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October 13, 2014

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Modern workplace training embraces new technologies to develop talent

Source: Shanghai Daily | October 13, 2014, Monday | Print Edition

TRAINING in the workplace has evolved from basic vocational education to a program that empowers employees.

The focus is now on relationships between people, learning and performance results as the scope and the impact of training and development expand.

Shanghai Daily sat down with Tony Bingham, president and chief executive of the Association for Talent and Development, to discuss the latest trends in workplace training and how they might apply to China.

The association is the largest of its kind in the world. It opened its first China branch in Shanghai in August.

Bingham joined the group in 2001 after serving in management positions in business, finance, operations and technical fields.

A: There are many ways to solve that problem in the Internet era. Besides face-to-face training, we can use social media or synchronized communication tools for educational purposes. Employees can access materials on the move and give instant feedback. Time and space are less restrictive for talent development with the help of technology.

A: We suggest they work on the culture and prepare for technology. Within a company, social media is in essence a micro-sharing environment to nurture a culture of collaboration. A major difference between general social media and that within a company is that the content is reserved for a restricted audience in the latter. An efficient way to use social media for a company is to find someone in the organization as a mentor. He can be the head of a company or someone the employees admire and respect. Then they will start paying attention to what the mentor and the company say.

A: Privacy is always an issue when it comes to technology, and we have options to choose what and when to share. Then again, many of us are now willing to share information even though we know we can turn it off.

A: It will be data intensive, and probably more mobile. Technology can help people collect data more effectively. Nowadays, we mainly use smile-sheets to look at outcomes of a course, but as we start to use new technology, such as wearable devices, we will be able to track how employees respond to a course through their physical reactions. For example, when your heart rate rises, it may signal intensified interest in the content. Designers of the course can thus adjust the training and improve the outcome.

Also, there will be more learning on demand because of mobile technology. People don’t have to come to one place for learning. They can do it when and where it’s convenient.

 

A: Chinese companies are open. Unlike companies in some countries that are more keen to acquire only local experience, Chinese companies go all out to find the best practices they can learn from. The number of Chinese members attending our conference in the US rose from a dozen to more than 200 in the past a few years. Our global findings showed that employees received an average 31 hours of training last year. Chinese companies overall meet that level and some exceed it.

A: It’s mixed. Many companies actually are taking time to develop talent now, so when the market recovers, they will be fully prepared for expansion. Leading companies usually spend more time in training. But, still, some companies choose to cut that expense. It depends.

A: Highly regulated industries, such as pharmaceutical and financial institutions, certainly need to educate their employees quite often. The hospitality sector also carries out a lot of training to improve customer service. Overall, we have clients across many industries and, in China, we have members of state-owned companies, multinationals and private companies that are equally committed to staff training. Once we had a best practice winner that was actually a car-washing company. They were rewarded for the way they retained their staff. It is a tough job to make sure people don’t leave, and it can be done through training. Best practices don’t necessarily have to be associated with big names.

A: Chinese companies sometimes have stricter hierarchies. That is necessary for maintaining order, but the best ideas do not come exclusively from senior leadership. It’s necessary to build an environment where everyone in the organization can contribute to the success.

A: We are investing heavily in China, with money, talent, expertise and technology. We now distribute magazines, teach courses, organize summits and issue industrial reports regularly in China. Last month, we opened the Shanghai office to be closer to our clients. Localization will be a major task. We now offer three courses in Chinese, and the plan is to localize by translating more courses and developing programs according to local needs.

Finance Special


 

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