Understanding Training vs. Development: When Should Each Be Used in Your Organization?

Hi, I'm Akshay pursuing my MBA (HRM) from Mumbai. I have one basic doubt: what is the difference between training and development? When should we introduce training and when should we focus on the development part in the organization? Please help me.

With regards,
Akshay

I am trying to pick my understanding in here.

Training, as I understand, is a directed activity done towards a desired outcome (performance enhancement). For example, improving spoken (English) communication skills, where the desired activity is to enhance an individual's spoken English. It is more towards honing a skill that can lead to the development of the individual and aid in productivity (personal & professional).

Development in the HRD context would be the efforts put in by the company towards furthering the growth of an individual in the organization. It can be done through training, coaching, mentoring, sponsoring continuing education, occupation-related workshops, etc. All development activities are tied to an objective of creating a career path for the individual.

Hi, I am Jayavel, currently pursuing my MBA in HR. I would like to share some information about what I studied in my first year.

Training:
1. Output is measurable immediately.
2. Training is a short-term process.
3. Training is provided when there is a need or necessity.
4. Training can be on-the-job or off-the-job.

Development:
1. Output is measurable over time.
2. Development is a long-term process.
3. Development is ongoing.
4. Development is primarily off-the-job and includes career planning.

I hope this addresses your query partially. Best of luck!

With regards,
Jayavel.K 😊

Training and Development

Training is concerned with the teaching of specific, factual, narrow-scoped subject matter and skills. It is a formal classroom/site/on-the-job learning activity. This is normally applicable for:
- induction
- orientation
- shop floor
- on-the-job
etc.
where the skills/knowledge are needed in the immediate future.

Development is concerned with a broader subject matter of a conceptual or theoretical nature and the development of personal attitudes. It comprises all learning experiences, both on and off the job, including formal classroom training. This is normally applicable for:
- career plans for potential employees
- career management
- senior career development
- management development
etc.

Regards,
LEO LINGHAM

Akshaybhakre, I share your doubt. We had a quiz where the professor gave us different scenarios, and we were to decipher whether it would be considered training or development. Lots of them stumped me. For example:

Which would a sexual harassment tutorial be? Because you can measure completion of this, it would seem like training, but it's also a tutorial that can help you in years to come.

Another scenario was:

Coordinating management to work on the production line. Once again, although this is short-term, it will enable the managers to do their job more effectively in the long run because they know what the first step in the company is. They know what those people are going through and can be more sensitive, etc...

Difference Between Training and Development

Training is an intervention aimed at improving or enhancing the specific skill set of the employee(s) to improve their work effectiveness for which they are primarily hired. However, development is more focused on the holistic personality improvement of the employee(s) on the job.

On one side, where training is targeted to improve a particular skill required to perform the task, development is proactive and is not only restricted to a specific skill.

In the present era, training is being improvised as learning, which is a continuous process of gaining new knowledge and preparing oneself to face the real challenges of the VUCA world.

Thanks