Items Description of Module

Subject Human Resource Management

Name
Paper Name Training & Development
Module Title
Current and Emerging Trends in Training & Development-I

Module Id Module no.-39

Pre- Knowledge of Training and Development
Requisites
Objectives To understand the current and future trends in training and development
and its implications for organisations and trainers

Keywords Application service provider, rapid instructional design, digital

collaboration, performance analysis approach, telecommuting
 Quadrant-1

1. Module 39: Current and Emerging Trends in Training & Development-I

2. Learning outcome
3. Introduction
4. Increased use of new technologies for training delivery
5. Increased demand for training for virtual work arrangements
6. Importance on speed in design, focus in content and use of multiple delivery
methods
7. Increased emphasis on capturing and sharing intellectual capital
8. Increased use of true performance support
9. Increased emphasis on performance analysis and learning for business
enhancement
10. Increased use of training partnerships and outsourcing training
11. Summary
2. Learning Outcome
After completing this module students will be able to
 Understand the current and emerging trends in training and development
 Explain the current training practices
 Understand the difference between rapid instructional design and traditional training
design
 Understand the concept of embedded learning
 Understand the influence of emerging trends on training delivery and administration
3. Introduction

Training has achieved a strategic perspective in organisations and is proactively used to

achieve the sustainability objective of the organization. This has led to an enhanced focus on
the performance analysis and a desire to learn for business enhancement, which has also
emerged as one of the future trends of training. This module is an attempt to analyse the
changing face of training by discussing the various current and emerging trends of training
and development and the manner in which they are likely to influence the future of training
and development and also the future of the trainer. The various trends like influence of use of
technologies, enhanced demand for training for virtual work environment, stress on
performance analysis and learning for business enhancement etc. is lucidly discussed in the
module for a crisp and clear understanding.

4 Increased use of new technologies for training delivery

The increased use of online learning, mobile learning and various upcoming technologies is
going to increase in the future for various reasons. The cost of using these technologies in the
near future is going to be less as compared to other sources. Also, the company can use new
technology to equip their employees to serve customers and generate new business for
meeting the superordinate objectives of the firm. The utilization of technology can lead to
reduced cost of training as with the optimal utilization of these technologies dispersed group
of trainees can be trained together through one central location. With the help of new
technology the trainer can introduce many desirable features in a learning environment like
practice, feedback and reinforcement. The rise in the contingent workforce in the organization
and introduction of newer work force arrangements shall make the delivery of training
possible twenty four seven.

With the help of newer technology the trainers can integrate the ideas of instructional design
with graphic interface by use of computers and also increase the ability to learn. A very
notable and interesting trend that is emerging in training is teleimmersion which tends to
provide holographic projections in which the employees are able to see the trainers as if they
are physically present in the room and this technology can be used to develop a holographic
training room in the office wherein virtual trainees beamed in from other locations. Virtual
retinal display is one other emerging technology that projects images directly on the retina of
the eye. It is the virtual retinal display that facilitates real time on site performance support.
The technology picks up what is shown on the computer monitor and then reduces it through
special glasses directly on the retina in full colour. It seems like a floating image two feet
away from the eye. A brilliant example of technology is the Digital Avatar, which is an
animated virtual teacher, which is usually used by the corporate trainers to create animated
versions of themselves for online instructions. In the emerging trends training shall also use
two and three dimensional simulations and virtual worlds such as second life that highlights
interaction between employees and amongst workforce and customers. The content of the
training program on the simulations can be altered quickly to suit the need of global
audiences or a specific set of audiences. Instant messaging, PDAs, networking web sites,
blogs and social software like MySpace; Skype etc. are making training collaborations easy.

5. Increased Demand for Training for Virtual Work Arrangements

Virtual work arrangements involve virtual teams as well as telecommuting work which the
individuals do from remote locations i.e. by sitting at a distance from central office where the
employee has less contact with peers on an informal level but can communicate effectively
with the help of technology. The notable feature of virtual work arrangements is that location;
organization structure and employment relations are not the limiting factors. For instance
employees of two or three organisations can work together on projects that are developed to
meet the strategic and operational needs of the organization. Employees from different
divisions of the same organization work together in a project team to meet the pre-decided
objectives. The virtual knowledge team have members that are distributed across multiple
time zones, countries and companies. These virtual teams are diverse than other knowledge
teams as the team members are from varied backgrounds and represent diverse cultures and
languages etc. These teams come together to meet a certain purpose and do not have constant
membership. The team members may join or leave the team at various point of team in the
project. Some team members shall take part in all the activities of the group while some may
work on few tasks assigned to them. Virtual teams to be successful must have proper
structure i.e. they must go through various reporting relationships, must be empowered and
have autonomy to work. Looking at such scenarios it can be deduced that team members from
various backgrounds can face cultural and language problems leading to training challenges
for virtual work arrangements. The first and foremost objective is to invest in training
delivery methods that can happen through digital collaboration. Digital collaboration is the
communication between two or more individuals through computer. The Web, learning
portals and intranet facilitate the employees to access training program on their laptops and
collaborate with others on requirement basis. Virtual team members also need to be trained in
teamwork skills and they must be provided sensitivity training so that they are able to
understand the cultural differences as well as the technical skills required to perform the jobs.
Secondly, the organisations that are supporting virtual work arrangements must have the
knowledge about the skills and aptitude of the employees and the manner in which they can
share it amongst various functions or teams is also a necessary aspect.

6. Importance on Speed in Design, Focus in Content and Use of Multiple Delivery

Methods

Due to emergence of new technology trainers are expected to find newer ways and means to
use instructional design. There has been a paradigm shift in who is leading the learning and
where learning is taking place. Although with the emergence of new technology and various
other factors changes are seen but some basic questions remain the same, for instance
Trainers design and deliver a training program through podcasts but the basic question remain
the same that why training is occurring, who is the target group and the requirement of
resources so that employees are able to learn effectively.

This brings in and stresses the drawbacks of the traditional design model like utilization of
linear approach driven by subject matter experts and secondly, the instructional system
assumes that training adopts a rational step-by-step approach and that training content is
similar. Third the traditional training methods take time to be delivered while accelerated
demand for training expects it to be delivered in time. To combat these challenges rapid
instructional design is a group of techniques that facilitates development of training in a quick
manner. Rapid instructional design is a method that brings in change in the traditional training
design model, which involves need analysis, design, development, implementation and
evaluation. There are two very important principles associated worth RID, the first is that
instructional content and process can be developed independent of each other and secondly
the resources that are devoted to design and delivery can be reallocated easily. Design refers
to all the activities in the pre-training phase and delivery includes all the activities that take
place during the training phase. For example if the company has a larger pool of trainees and
limited resources, then more time should be spent a meaningful design process for efficient
delivery. The table given henceforth provides a list of various RID strategies.

For instance, the learning style differences can make it difficult to come up with a training
module that provides maximum learning output for all employees. Therefore, in such cases
make an attempt to offer training program through books, audiotapes, videotapes and online
learning.

Example of RID Strategies

 Focus on accomplishment and performance

 Meaningfully use shortcuts
 Leave unnecessary steps in the design process
 Make proper use of existing course material by changing requisite
examples, exercises and assignments.
 Develop instructions around job aids
 Develop a comprehensive learning system instead of an instructional
system.
 Use recording equipment, Internet and e-mail to collect data and
exchange information with subject matter experts.

In many cases, to save time and cost the trainer can also combine various steps of the training
process like analyses and evaluation. For instance, there is no need to conduct a separate
training needs and learning outcome, if the client is convinced with the training need and it is
reaffirmed by the trainer also then conducting a complete training need analysis shall not be a
helpful exercise.
In today’s dynamic scenario managers are looking forward to training courses that are shorter
in nature and focus on the necessary content without stressing directly on a performance
problem. Trainers shall be expected to base their content and program so that it directly serves
the trainees. Also, the companies need to realize that every employee responds in a varied
manner to all delivery methods. The use of learning management system to develop different
models of the same training content can be used to address the difference in learning styles.
Also, in the future, employees will become more involved in managing their own learning
and building their own learning environment using the Web tools.

7. Increased Emphasis on Capturing and Sharing Individual Capital

Organisations that are aware of being a learning organization and know the value of lost
knowledge because of the retirement of the bay boomers will proactively work to turn
employees knowledge into a shared company asset. Training functions shall focus on learning
with stress on development and coordination of organizational learning. The sharing of
knowledge towards the organisation’s intellectual pool shall become a more common
phenomena with the help of social networking and Web 2.0 tools making this simpler to
implement. The increase in on-demand learning technologies will lead to a better connect
towards information faster and can be moulded according to the needs of the employees.
More teams and groups of employees shall make use of social media and Web 2.0 tools t
share links and content with each other, participate in discussions, collaborate and create
learning content.

It is imminent to mention that due to increased use of technology to deliver training the
trainers must be aware of all the strengths and weaknesses of the training tools and this may
also help them to overcome users resistance to change. Many proactive organisations have
created positions like Chief Information Officer or knowledge managers who gather reliable
knowledge and make sure that it is accessible to employees.

8. Increased use of true performance support

Organisations are now distancing themselves from traditional courseware and classes as a tool
for improving performance of the employees rather they are focusing on true performance
support, which is available during the work process. Embedded learning is the phenomena
that occur on the job as required, it incorporates collaboration and non-learning technologies
brought together with knowledge management to get the desired results. The embedded
learning phenomena has a great future as it is becoming tough for organisations to make their
employees attend to class room programs or spend time on online learning which is not
directly relevant to their jobs. However, it does not mean that class room training and short
term courses shall vanish or diminish from the corporate scenario rather these programs shall
be used to enhance the long term competencies of the candidates and for instant learning
embedded learning shall be used. . It is imperative to mention here that embedded learning is
more focused, task specific and has real time content, which can be reached during the work
as well as during real time collaboration in virtual workspaces.

The idea is to provide employees with short learning episodes that will be activated when
they are required and will be directly connected to the experts and will have simulations for
guidance. Every employee shall have a personalized dashboard and shall be prepared
according to the needs of the employee based on the roles and responsibilities assigned to
him. Through this dashboard the employee could connect with others and share information
with them and can also participate in a simulation activity. These activities will happen with
the up gradation of technology and with the support of 3D environments, video conferencing,
wikis and shared meeting applications.
9. Increased Emphasis on Performance Analysis and Learning for Business
Enhancement

The enhanced focus on contributing to the organizational competitive advantage, training

departments may have to ensure that they are considered to of strategic advantage to the
business functions and facilitate them to meet their goals and objectives. Since the world
turns to be a global village diversity training and management of diversity management are
the important learning initiatives and shall help the managers to lead a global work force. It
will be necessary for the trainers to become aware of the varied cultural differences in other
countries. Performance metric in the training shall not focus on the number of hours delivered
in the training rather it will focus on the influence of training on customer relations,
productivity and profitability. This refers to a shift in approach of the training department
from the training as the solution to business problems to a performance analysis approach. A
performance analysis approach involves identifying performance gaps or deficiencies and
training as one of the solution to fill these gaps. The job of the training department shall be to
instruct managers to identify reasons for poor performance and after identification of the basis
it is the job of the training department to work consistently towards performance
improvement, support for high performance work systems and development of training
administration methods. The training departments shall indulge in development of expert
systems, which the employees can use on need basis. The purpose is to enhance learning to
get desired business performance and some organisations are also focusing on buying
learning administration systems that help in training administration, development tools and
online training.

10. Increased Use of Training Partnerships and Outsourcing Training

Another notable trend that will be viewed is increase in partnerships with academic
institutions to provide basic skills training and to develop customized programs. In addition,
there must be an increased focus on retraining work force in the labour intensive industries
which is experiencing layoffs, such as textiles and automobile manufacturing and also
shifting them into companies that have labour shortages. This may involve cooperation
amongst organisations, state government and educational institutions. Companies have also
joined hands with various colleges to develop students that are ready to work and join the
workforce. Academic partners are also used as subject matter experts in this field as they
develop specialized matter for their partners. The academics also tend to evaluate the
effectiveness of the organisation’s program and make changes if required. Academic partners
also work with the training department to develop customized program for all levels in the
organisation. Apart from the partnership with academic institutions the companies are also
focusing on outsourcing the training and the reason behind outsourcing is to gather
specialized knowledge for best practices and cost savings.

External suppliers may be consultants; academics etc. can act as training partners or providers
of the training services. The major decision that is to be undertaken here is to not to decide
about outsourcing but to decide whether to outsource or not and how much to outsource. A
brilliant example of training outsourcing involves the use of an application service provider,
which rents specific software for specific application. These application service providers
have relationships with courseware developers, which provide online learning. It is beneficial
for the organisations because the company does not have to maintain an internal network or
intranet and the organization has to pay for the license along with a maintenance contract. For
instance KPMG asked its e-learning department to develop a training program that would
train 8500 employees worldwide in e-business. The head of the e-learning department
ensured that it did not overload KPMG’s computer system and in an answer to it the company
used an ASP to host the organisation’s computer based training program. It was with the help
of ASP that KPMG quickly developed the training and made it available to its employees.
11. Summary

This module gave a sneak peek into the current and emerging trends that are going to
influence training and development. These trends are studied in the design and delivery of the
training functions in the organization. In the coming times the trainers shall be expected to
develop training program quickly using variety of training methods. The emergence of new
technology shall have an instrumental impact on the training delivery in the future and shall
also be of vital usage for storage and sharing of human capital throughout the company. To
cope with these emerging trends it is necessary that training takes a strategic role in the
organisations and is integrated with other departments and human resource functions and
highlight the manner in which training shall facilitate the business in reaching its super
ordinate objectives. Outsourcing is also going to be one of the key decisions that
organisations are going to take and also shall have to strategically decide how much to
outsource.

These current and emerging trends shall also have a considerable impact on the trainer’s skills
and competencies. Furthermore, these new trends must be well accepted by the stakeholders
for whom the training program is designed, thus stressing to look towards the learning
experience from a change perspective. This major trend and implication is discussed in detail
in the next module for better and clearer understanding.