TRAINING IS NOT AN OPTION!
Those that understand the
importance of training absolutely know this to be a
fact. It’s not a belief or an opinion, or a
preference. It’s certainly not an attitude. It’s a
cold hard fact: training is important.
But there’s a strange problem here; and you
probably know what it is, either directly or
indirectly.
Many people know that training is important –
because, at one time or another, and in one form or
another, we’ve all been valuably trained in
something, or trained someone else to do something
useful – yet this basic knowledge is not widely
reflected in the world of work. It’s clear
importance is not fully understood, and therefore,
not fully exploited to make life easier and more
profitable.
Unraveling the Strange Problem: Changing
Perceptions
The core of this problem has to do with that
important postmodern word: perception.
For decades now – centuries, arguably – training
has been seen as something that supports the
workforce. This position stems largely from the
perception that training is an extension of
education. Since education has been traditionally
viewed as a system of supporting human growth and
development, workforce training has slid
conveniently, some might say logically, into this
existing groove of thinking.
So why is this a problem of perception?
Because in the modern workforce – and that of the
foreseeable future – the idea that workforce
training exists as a support system is dangerously
outdated. The notion of support implies that
something is important; but not necessarily vital,
and certainly not essential. And it’s because of
this view that in many workplaces, training is
viewed as an enhancer; something valuable, yes, but
ultimately optional. Something to invest in or focus
upon if revenues support it, or if time permits it.
But certainly nothing essential.
This perception is utterly out of date!
Training is no longer optional. It’s not an
enhancer, a supporter, or a nice to have thing. In
the 21st century, an organization’s capacity to
effectively train its people is part of its ability
to survive. And if that capacity isn’t there – or if
it’s defective – then the organization itself will
reveal that flaw in a number of destructive ways,
including loss of bottom line profits.
Why the Skilled Workforce Makes Training
Essential
It’s a misnomer to think that so-called skilled
workers are those human beings who emerge from
university or college and bring with them some kind
of technical or practical acumen. That may have been
true a few decades ago; but no longer, and never
again.
In today’s world, everyone is a skilled worker.
From the receptionist with the high school education
to the CFO with an MBA, the entire workforce has
become a skilled landscape; and that means that
there is arguably no position that isn’t in need of
continuous training.
Each member of a team, a unit, and a company can
no longer be viewed as individual silos focusing on
their singular task within a limited sphere of
activities. Rather, today, each person is a part of
a skilled workforce; and if there are gaps or lacks
in any area, the entire workforce will suffer. And
make no mistake: this suffering isn’t merely
emotional or cultural (though that is a part of it).
This suffering is financial.
Training = Profit
When there are gaps in the skilled workforce –
gaps caused by lack of training – then,
automatically, work become inefficient and money is
lost.
How much money is lost depends on the type of gap
and how it manifests; but without doubt, regardless
of whether a company sells flowers or microchips, a
gap in the skilled workforce costs money.
In the past, this gap was typically seen only in
terms of sales, such as whether a lack of training
caused a sale to be lost. Now, however, we know
without any economic doubt that the costs of
ineffective or non- existent training gaps go far
beyond lost sales. These additional financial costs
include: rework, missed profits (smaller profits due
to inefficiency), and misallocated resources (money
spent trying to fix a gap could be better spent
elsewhere). There’s also lost market share, lost
potential word-of-mouth advertising from satisfied
(or merely served) customers, and the list goes on.
Understanding why Training is Important
It bears repeating: training can no longer be
viewed as a support system, like a good benefits
program or a leading-edge technical infrastructure.
In the skilled workforce of the 21st century,
training is essential. It is the core engine of a
company, because it supports the entire skilled
workforce. And, frankly, there is no other way –
whatsoever – for a company to comply with this
paradigm shift than to understand that training is
important. Or rather, that it’s essential.
Not All Training is Created Equally
A typical and rational concern here might be that
not all types of workers require the same training.
Actually, this is perfectly true, and not a concern;
it’s just a basic fact of the new world of work.
Absolutely: your sales team will not require the
same training as your customer service people. While
there might be elements that apply to both –
negotiation skills and cultural awareness spring to
mind – there is no need to envision a cookie-cutter
approach to training. In fact, the old model of
training – the one where static, one-size-fits-all
training was rolled-out through a company from CEO
to Intern is tragically (and again, dangerously) out
of date. Successful training – the kind that retains
profit and creates more profit – must reflect the
needs of a particular team or function within a
company.
This may sound expensive; and in fact, one of the
big reason that old- fashioned roll-out training has
been relied upon is because it’s seemingly easy to
administrate, and even easier to predict costs (as
needlessly high as they may be).
Yet as economists are clearly pointing out –
without emotion, without bias, in the great way that
economists point things out – this old- fashioned
training approach is more expensive than the new,
customized skilled workforce training. This is
because focused training can be measured and tracked
much more practically than generic company-wide
training. Furthermore, this customization allows
training to be tweaked and adjusted as business
needs and market conditions require.
A Final Word…
Keep in mind that the key argument here isn’t
that training is good. This isn’t pro-training
boosterism; and it’s certainly not a lobbying effort
on behalf of financially neglected Training and
Development professionals across the globe. The
perception that training is essential is sourced in
the emergence of the most powerful, and possibly
most dynamic, labor market concept in history: the
skilled workforce.
And the message that it’s telling us? Clear and
simple: training is not an option.
