Kelvin Ju, Principal Consultant, Talent Development Solutions, Graval Ltd
Kelvin Ju, Principal Consultant, Talent Development Solutions, Graval Ltd opened by asking the audience why training is so necessary for an organisation. Answers included new ideas, meeting business needs and aligning goals with the strategy of the business, as well as succession planning. He explained that 84% of employees in ‘best performing organisations’ are receiving the training they need.
Benefits of training include increased innovation and efficiency, as well as improved employee motivation. Ju quipped, “We know that training is necessary, but how many of you have had a simple time talking to senior management, and had them say; ‘Here’s 50 million dollars, train them until you die’?” He elaborated that there are a number of obstacles to providing effective training. Research quoted showed Hong Kong employees actually have some of the lowest engagement with their jobs out of 20 countries surveyed, and only 37% of Hong Kong workers felt they were encouraged to innovate. Shockingly, more than a third said they could not name a point where they felt motivated at work in 2015.
Ju commented that managers can be threatened by training that illuminates negative issues. “No one is comfortable admitting there is an issue. We need to design programmes that meet the business needs.”
Of course, the main issue is budget constraints. Ju explained that training budgets are the first to be cut due to unclear understanding by senior management of the business value of training, especially when the training does not directly meet organisational needs.
Ju said, “What we need to do as L&D experts, is to stop thinking training is a cost to be minimised, and to start thinking it is an expense worth investing in,” He added, “Effective L&D starts with involving the right stakeholders, and it has to meet strategic business goals. If you get that right, you will find that your training solutions have a lot more value. Training for training’s sake is not a good use of resources.”
Paul Arkwright
Publisher
