoft and General Electric Company spend much
money in training development programs as an investment and get effective results in
high-profiled workforce (Kleiman 2000).
Organizational Performance: it has been defined that organizational performance
depends training programs contribution (Schuler and MacMillan 1984). The
organizational and individual development effectiveness can only be justified in order to
make investment in training and development programs (Bartel, 2000). Moreover, many
researchers have revealed the relation among training and efficiency of the organization
(Blundell, Dearden, Meghir and Sianesi, 1999). It is very difficult to compute
organizational performance and effects of human capital appreciation due to
inappropriate data and practical difficulties (Bartlett, 2001). However, it has considered
that human resource management practices have impacts on employees’ attitude and
professional behavior (Allen et al., 2003).
Employees Retention: According to the many researchers there is no specific method to
face this challenge of retaining employees in the organization. The one of the major
activity several organization follow to retain employee is that they give them
opportunities to learn working conditions (Logan, 2000). Hence, it has proved that
employee retention and training and development programs have strong relationship
(Rosenwald 2000). Experienced and skilled professional are the assts of any organization,
companies need to understand they must fulfill their expectations and face challenges to
retain them.
Conclusion:
According to the literature review we can observe that there are many benefits for the
organization and individual. These benefits are influenced by level of training and
development programs and their practices in organization. Organizations increase
benefits of development programs to apply training designs, practices, evaluate, and be
flawless. After studying benefits of training programs we can say companies must
develop employees’ development programs to improve organizational performance. If a
company start well organized and training and development program in a systematic way
company will yield huge profits and have competitiveness.

Research Questions:
1. Does employees training and development program address employees’
weaknesses?
2. How companies improve employees learning and retain them?
3. Why employee performance is augmented through competitive advantage?
References:
 Moses, B. (1999, February 1). Career planning mirrors social change. The Globe
and Mail [On-Line]. Retrieved January 18, 2001 from the World Wide Web:
http://www.bbmcareerdev.com/careerplan.html
 Feldman, D. (2000, May). The Dilbert syndrome: How employee cynicism about
ineffective management is changing the nature of careers in organizations.
American Behavioral Scientist, 43, 1286-1301.
 Colarelli, S. M., and Montei, M. S. 1996. Some contextual influences on training
utilization. The Journal of Applied Behavioral Science, 32(3): 306-322.
 Goldstein IL, Ford JK. (2002). Training in Organizations. Belmont, CA:
Wadsworth. 4th ed.
 O’Herron, P., and Simonsen, P. (1995, May). Career development gets a charge at
Sears Credit. Personnel Journal, 74 (5), 103-106.
 Garger, E. M. (1999, November). Goodbye training, hello learning. Workforce,
78 (11), 35-42.
 Callahan, B. (2000, May). Life-long learning pays off. Industrial Distribution, 89
(5), 116.
 Mel Kleiman (2000, January). What happens if you don’t train them and they
stay? Occupational Health and Safety, 69 (1), pp. 18, 70.
 Kottke, J. L. (1999). Corporate universities: Lessons in building a world-class
work force (revised). Personnel Psychology, 52, 530-533.320.
 Gerbman, R. V. (2000, February). Corporate Universities 101. HR Magazine, 45
(2), 101-106.
 Fenn, D. (1999, February). Corporate universities for small companies. Inc, 21
(2), 95-96.
 Mel Kleiman (2000, January). What happens if you don’t train them and they
stay? Occupational Health and Safety, 69 (1), pp. 18, 70.
 Bartel, A.P. (2000). Measuring the Employer’s Return on Investment in Training:
Evidence from the Literature. Industrial Relations, 39, 3, 502–524.