03 January Management is Indispenable (...two blades...)

[Paul Terlemezian]

What is the purpose of management?

 

Drucker asserts:

 

1. Making resources productive

2. Organized economic advance

3. Reflect the basic spirit of the modern age

 

How can we assure that training management:

 

1. Make internal and external resources productive?

2. Influencing economic advance for its company and its clients?

3. Reflect modern age principles as it accomplishes the above?

[Paul Terlemezian]

What specific decisions does training management face that represent a conflict between the needs of their organization and the needs of their client?

What is the strategy that guides these decisions?

Who approves the strategy? Who challenges it? Is this working? How do you know?

[Brad Kolar]

I think that the third point (reflecting modern age principles) is the greatest challenge.  It seems like training is often playing catch up.  We adapt ideas from technology, science, entertainment, business, etc. and use them in training.  But, have you ever seen anyone adapt the "latest" breakthrough in training to change how they think about what they do?

[Paul Terlemezian]

How can we help? The challenge is that what if the best way to help their internal client of the training department requires less dependence on the resources already owned by the training department? How would a decision to do so get rewarded?
 
Brad Kolar said:

I think that the third point (reflecting modern age principles) is the greatest challenge.  It seems like training is often playing catch up.  We adapt ideas from technology, science, entertainment, business, etc. and use them in training.  But, have you ever seen anyone adapt the "latest" breakthrough in training to change how they think about what they do?

[Brad Kolar]

If I am understanding you correctly, I think you hit upon one of the key issues that I often see when working through the training/HR department.  Even though they ultimately are trying to help the business succeed, very often their first priority is their own success (e.g., survival) and many fail to understand that the best way to remain relevant is to find the easiest, fastest, and most cost effective solutions to their client's problems.  As a result, the training/HR departments often force external providers to use their internal resources, processes, etc. to justify having those resources, processes, etc.  That winds up making the external solutions as cumbersome as the internal solutions.

I remember working with one client who wanted to outsource more development.  However, they made their "quality" guidelines to prescriptive that no external provider was going to be able to deliver a product faster or more cost effectively.  I pointed that out and they ultimately reduced the guidelines to five key criteria.  As a result, they realized tremendous cost savings from using outside providers.

But, the issue, as you said, is the rewards.  If the business leaders aren't rewarding the training department for productivity, quality, and cost effectiveness, then they aren't going to be looking to their outside providers for that.

[Paul Terlemezian]

You understand correctly.
 
Brad Kolar said:

If I am understanding you correctly, I think you hit upon one of the key issues that I often see when working through the training/HR department.  Even though they ultimately are trying to help the business succeed, very often their first priority is their own success (e.g., survival) and many fail to understand that the best way to remain relevant is to find the easiest, fastest, and most cost effective solutions to their client's problems.  As a result, the training/HR departments often force external providers to use their internal resources, processes, etc. to justify having those resources, processes, etc.  That winds up making the external solutions as cumbersome as the internal solutions.

I remember working with one client who wanted to outsource more development.  However, they made their "quality" guidelines to prescriptive that no external provider was going to be able to deliver a product faster or more cost effectively.  I pointed that out and they ultimately reduced the guidelines to five key criteria.  As a result, they realized tremendous cost savings from using outside providers.

But, the issue, as you said, is the rewards.  If the business leaders aren't rewarding the training department for productivity, quality, and cost effectiveness, then they aren't going to be looking to their outside providers for that.