Does Your Training Support the Mission?
Organizational Objectives and Development
If ever there was a time when organizations took a close look at their objectives and strategies for achieving them, it is now. Profit and loss statements are being scrutinized with magnifying glasses as companies hang on by their fingernails. Oh I know, the recession is over, and the Titanic has turned and is pointed in the right direction. Tell that to those hundreds of thousands of hard-working Americans looking for jobs. Companies are weighing every decision as well as every dollar spent.
But this is a Blog on training and development, so what’s the connection? Even though training departments are usually in the first round of pink slips, volatile economic times require an even higher commitment to development and effective training strategies. Leaders want to know how T&D is impacting the bottom line, their bottom line. If you were asked for a 2-minute elevator speech on how your training department makes a difference in your company and adds value, could you do it?
What are your organization’s vision, mission, values, and strategies? Can you explain how your department’s strategies align with the overall strategies of the organization? Never before has it been so necessary to ensure our purpose, goals, and tasks support the greater mission.
What steps do you take to check your alignment? We would love to hear your ideas.
Want to win a free lunch at the next ASTD luncheon? Come with a brief explanation on how your training department effectively supports your organization’s overall mission.
I agree that this is a time when training really needs to be in line with an organization’s goals.
there’s just no room and no budget for anything extra or anything that doesn’t solve a specific issue or help add to the companie’s bottom line. Training that survives in an organization needs to be truly relevant to the company. And…Every training professional needs to be a business person; needs to truly understand the culture and goals of the organization.
So..what are you doing to get to the point where you really understand that stuff???
In my opinion – There is true value in mentorship. find someone in the organization (could be someone older, more experienced – but doesn’t have to be) who knows how things work, and has the influence to help you gain that institutional understanding and help make things happen for you. Yes, you could try to capture this knowledge all by yourself. Maybe you go to lunch with others or participate in lots of your company’s social networking (if your lucky enough to have that at your job) however, that’s no substitute for a human being who knows the score and wants to provide you with some one-on-one coaching. A good mentor can help you to understand the needs of the organzation (better) so that your ideas for developing training can more sense to upper levels of management.
What do others think???