Trainers Conflict With Senior Management
January 17 2007 - A recent survey survey of in-house training professionals by The Ken Blanchard Companies
finds that senior managers are undermining the training programmes they have asked for. The survey shows that top management
ask their training managers to:
- Initiate learning programmes that produce empowered leaders for the future
- Encourage people to be more productive
- Be accountable for bottom line results showing a clear return on investment (ROI) in training
However, approximately one half of the same top managers will undermine these requirements by:
- Failing to set an example of what good leadership looks like
- Refusing to go on training programmes themselves
- Not showing an interest in sharing the responsibility for enhancing the recognition and value of training within the company
46% of training managers surveyed said that their greatest frustration was a 'need for more top management buy in.'
28% also said that appropriate staff members were not being trained because they opted out of non-compulsory training
programmes or because training managers did not have the right staff or finances to provide training in the most effective way.
Despite their reluctance to be trained themselves, or to be good role models, senior managers were not
slow in criticising training departments if the expected ROI did not materialise. 58% of training managers said that
'proving the impact and ROI of training' was their biggest challenge. 47% also said that raising the priority of training
and development within the organizational culture was a problem.
According to Jim O’Brien, managing director of The Ken Blanchard Companies UK:
"It seems that while upper management is putting increasing pressure on training managers to justify
their existence by proving they can deliver ROI, they are at the same time jeopardising any positive outcomes by
their counter-productive behaviour. Given this and other Blanchard surveys showing best results are achieved when
there is top-down support for learning and development initiatives, you have to ask whether training managers will,
sooner or later, have to raise the issue of whether they should be held accountable for results if they don’t get the
support they need from the top."
The Blanchard survey also found that coaching is now the most popular method of reinforcing
and following up on training with 60% of those surveyed citing the technique. Developing future leaders also remains
a top priority for 57% of respondents.
>
Related article:
Managers more likely to get training than workers
April 3 2001 -
The CIPD's third annual training survey shows that managers and professionals are far more likely to receive
training in the workplace than manual workers. The survey was commissioned from the
Centre for Labour Market Studies, Leicester University who telephone interviews with over
500 people in December 2000 and January 2001.
Mike Cannell, author of the report and CIPD Adviser on training and development says:
"The findings show an alarming gap between the 'haves' and the 'have-nots'. Only 8.4% of
our respondents said that managers and professionals in their organisations had received no
on-the-job training in the past year, whereas 47% said that their manual workers had received
no on-the-job training during the same period. Similarly, although less surprisingly, manual
workers are less likely to have a formal coach or mentor than managers and professionals."
Mike Cannell adds that: "It is surprising that the main beneficiaries appear to be managerial and
white collar employees given that on-the job-training has historically been a case of manual
workers 'sitting with Nelly'. This shift may be due to the widespread use of computers,
which has forced every manager to learn about information technology which lends itself
to on-the-job training."
Nearly half the training managers interviewed said that they found it difficult to obtain
adequate assistance from senior line managers or directors to develop an adequate training
strategy. And 16.5% believed believe that their senior managers and directors had a poor understanding of training and
development.
Cannell concludes, "One of the weaknesses of the UK economy is that we have too many people
with low skills and low incomes. It is therefore very disappointing to see that the training
needs of some of the very people we should be targeting to get out of this circle, manual
workers, are being ignored. The UK economy should be moving towards a high performance/high
skilled economy but it can only be achieved if more investment in training, particularly
through workplace learning, is undertaken. Maybe one of the reasons for this, as our survey
suggests, is that a minority of senior managers and directors are insufficiently committed
to developing their employees."
Human Resource Development: Strategy and Tactics
by Juani Swart, Alan Price, Clare Mann, Steve Brown
Each chapter in Human Resource Development provides the reader with commentary, activities and review sections in an integrated approach. The action-oriented approach is vital for practicing managers but increasingly for postgraduate and final year undergraduates who have work experience. It is this aspect of the book that fills a gap that currently exists in the market. This text reflects organizational realities and balances and integrates the coverage of individuals, teams and organizational learning.The book is written in a straightforward manner and explains concepts and key issues in a lucid style. The activities are focused and are better suited to encouraging readers to learn.
More information and prices from:
- British pounds
- US dollars
- Canadian dollars
- Australian Dollars
- Euros
- Euros
Coaching at Work Toolkit: A Complete Guide to Techniques and Practices
Suzanne Skiffington, Perry Zeus
The employment of life skills coaching, executive coaching and business coaching is being heralded as the way to create organizations of the future. Anyone interested in achieving their best and staying ahead of the competition should read this book. Through the use of case studies, practical instructions and application guidelines, the authors have provided models, principles and techniques that enable professional coaches to achieve breakthrough results.
More information and prices from:
- US dollars
- Canadian dollars
- British pounds
- Euros
E-tivities: The Key to Active Online Learning
Gilly Salmon
Written by Gilly Salmon, an e-learning expert, this book shows the central role of activities in online learning and the importance of engaging learners. The book shows how to: develop low-cost and worthwhile e-activities; create fuller participation in online learning; and retain and satisfy learners. Based on Gilly Salmon's own research and worldwide experience working with students and in commercial training, this book is intended for professionals involved in online learning.
More information and prices from:
- US dollars
- Canadian dollars
- British pounds
- Euros
|
