Business | Opinion
The nightmare called 'training'
How many times have I heard CEOs and employees say training is a waste of time.
- By Sanjiv Anand, Special to Gulf News
- Published: 23:48 July 30, 2007
How many times have I heard CEOs and employees say training is a waste of time. And that most didn't learn anything. Or that the effectiveness was never tested.
Or that many missed sessions and went shopping. Or even worse - most sat in the back row and slept after lunch. Remember that's when the blood goes from the brain to the stomach making it real easy to sleep!
So is training a waste of effort? It depends whether you are training for the sake of training or serious about it. That depends on whether the executive committee is willing to get involved, or just leave it to HR to use its own limited judgment. Let's start at the beginning.
First, training can only do so much for you. What that means is, if a person has 60 per cent-70 per cent of the skills, it can add another 10 per cent-15 per cent to skills, to make him more productive.
But if the person only has 50 per cent of the competency required for the job, you can train him all you want but it won't work. This is even more true the higher you go in the organisation. Therefore fix number one to the training nightmare is recruiting the right guys for the right slots.
Then let's move to how much training is needed. The IT consulting industry estimates 12 man days of training per year, 50 per cent self, and 50 per cent classroom. Figure out what works for your industry.
My general view is seven days of training a year is enough, five in classroom, and two self. Many training programmes are one week, so that's perfect. Or you can split it into two.
The big issue is what to train for? Let me try to simplify it. Senior management (CEO + Direct reports) need to go for Leadership and General Management Programmes. They often end up at industry programmes.
That's OK once in a while, but I would rather that they be speakers at industry programmes than participants. Middle management needs to attend specific functional or industry programmes. Junior management need to focus on their function, and vocation/personal skills.
Then how about location? Las Vegas everybody? Doubt it. Unfortunately the junior most often end up in training sessions organised on site, or at a location close by.
Middle management should train off-site and potentially in another country. Senior management must be internationally trained. I am a strong believer in this. When one trains senior management in the same country, the person often learns nothing significantly new from the participants or faculty.
However when they are sent overseas, the learning come from participants and hopefully better quality faculty. At some of the best business schools in the US, it costs only $3,000 for a three-day programme.
And who gets sent? Once you set the thumb rule, everybody goes unless somebody is on probation, or is to be fired. HR with the Ex-Com build a list of programmes, literally as a menu that the employee can select from with the mentoring/approval of his boss.
It is hard to measure effectiveness, so my recommendation is not to bother too much about it. More important is the debriefing after the employee returns, and ask him to share his experience with others in writing or in presentations.
As long as the training programme is designed along the above lines, value addition to employees and the company is guaranteed, and priceless.
The writer is the managing director of Cedar Management Consulting International, LLC.
Share this article
More from Business Opinion
More from Business
Popular in Business
-
XPRESS
Way to go this DSF
A fun-filled route to guide you to all the happening dos in town
Business Editor's choice
-
Hamdan opens interior design expo
Index 2009 will feature 1,000 exhibitors from 47 nations
-
Marina Residence handovers begin
Despite talk of oversupply, Palm Jumeirah's latest apartments come online.
-
Travel insurance offers peace of mind
The wisest thing to do is to take out travel insurance before you leave.
