Training and development strategy for Dynamic Printers

Training and Development in Small Businesses

Effective training and development strategy

Training and development in business are paramount and particularly very essential in small businesses. Employees who have experience and competence contribute to both productivity and profitability of the business. For a medium-sized business to remain competitive, it requires ensuring the workforces gets maximum training and updating on ever changing skills and knowledge in the current global economy. According to Atwood (2008), training and development may prove expensive, but still it is worthwhile in reference to the achievement of long-term benefits of the business.

Dynamic Printers is a printing business that deals with printing services and sale of printing papers. It has 15 employees many of whom have been working in the business for the last five years. Such a business requires its staff to undergo continuous training to update on technology that is advancing every day. Apart from technological knowhow requirements, the staff requires continuous training on ways to market the business and to improve performance.

Any training and development program should be cost effective and the impact should reflect on business performance thereafter. There are various key elements to consider in the development of an effective and successful training program in Dynamic Printers. In developing the program, it should check on the programs alignment with goals, awareness of current learning culture and the need analysis of the business. Other strategies to consider are the content strategy, the evaluation and success criteria, marketing and communication strategy and the measurement of firm impact strategy (Matlay, 2004).

The alignment of business goals forms the most fundamental element in any training strategy. Every internal structure in the business should require a structure aligned to support the attainment of set goals. A suitable suite should not skip this step, as it is a natural way to think of a business and its bottom line. The main point to understand and to know is that when employees do perform at higher levels, the entire business benefits (Atwood, 2008). Having a setup that clearly focuses on the employees way of thinking, makes it easy to equip employees with the best techniques aimed at achieving the goals of the business. Thus, a training and development effort should align with and offer support to the business goals.

In every business, the current training culture is very crucial. Various questions form the basis of determining the best training program. One |need to ask whether the training embeds on workflows of the business, and if not that is a weakness. Other questions to ask are if the employees have the commitment and whether the business is receptive to improvement and performance change (Korda, 2012). The issue of readiness for technology-based training solution to a business also forms another query to consider. A complete knowledge of the business current culture is essential. The knowledge is important, as any training solution must be appropriate to the current culture thus, a throughway in achievement of desired performance and behavior changes resulting from training program.

The need analysis helps create a focus on the challenges that a training program may face. Not every business faces these challenges, but as a small business, there was arises a need to tackle the challenges for effective training. It is necessary to ensure that the program focuses on efforts and limited resources where signs to yield business benefits exists (Atwood, 2008).

The next stage involves the content strategy. On understanding the challenges that require addressing, a business should concentrate on checking the content that can help the employees (Matlay, 2004). An essential element of the content strategy should come through understanding of desired learning culture.

There is a need to weigh whether the training program will be successful. The criteria to use in measuring the impact of the training must exist before the start the training. The situation creates the question of how success will be like and how to note it exists. On answering the questions, then the business can identify with ease the data that it requires to gather.

Another critical element to any successful training program is the generation of marketing and communication strategy (Atwood, 2008). The employees require to be informed of the training, should be motivated to participate and a clear highlight offered on how the program will be of help to them. Many businesses stop marketing the value of trainings soon after starting, but a suitable plan should share and highlight success stories so as employees to see the training as part of the daily flow of their work.

Understanding and measuring the actual business effect of training, seals the elements key in training programs. It may not be smooth to do so, but this bears the crucial part of the strategic mission. The point of discussion should be about the benefits of the business and the connection between the training and how the business gains. The challenge comes when the objectives of the training program aligns tightly with a sully supporting of the business goals from the beginning.

Challenges in addressing organizational performance

To be a high performing business, the teams involved must dedicate themselves to working toward an agreed goal. In a case of experiencing personal disconnect with other members, the team may end being non-functional. The triggering issues in most cases stem from organizational communication breakdown that creates confusion on personal and team common goals. Managers need the offer frequent feedbacks and foster cohesiveness in the business.

Individuals have differing expectations. Employees may have differing ideas of what constitutes appropriate conduct or productivity (Korda, 2012). The affiliation on culture, gender, religion and other factors such as generation factor contribute to the differences in the organization. Problems may pop in if the management is not clear on the own expectations, or it is unaware of the existing conflicts within the employees.

The lack of proper documentation and prior performance management may provide one of the greatest challenges. If no proper documentation exists, any new supervisor may inherit performance problems from previous regime (Atwood, 2008). In the case of such a scenario, the best strategy entails getting back to the drawing board and starting with good documentation and a comprehensive performance management.

Disability accommodation may also signal a challenge. It is the legal obligations of the business managers to discuss the applicable accommodations if the employee notifies them the problem in performance may be because of a disability. A discussion should exist to check whether there are adjustments or accommodations that can allow the employee to perform successfully the crucial functions of the job.

Another challenge may arise in an organization performance, in case of failure to tackle senior leaders' performance problems. Senior managers' relation with the organization depicts a very strong message to the employees. Thus, ignoring poor performance of any senior managers may imply to employees that performances are not very critical. It is essential that senior managers in an organization to model a reliable performance management.

Trainer notes for the opening purposes

Creating a warm and friendly training climate. Stimulation of interests and development of a curious state, to enable trainees to begin thinking of business improvement and performance.

Objectives and methods

9:00-9:20

Slides or overheads

Clarification of objectives: presentation of statements and questions to trainees which clarify the purpose of the training, provide an opportunity for the trainees to suggest additional objectives

Method clarification: discussion on the role of trainers and trainees in the training workshop.

What is business performance

9:20-9:50

Questions and role play descriptions

Issues clarification: what entails business performance, factors that contribute and challenges experienced in adjusting to changes in the business.

Overview of business performance

9:50-10:30

Framework presentation notes and slides

Problem identification: overview of the problems in the business

Introduction to methods and skills, clarification of key concepts in business performance.

Making the training relevant: exploration of reasons why the training is important and useful to trainees and the business.

Tea break

10:30-11:00

Teachings on the importance of communication in business.

11:00-12:00

Slides with a projector.

Showing how communication affects businesses

Influences of communication and attached benefits teachings.

Testing and emerging issues in communication within the business.

Training on technological changes

12:00-1:00

Framework and profile with examples

Equipment

Creating awareness on improvements in technology.

Equipping trainees with necessary knowledge on how to use current technology.

Overview on competition in the market

1:00-2:00

Examples from case studies and notes on business strategies

Clarification on business requirements

Updating trainees on current trends in marketing.

Demonstration of the importance of shared efforts in marketing.

Strategies on marketing.

Rationale

Training of employees entails improving the skills they possess or teaching them new skills. It is obvious that a well-trained workforce provide a wide range of benefits for a business In order to achieve an effective training program for the working team, the business requires adequate resources to yield maximum results (Butler et al., 2007). The business needs to be vibrant and provide the necessary support to employees. It should be through offering comprehensive training programs for the betterment of the firm.

Having the employees trained, bridges the gaps that would hinder the competitiveness of the business in the market. These gaps would occur because of poor communication within a business or within the external environment. Offering employees with training on effective communication equips them with the skills necessary to follow when addressing communication issues (Bartram & Gibson, 2000). Managers also get the skills on the right channels of communication to avoid the dangers attached.

Equipping the stakeholders of the business with the skills in technological changes ensures that the business is at par with the trends in the modern world. Technology increases productivity, thus, if a business fails to accommodate the changes, dangers are that it may not compete effectively with others. A good training should be based on ensuring all trainees achieve necessary skills practically (Atwood, 2008). Competition forms the platform for success in businesses. Unless employees get necessary marketing skills, the business may be bound to fail.

Return on Investment (ROI)

The process of calculating the ROI involves making estimates and obtaining of measurements of costs and benefits that accrues from the training program. There is a need to forecast on the costs. The costs include promotional costs, administration costs, trainer's cost, material cost, facilities, and design and development costs. There is also a need to consider trainees cost and evaluation costs.

Students' reactions may not provide a tool to measure financial benefits of a training activity. Though a real benefit of improved performance may be of significance, it may be the hardest training result to forecast (Butler et al., 2007). The training may provide various benefits. They include labor savings, increase in productivity that may be because of higher-level skills resulting to faster work. Cost savings such as reduction of bad debts and fewer machine breakdowns, reducing maintenance cost signifies training benefits.

Calculation of the above total benefits and total costs of the training offers a platform to deduce the ROI. The benefits may accrue after a lengthy period, but this should not affect the ROI outcome. To calculate the ROI, a person needs to divide the benefits of the training with the costs involved then to divide with 100.

%ROI= (benefits of the training/costs involved) x 100

Use of payback period may also be important to measure the ROI. It entails calculation of the months taken before the benefits of the training reflect the costs and training pay itself.

Payback period= costs / monthly benefits.

With the return on investment results, it is clear that training programs are themselves capital investment and not just expenses without returns.