Question

According to the Conference Board of Canada, the investments made by Canadian organizations in training and development have remained relatively constant over the last decade. Comment on the implications of this for organizations, employees, and the Canadian economy. Should governments get involved and enact laws that require organizations to invest a certain percentage of their payroll in training and development, as they have in Quebec? Why or why not?

Discuss some of the reasons why organizations often fail to implement the instructional systems design (ISD) model of training and development. The ISD model has been challenged and at times criticized. Why do you think this is the case, and do you think it is warranted?

Refer to the chapter-opening vignette on the Edmonton Police Service mental health training program and discuss the extent to which the instructional systems design (ISD) model was used. In other words, describe the training program in terms of each stage of the ISD model (i.e., what the needs were, how the program was designed and delivered, and how it was evaluated).

Why do some organizations view learning, training, and development as an expense rather than an investment? What are the implications of this? What can be done to change this perception so that organizations view training and development as an investment? What are the implications of changing perceptions for employees, organizations, and society

Answer 1

Canadian organizations are now spending an average of 81 cents for every dollar spent by American organizations on learning and development, representing a significant increase in the overall average of 57 cents since 2006.

Government should get involved and take corrective measures to invest a certain percentage of the payroll in training and development programmes for the workforce. They should make sure that the country should take its payroll compliance guidelines and business regulations seriously and make the perfect example of a trusted global payroll solution for multinational companies. Employee training and development are vital components in employee success and long-term career growth, which directly contributes to engagement and retention.

Question : Reasons why organizations often fail to implement the instructional systems design (ISD) model of training and development.

Answer : Instructional systems design (ISD) model is an organized procedure that includes the steps of analyzing, designing, developing, implementing, and evaluating instruction. It basically involves a systematic process for the assessment and development of training solutions, designed specifically for the purpose of formal training delivery.

Many organizations fail to understand the critical need of implementing the ISD model because of its costs of the projects are relatively high. ISD is not considered to be appropriate to all training development efforts. Also, implementation of ISD model is the most critical part which can lead to failure of the whole programme. The inflexibility and the excessive time taken to go through the whole process makes some organization think twice before implementing the ISD model.

Tight budgets, time constraints, lack of knowledge around cutting-edge principles and methods and limited resources are also some of the factors why organizations fail to implement ISD model.

Any effective company has training in place to make sure employees can performhis or her job. Training is an investment in human resource which promises of better returns in future. It results in greater stability, flexibility and capacity for growth in an organization.It involves the set of systematic procedures, as it is an organized activity for increasing the skills of people for a definite purpose

Question : Why do some organizations view learning, training, and development as an expense rather than an investment? What are the implications of this?

Answer : Many orgamizations consider the skill-enhancement training programmes expensive and in most cases, they avoid reskilling employees and onboard a fresh batch. Unfortunately, a lot of the company top level managers consider professional training and development to be the employee’s concern, not the organization’s.

Organizations that enhance and upskill their employees definitely make an investment. They see their employees as part of the company and not an external entity. This culture imbibes strong loyalty towards a brand and the work culture.

Implications of thinking training and development as an expense rather than investement are as follows :

Decreased productivity : Lack of training can result in lost productivity, loosing customers, and poor relationships between employees and managers. Employees who don't receive adequate training may also have difficulty meeting performance standards.

High Retentions and turnover : It can also result in dissatisfaction, which means retention problems and high turnover. A study performed bythe American Society for Training and Development (ASTD) found that 41 percent of employees at companies with poor training planned to leave within the year, but in companies with excellent training, only 12 percent planned to leave.

Lack of competitiveness in the market : Failure to invest in training can result in a cloistered business that has little industry relevance. Also, there will be lack of knowledge of industry trends and policies among the employees.

Emergence of conflicts and issues : There will come a time when conflicts will arise between the coworkers. Confilcts if not resolved on time will affect the organization and production quality. It will also effect the company efficiency as much of the time is wasted on conveying these blames between departments.

Lack of job satisfaction and motivation : Lack of traininga nd development will lead to dissatisfaction among employees with regard to their job as there will not be anything new for them to learn after some point of time. This may also lead to decrease in motivation and morale of the employees leading to absenteeism.

Question : What can be done to change this perception so that organizations view training and development as an investment?

Answer : No organization can get a candidate who exactly matches with the job and the organizational requirements. Workers in any organisation are always in need of training and development programs that help to develop their skills that are necessary at work. Hence, training is important to develop the employee and make him/her suitable for the job. The relationship between investment in people in terms of training and increased profit margins is clearly demonstrable. Training and development programs are the corner stone of sound management, for it makes employees more effective and productive.

The challenge of training is that the new skills are often shelved in favor of familiar routines when faced with a consistent. The organizations needs to understand that by promoting training and development there will be reduction in errors or defects, productivity of the employees will be enhanced, their motivation will be increased and so on.

To change the perception of the organizations towards training and development, they should realise the benefits of it. Awareness of Training and development programs can make a company more flexible in the market. When the employees are well trained, they are better able to respond to changes in the market, which ensures organization's success in the long term. Also, employers need to focus on investing money and time into equipping employees with the current skill sets.

When a company invests in employee training and development, employees feel valued and appreciated. This makes them more loyal and in less need of supervision. The more the organization will support and promote training and development programme, the more successful and improved will be the efforts to encourage new behaviors of the employees. Training and development are only good investments if they are effective and engaging.

Employees are the company’s most important assets and their training and professional development is something a company should invest heavily in.

Question : What are the implications of changing perceptions for employees, organizations, and society ?

Answer : By Changing the perceptions of the employees, organizations and the society, a lot can be addressed with regard to training.

Employees in an organization will look forward to skills enhancement training and personality development courses to improve themselves and advance their careers.

• Training will help to eliminate fear of attempting new task which will have a direct impact on handling stress, tension, frustration and conflicts in the organization.
• When employees know that their company cares about their career, and is willing to offer training and opportunities to improve themselves and advance, they tend to stick around a bit longer.
• It will help the employees in achieving their personal goals and will enhance the individual contribution to their organization.
• Mentoring given by experts will have a positive impact on employee morale.
• The results of mentoring will be reflected as increased productivity of trained employees.
• Through training, motivational variables of recognition, achievement, growth, responsibility and advancement will be internalised and operationalised at a different level.

In any organization, the effectiveness of employee is recognized as one of the determinants of organizational success. Therefore, investment in training and development will have a direct economic benefit to the organization.

• Because of the dynamic nature of the business world and changing technologies, training will imbibe and inculcate a new technology in the organization.
• Quick decision making and problem solving will be much easier for the organization.
• Training of the employees will help in overall organizational development which will lead to an environment for growth and communication.
• Training and development also helps in optimizing the utilization of human resource which in turn helps the employee to achieve harmony between the organizational goals as well as their individual goals.

Society : Training ensure that an organization is ethically and socially responsible to the needs and challenges of the society. It helps to expand the horizons of human intellect and an overall personality of the employees. It also helps in improving quality of work and life and overall helps to fosters authenticity, openness and trust among each others.

Hence the carefully planned and conducted Training and Development activity in any organization has become the activity of developing most superior workforce so that the organization and individual employee can accomplish their goals.