Should Training Begin with Top Executives or Ground-Level Staff? Seeking Advice on Effective Learning Strategies

Dear All,

I have heard that training in an organization would be more effective only if it is started from the top level. In the organization that I've joined, there was no training department earlier; only now are we going to start training & development. Could anyone please advise me on whether I should start training from the top level or the ground-level staff? Also, please advise on how I can generate interest in learning.

Best Regards,
Mr. Positive

"Fish rots from the head" goes the famous adage. Therefore, you should start with training at the top. However, you should have both a bottom-up and top-down approach for the training. At the workers' level, mostly functional training is given. It is independent of training for the senior management personnel.

The benefit of the top-down approach is that the learning of the GM or VP does not remain with that person only. It starts trickling down to their subordinates, and subordinates learn these skills just by modeling the behavior of their superior.

The benefit of the bottom-up approach is that seniors do not have to spend more time giving instructions. They get less involved in what subordinates are doing. If the productivity of the subordinates is higher, it motivates the seniors as well.

In my certain training, at times participants told me that "all that you have told us is fine, but then you should have trained our manager on this. He does not know the ABC of what you have taught us!"

Identify the competencies of GMs. Start training them on it. Interpersonal skills, conflict-handling skills, decision-making skills, business writing skills, etc. All these skills are quite important for GMs. Train them on these skills. Unfortunately, in many companies, no formal training is conducted to develop these skills, and it is safely assumed that GMs or VPs have learned these skills by themselves!

Regards,
Dinesh V Divekar
[Phone Number Removed For Privacy Reasons]

Training Initiation: Top or Bottom?

Starting the training from the top or bottom is not the first question to consider when initiating training. If the purpose of the training is clear, then you can proceed in a more organized manner. Some examples of "purpose/objective" are:
- Skills development to improve productivity
- Improving communication skills of managers
- Improving the effectiveness of the Performance Management System
- Changing the work culture of employees
- Strategic growth of the company, and so on.

Once you focus on one or two clear objectives and get approval from your MD/CEO, you can map the levels of people for each objective and decide who needs organized exposure.

Competency Gap Analysis Approach

The approach discussed above is one method. A more refined approach is 'competency gap analysis'. Train people at all levels to address these gaps. This technique works better in organizations where skills and competencies are well defined for each job position, and systems are in place to evaluate the current level of each employee for the skills and competencies relevant to their job. Moreover, this technique is more applicable at the executive level.

As you mentioned, Training & Development has started after your joining, and the need is already felt. I would propose starting Training Delivery from the bottom up, analyzing the training needs of Mid and Senior Management simultaneously. Shortly after, the root level should be the Mid management/Supervisory Levels.

Top-level Training would require the next levels to be ready to implement initiatives, which is less fruitful if the next levels are not in a charged-up frame. There are numerous practices in the Manufacturing setup where both Quality and Productivity can be enhanced with a participative process. Training and Development should then become a periodic activity for batches, based on Gap Analysis and Skill/Technology upgrades.

Best Wishes, Rakesh

PS - For specifics, you can reach me via [Email Removed For Privacy Reasons].

Training Strategy: Where to Begin

It is definitely preferable to start training from the top. However, many at the top show resistance to learning and undergoing training. If you want to train from the bottom, it will not percolate upwards.

In my opinion, start training from the Middle Management Cadre as they are the connecting link between the top management and lower-level cadre people.

It would not be prudent to classify training as top-down or otherwise. Rather, one should strategize training into four categories, namely:

1. Leadership Development: meant for succession plan candidates only.

2. Management Development: for Middle & Junior Management levels.

3. Technical Training for all Management levels.

4. Workmen Training.

The idea is that all such programs should be derived from the Vision, Mission, and Value statements, competencies of the organization, and also from the Training Needs Analysis (TNA) of the concerned employees. By doing so, all programs would be much more meaningful and add value to the business!

Having said this, any training costs money. However, it should not be seen as an "expense" but as an "investment" in its most important asset, "People." Many organizations waste a lot of time calculating Return on Investment (ROI) on training, which can be easily linked to improved/decreased productivity. Instead, we should focus more on Performance Management or the "Forced Bell Curve" concept and target poor performers. Despite management's investments in their development, they still remain poor performers (despite being given an opportunity)!

I hope these views shed some more light on further discussions!

Regards,
Santosh Minz
[Phone Number Removed For Privacy Reasons]

Agree with what Mr. Dinesh has said. Training people in top management results in better outcomes and helps in developing subordinates.

Regards,
Suresh

Training Approaches in Organizations

There is no single approach to training. The method one chooses depends on organizational practices and the contextual setting. A good strategy is to identify the competency gap. It's important to prioritize which level of staff could create the greatest impact or return on investment (ROI) upon training. This also depends on the available training budget allocation.

Typically, an approach is to adopt the 70:30 ratio: 70% on technical training and 30% on soft skills developmental training.

Establishing Skill Inventory

A good approach is to establish the skill inventory or competency of the critical job functions that have the most significant impact on the organization's revenue. Thereafter, identify the skills or competency gaps. Training will then be structured to help bridge these identified skills or competency gaps. In this manner, we are tackling top, medium, and bottom approaches. Of course, in doing so, a Training Needs Analysis (TNA) will be undertaken. This includes considering audit shortcomings or findings, competitors' analysis, and business directions. Nonetheless, senior management's guidance and support should be sought when determining which training direction to embark on. We hope to gain their "buy-in" for implementing the training strategies.

Regards,
CTFoo

Understanding Training Strategies

Unless and until we all make ourselves clear about the objectives of training strategies, there is no point in getting ourselves trained or proposing any module for any professional. We must understand the words training, coaching, and mentoring in order to support the learning and development process at all levels in any organization. Though training and coaching involve costs, all professionals at top management need to acquire knowledge pertaining to new processes that could help manage their operations or achieve their goals/targets as learning and development is a continuous process.

To educate your employees on technical aspects, irrespective of their designation, experience, or hierarchical position, use the training strategy. For functional aspects, use the coaching or knowledge-sharing strategy. I will share more information as I just logged in to send a couple of emails.

With profound regards,