RECENT TRENDS AND PRACTICES IN

TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT: AN OVERVIEW

AYANDRILA MAITI
ROLL – 04 ::
REG – 000858 of 2017-18

Human Resource Management

MODERN TRENDS AND PRACTICES IN TRAINING AND
DEVELOPMENT: AN OVERVIEW
ABSTRACT
For a Company to be successful today, its workforce must

be Diverse, Innovative, Insightful and Knowledgeable. This can only be achieved by offering

training and education to the most valuable asset of the organization – its people.

In today’s era, employees are not keen to join an

organization where their Knowledge and Skills are not upgraded. In this respect,organizational training is

undergoing a huge transformation.Many organizations provide opportunities for learning and use it as a

retention tool.

A large number of organizations use the strategy of proper &

effective training by increasing their training budgets to retain and get quality output from the

employees. Employees are delegated with different roles& responsibilities & training helps them

to accomplish these roles & responsibilities and groom them for the future responsibilities as

well.

The transformation in training methods is primarily due to

changes in technology, mainly the computer/internet. This paper is a modest attempt to trace the

evolution of training to present day. It would alsofocus on the current technological trends in

training which includes YouTube, Social Media, Smartphone, and E- Learning trends.

Keywords — Training; YouTube; Social Media; Training trends; E- Learning trends; Effective
Training.
 MODERN TRENDS AND PRACTICES IN TRAINING AND
DEVELOPMENT: AN OVERVIEW

INTRODUCTION: For a Company to be successful today, its workforce must be Diverse,

Innovative, Insightful and Knowledgeable. This can only be achieved by offering training and

education to the most valuable asset of the organization – its people.

In today’s era, employees are not keen to join an organization where

their Knowledge and Skills are not upgraded. In this respect, organizational training is

undergoing a huge transformation. Many organizations provide opportunities for learning and

use it as a retention tool.

The trends that influence workplace training and development are changing in significant ways:

• The knowledge economy is growing and becoming an inevitable part of the modern business

structure.

• Jobs are becoming more fluid and specialized.

• Knowledge turnover is now rapid and becoming a new reality.

• The aging of the workforce is creating a need to develop new sources of talent.

• The proliferation and access of knowledge on the Internet have given rise to the greater demand

for the ability to discern fact from opinion.

These trends, among others, are changing the way people learn and make investments in

employee training and development more critical in determining the success of an organization

than it has been in the past.

A large number of organizations use the strategy of proper & effective training by increasing

their training budgets to retain and get quality output from the employees. Employees are
delegated with different roles & responsibilities and training helps them to accomplish their roles

&responsibilities and groom them for the future responsibilities as well. Also the paper is aimed

at studying the current & expected future training trends worldwide.

Training – What It Is? : According to Flippo “training as “the act of increasing the skills of an

employee for doing a particular job”. Thus training is a process of learning a sequence of

programmed behavior. This behavior being programmed is relevant to a specific phenomenon

that is a job.”

According to J.P.Campbell, “training is a short –term process utilizing a systematic and

organized procedure by which non-managerial personnel learn technical knowledge and

skills for a definite purpose”

The need for Training & development arises to fulfill the gap between standard performance of

employee & actual performance. Where the employee is lacking behind in his work. Extreme

supervision on employees works help to decide the degree of Training &Development program.
REVIEW OF LITERATURE:

The present Paper entitled,” Modern Trends and Practices in Training and Development: An

Overview” warrants a detailed look into the previous work done on similar related topics to

make it meaningful and successful. Therefore, an attempt has been made to review the related

literature available which would give us a clear perspective on this topic.

 Cary Cherniss (2010) in her article“Process Designed Training: A New Approach for

Helping Leaders Develop Emotional and Social Competence” has evaluated the

effectiveness of a leadership development program based on International Organization

for Standardization (ISO) principles. The program utilized process-designed training

groups to help participants develop emotional and social competence.

 Bhatia Ambika, Kaur, Lovleen(2014)in their research article titled “Global Training

& Development trends & Practices: An Overview” presented the value of training

practices worldwide. It also aimed at studying the current & expected future training

trends worldwide. Moreover, it also focused on the training initiative taken by Indian

organizations.

 Suhasini, R. and Suganthalakshmi, T.(2015) in their research article titled, “Emerging

Trends in Training and Development”stated that Organizational training is undergoing a

transformation which is primarily due to changes in technology, mainly the

computer/internet. The article traced the evolution of training to present day. The authors

also discussed the current technological trends in training- YouTube, Social Media,

Smartphone. E- Learning trends were also discussed.

 Henry Ongori, Jennifer Chishamiso Nzonzo, (2011) in their research article titled,

“Training And Development Practices In An Organisation: AnIntervention To

Enhance Organisational Effectiveness”stated that an organisation uses various methods

of Training and Development, for instance job rotation is used to train employees in this

era of globalization. Similarly, various methods are used to evaluate the trends of the

training programs with various strategies to ensure that employees are trained and

developed to be strategically positioned cope with any changes in the business

environment.
OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY:

The objective of this paper includes:

 To study the various modern training methods and types of emerging training programs.

 To study the effectiveness of modern trends and practices in training and development
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY:

This Paper is based on secondary data, from various research articles

and books.
CORPORATE TRAINING INITIATIVES IN INDIA:

In the last few years, Indian organizations have made

exceptional progress in terms of their training initiatives. This is mainly due to the increase in

competition and the entry of multinational companies in India, which has forced them to look for

various alternatives to develop organizational effectiveness.

 Training is considered as more of a retention tool than as a cost to the organization.

 Not only have organizations increased their investment in training and development

practices, but they have also systematized training policies and practices right from

the training need analysis to training evaluation and feedback

 The training system in the Indian industry has been distorted to create a smarter

workforce and yield the best results.

 The optimum utilization of human resource is the target of any company and training

is a tool to increase business outcomes.

 This is an optimistic sign which clearly shows that organizations operating in India

are also very serious about their learning and development function.

 Information technology has drastically modified the working patterns of industry and

the lifestyle of people. Vision for meeting the challenges is a very important
requirement of the corporate sector. Due to this, even training and development

department is also not exempted from it.

CURRENT GLOBAL TRENDS IN TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT:

 Strategic focus: Organisations are aligning their practices towards its overall

businessstrategy.

 Employee Training & Development governance: Organisations are focusing on the

proper governance of the Employee Training & Development function, in line with

corporate governance principles.

 Proactive needs analysis: Organisations are running training needs analyses

proactively, with a direct link to business goals and future priorities.

 Combined learning: Organisations are using a blend of different methodologies to

facilitate learning, with a particular emphasis on electronic learning.

 Performance improvement: Organisations are no longer doing training purely for

the sake of training; but there is a shift towards training that improves the business.

 Create Learning culture: Organisations keep the perspective that training is a waste

of time if there is no environment conducive to learning and growth.

 Outcomes-based learning: There is a global shift towards outcomes-based learning,

in which the focus is on clear outcomes and applied competencies rather than a great

deal of interesting but inappropriate information.

 Learner support: Training departments are developing focused learner- support

strategies to support learning and remove obstacles to learning and growth.

 Mentoring and Coaching: Training alone is not enough; supportive mentors and

coaches are needed in the workplace to accelerate learning and growth.

 Training measurement: Companies are measuring the impact of training based on

clear tangibles in terms of the financial value of training.

 Talent management: Employee Training & Development is being integrated into

talent management strategies, in which talented employees are given opportunities to

develop their talents further so that their potential can be optimised in the workplace.
EXPECTED TRENDS IN TRAINING:

 The training and development (T&D) sector is expected to shape in the year ahead by

some current trends, according to AMA Enterprise, a division of American

Management Association that provides assessment, measurement and tailored

learning solutions. AMA Enterprise identifies the following trends that will have an

impact on the industry:

 Organizations will become more open about their T&D policies and practices. This

means employees will expect greater openness from executives about performance

review criteria, changes in corporate strategy, career advancement opportunities, high

potential program selection and even management succession.

 Coaching will continue to be a key tool in executive and leadership development.

 A renewed demand for training programs designed to build communications skills,

critical thinking and creativity which are required to improve employee productivity

are expected.

 While some organizations have long global dimension in their leadership

development initiatives, most companies find they must play catch-up or lose ground

in an increasingly integrated, competitive global marketplace.

 With organizations facing more employee turnover, senior management will turn to

HR and T&D to build closer relationships with high-performing workers and to use

development as a means to improve retention and engagement.

 The process of selecting will become more open and ambitious individuals volunteer

enthusiastically for any kind of leadership development offering.

TRENDS IN E- LEARNING:

Trend 1: Moving away from Class Based Learningor course based training to multiple

ways of training:

Today computer based learning (CBL) is beingmain form of the technology based learning

used by corporate training departments, gradually being replaced by web based learning

(WBL).

Advantages of WBL over CBL:

 WBL does not require expense of media such as floppy disk, CD ROMs

 Changing web based materials quickly and easily without additional expense

 WBL allows social interaction over a wide area

 WBL allows the availability of human instructors over the network

 WBL, properly designed, uses high degree of simulation and interactivity

 Easily adapted to performance support systems.

Trend 2: Move away from grades and certificates to personal portfolios:

The implication of the first trend is that tracking skills and achievements will move from the

issuance of standardized diplomas and certificates, to the maintenance of personal portfolios for

each person. As most people will have multiple careers, employers will want to know what the

person knows now and not necessarily what pieces of paper he or she received 10 years ago.

And, what a person will need to know in the future cannot be accurately predicted today- the

pace of change is just too rapid. This means that curriculum planning should not be too precise,

but exploratory, ready to move in the direction of emerging trends.

Trend 3: Dramatic Changes in E-Learning Technologies:

The introduction of artificial intelligence and neural networking will make e learning software

smarter and more responsive. New online learning programs will be both prescriptive and

adaptive. Prescriptive programs will sense the strengths and weaknesses of the learner, and

adjust the curriculum accordingly. A computer will get better at doing this as it gets to know you.

In other words, the computer will also learn from experience. All this adds up to a huge leap in

the quality of interactivity from eLearning software. Instead of page flipping being the primary

hook to engage the learner, new software will respond according to a learner’s behaviors,

especially responses to tests and performance tasks.

Trend 4: Move From Group Based Training To Personalized Performance Support In The

Workplace:

Most people are taught in groups; most learning is an individual experience. The development of

large scale databases and intelligent computer programming finally makes possible the dream of

individualized competency based learning. This means that learners can learn at their own pace,

learn what is most relevant and necessary for them, and do not need to study those things they

already know.
Trend 5: Move From Expert Centric Knowledge Delivery to Collaborative Knowledge

Capture and Dissemination:

Companies are however beginning to realize, that highly useful knowledge of the corporation

resides not only with experts or with top-level managers but is spread throughout the whole

organization. Knowledge management is now seen as a key to winning competitive advantage.

In order to solve pressing problems of the near future, it will not only have to improve the skills

and knowledge of individuals, but also the collective intelligence of groups. The development of

‘learning communities and “communities of practice” are part of this trend.

Trend 6: Move from Large Proprietary Applications to Standardized Interchangeable

Objects:

Much has been written on the problem of ‘bloatware”, those large-scale proprietary application

and suites that take up hundreds of megabytes of hard drive space and are difficult to implement

and learn. The trend today is of small interchangeable software “objects” delivered over a

standardized information grid. These objects can be delivered quickly in a modular fashion

asneeded from anywhere on the information grid, and played through a “thin client” on the user’s

computer. Today, the standardized information grid most commonly used is the World Wide

Web.
LEARNING AND DEVELOPMENT (L&D) IN FEW CORPORATES:

 TATA CONSULTANCY SERVICES (TCS)

L&D at TCS

• TCS was among the 28 companies awarded by the American Society for Training

&Development (ASTD), for its efforts at creating an innovative and vibrant Learning

environment

• The company spends around 15 million hours on L&D programs for its employees every year.

Over the past 5 years, the company has trained 1,43,000 Information Technology (IT)

professionals.

• TCS is setting up the world’s largest corporate L&D centre with a capacity to train 15,000

professionals at one time and 50,000 professionals annually.

L&D PROGRAMS

In order to build a quality talent pool, TCS has started the following multiple L&D Programs:

- Academic Interface Program: The program was initiated in order to bridge the gap between

the campus and the corporate.

- Initial Learning Program (ILP): The new engineering recruits hired by TCS are initially

given an ILP for duration of six weeks. This program focuses on transforming engineers from

diverse disciplines into software professionals

- Foreign Language Initiative: The program was initiated keeping in mind the importance of

learning new languages to ensure cross-cultural sensitivity and tolerance

- Ignite: The learning program, which spans six months, helps newly recruited Science graduates

gain a firm footing in the workplace and imbibe the culture and values of the IT industry .
  COGNIZANT TECHNOLOGY SOLUTIONS (COGNIZANT)

L&D AT COGNIZANT

Cognizant won the top position in the ASTD BEST Awards competition for its commitment to

drive an environment of continuous learning for its workforce.

• Cognizant has a focused learning curriculum to help its employees develop role-specific

competencies and remain up-to-date with leading-edge technological advancements. The

company has an in-house training centre titled ‘The Cognizant Academy.’

• The Cognizant Academy uses both classroom-based and online Programs. Its four key

educational initiatives are: Continuing Education, Role-based Training, Executive Training and

Certification.

L&D PROGRAMS In order to build and nurture a pool of successful industry leaders,

Cognizant has started multiple L&D programs as part of The Cognizant Academy. These

include:

- Cognizant Career Architecture (CCA): The program maps individual roles and brings in

transparency in role-based expectations, goal-setting, and the competencies requiredto achieve

these goals. Besides, it also helps employees tailor their L&D needs to accomplish their goals

and further their careers. Cognizant currently has more than 150 tracks and 1,600-plus

operational roles.

- Lifecycle Intervention Series: This program has been developed exclusively for employees

who are transitioning from one career stage to the next.

- Women Empowered Program: The program focuses on increasing the number of women in

management and senior leadership roles.- Completely Cognizant: It is a comprehensive

diversity and inclusion program built upon the pillars of people, culture, clients and community.
  HINDUSTAN AERONAUTICS LIMITED (HAL)

L&D at HAL

• HAL is a leading player in the Indian Aerospace sector. The company plans to invest Rs 70

cores in employee training in the near future.

• HAL offers its employees sponsorship for post graduate programs at Canfield University, UK;

Management Development Institute (MDI), Gurgaon; International Management Institute (IMI),

Delhi; Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs), Kanpur & Kharagpur; and Indian Institutes of

Management (IIMs).

• HAL has collaborated with the National Law School of India University, Bangalore for

conducting training programs in the areas of contract management, dispute resolution, business

negotiation, and legal advice in management and execution of contracts.

L&D PROGRAMS

In order to develop a quality talent pool, HAL has enforced efficient practices such as:-

Assessment Centres: Assessment Centres were re-introduced in the company during 2012 after

a gap of more than three years. A third party will be overseeing the conduct of the Assessment

Centres.

- 360-degree Feedback: It is a process of collecting feedback about a person’s performance and

capabilities from a wide range of sources such as co-workers, reporting managers and customers

- Continuing Professional Education (CPE): HAL has established a Study Circle at Bangalore

for providing CPE to its finance executives. This centre has been approved by the Institute of

Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI)

- Inter Divisional Performance Award: The Scheme of Inter Divisional Performance

Competition and Awards was re-introduced to the best performing divisions for honouring

employees on the basis of Profit Before Tax (PBT), Value of Production (VOP) and Quality

Assurance etc.
CONCLUSION:

The new global trends in the corporate world is to emphasize

more on applying systematic approach to training and development in order to achieve higher

level of organizational effectiveness. Organizations today, try to link business strategy with

training. Current and future trends show that organisations that want to retain skilled employees

need to provide for ongoing development and educational opportunities. Many organizations

measure the return on investment for training activities.

LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY:

This Paper has the following limitations:

 Lack of Primary Data for the empirical study.

 Due to time and word limitation, a micro level study has been conducted on thetopic.
FUTURE RESEARCH POSSIBILITIES:The future research possibilities are as follows:

 Broader and empirical study can be conducted with reference to Industry.

 Effective findings can be reached at with primary data.

 REFERNCES

BOOKS:

 Ling,Lee Kar (2007), “Evaluating the Effectiveness of a Conceptual Skill Training: A

Quasi-Experimental Approach” , Himalayan Publication, New Delhi, pp. 76-82

 Philips, J. J (2004), “Handbook of Training Evaluation & Measurement

Methods”,McGraw Hill. (1st Ed), India, Gulf Edition, pp. 96-110

 Dawe,Susan (2003), “Determinants of successful training practices in large Australian

firms”, National Centre for Vocational Education Research, 9-59. Kalyani Publisher,

New Delhi, pp. 66-68

JOURNAL & ARTICLES

 Bhatia et al., International Journal of Emerging Research in Management &Technology

ISSN: 2278-9359 (Volume-3, Issue-8) © 2014, I.J.E.R.M.T.pp., 77

 Diwevidi Harsh; Ladiwal Ona (2014), “Training Practices in Indian Organizations: An

Overview”.I.J.E.R.M.T, vol 5 , Issue 4, ISSN- 2250 - 1959

 Current Trends: Exploring a New Frontier. Indian Journal of Training and Development.

International Journal of Scientific and Research Publications, Volume 5, Issue 3, March

2015 1 ISSN 2250-3153

 Henry Ongori, Jennifer Chishamiso Nzonzo, (2011) “Training And Development

Practices In An Organisation: An Intervention To Enhance Organisational Effectiveness,”

I.J.E.M.S., VOL.2 (4) 2011: 187-198.

 Kelly, DJ, “Dual Perceptions of HRD: Issues for Policy: SME's, Other Constituencies,

and the Contested Definitions of Human Resource Development, Human Resource

Development Outlook, Pacific Economic Cooperation Council Development Task Force”

 2000-2001, July 2001, 53-68., http://ro.uow.edu.au/artspapers/26. Retrieved on

15/02/2016.

 Schramm, J. (2006). SHRM workplace forecast. Alexandria, VA: Society for Human

Resource,Management.https://www.shrm.org/Research/FutureWorkplaceTrends/Docume

nts/061606WorkplaceForecast.pdf. Retrieved on 16/02/2016

 Training and Development (2006): ICFAI Journal, ISSN: 0972-687X,Vol 5, Issue 4

 Wexley, K.N., and Baldwin, T.T. (1986), “Management development”, Journal of

Management, 12, ISSN-277-294.

 Xavier University HRD Program. http://www.xavier.edu/hrd. Retrieved on 16/02/2016

WEBSITES:
 http://www.trainingindustry.com/articles/10-trends-for-2012.aspx. Retrieved on

15/02/2016

 http://www.trainingindustry.com/blog/blog-entries/how-big-is-the-training-market.aspx.

Retrieved on 16/02/2016

 http://www.younghrmanager.com/new-trends-in-training-and-development-a-model-

essay. Retrieved on 16/02/2016

 http://www.shrm.org/hrdisciplines/orgempdev/articles/Pages/Training-in-2013.aspx.

Retrieved on 14/02/2016

 http://www.expertus.com/82-of-companies-now-involved-in-global-training-according-

to-expertus-survey/ Retrieved on 16/02/2016

 http://humancapitalreview.org/content/default.asp?Article_ID=29&ArticlePage_ID=54&

cntPage=2. Retrieved on 15/02/2016