March 28, 2012
Capacity Building
Capacity Building within your organization starts with successful training programs. To achieve success in training programs, research the capacity building needs of your organization, and the needs of employee development. Significant surveying of the potential participants should take place – this will shape your program. From this point, strong and detailed planning will be required to take your training initiatives into successful capacity building territory.
Mandatory Training Programs for Capacity Building
If the training is essential or mandatory for your staff, then your employees need to be committed. To make that experience more value-added, ask employees for their input into mandatory training, which could involve flexible scheduling, involvement in the design and preparation, and pre-emptive messaging on the importance of the mandatory training programs.
Value added Training Programs
If the training program is one of value, but not mandatory, it is sometimes a hard sell. An example of this would be skill enhancement or management training for organizational development. Programs such as this require gauging employees for interest. The organization has a vested interest in the capacity building of internal employees, as this may be the most cost effective way to retain human capital and corporate knowledge. To the employee developing and moving into management of specialized area is not a mandatory exercise but one of choice. The benefits of the training program and future prospects within the company must be promoted.Capacity Building Benefits of Training Programs
Organizations must zone in on the benefits, especially the benefits to the employee, which will result in benefits to the organization through capacity building. The highest priority should be to convince employees that training will absolutely benefit the employee first, organization second. This will enable a high-level of buy-in when the employee benefits are placed out front.
Similar to promoting products or services to the populous, organizations must develop the right messaging around training and development programs for their employees. A well-developed training program will demonstrate how the organization will assist with the personal and professional development of employees, with no huge commitment from the employee. If the employee is quite demanding with training and development that they are interested in, that is a different story, and may require a bit of negotiation and commitments from both the employer and employee. With expensive management training an organization may want a commitment from the employee, such as strategic employee retention, development and promotion. Strong commitments will create strong relationships between employee and employer.
Training and development programs are essential to capacity building within organizations and staying competitive in the global environment. As noted special emphasis must be placed on ensuring there is a two-way beneficial aspect of the training program to get maximum buy-in from staff leading to a successful training program.
Tracking Capacity Building Progress & Results
To round off the procedures for successful training plans, ensure you track progress and results. With any project such as a training program, measure the effectiveness and return on investment. Revise accordingly for continuous capacity building in your organization. You will note progress when your units are gaining capacities in operations and management, and if your employees are buying in, you will achieve a high retention of your staff.
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© 2012 Strategy Plan One
