I was fortunate enough to attend an Organisational Development meeting the other day and was once again reminded of some of the fascinating aspects of the speciality. One point I have noticed over the years is good OD often surprises you with a flash of common sense that you only notice after someone has told you. That's because we naturally take things for granted people can easily assume and create a status quo without actually testing their base thought processes.
Two points from the meeting referring to training that I found relevant to this were:
1. Don't make assumptions about succession planning / professional development plans.
Just because you think you have a good idea where you will want someone to be in 5 years doesn't necessarily mean they want to be there. There is a huge array of factors constantly having an effect on an employee's choices on career development. It may be upwards movement, sideways or even with a different company or no movement at all.
2. Don't send people for training if the environment they're returning to isn't ready to receive their new knowledge.
After studying various forms of training needs analysis when studying my degree I always keep an eye out for a lack of training as a possible cause for organisational problems. However one vital point to keep in mind is understanding the processes, culture and tools available to an employee when they return with their newly learnt skills. Without these vital elements in place you have not only wasted your time and resources but can also cause further frustration in the employee as they feel helpless to utilize their new skills.
How to create an environment back at home which fosters the integration of new knowledge is a topic for another day but these issues are definitely food for thought in the meantime.
