Management Training and Development

Management training and development is considered to be a part of human resources management, and is centered around increasing the efficiency and performance of employees. This can be done in a one-on-one setting on an individual basis, but it is most commonly approached with groups of people. It is most commonly geared toward enhancing proficiency in organizational activities, and there are many different ways to accomplish this. For the purpose of simplicity, training and development are broken down into somewhat narrowly-defined scopes. In the larger scope of things, proper training is what leads to an individual or group developing in a positive way.

Training Defined

In human resources, training is defined as an activity that is strictly focused on enhancing an individual's ability to perform a specific task. Most often, training is used to help an employee do his or her work more efficiently by providing extra guidance in specific aspects of a job. These aspects can be narrowly-defined or they can be more abstract in nature. For example, an accountant training in a new bookkeeping software would have a very narrowly-defined training regimen. However, that same accountant undergoing diversity training could have the expectation of slightly more ambiguous goals.

Development Defined

Development is considered to have a more "open-ended" definition than training, since developmental goals can very wildly from one organization to another. Development can be seen as an "end result" of the training and education that an employee goes through. It will be heavily influenced by the corporate culture of the employer, especially if that employer is the one providing the training that leads to this development. While development may be difficult to quantify or define in a broader sense, it is easier to pin down developmental goals when one better understands the goals of an employer.

The Difference between Training and Education

It is often thought that training and education are essentially the same thing, but in truth they are not. As stated earlier, training is centered around helping an employee to more efficiently perform tasks necessary for their current job. However, education is considered to be geared more toward the development of skills necessary for another job in the future. While the difference seems fairly small on the surface, it's actually significant. This is because the expectations someone has when they go into a training seminar are often different than what they will actually get.

Training seminars are not developed to help you learn or develop completely new skills. They are designed to reinforce your ability to perform skills that you already understand and use regularly. In some cases, training programs will cover some new things like new software. However, people being trained on the new software are already expected to have a working knowledge of an older version of the software or a different type of similar software. When someone is being trained on something entirely new for a job they want to get in the future, it becomes known as education.

Having Realistic Expectations

It's important to go into any training and development situation with an open mind. Most of the time, these seminars may not seem like they are helpful beyond rehashing old material you already know. While this may be true in some ways, they are also much more than that. They are an opportunity for you to refresh yourself on things you may have forgotten, and they are an opportunity for you to find a different way of looking at things. When you go into a training situation with a realistic understanding of what you're in for, training seminars are both more enjoyable and more effective.

The Impact of Training on Development

The way you develop as a manager throughout your years at a company is important to your bosses. The corporate identity of any business is based largely upon the culture it engenders at its stores or offices. When a standard developmental goal is defined early-on, it helps to promote cohesiveness within a group. As workplaces become more and more diverse, the promotion of this type of cohesiveness only becomes more and more important. In fact, this is why so many recent training seminars have taken on a more interactive approach.

Interactivity and Development

The truth is that anyone can go to a training seminar, sit there and put in the time. It's something entirely different to go somewhere to engage with others in an interactive training program. These interactive training programs are often created with employee development in mind. Due to this, they will often cover somewhat non-quantifiable skills like conflict resolution and team building. Interactive skills training courses will sometimes take place in an area outside of work, but they can also be done at work. The locale really depends on the employer and what he or she wants employees to walk away with.

Always Be Developing Your Skills

There are a lot of reasons for you to keep developing your managerial skills beyond what their current level. You want to continue to excel at your job, and this just isn't possible if you aren't taking the time to continually develop your skills. Training courses can be a pivotal part of keeping your skills current, especially when you take training courses that aren't mandated by superiors. Taking the initiative to seek out and take part in training courses on your own can be very impressive to higher-ups in your organization.

Finally, don't neglect to understand the importance of development when you're taking on these skills program. Whether you are taking a training course because you want to or are being forced to, there is always something for you to pick up. Using these courses as a way to develop as a manager and employee is a smart use of your time. This is really what employers are looking for when they engage employees in this type of training. They want to see which employees try to get the most they can out of every opportunity presented to them.