There must be a radical transformation in the way we think and conduct business

Sep 02, 2015 Letters

Dear Editor,
I am all for training to improve our human resource competences, but what I am not supportive of is the pursuit of training without aligning it to development planning needs. All too often not a few organizations, and even some countries, accept training offers simply because they do not involve an obvious cost to the recipient.
I disagree with that position since there will always be value expended in any arrangement of that nature. For example, employees selected to participate on a local or overseas course are expected to be paid salaries for the duration of time spent on the programme. In some instances the beneficiary organization may be required to fund other expenses related to travel etc.
The problem arises where the course attendees return to duty but are not positioned where they can optimally utilise their acquired knowledge and skills for the benefit of their organisation. It comes down to a situation where, in the case of the public sector, salaries paid is a cost borne by the taxpayer with no significant returns.
It makes no sense for Chief Executive Officers or heads of organisations in the public sector to point out that their employees benefited from so and so courses either locally or overseas, but they are unable to identify the benefits in terms of qualitative improvement in service or professional behavior throughout the organisation. What this scenario proves is that overseas “trips” are just trips with no serious thought being given to developing a knowledge/skills transfer framework. Some thought could also be given to negotiating the bringing of overseas facilitators (if necessary) where more participants can be trained versus sending one or two persons on overseas trips. A cost-benefit analysis could determine whether there is greater likelihood of wider dissemination of knowledge and skills and not a few just hoarding their knowledge with the aim of being indispensable.
Some organisations require employees to provide justification for attending the offered programme(s) which includes the potential benefit(s) to the organisation. This is all well and good, however what is glaringly absent is the stringent requirement that certain benchmarks be met at predetermined timelines with respect to the transfer of knowledge and skills. There is also no monitoring and evaluation mechanism within a defined performance framework. What this means is that people are exposed to training albeit with no reference to organisational or sector development needs and are left adrift with no coherent programme which benefits the recipient organisation or sector. There is no value-added.
Editor, if we are to really effect a sea change in this country there must be a radical transformation in the way we think and conduct business in the organisational and national spheres.
Patrick E. Mentore

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