Linking organizational strategy with training

Linking organizational strategy with training:-

The process of determining what is to be learned can start at the top or from the bottom of the organization.

Top Down:

          From the top, executives determine organizational strategy. Strategy is both a purpose and a plan. The goals of the organization are established and resources allocated to meet those goals. Managers then use the overall corporate strategy to derive departmental or functional goals. Then, individual jobs or job holders are assigned their goals. These individual goals are often negotiated, in some form of management by objectives exercise.

          For example, Sprint uses the LINK performance management system for linking business objectives, employee development plans, performance evaluation, and training courses. The LINK system operates in a cascading format, starting with executive announcements of business plans at the start of the cycle. Four to six key objectives are identified for each employee that aligns with the accomplishment of the business objectives. Then, each employee prepares an individual development plan for the accomplishment of the objectives. Training goals must align with these development plans, and progress is checked by two annual performance reviews.

          Sometimes business strategy is determined by environmental threats or changes that require repositioning of the business, and subsequent retraining for employees.

Bottom Up:

          Conversely, training objectives can start with someone in the organization having a concern about employee performance or a unit’s production of specific performance weaknesses or opportunities for improving effectiveness. With these data in hand, the human resource developer can state specifically the behaviors that are to change. The most effective way to do this is through the preparation of objectives.

          An objective is a statement of what participants are expected to be able to do after a training program. Put another way, an objective is the expected outcome of training. The instructional objective describes the skills or knowledge to be acquired and transferred to the job.

          The emphasis in training is no performance, or behavior on the job. Learning can be described as the process of acquiring new skills, knowledge, and attitudes, while performance is the use of these new skills, knowledge and attitudes. The establishment of learning objectives focuses on performance on the job. This performance should be observable and measurable.