I think most in the working world would agree that it’s normal to use the training department to address skill gaps (among other things). It appears this approach hasn’t been working for many companies, and executives place some of the blame within the HR and training department. (GASP!)
According to the “Accenture High Performance Workforce Study,” only 14% of respondents said the overall skill level of their organizations’ entire workforce is industry-leading. And only 20% of respondents believe that most of their employees understand their companies’ strategy and its road to success.
So whose fault is it? The surveyed executives attributed performance problems in part to the HR and training departments. On average, only 10 percent of respondents reported being very satisfied with the performance of their human resources and training. Fortunately, respondents also took some responsibility for their low satisfaction rates.
The gap between the two could be attributed to a lack of connection to business drivers, failure to measure the business impact of HR and training efforts, ineffective or non-existent knowledge capture and sharing capabilities, and a lack of leader involvement in people issues.
Only 36% of respondents said their companies adjust their HR and training to each function’s needs and contributions to the organization. Meanwhile, more than 40% said they do not evaluate the impact of their HR and training efforts against profitability, and half (50%) do not evaluate those efforts against revenues and sales.
It has become more recognized that companies that fail to develop their workforces risk losing their competitive edge. A key component to making the leap from acknowledgement to implementation is for executive teams to view the HR/Training leader as a strategic business partner - not just the touchy-feeling team building guru!
This survey also demonstrates one of the main reasons to move from training to performance improvement - accountability and measurement of impact. Without measurement of the difference made by a training initiative, there will never be a way to demonstrate the true value of training to the organization. If one kind of training is not adding value to the organization (i.e. profitability), don't do it.
Find out what will add value and do that. Measure and confirm the value. And just like shampoo - repeat!
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Source: CLO Newsletter
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2 comments:
Training doesn't work because most senior executives and HR executives are concerned with training only as a means of cya when something happens.
I agree, as many organizations tend to use training as an afterthought to a situation instead of a proactive way to educate, inform, and equip their workforce for the future!
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