Training and Development in Etisalat Company - Case Study Example

Name: Instructor: Course: Date: Table of Contents Introduction………………………………………………………………………………………..3 Advantages of Training to the organization………………………………………………………6 Staff Training selection……………………………………………………………………………8 Challenges………………………………………………………………………………………..10 Conclusion……………………………………………………………………………………….11 Works Cited……………………………………………………………………………………...12 Training and Development in Etisalat Company. Introduction Etisalat refers to a multinational organization found in the Middle East and operates in a total of 17 countries global wide. The company is well known for its consumer products such as electronics which include mobile television, data services and broadband internet technology. Among the most renowned product of this company is the 3G and 2G robust which have provided the fastest means of internet connections. Alongside its electronic production, Etisalat also engages itself in other activities such as the social activities which contribute greatly to the image building of the company. One of the social activities of this company is improving the livelihoods of the people in the society taking into consideration the cultural diversities in these societies. Equipping the employees with the necessary skills and knowledge required in their various fields of specialization is one of the key objectives of this company. This is achieved through the provision of training programs such as the internship and the summer training. The training opportunities also help in developing competencies among the organization’s employees hence, acquiring the necessary skills to handle various challenges. Through the provision of these training opportunities, the organization will be able to achieve its goal of improving the lives of communities through training the younger generation (Sims, 78). These training programs also aim at developing and providing wider learning opportunities to both the staff and the other selected participants. This is achieved through the provision of training programs which goes to helping in the development of both the technical and the hand experience of performing various tasks. Training programs helps the staff members identify their abilities and capacity to do varied activities. Through community involvement in the initiation of the various training programs, it will lead to community ownership of the program and also sustainability (Sloman, 124). One of the key participants in the running of training programs in this organization is the human resource personnel. These individuals perform systematic planned activities which aim at providing the participants with the opportunities to acquire the necessary knowledge and skills to handle the job demands. These practitioners ensures that active participation of the employee during the training, rewarding participants for improved performance, providing the newly employed individuals with the necessary orientation to knowledge and skill development and creating flexibilities in terms of time and places of training (Wetland, Bay and Klockars, 273). In addition to human resource management team, the senior management team in this organization plays a key role in organizing for the training programs. It is responsible for determining the financial requirements of the training, deciding on the strategic locations for conducting the training and also performing the overall supervision of the whole process (Sims, 85). One of the training programs offered in this company is the training for Chartered and Assistant accountants. These programs are important since they play a role in equipping the accounting and financial professionals achieve and acquire a higher standard of professionalism to satisfy the market demands. This training equips these professionals with further knowledge on areas such as data analysis, financial and cost accounting among others (National academy, 77). Additionally, the company participates in the development and promotion of talents through the introduction of the summer training program which aims at providing varied learning opportunities to its employees. This program enable the youthful Emiratis develop their competencies in administrative and technical skills alongside providing them with manual (hand) training opportunities. By doing so, the company will be improving the lives of the communities through the direct services provided by the trained Emiratis (Sloman, 255). The company also offers other programs such as the education assistance training program, internship programs, succession development training program and graduate trainee development programs. These programs are necessary because, they help in building employees capacity towards embracing the new technological changes hence, maintaining their competitiveness in the market. An example is the internship program which provides the graduate youths the opportunity to gain vast experience on working with a multinational company like Etisalat (Wetland, Bay and Klockars, 187). Trainings in the organization are carried out at different frequencies depending on the type of the training being offered. An example is the annual summer program which is usually performed in a yearly basis. Also, internship training programs are usually offered once in a year to the top students only. However, there are other training programs which can be provided internally within the organization to inform the employees on any new technological innovations. Regular seminars and conferences are provided throughout the year to equip the employees with the necessary professional knowledge (Sims, 96). Advantages of Training to the Organization One of the ways in which the Etisalat organization employees have benefited from training is that the employees have maintained their competitiveness in the world market since they are aware of changes constantly occurring in the outside world. Training also motivates the employees enhancing autonomy. Motivation occurs as a result of the acquisition of new knowledge and skills which helps in reducing boredom at the workplace. Furthermore, it instills positive attitudes to the employees by clarifying employees expected skills, attitudes and behavior (Wetland, Bay and Klockars, 111). Training of the workers in the Etisalat organization has also contributed to the increased productivity as a result of motivation. It provides techniques and creates awareness which enables the employees manage their workload and time effectively hence, the increased productivity. It is only through training that this organization’s staff have gained their morale towards their job. This is because; training encourages commitment from the staff towards the appreciation of the importance of this organization and also increasing staff loyalty hence, improving the morale of the staff. Regular training provided by the organization to its employees has helped greatly in reducing the staff turnover and lowering of the recruitments costs in the organization becoming a cost effective strategy (National academy, 88). Induction training is always offered in the organization to the new employees whom it is their first time joining the organization. This is done to provide the new employees with the necessary skills required to carry out their jobs. Induction process involves the employee being introduced to the organization’s values, ethics, culture and what is expected of them by the organization. Induction is important since it creates awareness to the new employee on the behaviors which the organization and the management expect from them (Wetland, Bay and Klockars, 118). During the process of induction, the newly employed employee is introduced with their work colleagues, familiarized with the working environment and also provided with the expected outcomes from him/her at a particular duration of time. Additionally, the supervisor in charge of inducting the employee provides the employee with the performance standards of the organization. It is apparent that the ultimate success of this organization is largely dependent of the organization’s image presented during the process of induction (Sloman, 234). Etisalat organization usually conducts the training needs analysis in order to identify problems or issues in the workplace and determining the feasibility of these issues to identify the need for training. The process begins with the organization’s top management initiating a desire for them to adopt change. The training needs in this organization are identified through taking into consideration the new employees in the organization, veteran and the trainees who are currently in a specific training program (Sims, 106). The process of training analysis in the organization is performed through the incorporation of various methods so as to gather adequate data about the employees’ performance in an organization. To achieve adequate information, more than two of the different methods have to be adopted. Observation is one of the methods used in the organization where the employee’s performance is evaluated through observation and analyzing the findings. Interviews can be conducted to ensure that nearly to an equal data is collected from the participants. Other methods which are employed include the administration of questionnaires, job descriptions, performance appraisals, difficulty analysis and analysis of the organization’s policy to determine its feasibilities (Sloman, 237). Training staff selection The process of selecting staff to attend training in this organization is done on a free and transparent manner. This is done basing on individual capabilities which indicates the need for further training. Additionally, the selection process is done basing on the outcomes of the performance appraisal. The employee who has the best output in the organization after a particular period of time is selected to attend the training hence, acting as a motivational factor. Under rare circumstances, the process of selection is done basing on the voluntary will of the employee to participate in the training exercise (National academy, 99). Other methods employed in the organization in selecting the participants of the training include selection basing on the employee’s position in the organization. Functions and individual responsibilities can be used to identify the individual to undergo the training. This includes determining the job position and the overall capabilities of the employee. Duties performed by the employee in the organization can be used to select them alongside taking into consideration the authorizations which that individual has been granted by the organization (Sloman, 55). Evaluation is one of the integral components of this organization objective to assess the value of the training programs offered to its employees. Managers have to take into consideration the evaluation criteria chosen and also the methods of the evaluation design in order to achieve the desired program outcomes. Goal based methods of evaluation is one of the method used in the organization to evaluate the effectiveness of the training program. This involves different levels which include, relating, learning, results and behavior (Wetland, Bay and Klockars, 102). Goal free method of evaluation is another method of training evaluation which has been adopted in the organization to determine the program effectiveness. This involves assessing whether the program’s objectives were achieved or not and corrective measures taken (Sloman, 227). Other methods of training evaluation adopted by the Etisalat organization include the systems method of evaluation, quasi, professional review and responsive evaluation of these programs to determine their effectiveness. However, various models take into consideration the context where the information concerning the training program is gathered, strategies identified, assessing the implementation and collecting information on the results of the training intervention (National academy, 102). The organization has a well-developed training plan which contributes immensely to maintaining the nature of motivation to their staff. This training plan provides both the management and the staff the necessary knowledge and in-depth understanding of the training needs and position within this organizational structure. Additionally, the training plan acts as a building block for the basis of providing special practical and technical training to equip their workers with the necessary skills (Sims, 124). Alongside the organizational plan, the organization also has a training budget which enables it to evaluate the returns from the training provided by the company. It also assists this company track on the expenses incurred at the course of that particular training. Furthermore, the training budget assists in ensuring that transparency and accuracy is upheld by the management (Sloman, 266). To achieve the overall objective of benefiting from the training, the employees have been encouraged to develop their own training plans so as to set their own expectations at the end of the training. This also assists them in evaluating the effectiveness of the training program offered by the organization (Wetland, Bay and Klockars, 73). One of the learning outcomes of the adult training programs offered in this organization is to ensure that at the end of the program, they should tailor their knowledge gained into a real life situation. The learners should interact with the other learners during the training session so as to gain experiences from other people’s encounters. At the end of the training program, these older individuals should be able to demonstrate the benefits of the training offered and understand why that particular training was important to them (National academy, 112). Challenges The organization often experiences various challenges in its course of planning and conducting a training program. One of these problems is the resistance from the employees. Most employees resist change if the management does not communicate what is expected of them or when they are uncomfortable with the method of program operation hence, a challenge. Intensive training requirements incurred in planning and conducting a training program is another challenge faced by this organization. This goes in hand with the large expenses required in order to achieve the training objectives (Sloman, 63). In addition, the organization experiences the challenge of inadequate planning making the whole training process ineffective. The training process requires the collaboration of various stakeholders within the organization to ensure that adequate planning is undertaken so as to avoid any inconveniences during the process. The company has also experienced tremendous losses in the events of the management choosing the wrong change agent desired in the organization. This is contributed by factors such as lack of employees’ involvement in selecting the training program (Wetland, Bay and Klockars, 95). Conclusion In conclusion, employees training in this organization have contributed immensely to the overall output of this organization. This is evidenced by the new innovations from the organization employees which indicate their sense of motivation towards the success of this organization. However, the management should play a key role in identifying the training needs of their employees in order to address their issues of concern. Other companies should learn from this organization system of management so as to achieve their desired outcomes. Works Cited. Sims Ronald R. Organizational Success Through Effective Resources Managemnet. Greenwood Publishing Group, 2002, Print. Sloman Martyn. A Handbook for Training Strategy. Gowers Publishing Ltd. 1999. Print. Wetland Daniel, Bay Suzanne and Klockars Eileen. Strategic Training: Putting Employees First. HRD pres, Inc. (2006). Print. National Academy of Sciences. The Workforce Challenge: Recruiting, Training and Retaining Qualified Workers for Transportation and Transit Agencies. Rotledge (2003). Print. . Read More