The benefits of training are rarely tangible in the short-term, but manifest themselves over a period of time. And, the benefits go beyond mere competence building.

THOUGH infrastructure, equipment, finances and materials are among the vital resources required for the existence and growth of any organisation, it is the human capital which is the most important.

This is especially so in the maritime industry, which is largely dependent on manpower, as opposed to automated systems and production lines. Yet, the HR aspect is relegated to the lower echelons of most corporations, and in some cases, substituted by the `personnel department'.

Operating in an open economy environment, having a competitive edge becomes imperative. Company strategies focus on gaining and sustaining the competitive edge. Often that translates into investments, efficiency of operations, deployment of resources, hard-sell, and so on. But, at some point of time it becomes apparent that competence of the staff is the key differentiator, and the focus shifts to competence development.

And therein lies the dilemma. Should the company find competent persons and then expect them to perform or should they look for appropriately qualified persons and put them through a competence development program. It's the classic case of `fitting the job to the man', versus `fitting the man to the job'.

Experience will bear testimony to the fact that competence is not easily assessed when recruiting new personnel. Also, qualifications do not necessarily equate to high level of competence. Therefore, going the `competence development' way would make more sense in the long-term.

However, there could be a number of constraints: some purely physical. For example, No time/Can't spare the people for training activity/Not enough budget for training etc.

Other reasons are more notional: They're doing okay as it is/We'll train and then he will quit and join elsewhere/Can't see the returns of investment in training, etc.

More forward-thinking organisations take the "continual improvement" aspect of their quality assurance system seriously. Training of staff is one of the effective ways of achieving "continual improvement". Company procedures are devised to identify training needs at different levels of the organisation. Training programmes are then either developed to address these needs or existing programmes are utilised. Training activity may be handled in-house or may be out-sourced to well-known third-party providers. All this requires a committed top management that takes a larger view than the `profit-and-loss' statement of a training programme.

The benefits of training are rarely tangible in the short-term, but may manifest themselves over a period of time. And, the benefits go beyond mere competence building. There are issues of `sense of belonging', teamwork, loyalty, confidence, self-esteem, etc., that are closely related to the company's training programmes.

Further, training need not be restricted to the job functions. There are several other areas such as soft skills, personality development and team-building, which are equally useful and should be explored.

As we go higher up the hierarchy in the organisation, we find that the thinking process changes from `what-to-do' and `how-to-do' towards `why-to-do'.

Management development programmes for senior executives are designed to change their perspectives so that in answering the `why' question, they are forced to re-examine the current practices and make them more objective-oriented. Even at junior and middle levels, staff motivation can be linked to each person's awareness of his/her role in achieving the company's goals. Domain knowledge is of course necessary for efficient discharge of duties, but an understanding of the activities upstream (and downstream) in the supply chain can enhance motivation.

Internalisation of the company's training policies and acceptance of training programmes as a means for self-development are quite dependent on the attitude of the employees. They are the ones to reap the direct benefits of training, which is passed onto the organisation.

The growth of the individual and the organisation is in tandem — a potentially win-win situation.

Learning is a continuous process and those who think that there is nothing more to know are as good as deadwood.

HR systems in organisations are getting wiser to the benefits of training. Many good minds are engaged in designing need-specific training programmes. The cost of training in the Indian sub-continent is much lower compared to international standards, whereas the quality of training is on par. A workforce with superior intellect and sound academic base needs to be cultivated for delivery of performance. Development of skills and positive attitudes is the key to competence enhancement. Training is the most logical answer. It doesn't cost as much as one thinks. Try it!

Regards,

Sophiya Grenber