Goals of Training and Development
In today’s business environment, the idea of setting goals sounds like something that should be second nature. Everyday business demands goal setting. The same is true for training and development. Nevertheless, training and development programs often follow the philosophy that “if you build it, they will come.” In today’s fast-paced work environments, this is simply not the case. A world-class training and development department could be launched within a company, and without following the proper steps, it would not succeed. There must be a plan, definitions of what will be accomplished, and goals set. This can be done at all levels throughout an organization, but with management’s help, it becomes quite easy.
To establish a world-class training and development program, management must assist in setting attainable goals and must understand the expected results. When training is being considered, the key people must be involved from the start. This helps ensure that the program will be established and implemented with key stakeholders already in place. This also helps you anticipate questions or concerns that may arise from key stakeholders. Two key questions almost always emerge at this stage:
- How is the training going to affect employees?
- How will the organization benefit from the training?
To answer these questions, proper planning and preliminary work must be completed, the training must be launched in an organized manner and the results must be documented. Every training and development program are dynamic, but following these organized steps helps make the program a success.