Customisation is key to maximise returns on training for organisations

Published: 27 March 2014

There was a time, not too long ago, when training and education budgets were one of the first cost cutting targets for businesses facing tough economic times. In this week's newsletter, we look at the widespread understanding of the importance of ongoing workforce education as one of the irreplaceable cornerstones of any sustainable business has meant that businesses have come, quite rightly, to view their training spend as less of a nice-to-have, and more of a key investment in their competitiveness, even more so in tough competitive and economic times.

As with any investment, however, money put into people development is expected to generate tangible, long-term returns. However, for training of any sort, but particularly that focused on corporate executives, to deliver the maximum potential returns, many companies still need to undergo a significant paradigm shift.

That's because, the days of ‘one-size-fits-all' training are most certainly over. Increasingly diverse consumer, client and employee populations have meant that a shotgun approach to knowledge and skills transfer is simply not an effective way of boosting employee performance and effectiveness. Any intervention to develop your people shows returns and standardised programmes have their place in improving effectiveness in the workplace. However, customised programmes can achieve greater results in addressing particular concerns.

In our experience, which includes the education of more than 100 000 individuals over a period of 16 years, we at Regenesys Business School have determined a way to address specific organisational needs is through customisation. Training should integrate practical and academic aspects and learning must be applied to real work experiences. For us this is especially true at an executive education level where, in addition to having to address the unique learning styles, work pressures and job requirements of each individual, it is imperative that training – even of individuals – take cognisance of the broader context of organisational objectives, strategy and long-term vision.

Ultimately, it is the senior managers and executives who are responsible for steering the business in the direction that has been set, but while they typically work as members of the same close-knit team, each has his or her own unique challenges, responsibilities and leadership styles, so it stands to reason that any learning they undertake should recognise their uniqueness, take into account their responsibilities and requirements, and cater to their limitations if it is to maximise value and outcomes.

Another vital part of the modern executive development puzzle is the dynamic nature of the corporate culture in which they operate and which, in most cases, that they are required to help shape. Companies are increasingly driven by shared values, collaboration and innovation, and the training undertaken by the leaders of these companies has to take place within the context of this dynamic environment to be effective.

Regenesys has moved away from pure content-driven learning and lecturing to facilitating. This is done in a dynamic learning environment where there is sharing and exchanging of ideas, opinions and knowledge within an organisational context. Our institution understands that adults are not empty vessels and that they have a valuable input to make to the learning experience.

What is the objective of customised education?
In today's global business environment, it may still be appropriate to remunerate senior people according to market related benchmarks, but approaching their training in the same way is most definitely not viable. For this reason, management and executive development and education has to have, as it's primary objective, holistically supporting these important members of the workforce to achieve their full leadership potential, while also maximising their functional abilities. Only fully customised learning can successfully achieve these two interconnected objectives. And only by ensuring that such customised education is also fully aligned with the relevant organisation's strategy, values and vision, can the vital dual pay-off of maximum individual development and corporate contribution be fully achieved.

If HR divisions and external education providers want to succeed in delivering this type of multi-faceted return on learning investment, particularly at a management and executive level, they have to move from the traditional concept of training towards an approach to holistic people development through carefully structured programmes that are fully customised to the specific operating environment of the organisation.

Of course, given that operating environments are highly fluid and change in line with operating conditions, these learning programmes have to also be highly adaptable and subject to constant assessment, fine tuning and realignment.

While this shift is a massive challenge for companies or learning institutions that have historically offered rigid programmes built on largely static information and curricula, for us at Regenesys it's always been the way we operate.

There is no other way to deliver executive learning effectiveness. It must be premised on customised programmes built on recognised global standards and created using world-class content. At the same time, it has to meet what we believe to be the non-negotiable outcomes of any leadership-focused learning, namely improved emotional intelligence and leadership capacity, higher levels of motivation, energy and passion, entrepreneurial spirit and, of course, enhanced skills, knowledge and productivity potential.

Conclusion
Only through this type of customised learning will forward-thinking organisations win the increasingly challenging competition for scarce skills – and since it allows them to build these skills into the talent they already have, and within the context of their unique business needs, such customised learning is an invaluable lever by which to ensure their competitiveness is truly sustainable.
- Regenesys

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