16 Employee Training and Executive Development II

Dr Anurodh Godha

1. Learning Outcome:

After completing this unit, you would be able to:

Understand the various methods of executive development;
Come through the Influences of Adopting Inadequate Executive
Development Programme; Understand the Executive Development Process;
Learn and appreciate the significance of career planning to society;

2. Introduction to Executive Development

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Executive development or management development is a systematic process of learning and growth by which managerial personnel gain and apply knowledge, skills, attitudes and insights to manage the work in their organization effectively and efficiently. It is realized that an effective management team may be as important to the survival of an organization as any tangible item on the balance sheet. The program of executive development aims at achieving following purposes: –

To sustain good performance of managers throughout their careers by exploiting their full potential.
To understand economic, technical, and institutional forces in order to solve business problems.
To acquire knowledge about problems of human resources.
To think through problems this may confront the organization now or in the future.
To develop responsible leaders.
To inculcate knowledge of human motivation and human relationships.
To increase proficiency in management techniques such as work study, inventory control, operations research and quality control.

Johnson and Sorcher write, “Management development focuses on developing in a systematic manner, the knowledge base, attitudes, basic skills, interpersonal skills and technical skills of the managerial cadre.”

According to Flippo “executive development includes the process by which managers and executives acquire not only skills and competency in their present job but also capabilities for future managerial tasks of increasing difficulty and scope.”

The characteristics of executive development are as following: –

Executive development is a planned and organized process of learning.
It is an ongoing and never ending exercise.
Executive development is a long term process as managerial skills cannot be developed overnight.
It aims at preparing managers for managers.

Today, it is the growth that makes one person stay at the company. The opportunity and challenges is what keeps a person satisfied and charmed with his job. Companies have understood this fact and therefore are forming policies and procedures to develop their employees.

3. Methods of Executive Development

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Management development programs help in acquiring and developing managerial skill and knowledge. A Variety of methods of management development have come into prominence these days. Different types of techniques are used to acquire and develop various types of managerial skill and knowledge as given below:

4. Importance and Influences of Adopting Inadequate Executive Development Programme

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Executive development is future oriented. It is more concerned with education than is employee training. In today’s competitive environment, an organization has to be concerned about the development of supervisors, middle level managers and top-level executive.

Executive development is important for the following reasons: –
Executive development programmes are required to train and develop professional managers.
It helps managers to develop skills to face cut throat competition.
It enables managers to face problems related to technology and institution. It helps in developing better relations with the labors.
Executives need training and education to understand and adjust to changes in socio-economic changes.
Executive development is required to broader the outlook of managers.

Influences of Adopting Inadequate Executive Development Programme

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Failure to train the managers will lead to ineffective and inefficient managers who negatively affect the organization’s performance.
In the absence of training and developmental avenues, the performing managers may get de-motivated and frustrated in leading the organizations. This would lead to severe losses for the organization in financial parameters, in terms of the cost of recruiting and training the new incumbent.
The organizational performance may be affected by the loss of market shares, lower sales, reduced profitability, etc.
The absence/ shortage of trained and skilled managers make it important for the organizations to have appropriate retention strategies. Training and development is being used by organizations as a part of their retention strategy.
The competitive pressures make it necessary for organizations to continuously roll out new products and services, and also maintain the quality of the existing ones. The training and development of managers would help them in developing the competencies in these areas.
The competitive environment is making it imperative for the organizations to continuously restructure and re-engineer, and to embark upon these processes, it is essential for the organizations to train the managers for the new scenarios.

5. Executive Development Process

Contemporary organizations have realized the importance of human capital and increasingly finding its necessary to continuously train and develop human resources. The training and development needs of the employees cannot be looked at in isolation; any proactive organization has to view the individual training needs in the overall organizational context. The training and development processes are not longer adjunct to other departments but have become a part of organizational strategy and one of the key organizational objectives. The process of arriving at the development needs of the executives can be comprehensively viewed through the process given in Figure 1.

The Process of Executive Development

Stage I: In the Stage I, at the macro level, there are three key elements are considered as competitive advantage, organizational strategy and organizational objectives. The analysis of competitive environment helps the organization to decide its competitive positioning in the market place, based on which the organizational strategy is drawn out in an attempt to transform or reposition of the organization. The macro view is broken down into specific organizational objectives for further dissemination to functional/ departmental, and individual level.

Stage II:

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This stage is most important and crucial phase of executive development process. This stage deals analysis on the competency mapping, identification of competency gap and career planning. In the competency stage which helps to capture the competencies of all the employees of the organization which includes the capacities of the management also. In the second stage, the organizational requirements and competency gap to be analyzed. In the third phase, this deals with identifying and verifying the organizational needs, individual growth and along with career planning of the executives.

Stage III: This stage is consisting of three levels. The first level of this stage deals with the activities involving training need assessment of individuals and of all employees based on which Annual Training Plan (ATP) is drawn. Based on the annual training plan the employees are chosen to expose to either corporate training program, for internal training programs and external organizations. While deciding the venue and types and nature of the training program the personnel department and training facilitator should consider the various issues like no of executives, cost, outsourcing and availability of technical expertise in the organizations. In case of organizational development related exercises, the combination of internal and external training programs should be arrange for the all employee of the organization.

Though the money, infrastructure and finally the manpower to be utilized in the whole process keeping into this, the top management has to take decision in this regard. The training department, management and HR Department should work in union. It is a collective phenomenon, which is mostly initiatives, motives of the top management. If entire process of executive development is mostly determined by its efficacy and its effectiveness.

Apart from this the process of executive development can be defined in several other ways with slight difference. With another approach the process of executive development may also be classified as follows:

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A. Analysis of Development Needs: First of all the present and future development needs of the organization are ascertained. It is necessary to determine how many and what type of executives are required to meet the present and future needs of the enterprise.

B. Appraisal of the Present Managerial Talent: A qualitative assessment of the existing executives is made to determine the type of executive talent available within the organization.

C. Planning Individual Development Programmes: Each one of us has a unique set of physical, intellectual and emotional characteristics. Therefore, development plan should be tailor-made for each individual.

D. Establishing Training and Development Programme: The HR department prepares comprehensive and well conceived programmes.

E. Evaluating Developing Programs: Considerable money, time and efforts are spent on executive development programmes. It is therefore natural to find out to what extent the programme’s objective has been achieved.

6. Evaluation of Executive Development Process

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In the competition scenario, where the focus is on efficiency and profitability and the return on investment (ROI) on all the activities of the organization, executive development cannot be an exception to the phenomenon. The evaluation of the process assumes importance from the following perspectives:

Improving the quality of the training and development process.
Improving the efficiency and competency of the trainers.
Making improvements in the system to make it more responsive and realistic.
Aligning the training activities to the organizational objectives.
Building the cost implications of the training into the organizational budget.
Evaluating the ROI on account of training and development to justify further investments.
Changing the perception of the management on training as expenditure to more as an investment for the future growth of the organization.

The levels of evaluation include the reaction level, immediate level, intermediate level, and ultimate level. For the purpose of evaluation, it is essential to collect the data for which there should be appropriate measures for data collection, both during the course of the training programme and after the training programme. Some of the methods being used by experts are self-complete questionnaires, interviews, observations, and desk research. The desk research involves low cost and less amount of time.

7. Career Development

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Career planning is a lifelong process, which includes choosing an occupation, getting a job, growing in our job, possibly changing careers, and eventually retiring. Career development is an organized approach used to match employee goals with the business needs of the agency in support of workforce development initiatives. The purpose of career development is to:

Enhance each employee’s current job performance.
Enable individuals to take advantage of future job opportunities.
Fulfil agencies’ goals for a dynamic and effective workforce.

Career development involves managing your career either within or between organizations. It also includes learning new skills, and making improvements to help you in your career. Career development is an ongoing, lifelong process to help you learn and achieve more in your career. Whether you are looking at making a career change, or moving up within a company, planning your own career development will help you succeed. By creating a personal career development plan, you can set goals and objectives for your own personal career growth. Don’t make the mistake of leaving your career development future in the hands of your employer, hoping that you will get the next promotion or pay raise. This misconception can lead to job dissatisfaction and resentment.

Career development, as both a field of study and a practical form of training for workers, is primarily concerned with producing better employees and maximizing employee potential. Career development programs can help the unemployed find jobs or provide workers with the skills and tools they need to advance within a government agency, corporation or organization.

7.1 Objectives of Career Development Programme

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Self-Awareness- One of the major objectives of any career development program is a heightened sense of self-awareness for participants. Employees should be able to identify their strengths and weaknesses, in order to apply their skills more effectively. Understanding shortcomings is also useful in teaching employees where to focus efforts toward improvements. Self-awareness is also related to understanding the difference between real and perceived career advancement limitations. By examining available opportunities and making an honest assessment of an employee’s skills, career development seeks to give every employee a realistic outlook on the future.

Flexibility- Career development also sets enhanced flexibility as a goal. Employees work in a changing world and adaptation is an essential skill. This may mean abandoning practices that have worked in the past, or devoting time to education and new training. Employees who find themselves unable to adapt in a changing workplace may suffer from decreased productivity or be unable to compete with workers whose skills are more flexible and easier to apply across a range of tasks.

Education- Education is among the more straightforward objectives of career development. Such programs attempt to give employees, or prospective employees, access to information about job opportunities and options for skills training. Following up with such employees is an important objective as well, since this gives those who work in career development a way of measuring the program’s effectiveness.

Sensitivity to Diversity- Many career development programs make sensitivity to diversity in the workplace a top priority. With ever-increasing globalization, workers are frequently put into contact with members of different backgrounds and cultures. Understanding the value of diverse work habits and viewpoints can prevent this from becoming a point of confusion or misunderstanding. At the same time, educating workers about the customs and concerns of others can help prevent social problems or embarrassment in a diverse workplace.

7.2 Career Development Process

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Career development and the career planning process include a number of specific steps that help to identify personal skills and attributes. Finding out how those skills can be utilized in the job market is accomplished by researching a number of career fields that are of interest to you and then by gaining experience in those fields and/or speaking to people currently working in the field. Participating in some form of experiential education will help you to identify if the field is the right choice for you.

Stag 1: Self-Assessment: Evaluating who you are as a person. This involves taking a personal inventory of who you are and identifying your individual values, interests, skills, and personal qualities. What makes you tick as a person? You will look at those personal attributes under a microscope and come up with key qualities you can identify and use in your search for the perfect career. Career assessments may be required to promote a better understanding of personal attributes and skills.

Stag 2: Research (Career Exploration): Obtain an insider’s perspective about the career field you are considering. Conduct Informational Interviews in person, phone, or by email. Professionals enjoy sharing their expertise with people interested in the field. Perform informational interviews with alumni from your college to gain their perspective of the field and to listen to what they have to say. This strategy provides firsthand knowledge from someone currently working in the field and gives you an opportunity to ask about their experiences as well as potential jobs and what one might expect if just entering the field. Gain experience through internships or by job shadowing for one to several days to see what a typical work day entails and to gain perspective of what the environment is like and the typical job responsibilities of someone working in the field. Research what types of jobs are available in your area of interest by checking out Majors to Career Converter, The Occupational Outlook Handbook and The Career Guide to Industries. The Occupational Outlook Handbook offers a wealth of information for those currently just entering the job market and for those anticipating making a career change.

Stag 3: Decision-Making: Once you’ve made a thorough self-assessment and have done some research of career options, it’s time to make a decision. This can be difficult since there may still be many unknowns and a fear of making the wrong choice. One thing for sure is that although we can do all the necessary steps to making an informed decision, there is no absolute certainty that we are unquestioningly making the right decision. This uncertainty is easier for some people than others but a key point to remember is that you can always learn from any job you have and take those skills and apply them at your next job.

Stag 4: Search (Taking Action): It’s now time to look for prospective jobs and/or employers, send out cover letters and resumes, and begin networking with people in the field. Keep in mind that cover letters and resumes are designed to make a favorable impression on employers (if done properly) and the interview process is what will ultimately land you the job. In other words, make sure your cover letter and resume highlight your skills and strengths based on the employer’s needs and that you are fully prepared to knock their socks off at the interview. Take time to research the employer’s website prior to the interview, and be prepared to ask thoughtful questions based on your research.

Stag 5: Acceptance: You’ve completed all of the steps above and you’ve been accepted into a new and exciting or different job. Consequently, learning the skills above will increase your chances of gaining meaningful and satisfactory work as well as help you to avoid many of the stresses that occur with changing jobs.

It is a known fact that most professionals leave an organization due to lack of career growth. Active career development initiatives by a company are a key retention tool to keep the best talent within its fold. It is one of the greatest motivators to keep an employee happy and engaged. But does career planning and development of employees actually make a difference to the productivity of a worker? Most organizations think so, and consider it a part of their critical human resource strategy. From the employees’ point of view career development initiatives gives them a clear focus about their career track, the blind spots that they have to overcome and the final goal to be reached. This focused approach works to their advantage from their everyday work to long-term aspirations.

The impact of career development/ succession planning programmes can be seen through the productivity indicator, engagement surveys and reduction in attrition rate. It is in fact a win-win situation for all.

8. Summary

Executive development or management development is a systematic process of learning and growth by which managerial personnel gain and apply knowledge, skills, attitudes and insights to manage the work in their organization effectively and efficiently. It is the managers / executives who can determine the destiny of the organization by strategizing, implementing the strategies, and more importantly, leading the employees to higher levels of efficiency and performance.

Management development programs help in acquiring and developing managerial skill and knowledge. A variety of methods of management development like business games, case studies, role playing, sensitivity training, on the job experience, coaching, job rotation, special course, knowledge specific reading have come into prominence these days to acquire and develop various types of managerial skill and knowledge.

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