Training and Development in Small Businesses

Running head: Training and Development in Small Businesses. 1

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The key elements of training and development geared toward improving the performance of the specific small business

Introduction:

Today's business environment requires employees of the organization to be skilled in performing various complex tasks in an efficient way, cost-effective, as well as, safe manner.

Training is a tool for performance improvement and therefore, is needed when employees are not performing up to some standard level or expected level of the performance. The various differences between the actual level of business performance and the expected level of performance should be sued to determine the need for training. The determination of training needs of the business is the first step in ensuring high performance (Spar hawk, 2014). A successful training, therefore, needs analysis that identifies the individuals who need training and what type of training is needed. It is counter-productive practice to offer training services to employees who do not need it or even to offer the wrong type of training. A Training Needs

Analysis should be sued to helps put the training resources needed for the business organization to good use. Many needs assessments determine what is appropriate for the situation of business include.

Organizational Analysis.

It is the analysis of the business requirements or any other reasons that the training is desired. It would involve determining the organization's strategies, objectives and goals. The question such as what is the business overall trying to accomplish? Should be asked to act as a guideline. The important questions that the analysis addresses are who decided that training and 3 who should be conducting the process, as well as, why the training program is considered as the recommended solution to improve the performance of the business. The management should also consider the history of the business organization regarding the past employee training and any other management interventions that was employed to improve its performance (Sloman, 2014).

Person Analysis is the next element that would be used to determine the need for training. The analysis dealing with different potential participants and also instructors who would be involved in the process training should be evaluated. The important questions that are being answered by the analysis include factors such as who will be receiving the training, their level of existing knowledge and skills on the subject geared towards improving the business performances, what is their learning methods and styles, and finally who will conduct the process of training. One conducting the training need to know the answer to questions such as Do the business employees has the required skills? Are there any changes to policies, equipment and procedure that require and necessitate process of training? (Spar hawk, 2014).

Work analysis and Task Analysis is another element of training that should be evaluated to determine the tasks being performed. It is the analysis of the jobs in the business organization, as well as, the requirements for performing such duties. It should seeks to specify the primary duties of the workers in achieving the objectives of the organization and skill level required. It would help in ensuring that the training that is developed would include various relevant links to the content of the business job.

Performance Analysis also forms another element for training. Are the business employees performing up to the required standard? Now, if the performance is below the expectations, the can training being conducted help them to improve that performance? Or is there any Performance Gap that should be improved? 4

Content Analysis involves evaluating the business documents, laws and procedures used in the organization to achieve its goals. The analysis answers the questions regarding what knowledge and information is used to perform various duties in the business. It is important that each content of the training should not conflict or contradict the business performance requirements. Experienced training personnel can assist in determining the most appropriate content for training activities (Sloman, 2014).

Training Suitability Analysis. This involves finding out whether the training is the desired solution to improve the performance of the business. Training is one of known solutions to performance problems. However, it cannot always be the best solution, unless it is organized according to the requirements of the organization. It is important to find out if the training will be effective in its usage.

Cost-Benefit Analysis would involve determining the return on investment of the training. The training should be effective in returning a value to the business organization that is greater than the initial investment carried out to administer the training.

Generally, best learning strategies would include the following elements to meet the specific needs of the organization, the employees, as well as, the clients or customers (Spar hawk, 2014).

The training should have an alignment with organizational goals. Alignment with the organizational goals is the most know fundamental element of every business learning strategy.

It is suggested that every internal training program should be aligned to support practices carried out for the achievement of organizational goals. Business management should intuitively understand and also know that if the employees perform at high levels, then the entire organization benefits (Sloman, 2014). 5

The training should create awareness of organization’s present training culture. Every organization’s learning culture is crucial. The management should ask questions such as is the training process embedded into workflows? Are workers committed to continuous improvement after the training? Is the business receptive to the performance change, as well as, improvement?

Is the business ready taking a technology-based training solution? The complete awareness of the present state of the training culture is critical, since any learning solution should be appropriate to the business organization’s current culture so that there is the best chance to achieve the required behavior apart from the performance changes that are sought through the training program.

The training should also involve the needs analysis. The needs analysis will assist in creating a focus on the organization challenges that may be met through the training program.

Not all business challenges require or need training solutions. The management should make sure to focus the efforts and the limited resources where they can see positive results that increase business performance (Craig& American Society for Training and Development, 2006).

Content strategy: A content strategy is the next element that builds upon the first elements discussed. After the management has understood exactly what challenges they are addressing to accomplish business performance and who needs help, they can start looking at content that would help the employees. The key element of the content strategy should come from the understanding of the current and desired training culture in the organization. These include when and where do the employees need content? At the moment do they need to apply the training? Answers to these questions would help the management determine if the employees are ready to move beyond the classroom training and towards video, mobile and social learning. 6

Evaluating the success criteria: The criteria that will be used to measure the impact of the training program must be determined before one begins the process. One just needs to ask two questions. What will the success look like? How will one there is success know?

Communication and marketing strategy: A marketing and communication are other strategy that is crucial to any successful training program. The business should inform the employees about the training program, motivate them to participate in the training and explain how the program would help them to improve the performance of the business (Arthur, 2005).

Measurement of the business impact strategy: The last element is to understand and also measure the actual business impact of the training on the employees. The management should be prepared to make the connections between the employee training and business benefits. It is easy when the objectives of the training program are strongly aligned organizational goals right away from the start (Arthur, 2005).

The potential challenges that the managers or owners of the business could face in addressing organizational performance

Employee issues would form the first challenge in which there are personality conflicts between the workers. There can also be supervisor issues in which the employees are not willing to corporate with the leader. There is a problem of finding the right staff, retaining them, and also ensuring that they buy into the objectives, missions and vision of the business. There is also a problem of dealing with diversity. Employees come from various backgrounds in which every individual has his/her own beliefs, attributes and attitude. It is difficult to handle many people from different background and poses a challenge to the manager in addressing the organizational performance.

The effects of detecting organizational gaps in small business. 7

Most small businesses conduct various gap analyses in the attempt to bridge the divide existing between the present state of the business organization and the vision for the company.

The bridging is aimed for both the present and in long-term planning. Through the process, a comparison can arise against the stated goals and the accepted industry standards. The business then turns to the duty of figuring out how to remove the gap in order to reach optimal levels of performance. It is the best way of getting employees the required training services to give them the relevant skill sets needed to plug the gap that in turn improves the performance of the business. It makes it possible to readjusting sales territories that reflect market realities. It also helps in streamlining the work processes to lower the cost of production

Competitive training strategy that will improve the position of the business in the market.

It would involve employing various techniques that ensure the training process takes the shortest time and minimum cost as possible. It would involve the following four steps.

(i) Analyzing the need of the business. The first step is to find out the need of the organization. It will help one choose the right type of training for the business requirements.

(ii) Identifying the skill gaps such as employees capabilities (Craig& American Society for Training and Development, 2006).

(iii) Prioritize. It is done by assigning the training to be provided into various categories depending on the importance to the business organization.

(iv) Plan and deliver the training program

The training agenda would include methods to improve business performance, how to incorporate business training into the organization activities and the effect of attending such 8 training to the individuals employees, as well as, organization (Craig& American Society for

Training and Development, 2006).

Reference

Arthur, D. (2005). Managing human resources in small and mid-sized companies. New York:

AMACOM.

Craig, R. L., & American Society for Training and Development. (2006). The ASTD training

and development handbook: A guide to human resource development. New York:

McGraw-Hill.

McGrath, S. A., & Research Programme on Human Resources Development (Human Sciences

Research Council). (2009). Skills development in very small and micro enterprises. Cape

Town: HSRC Press.

Sloman, M. (2014). A handbook for training strategy. Aldershot, Hampshire, England: Gower

Press. 9

Spar hawk, S. (2014). Identifying targeted training needs: A practical guide to beginning an

effective training strategy. Irvine, CA: Richard Chang Associate