Are your employees up to speed on the
latest business trends? Do they have
a thorough understanding of their specific job functions? Do they speak a
common language? If not, custom training
may be the answer.
Customized training enables organizations
to reinforce and develop a skill set or specific areas of knowledge. It also enhances
morale and encourages teamwork.
“Training can be customized in many
ways, providing a strong degree of flexibility based on a company’s specific needs,”
says John Fowler, director of New
Initiatives, Executive Education, School of
Management, University of Texas at Dallas.
“A mid-size firm might want to educate a
work team on supply chain management.
A large corporation might want leadership
training geared toward rising stars or that
reinforces leadership at the management
level or within a department.”
Smart Business asked Fowler how companies can determine whether customized
training is right for them.
How can customized training strengthen an
organization?
When a company provides its own training programs, it strengthens its educational
culture, creating an environment where
employees truly want to do a better job.
Custom programs enable a company to create collective learning environments
focused specifically on areas that will benefit the organization. The company will have
more control over the content because it
can take information from a very general
sense and make it very specific.
What type of balance should there be
between classroom and online training?
It depends on the company’s needs and
structure. Classroom training provides a
great opportunity for team-based interactive learning. For example, a class might
focus on business principles in the morning, and then in the afternoon, the participants work in problem-solving teams to
reinforce the principles they learned earlier. In-person training, however, can be expensive if you have multiple locations.
Online training can provide a cost-effective
solution — it’s a good option for large
organizations with multiple branches
and/or those operating in different time
zones. Indeed, hybrid training also makes
sense in certain situations, as does the
incorporation of the emerging virtual classroom. Numerous corporations have
already set up virtual classrooms at Second
Life, for example.
Please provide a few examples of customized programs.
A management development client, United
Supermarkets, employs store directors with
varying levels of formal education, but they
all have one thing in common: they understand the supermarket industry. United
Supermarkets wanted to get all the directors
to speak the same business language and
show them how their jobs relate to the big
picture. Approximately 75 employees participated in a custom-designed, eight-session
course held once a month over eight months.
The course imparted basic business principles related to the supermarket industry, but
also covered areas such as marketing, customer support, supply chain networks and
finance.
Another example is a hybrid program
that a bank is developing in order to build
relationships with its small business banking customers. Customers are invited to
attend classroom courses where they learn
how to use online courses designed to educate them on numerous areas of small
business management. The content is tied
to programs and products the bank offers
to help these customers succeed.
How can a company measure the success of
a customized training program?
Measuring success begins by assessing the
performance of the individual. How has the
individual manager or executive changed
since he or she took the course? Is he applying the lessons? Is the company providing
opportunities to reinforce what was
learned? Has the execution and implementation of new or existing programs
improved after the training took place. How
smooth was the implementation? How is
the team working together as a group? Keep
in mind that while some training impacts
revenue or results in reduced costs, training
programs can produce intangible benefits
that impact the organization. Is there a general sense that the people have a better
understanding of how their performance
impacts the organization?
How can a company best evaluate a custom
program provider?
What are the skills you’re looking to
develop? If they are soft skills, a seminar
company may be the better option. If it’s a
particular management skill or area of corporate specialty, university training is the
best answer. When selecting a university,
look at the strength of the university in the
topic area. Can it provide a comprehensive
solution — one that might require components such as marketing, finance or
accounting in addition to the primary subject matter?
JOHN FOWLER is director of New Initiatives, Executive
Education, School of Management, University of Texas at Dallas.
Reach him at (972) 883-4697 or [email protected].