Training and mentoring practices in professional development

Training/Mentoring

Training and Mentoring in Human Resources

New Needs in Training and Mentoring

Human resources development is a constantly changing field; as the world grows increasingly smaller due to globalization, the opportunities and the competition for most firms and businesses are also rapidly expanding. New issues in the area of human resources that have arisen out of the new global business culture and can be most effectively handled through proper mentoring and training programs include diversity training and intercultural communication (HR 2009). Other issues that have recently garnered headlines and show a clear need for increased mentoring and more stringent training guidelines are accountability and personal as well as corporate responsibility (HR 2009). Mentoring programs lead to the true development of individuals and organizations, rather than simply paying lip service to the current business ideals (Heathfield 2009).

Objectives of Training and Mentoring Programs

The objectives of all training and mentoring programs can basically be broken down into two categories -- goals for the individual, and goals for the organization. These two different sets of goals are completely intertwined, of course, but they can also be examined separately. For the individuals involved -- both the mentor and their mentee -- the goal is to establish a better understanding of the company's needs, and to develop better methods of addressing and fulfilling those needs (HR 2009). At an organizational level, mentoring and training programs generally attempt to establish a continual learning environment or "learning organization" -- one that continues to grow and respond to changes within the workplace and in the industry/business world at large (Heathfield 2009).

Performance Standards in Mentor and Training Programs

The standards used to determine the appropriateness and efficacy of a specific training and/or mentoring program can vary from business to business and industry to industry. Basically, though, there are certain criteria that every mentoring and training program aims for, and success in these areas establishes what is called by some a "mentoring culture" (Heathfield 2009). Accountability, alignment, and communication are the top three sought-for results of an effective mentoring program; when these three areas have been adequately addressed to the point that participants in the program hold themselves accountable, are aligned with company visions and policies, and are able to effectively communicate (both transmitting and receiving communications), the programs has been successful.

Mentorship and Training Delivery Methods

Technology has allowed for a wide range of delivery methods to be implemented in standard mentorship and training programs. Teleconferences can be an effective way to conduct a training session for individuals in multiple locations, and to provide ongoing mentoring among different offices and locations within an organization (Heathfield 2009). There are also several packaged mentoring programs that can be used in online delivery methods, and tailored to the specific needs of most businesses and organizations (HR 2009). Face-to-face training and mentoring programs are also highly effective, of course, in both group and one-to-one settings, with different practices and goals achieving different levels of efficacy depending on group size and individual attention (Heathfield 2009).

Content for Training and Mentoring Programs

Just as performance standards for training and mentoring programs vary greatly from business to business, so too can the content of these programs. Content must in large part be specific to the business and industry for which the program is being developed and implemented, as different corporate visions, principles, and goals will have a large effect on what will be effective and necessary in mentoring and training programs, and what won't (HR 2009). Thus, content is highly goal specific, and will doubtless contain elements of the specific company's strategies, principles, and goals (HR 2009). The concept behind mentorship and training is to produce individuals more attuned and responsive to the needs of the organization, and this requires specifically tailored content.

Time Frame

Though individual programs and sessions might have a limited time frame, the most effective organizations utilize ongoing training and mentoring programs, meaning that the time frame for such programs in a true learning organization is purposefully indefinite (Heathfield 2009). New hire training sessions might only last a week or even considerably less, but ongoing mentorship and continued training throughout an individual's time in a specific organization produces both longer-lasting and better-adapted results. There is no limit to the human capacity for learning and change, and this should most definitely be taken into account when attempting to establish an adequate time frame for such programs, especially in the case of mentoring, where experience continually increases (Heathfield 2009).

Evaluation Methods

Perhaps the most effective method of evaluating the success of a given training or mentoring program is also the most simple and direct -- asking participants what they took away from the program, and what they recognized as the key elements of information they were represented with and how this applied specifically to themselves and their position in the company (Heathfield 2009). An effective training program explains the "why" of the company's needs, policies, and goals in addition to the "what" and the "how"; this also tends to lead to more effective learning (Heathfield 2009). Performance evaluations following such programs can also be sued to determine efficacy, though these are often subject to greater levels of interpretation and are less direct in their approach (HR 2009).

Encouraging Feedback After Mentoring and Training Programs

In a true learning organization, feedback following a training session or after/during a mentoring program is a vital way to keep the programs relevant and effective for the organization and the individuals within it. Leadership excellence is consistently equated (in part) with approachability and responsiveness, demonstrating that the accountability that is so important as a goal of mentoring and training programs is also essential in the development of these programs (HR 2009). Indeed, there can be no true organizational accountability if the organization does not permit individuals to constructively criticize and offer suggestions on current operations, including mentoring and training programs. Feedback also presents another way for the efficacy f the programs to be evaluated (Heathfield 2009).