Organizational Training: Enhancing Employee Development & Performance - Essay Sample

Introduction

Armstrong (2009) defined training as an exercise of formally or informally transforming behavior through systematic learning that takes place as a result of education instruction, development, and planned experience. The desire of an organization to remain competitive and embrace change pushes managers to train the workforce. Training equips employees with needed skills to enable the organization to continue being competitive and even perform better. It is widely understood that knowledge is power. Therefore, empowering employees means giving them routine training to enable them to deliver the best in their respective workplaces. Training can be conducted either on the job or off the job. Employees are expected to provide better output after undergoing training because it imparts new knowledge and skills.

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In regards to the effective implementation of an ERP system, proper employee training is needed. Soja (2008) explained that training of employees to welcome a new system is paramount to ensure successful realization of the objectives of the new system. It is imperative to understand that an ERP system introduces new technology, which changes the structure of working, tasks, and ultimately, the nature of personnel needed (Soja, 2008). It implies that training is one of the success factors of ERP implementation because failure to train leads to workplace resistance in absorbing the new system (Nah et al., 2008).

The Importance of Training on ERP Implementation

Training gives the expected results only if it is done in a systematic approach. It implies that not every training provide benefit to an organization. Training does not always provide a solution to workplace challenges (Bartram, 2010). According to Keeny (2009), training can either be a big investment or a waste of time and resources. Training is a waste of time and resources if it fails to yield the desired behavior. Soja (2008) suggests that managers need to understand that not all challenges need training. Thus there is a need to consider non-training interventions. Whenever a unit within a workplace experience challenge, it is vital to identify the problem and if it can be attributed to training deficiencies and ones that is achieved, the right training needs to be implemented systematically. Failure to put in place the required training translates the employees into being the biggest liability to the company. They become the biggest asset if they are trained effectively.

According to Yunus (2009), critical success factors to any training is imparting new behavior on employees and teach their managers on appropriate ways of supporting employees as they apply the new skills learned. Training results are enhanced by support and endorsement from the management. Therefore, for training to be the answer to workplace challenges, it has to be the right one.

If the right training is conducted in a formal and systematic approach, it generates great benefits. It improves skills and abilities, which translates into better employee performance. Ultimately, proper training guarantees higher productivity and increased overall profitability. Besides improving employees' efficiency, training gives them an opportunity to grow and advance in ranks. Therefore, training is important both to employees and to the organization. People who perceive training as beneficial are always the ones who desire to improve their skills and knowledge. On the other hand, training is greatly beneficial to new employees. It orients them to their new roles and responsibilities, which makes them comfortable while encountering their new challenges. Furthermore, key skills imparted by appropriate training include effective communication, employee recognition, and employee motivation (Keeney, 2009).

Gupta (2009) suggested several needs and benefits of training and development, which includes lack of trained personnel, new environment, advanced technology, prevention of accidents faulty methods, and need for career development. The Author further explained that the benefits of a well-designed training are increased efficiency, job satisfaction, reduction of accidents, better use of resources, reduces supervision, greater flexibility, stability, and growth. In the wake of the ever-enhancing technology that has so far introduced advanced mechanization and automation, managers have been put to the task of watching out for the latest technologies and integrating them in their workplace. No new technology can be integrated successfully without appropriate training.

It implies that training is an imperative organization success facto that prepares employees to face the future. Poorly trained employees are more likely to resist change. Thus, training employees improves the probability of successfully implementing an ERP system. Bradley (2008) postulated that when a new system is integrated into a workforce, user education is critical because it reduces internal resistance during the implementation phase and promotes system understanding, thus enhancing the effectiveness of implementation. Therefore, there is a need for emphasizing the importance of training and the organization needs to invest highly in it because it reskills employees who will be interacting with it. Sumner (2009) further explained that employees need to understand how the new system that needs to be introduced will make their work easier and improve their performance. Therefore, routine training and on-site support for staff and managers during implementation are necessary.

References

Armstrong M & Kotler P (2009), Marketing and Introduction, 6th edition, Harvard business school press, New Jersey, USA

Bartram, S. & Gibson, B. (2010). The Training Needs Analysis Toolkit, 2nd ed. Amherst, MA: HRD Press, Inc.

Gupta, U. (2009), Information Systems: Success in the 21st Century, Prentice-Hall, Englewood Cliffs, NJ.

Keeney, R. L. (2009). Value-Focused Thinking: A Path to Creative Decision making. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.

Nah F.H & S. Delgado (2008). Critical success factors for enterprise resource planning implementation and upgrade, Journal of Computer Information Systems, 47, 99-113.

Soja, P. (2008). Success factors in ERP systems implementations lessons from practice, Journal of Enterprise Information Management, 19(4), 418-433.Summer, M. (2009), Enterprise resource planning, Upper Saddle River, New Jersey, Prentice-Hall.

Yunus, M (2009). The Autobiography of Muhammad Yunus, Founder of the Grameen Bank, New York: Oxford University Press.