The training was a failure. All of that time, all of that
effort, all of that money, just gone, just out the window and gone. What other
explanation was there, after all, for drop after drop in the hard numbers from
a talented sales team in the wake of a training and development session?
It could have happened at any business, but for the purposes
of this story, it happened at a large technology company with headquarters in
the Midwest. The top executives, frantic for answers, called a corporate
training firm. “Our sales are down,” the executives said. “We need training.”
That technology company was part of a large percentage of businesses
that continued to invest in corporate training, education and development
during the last couple of years. Thousands and thousands of others turned away
from training, unable or unwilling to spend more money during the recession.
But a panel of more than 30 industry experts and academic
professionals agreed that it would have been far better for businesses to
continue to spend on training during those tough times — to invest in their
employees and to show the extent of that investment, to improve the business
and keep it up to date, to be in a better position when the economy ultimately
turns around — than to tighten the budget. The same rule applies now, too.
“Training is always important but even more so in times like
this,” says Pat Galagan, executive editor, ASTD. “This is when you really have
to come out of the gate running. It’s a big mistake to cut your training budget
when times are tough because it leaves you unprepared for better times.”
Make a plan
Members of the corporate training firm arrived the next day
and talked with as many employees as possible at the technology company, from
executives to engineers to those slumping sales representatives and everyone
else in between. They prodded and probed and asked questions. They were curious
about what, exactly, had happened.
They wanted to know, before they embarked on another
training session, whether another training session was actually necessary.
This is what you should do when you’re in the process of
determining whether to invest in training and development for your employees.
You should prod and probe and plan, because just as you shouldn’t approach a
new business venture without a model and a solid idea of what you want to
accomplish, neither should you approach training without thoughts of what you
need to tackle.
“Typically, businesses start by looking at their goals and
their objectives for a period of time, usually the coming year,” Galagan says.
“Some companies will do what’s called a skills audit to see if they have the
skills to support the direction. Then if they don’t, they will try to train to
fill any gaps that they find.
“It’s a very comprehensive process of looking at the skills
that employees have in key areas and matching that against the skills you feel
you need.”
And even though those needs will vary from business to
business, from industry to industry, there are a number of common training
areas on which almost all businesses should focus. Leadership development,
project management and team building are all increasingly important because of
the changing demographics and economy and because general communication and
technology skills are as important now as always.
“Some of the things that we’re finding demand for and that
make sense are strategy and leadership programs, especially managing in
turbulent times, managing through transition,” says Barbara Kahn, dean of the
School of Business Administration, University of Miami. “There’s also a lot of
emphasis on innovation. How companies can try to innovate to stay competitive
and survive.”
