Human Resource Development Objectives - Coursework Example

Human Resource Development Program Student’s Name Institutional Affiliation Human Resource Development Program Human Resource Development (HRD) is a large field where training and development are offered by a company to enhance the skills, knowledge, education as well as abilities of its employees. In many instances, the HRD process commences immediately after an employee is hired and is continued all through during the employee’s tenancy in the company. The main reason HRD is conducted is because a majority of the employees are recruited into a company with only basic level knowledge, skills, and experience and therefore, have to be trained in order to ensure that they carry out their roles effectively (Sofo, 1999). In other cases, the employee may have the ability and the skills but do not have the knowledge that is related to the particular company they are expected to work for. As a result, the HRD plays a crucial role in providing the employees with the kind of information they require in order to ensure that they adapt to the company’s culture and consequently do their jobs as expected. The primary purpose of HRD is, therefore, to continuously create better employees for the benefit of the organization through providing the necessary training needed to develop and grow the abilities, knowledge and skills of that employees already have (Jeong, 2004). There are various forms of HRD training such as job shadowing or on-job training, growth opportunities, professional or intellectual development, compliance training, and growth opportunities. Therefore, it is important to plan, design, and show how I would evaluate an original HRD program that could be used in my organization. Program objectives and rationale HRD professionals offer programs that are meant to orient, train as well as develop their employees by improving the state of the latter’s capabilities, skills, knowledge and competency which are required for them to perform well in their jobs. Through the provision of such programs that are designed to enhance both personal and professional growth in career, the practices enable the organization to improve efficiency, output as well as profitability. As a result, the aims of the HRD program include issues such as planning development programs that are based on recognizing performance gaps through enabling employees to achieve both short-term as well as long-term career objectives (Bates, 2002). Also, another objective is that of offering support ton succession planning through the implementation of leadership development programs. Also, a HRD program helps the organization comply with existing local, and national state regulations. The following are thus the objectives of the HRD program as well as their rationale. i. Benefits An effective HRD program help provide support for existing as well as future personnel development. As a result, the program ensures that there is organizational effectiveness through ensuring that staff get employee orientation when they are new, and support in their performances which help in successful task completion. Also, the HRD ensures that employees have access to formal education in which they can improve their output (Budhwar, Al–Yahmadi, & Debrah, 2002). The main reason for the benefits accrued from HRD program is its ability to analyze the needs of employees, design as well as develop relevant training materials which help in implementing support systems as well as evaluating the effectiveness and impacts resulting from business learning solutions. As a result, the continued HRD of employees enables success for the organization. ii. Provision of orientation for new employees The implementation of HRD program ensures that newly employed personnel get the necessary tools and information they require in order to succeed in their jobs. Activities done during the orientation include presentations concerning the company’s history as well as its strategic objectives, job-specific guidelines, and procedures, as well as the organizational structure of a company (Gilley, 1998). The reason for providing orientation is that in the provision of instructions on how to complete various tasks such as sending emails, submitting reports or setting and attending meetings, the overview information help in minimizing the time wasted by new employees as they attempt to function effectively. iii. Help personnel develop their careers In offering HRD programs which include career development, the program helps in retaining employees which as a result save the company the extra money that would have been used recruitment, interviews, hiring, and training of new hires (McLagan, 1989). Therefore, the provision of opportunities for employees to enroll for courses, get orientation and resource materials, as well as access online training together with the coaching and mentorship they require, to make their careers grow, the HRD program ensure that employees are able to grow and develop their knowledge and skill. Also, through a clear definition of the job description and related competencies, HRD enables employees to decipher their needs and where they need to improve in order to achieve a promotion, get a new role, or progress in the management ladder (Hallak, 1990). In addition, it encourages personnel to be in alignment with their growth goals as well as the strategic objectives of the company. Consequently, there is overall development in support of the organization’s mission. iv. Identifying gaps in performance HRD programs play a significant role in enabling managers to develop long-term plans through assessing the skills of the current staff. As a result, the HRD program help in identifying performance gaps and therefore design measures that help mitigate the issues (Rouda, Kusy, & Mitchell, 1995). An example is when a company wishes to cut defects in products, raise customer satisfaction or eradicate waste but the personnel lacks knowledge and skills on how to improve the process, the HRD then can develop or buy programs that help in developing skills required for quality management. Consequently, the program enables the employees to become acknowledged as Six Sigma professionals. As a result, the team molded by HRD program then contribute to the growth and sustainability of the organization (Sleeth, 2002). In addition, initiatives such as mentorship programs or diversity training are implemented to ensure that personnel are able to share their skills and experiences which enable them to function flawlessly as a team. Consequently, the company’s strategic goals are achieved. HRD program implementation process In order to implement the HRD program, three steps need to be fulfilled, and these are; assessing individual needs as well as the areas of development to or intending to serve the needs effectively. Second, is to design the HRD program according to the expected benefits like behavioral changes, learning objectives, and performance enhancements in mind. Third which is the final step in implementing the HRD program is continuous research coupled with ongoing monitoring and evaluation (Brinkerhoff, 1988). Phase 1: Assessment of Needs In this phase, the HRD program is used to address the various needs or gaps existing within the employees in an organization. The requirements may be defined as existing deficiencies or challenges that require a change in a new way. To identify these needs, examination of individuals, the need’s environment as well as the job role and the performances is necessary (Berger, 2009). As a result, the information obtained is used to establish the priorities required for spending HRD efforts and define the appropriate training and HRD goals. Also, the information gathered help in establishing the criteria for evaluation. Phase II: Designing In this second step, the HRD program or intervention is designed. In areas that the intervention comprises of some kind of training or development schedule, activities such as the selection of the program’s specific objectives are carried out. Other practices done in this phase are the development of a suitable lesson schedule for the program, acquisition of the required materials, and the determination of who will be in charge of delivering the program (Werner & DeSimone, 2011). Others include the selection of the most appropriate ways of conducting the program and how to schedule it. Also, the selection and development of content are undertaken at this stage where the most suitable context for the program as well as techniques used to ensure a still learning and the materials required for delivering the program. The setting areas could be in a classroom, on the job or online. On the other hand, the techniques used could be discussions, role playing, lectures, or simulation (Swanson & Holton, 2001). Lastly, the materials that could be utilized in delivering the program are such as web-enhanced materials, videos, films, workbooks, and Microsoft power points presentations. Phase III: Implementation stage After the needs assessment and the design stages, the application of effective HRD programs and interventions follow. Therefore, the implementation has to be executed using the most appropriate ways that are determined during the second phase. However, during the implementation stage, several challenges may arise (Delahaye, 2015). These are such as the execution of the program as it had been planned, the creation of a setting that enables ample learning as well as the capacity to mitigate issues as they arise. Benefits of the HRD program to the employees and the organization i. Career Competency In training and development programs, employees are able to get plenty of advantages. Employees learn the soft and technical capabilities as it is required by their jobs. Some of them realize the importance of training so as to increase their wages while others want to acquire the knowledge that is necessary for the market (Parry, 1996). As a result, the development programs enable employees to be able to survive in the future by developing and preparing their abilities to cope with advanced technologies that may come in the future. Consequently, the employees become highly competent and so is their career. ii. Employee satisfaction In spending money for training programs by companies on their employees, they create high levels of employee satisfaction which in return reduce the degree of worker turnover. Employees are satisfied in understanding that the organization has invested in their career growth. As a result, they have a feeling that their job has a purpose which is relevant to the company (Phillips, 2012). Through the engagement of personnel in different duties and professional development, their needs are nourished and as a result increased self-esteem, confidence, and job gratification. iii. Employee performance HRD programs effect on the behaviors of workers as well as their skills which lead to high employee performance as well as advanced constructive changes. For example, the on-the-job training is superior in originality and implicit skills. Skills in technical and professional areas of a job are crucial for employees to perform efficiently (Jacobs, 2003). Therefore, the provision of training opportunities to them has the potential to enhance their performance. As a result, employees have to be taught on how to emotionally and physically maneuver around situations to increase their productivity. iv. Market growth Apart from benefits to employees, HRD programs also positively affect the organizations in which they are implemented. The development of employees enables a company to remain solvent and competitive within the market. According to a study conducted by the American Society for Training and Development, there is a positive relationship between an organization financing its employee development and increased revenues from the stock markets. v. Employee retention In normal circumstances, employee retention can be a challenging issue to an organization. However, through enhancing the learning experience of employees help in retaining them. Consequently, there is a close link between HRD programs and employee retention. In some study cases, it has been proven that organizations that help their employees advance professionally, they experience a 40 to 50 percentage lower turnover compared to those that don’t (Wang, Dou, & Li, 2002). Training methods or HRD practices to be used i. Competency mapping exercise In this exercise, the human resource manager maps the competency for the whole company. Therefore, they make use of the participative process and facilitators to help carry out the practice. However, the method requires one to have a background knowledge or manpower in behavioral science. As a result, the qualities of the facilitator should be ascertained, and thus, they should have experience in identifying skills and knowledge attitudes, as well as the knowledge in competency mapping techniques (Nadler, 1970). Competency mapping on its own is a participative process and thus when mapped, and the employees skills are utilized for the entire organization interventions, it then transitions to become an Organizational Development (OD) intervention. ii. Starting from the top The other method is that of starting from the top where the highest management is expected to know the importance as well as the purpose of change management. Consequently, they should also be engaged in setting the vision together with the organization’s strategic plan. Also, in this practice, it is important to have the insights of a specialist in behavioral science since unless the experts who have been trained to deal with change management are used, the change may be directed into other areas. The appropriate method to be utilized for this practice is the sequential approach where change management starts with diagnosis. Questions such as what is missing due to the lack of teamwork or directory role are addressed. In this practice, it is, therefore, important to develop an inner resource through explaining the importance of change management to all levels of the organization. iii. Leadership Development Programs In this method, the design commences with a competency framework whereby it develops a leadership as well as managerial effectiveness tool. The tool then gets utilized to acquire the individual assessments that are made mainly for the hierarchy level of executives from the top. The feedback profiles are created on the basis of assessment on senior and junior staffs as well as internal and external clients of the organization. The assessments are then briefed and analyzed graphically to help the employees get an insight concerning their behaviors as well as competencies in leadership. The profiles can then be given to individuals personally or in a workshop forum. However, after these practices, the employees can then be trained on how to make commitments to the change that they need to see. For example, if the majority of the employees desire to be driven by the organization’s vision, then a series of HRD programs aimed at developing their vision orientation are created and a training practice implemented. In such a scenario, individual training can be linked as part of the program. iv. Assessment and Development Centers (ADCs) The ADCs is a method that is used to identify the high flyers, succession plans, as well as promotion tools. Although these devices are limited in purpose, they can still be used for bigger reasons such as culture building for an organization. An example of the more significant reasons are such as creating a competitive culture, leadership, and high productivity culture. Nonetheless, these tools should be accompanied by other practices such as succession planning (Van Wart, 1993). Also, it is important to focus on the disadvantage of ADCs as a tool for HRD practice. v. Performance appraisal practice In this method, the Performance Measurement System (PMS) as a tool for change will be used. Despite the little attention and investments made on this instrument by other organization, my team will mostly invest in it through the managerial time. Consequently, this will help in developing the performance of the employees, their competencies, as well as their cultures as individuals, teams, and eventually the entire organization (Tracey, 1992). As a result, in order to understand the potential benefits of the PMS tool, it will be important to examine its objectives and choose those that are manageable both in the short and long run. The other method is through the usage of a participative approach where the human resource manager gets the top management to commit themselves. Also, the HRD program plays a crucial role in making the senior executive experience the performance measurement system through helping them gain focus in their jobs, plan their time as well as maximize the impact they make. Consequently, the HR of the PMS facilitator is expected to have immense background expertise in behavioral sciences (Dubois, 1993). Training Outline The following is an outline that will be followed during the HRD program. One, the process will be divided into four stages which are assessment, design, implementation, and evaluation. i. Assessment stage - Assessing the needs of the employees. - Prioritizing their needs ii. Design stage - Defining the objectives that should be achieved by the end of the training program - Developing lesson plans to be tackled during the HRD program. - Developing and acquiring the necessary materials to be used. Materials to be sued for this particular stage include Microsoft power point, workbooks, web-enhanced materials, job aids, films, and videos (Werner & DeSimone, 2011). - Selecting the best methods and techniques to be used - Scheduling the training program. iii. Implementation - Delivering the HRD program as well as the interventions that required. iv. Evaluation - Selection of an assessment criterion. - Determining the design to be used for evaluation. - Conducting the evaluation of the HRD program or the intervention - And lastly, interpretation of results. Evaluation Plan of the HRD Program After the application of the intervention program, it is of vital importance to evaluate it to ensure that it is producing the expected results. Nonetheless, a majority of the OD programs require a visible change in employees’ behavior as well as the manner in which they think concerning the organization (Cummings & Worley, 2015). If the job enrichment, for example, is the type of program used, there is a need for adding factors such as discretion and meaningful responses to the employees concerning their jobs (Phillips, 2012). As a result, to implement such kinds of changes, it is important to have a considerable learning as well as experimentation. Meanwhile, the employees and executives exploring the way to translate the general prescriptions into particular characteristics and guidelines (Cummings & Worley, 2015). Consequently, the learning process is characterized by many trials and errors and therefore requires a guide through the information obtained on whether characteristics and guidelines are being changed as expected. Therefore, it is important to include both during and after implementation assessments to check on how well the programs are being implemented as well as if they are achieving the desired results. These two kinds of evaluation provide the employees with necessary feedback concerning the HRD programs used. On the other hand, the evaluation which is aimed at directing the implementation is referred to as implementation feedback while the assessment which is intended to uncover intervention outcomes is known as evaluation feedback. Applying OD in a given company normally begins with an intense diagnosis of the scenario which plays an important role in helping identify the specific organizational challenges that exist in a company (Cummings & Worley, 2015). Other areas that it helps in identifying include; areas that may need improvement, strengths that may assist in leveraging the OD program, as well as the likely drivers that underlie the forces. From this position, then the HR is able to choose a set of possible interventions that could help in improving the organization using the knowledge to link responses with diagnosis and eventually change the management. Table 1 shows the evaluation and implementation feedback both for short term and long term durations. Conclusion The following paper has focused on Human Resource Development (HRD) as a program essential in Organization Development (OD) and thereby integrating all the practices of the program to ensure that the organization enhances its productivity effectively. Assessment, Designing, Implementation, and evaluation as phases of the program have been discussed to show how enhanced performance among the employees and the organization are achieved. Also, the benefits of the HRD program such as employee retention, an increase in competency, and employee satisfaction have been discussed in depth. HRD programs or training practices that would be used for the organization such as starting from the top, performance appraisals and the assessment of development centers have been discussed to show how they contribute to OD. Also, an outline and materials to be used for the HRD program has been given while the evaluation for both long term and short term impacts of the program have been assessed and provided. References Bates, R. A. (2002). Human resource development objectives. Berger, N. O. (2009). Needs assessment in human resource development. Human Resources and Their Development-Volume I, , 214. Brinkerhoff, R. O. (1988). An integrated evaluation model for HRD . Training & Development Journal, 42(2), 66-69. Budhwar, P. S., Al–Yahmadi, S., & Debrah, Y. (2002). Human resource development in the Sultanate of Oman. . International Journal of Training and Development, 6(3), , 198-215. Cummings, T. G., & Worley, C. G. (2009). Organization development and change. Cengage Learning. 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G., Dou, Z., & Li, N. (2002). A systems approach to measuring return on investment for HRD interventions. . Human Resource Development Quarterly, 13(2), 203-224. Werner, J. M., & DeSimone, R. L. ( 2011). Human Resource Development. Cengage Learning. Werner, J., & DeSimone, R. (2011). Human resource development. Cengage Learning. Appendices Figure 1. (Cummings & Worley, 2009). Read More