Training and Development Has Direct Link on Strategic Human Resource Management. How Do the Competency Models Serve as Strategic Link for Training and Development Processes?

Question 1

Training and development has direct link on strategic human resource management. How do the competency models serve as strategic link for training and development processes? Explain.  

Introduction  
Training and development are two very important components of human resources within an organization. The main objective of human resources training and development is to ensure that there is an availability of skilled and trained workers for an organization. An organization’s strategies for training and development can have an effect on the organization’s performance. Training and development helps to make sure that workers have the knowledge and skills to perform their jobs to the best of their ability. When employees are happy, trained, and motivated they can provide quality service or quality products for their organization. Although there are many challenges, training and development has become very important to human resource management. Training and development helps workers develop skills for their organization and personal skills as well. Training and development can help address the weaknesses that workers have and help them to strengthen their skills. Good training and development makes for reliable workers. Training and development will enhance workers performance. Therefore, boosting the confidence of the workers and causing morale to go up. Great training will also foster new ideas. Training and development can help with the consistency of their workers performance. Training and development also helps the worker feel a sense of job satisfaction. It makes the worker feel that they are an important part of the organization therefore ensuring greater productivity and efficiency. Training and development plans are important to the human resource needs that an organization has. Training and development can have a positive impact for human resource management. Human resource managers must continue to find ways to implement training that is fulfilling the needs of its workers and the organization. Training and development is human resource management and an organization’s investment into their workers. Because if the right training and development is implemented everyone benefits. In today’s society training and development is also important due to globalization and new technologies. Diversity has become a major part of organizations today. Training and development helps workers with diversity in the workplace. On many occasions training and development is needed when workers are promoted and have new duties to perform their job. If an organization is not seeing the desired productivity that they expect from their workers, then most likely training and development is needed to help enhance their performance. Organizations are realizing that ongoing training and development is the key to helping an organization succeed. 

Competency model

In today’s global and competitive business environment, many companies are finding that it is difficult to determine whether employees have the capabilities needed for success. The necessary capabilities may vary from one business unit to another and even across roles within a business unit. As a result, many companies are using competency models to help them identify the knowledge, skills, and personal characteristics (attitudes, personality) needed for successful performance in a job. A competency model is a valid, observable, and measurable list of the knowledge, skills, and attributes demonstrated through behavior that results in outstanding performance in a particular work context. Competency models are also useful for ensuring that training and development systems are contributing to the development of such knowledge, skills, and personal characteristics. Traditionally, needs assessment has involved identifying knowledge, skills, abilities, and tasks. However, a current trend in training is for needs assessment to focus on competencies. A competency refers to an area of personal capability that enables employees to successfully perform their jobs by achieving outcomes or accomplishing tasks. A competency can be knowledge, skills, attitudes, values, or personal characteristics. A competency model identifies the competencies necessary for each job as well as the knowledge, skills, behavior, and personality characteristics underlying each competency.

Figure 1 shows the process used to develop a competency model. To develop the competencies, interviews were conducted with senior managers to identify the company’s strategic direction, anticipated changes in the business, and the knowledge, skills, and behaviors needed to achieve the company’s goals. Other competency models and best practices were reviewed. Interviews were conducted with top performers and examples of outstanding performance were analyzed. Focus groups at all levels of the company provided additional information regarding knowledge and skills required for certain competencies. Competencies and a competency model were developed and interviews and focus groups were again conducted to ensure the validity or correctness of the model and to ensure that employees felt they had ownership of the model and were committed to using it. Effective models form the basis for linking competency with organizational strategy.

Fig 1[pic 1]

Competency models are useful for training and development in several ways:

• They identify behaviors needed for effective job performance. These models ensure that feedback given to employees as part of a development program (such as 360-degree feedback) relate specifically to individual and organizational success.
• They provide a tool for determining what skills are necessary to meet today’s needs as well as the company’s future skill needs. They can be used to evaluate the relationship between the company’s current training programs and present needs. That is, they help align training and development activities with the company’s business goals. They can be used to evaluate how well the offerings relate to anticipated future skill needs.
• They help to determine what skills are needed at different career points.
• They provide a framework for ongoing coaching and feedback to develop employees for current and future roles. By comparing their current personal competencies to those required for a job, employees can identify competencies that need development and choose actions to develop those competencies. These actions may include courses, job experiences, and other types of development. They create a “road map” for identifying and developing employees who may be candidates for managerial positions (succession planning).

 Competency models are used to help managers lead their own teams by providing a framework their employees can use to capitalize on strengths and improve weaknesses. At the company level, competencies are used to determine the talent level of the entire company, including capabilities, strengths, and opportunities. This information is provided to managers who use the data to identify key needs and plan actions to ensure that current and future competencies are developed in employees.

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