It can be argued that training serves as a pillar in organizational success. Consider this. A new hire employee enters a training room with the anticipation of starting the first day in a formal training setting where the appropriate knowledge transfer takes place whether through eLearning, simulation, instructor-led (ILT) or on-the-job training (OJT). Instead, the new employee is welcomed to the organization with a firm handshake and a congratulatory smile followed with “welcome to the job and good luck”. Without hesitation the new hire employee is shuffled off into the workplace environment and expected to meet the desired monthly performance metric.
Different? Definitely. Innovative? Possibly. Competitively smart? Let us consider this. It has been discovered that training can aid in organizational success by:
• Providing opportunities to enhance knowledge and skill development (Bradley, 2010)
• Initiating structured programs to drive knowledge transfer of both explicit and tacit knowledge (Noe, 2010; Laureate Education Inc., n.d.)
• Building (reproducing) preferred behaviors regardless of environmental factors and/or changes (Laureate Education Inc., n.d.)
Taking these factors into consideration there is a higher probability in increasing retention rates, gaining return on organizational investments, and decreasing costs, in turn creating a more competitive advantage. When all is considered, training appears to be the better option!
References
Bradley, A. (2010). Shifting away from an employer’s market. Training and Development, 64(7), 16–17. Retrieved from the Academic Search Complete database.
Laureate Education Inc., (Producer). (n.d.). The Truth About Training. Video program retrieved from http://sylvan.live.ecollege.com/ec/crs/default.learn?CourseID=5693735&Survey=1&47=6571740&ClientNodeID=984650&coursenav=1&bhcp=1
Noe, R. A. (2010). Employee training and development (5th ed.). New York, NY: McGraw Hill.
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