Executive Summary
Professional Training Group presented the following training and development proposal to MOA Logistics based in the Middle East region. The training and development program for the newly hired managers inculcates the ADDIE Model and concepts of adult learning. The proposal indicates that the company will benefit from training its staff on performance management, leadership skills, activity planning and time management, reward, and recognition, among others. The training design accounts for the need of adult learners and factors that motivate them to learn. Job-related requirements, immediate application of concepts, experiences, and self-motivation are important when designing training and development programs for adult learners.
The proposal captures challenges that human resource managers face in their attempts to recruit, select, train, and retain talented employees. It also shows that training and development could be used to overcome many issues that affect performance in organizations. Employees require the right skills and knowledge to perform their job-related tasks effectively.
Training and development programs will be evaluated before and after implementation to determine their effectiveness on the newly hired mid-level managers and employees. Feedback is a critical part of this process.
An Overview Statement
Most company managers and executives in the Middle East have expressed their concerns and fears that the talent and leadership qualities they do not match their expectations. In recent years, the Professional Training Group has conducted several studies involving many companies and their clients, senior executives, and human resource managers, and professionals. They have expressed management talent deficiencies in their companies and across the Middle East region.
Shortages of highly trained, qualified managers in the Middle East started in the past decades but grew steadily as the region experiences both economic and political transformations. Consequently, several organizations have embarked on a mass recruitment drive in search of appropriate talents as they evaluate the best approaches for recruiting, identifying, selecting, training, and developing leadership skills among their employees. They, however, are not sure if they are creating and developing the right leadership and capacities they will rely on for the future of their companies.
Many human resource managers and CEOs feel the pressure of ensuring that the newly hired managers have the right skills to drive the company to success. Professional Training Group noted that many CEOs, human resource managers, and other senior executives spent much time on the search for talents as they strived to explain for their respective Boards and investors regarding organizational performances and the inadequacy of talent pools and effective succession plans.
Professional Training Group observed that economic and operational issues were the most important to many executives. They did not consider talent management and leadership development as critical aspects of organizational growth and success. Professional Training Group also noted that the public and private sectors were competing for the same talent pools in the regions. In addition, changing demographic characteristics and prevailing realities in the Middle East labor market have added extra challenges to human resources and organizational talent management.
Professional Training Group has recognized that it is imperative for human resource managers in the Middle East to understand that human resource development and training are important aspects of talent management in organizations. In this regard, the consultancy firm would like to offer its training services that focus on new recruits, managers, and senior executives to the company.
Before any training, the firm undertakes a thorough survey to determine skills and talent gaps and use evidence-based outcomes to develop training programs that match specific human resource training needs of a given organization. Professional Training Group will design training programs that will meet the insufficient skills and gaps among the newly recruited managers in order to meet the current and future needs of the organization. The firm will then offer recommendations for the company after assessing the impact of the training program on the newly hired managers.
Company’s Characteristics
Professional Training Group, a division of the Global Training Company, develops one of the most comprehensive training programs for newly hired managers in the Middle East region. Since the establishment of the division in the Middle East region in 1970, Professional Training Group has created a status for high quality, effective and practical leadership and business skills training programs in both public and private sectors.
Today, Professional Training Group has acquired over a million satisfied organizations as customers. The company continues to promote itself as the best in providing superior training services for managers in any organization. Professional Training Group embarks on cutting-edge research to identify the skills gap and develop appropriate courses with the aim of meeting adult learning needs across various industries and organizations.
Professional Training Group meets the various needs of many organizations across diverse industries because of the following reasons.
- In-depth knowledge and training experiences
- Thorough skills gap and need assessment
- Consistent training approaches
- Rich course contents and presentations
- Reliance on multiple training materials, modes, and approaches to meet the needs of adult learners
- Flexible training locations, including the company’s preferred venues
- Thorough training outcome evaluation
- Total satisfaction guaranteed
Professional Training Group has continued to grow, improve, and change its practices to meet unique customer and market demands. The company recognizes the importance of all clients to its operations and treats them as valuable assets. That shows why Professional Training Group has maintained its objectives and vision for the last 40 years. It aims to offer the best option in leadership and business training with optimal convenience to assist customers in attaining their long-term success.
The Team’s General Educational Approach Based on Learning Theories
Training and Development
The MOA Logistics must encourage all managers to have individual training and professional development needs. The process should encourage skill development in the organization. At the same time, it provides opportunities for both the employee and manager to identify training and development needs jointly so that they can improve job performance and support career growths. Human capital development focuses on competitive advantage derived from organizational human resources and the internal strategy of a company. This would allow MOA Logistics to create a competitive advantage.
Human Resource Development bears economic principles from which the human capital concept emanates. Human capital development posits that the firm must invest in knowledge development and expertise of its workforce. MOA Logistics, therefore, must develop competitive strategies by using its human resources and other resources with positive values, resources with imitable quality, and resources that are beyond competitors’ knowledge and substitution. The company’s human resource department must develop competitive strategies through human resources for value propositions and differentiation strategies.
First, the newly hired manager must offer returns to MOA Logistics. This means that new managers must have various skills and knowledge in order to achieve value for the company. The human resource manager must ensure that all new managers have these skills, and therefore, it is imperative to conduct a gap analysis to determine specific areas that require training and development. Second, the company must strive to hire highly qualified managers and train them.
In addition, it must keep such employees. Generally, human resources with high capabilities are rare due to general distribution ability. Therefore, MOA Logistics must retain its highly qualified managers and ensure that potential recruits have the highest capability levels. The company must apply effective selection and recruitment procedures because of challenges in attracting and retaining highly qualified managers in the Middle East region. The process of designing and implementing a training and development program for the newly hired mid-level managers must take into account the company’s needs, employees’ qualifications, and their self-motivation to learn.
Third, the company must ensure that new managers have ability to create competitive advantage after the training. Human resource manager must ensure that such recruits have the best talents and management qualities that the company requires to create competitive advantage. Fourth, the company must ensure that no qualified managers leave their jobs because of issues arising from reward and recognition. Therefore, it must address issues of rewards and recognition, which are responsible for high rates of staff attrition in many companies.
Rewards and Recognition
The purpose of training in rewards and recognition is to encourage high-levels of performances and ensure that newly hired mid-level managers understand MOA Logistics reward and recognition practices. The company, therefore, must recognize and reward excellent individual performances in order to avoid attrition and retain the best performing staff.
From the agency theory perspective, managers in an organization may pursue their self-interests and not necessarily those of the organization. Uncertainties and other external factors influence the relationship among various people in a firm (Bernthal & Wellins, 2006). Trainees will understand that positive monitoring, evaluating and rewarding the best performance will result in fairness for all employees.
Agency theory highlights firm’s activities for creating competitive advantages. Thus, the human resource department must be aware of its effects on human resources with regard to its compensation and reward strategies. The main concept behind agency theory is that most employees have habits of reducing their outputs and depending on contributions of other members (free ride) in situations where there are no incentives to motivate them. Such managers only turn out to be active if working conditions allow them to demonstrate their exceptional abilities and skills.
Thus, teamwork may not be the best approach for encouraging such employees. Consequently, human resource managers must make sure that there are key performance indicators for measuring exceptional performances, and create sufficient reward and benefit systems for such employees. The company can create strategies to align its employees’ behaviors with strategic goals and performance management (Mathis & Jackson, 2011).
Professional Training Group will link training and development lesson plan to strategic objectives and needs of the newly hired mid-level managers.
Linking Training and Development to Strategic Objectives of the company and needs of the newly hired mid-level managers
Professional Training Group has recognized that one major challenge is the failure of the MOA Logistics to link its strategic objectives with its training and performance management approaches (Thacker & Blanchard, 2010). This implies that the company cannot create competitive advantage, deliver its value proposition and meet the needs of its customers. The main contributing factors to these issues are the managers’ behaviors, attitude, and training approaches.
A behavioral perspective is one of the psychological theories that can apply in this case. A behavioral perspective looks at the behavior of workers as the link between a firm’s performance and its strategic objectives. It states that HR practices and policies should raise and control employees’ behavior and attitude. The Human Resource Department, therefore, must identify and emphasize positive behaviors and attitude to improve the company’s performance.
Training and develop programs should create several ways of showing the relationship between competitive strategies and activities of the HR in order to predict, modify, study and improve human resource activities and strategies in various situations.
Strategic human resource development must differentiate aspects of human resource development, such as regular practices, processes, programs and policies. These aspects reflect aims, culture and values of the firm and roles of the HR. However, the main HR practices affect the behaviors and motivation levels of employees. From a behavioral perspective, human resource development plan must focus on how both internal and external environments influence managers, employees, goal setting, reward and employee motivation among others.
Potential changes on organizational culture because of adopting training and development programs
Organizations derive their cultures from “beliefs, practices, and behaviors that form a part of their identity” (Peel, 2006). In any organization, the CEO and managers take responsibilities of managing employees. As a result, they shape cultures of their organizations as they work toward organizational objectives. Therefore, the CEO of MOA Logistics is in the best position of influencing organizational culture and the newly hired mid-level managers.
However, transforming cultures in companies require a team effort because a single individual cannot manage such complex processes. Changing a culture of an organization can occur by winning the trust of employees. In this regard, coaching and mentoring can help the CEO to achieve cultural transformation in the organization.
MOA Logistics has developed its culture from attitudes, beliefs and assumptions. Organizational culture can define the success or failure of a firm. In some cases, cultures may be obvious or hidden. Moreover, a large firm like MOA Logistics may have a complex culture that consists of a number of sub-cultures in different divisions. Training and development programs must focus on organizational cultures that promote performance and career growth for employees.
The ADDIE Model and Adult Learning Needs and Approach
Professional Training Group shall utilize the ADDIE Model to develop effective training and development materials for the newly hired managers. The model accounts for the following aspects.
Assessment
The firm conducts gap analysis to determine what the newly hired managers need to know to accomplish their job-related functions.
Design
The company will design a train and development program that meets the need of new employees.
Development
Training and development contents will include performance management, organizational culture, reward and recognition and time management. There would be workshops, lecturers and material handouts to facilitate learning activities. Participants will be encouraged to be active rather than passive recipients of knowledge.
Implementation
The company will implement the training and develop program based on the agreed terms of service, and follow the approved time line throughout the process.
Evaluation
Professional Training Group conducts pre-tests and post-tests to determine the effectiveness of its training activities in all organizations. The outcomes are used to modify training and make recommendations for future training needs.
This proposal recognizes that adult learning is focused and content-specific. Consequently, the detailed workshop lesson plan for the newly hired managers accounts for all key areas of focus in adult training and development.
The training design recognizes that the newly hired managers are highly motivated and self-driven individuals who wish to succeed in their new roles. In addition, the design will provide information that will be applicable for adults in their respective duties. Practical elements of the course will allow adult learners to acquire both technical and general skills. This approach would ensure that the training and development program is highly effective. The lesson design will create adequate time for group interaction, class participation, social interaction and question and answer sessions. Finally, the design will encourage learners to provide personal work experiences and other areas that could apply in their personal growth.
The workshop plan will allow the trainees to achieve the following:
- To do better job and meet job-specific requirements
- Fill the knowledge gap and acquire the necessary skills for specific management roles
- To adapt in the changing job environment
- Meet experienced managers for mentor and career growth
Training and development programs will meet knowledge and skill requirements related to present job and for future individual career growth.
Training and Development Intended Outcomes
Retention
Professional Training Group will ensure that MOA Logistics wins managers’ loyalty through training and development programs. When the CEO mentors his juniors, they may develop a strong sense of connection and commitment to the company. Coaching and mentoring will encourage open communication between management teams and their juniors. Therefore, the company shall save costs on continuous recruitment of new employees.
Personal Development
The newly hired managers with minimal experiences can learn from training and development programs and their most experienced counterparts. This facilitates employees’ abilities to grow professionally. The company, therefore, can enhance efficiency among its employees. Still, training and development lessons enhance career growth of individuals. For instance, such programs offer opportunities to employees to solve their own business issues. Skills and knowledge are useful in decision-making processes for an individual, as well as for the organization.
Team Efficiency
Training and development programs have abilities to improve teamwork in MOA Logistics because they provide opportunities for managers to identify their strengths and weaknesses within the organization and among employees. As a result, the organization can assign duties to employees based on their abilities to collaborate effectively.
Motivation
Training and development lessons also increase employees’ morale, career progression, and job satisfaction. Consequently, the company can derive benefits, which originate from motivated employees such as increased outputs and high rates of retention.
Performance
Training and development lessons aim at improving performance within the organization. Newly hired managers can use their new skills to improve achievement of targets, productivity and reduce cases of dissatisfaction in the organization.
Policy implementation
Such programs account for talent management, diversity within the organization and retention. Therefore, they can provide opportunities for the human resource department to arrange succession plans, employees’ placement and policy implementation.
Knowledge and skills benefit
Training and development programs widen skills, knowledge and experiences of employees. In addition, they provide opportunities for employees to gain new skills and knowledge to support innovation and organizational strategic objectives.
Managing change
Training and development alongside coaching and mentoring programs shall aid the company to support a culture of openness and information sharing. They can also improve reorganization, support new roles and develop favorable attitude toward change.
Succession planning
One major weakness of companies in the Middle East region is their inabilities to create effective succession plans. Training and development programs help in identification of employees with leadership abilities. Therefore, MOA Logistics can develop its success plan and manage any change process, which may disrupt the company.
A Detailed Workshop Lesson Plan
Implementation plan
Evaluating and Monitoring Training and Development Outcomes
Professional Training Group uses Kirkpatrick’s evaluation framework to assess the effectiveness of training and development on performance management among employees (Kirkpatrick, 1994). The framework focuses on trainees’ reaction to training, learning outcomes, changes in job behaviors and performance and results of human resource development initiatives based on return on investment (ROI) and contributions among others.
Individual Performance Evaluation
Evaluating individual performance aims at measuring individual performance and areas of difficulties. The company must identify most significant objectives in KPIs. MOA Logistics shall look at areas that drive performance such as employee commitment, training and development, rewards and recognition and motivating workforce. The attention should also be on workforce diversity, managers’ roles, training and development, strategic objectives of the company and its business units and their impacts on performance.
Professional Training Group will conduct interviews to identify gaps in performance management with the aim of assessing managers’ needs after training. Through training, the company will assist MOA Logistics to align its performance management with the needs of the managers and their teams.
Assessing Performance
The evaluation shall focus on newly hired managers’ performances against the targets after training. It will entail reviewing performance against KPIs in sales, revenues performance, gross income, recruitment and training, market shares and other areas of interests to the company (Stone, 2010). This process shall also include the effectiveness of KPIs in assessing performance of the company. It will identify challenges with KPIs and make appropriate recommendations for improvements.
Reviewing and creating New KPIs to support best practices
The company will develop new performance management tools and KPIs based on the effectiveness of the previous indicators. These areas may include recruitment and selection, training and development, sales KPIs, rewards and recognition among others. It should address the needs of managers and their teams in training and development.
Evaluations of employees’ commitment, loyalty, engagement, sales objectives, the company’s innovation and adaptability and their impacts on performance are fundamental aspects that training and development must address through effective performance indicators.
The new KPIs should be effective in different circumstances and predict results for managers and their teams at any given time.
Applying the KPIs
The company will test its new KPIs to determine their effectiveness. This process should also involve collecting results and making recommendations for improvement.
Evaluation Plan
Conclusion
This proposal has presented training and development needs for the newly hired managers at MOA Logistics. It has considered principles of effective human resource management and concepts of adult learning to design an effective training and development programs.
It highlights need assessment, design, development, implementation and evaluation, which are based on the ADDIE Model. The proposal shows potential benefits the company will gain from training and development programs.
References
Bernthal, P., & Wellins, R. (2006). Trends in leader development and succession. Human Resource Planning, 29(2), 31-40.
Kirkpatrick, D. L. (1994). Evaluating Training Programs. San Francisco: Berrett-Koehler Publishers.
Mathis, L. R., & Jackson, H. J. (2011). Human Resource Management (13th ed.). Mason, OH: South-Western Cengage Learning.
Peel, D. (2006). An Analysis of the Impact of SME Organisational Culture. International Journal of Evidence Based Coaching and Mentoring, 4(1), 9-20.
Stone, R. (2010). Human Resource Management (7th ed.). Australia: John Wiley & Sons.
Thacker, J. W., & Blanchard, P. N. (2010). Effective Training: Systems, Strategies and Practices (4th ed.). New York: Prentice Hall.