HRD3702 – Management of Training and Development
TOPIC 1: WORKBOOK 1: Strategic alignment: Organisational, Human Resource Management (HRM) and Human
Resource Development (HRD) strategies and performance
3. A Managerial Approach to Training
Management: a process whereby human, financial, physical & informational resources are employed for the
attainment of the objectives of an organisation
The four fundamental management activities include: Planning, Organising, Leading and Control
Planning: Determines the mission & goals of the business, including the ways in which the goals are to
be attained & what resources are needed for the task
Planning comprises of a three-step process:
Step 1: Goal setting – visions, mission & formulating of goals.
Step 2: Develop plans – choices between alternative plans of action to reach goals.
Step 3: Implementation – execution of the plan using organising, leading & control measures.
IMPORTANCE OF PLANNING
Planning is important because it:
• gives direction.
• promotes coordination between departments and people in an organisation.
• compels managers to look to the future.
• ensures that organisations keep abreast of technology.
• ensures cohesion.
• promotes stability.
Organising: How to arrange, deploy & use resources & arrange the processes & the work
Organising provides the mechanism through which the goals, determined in the planning process, can be
attained.
From a business management perspective – organising entails:
❖ Allocating the human & physical resources to the relevant departments or persons
❖ Defining duties
❖ Determining procedures to enable the business to attain its goals & objectives.
Leading/Directing: Activating & mobilising the resources for goal achievement
Leading has to with process and practices aimed at activating and mobilising the resources of the organisation
for the achievement of goals.
Directing training staff in conducting training courses entails:
❖ Giving orders & directions to the human resources of the business
❖ Motivating the staff to direct their actions in accordance with the goals & plans.
❖ Leading the organisation through effective communication to influence & motivate staff.
On a micro level, leading refers to the steps taken to coordinate, lead and motivate students and training
practitioners to enable them to voluntarily achieve the set study objectives or outcomes. In order to do this,
facilitators must be motivated and constantly supported to ensure that they perform at an optimal level.
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, HRD3702 – Management of Training and Development
Intrinsic motivation refers to the content factors inherent in the student or the task and forms the basis of
modern training theories.
Extrinsic motivation refers to contextual or external factors that are imposed on the task or the student by the
trainer. Reward and punishment are examples of extrinsic motivation. Intrinsic motivation is very similar to
Maslow’s two higher-order needs (self-actualisation and esteem needs), while extrinsic motivation is like the
three lower-order needs (psychological, safety and physiological needs). The person in charge of the training
process must try to create an environment that is conducive to productive learning.
The leadership style must create a positive learning atmosphere in which students receive recognition and
experience growth, autonomy and the achievement of personal objectives.
Control: The process of monitoring & checking whether the organisation is working towards goal
achievement
Managers should check whether the business is on course towards the attainment of the goals– if not, action
must be taken to remedy the situation, but objectives must not be altered Requires managers to detect any
deviations from the plan & to initiate corrections.
Control helps to minimise the gap between desired results and actual performance. It involves auditing training
programmes, establishing a risk profile, analysing labour turnover records, directing morale surveys and
conducting separate interviews.
The emphasis is on:
❖ evaluating the system as a whole
❖ measuring the learning process
❖ achieving organisational objectives.
Applying management functions in the HRD Department
In order for the organisation to reach its strategic goals effectively and efficiently, it needs managers that can
lead the staff to success. To achieve these goals, all managers will need to plan, organise, lead and control their
staff and all the activities in their departments.
The organisations strategic plan will form the basis of the planning process in the HRD department - the WSP
will play a big role in the planning process. To ensure that department goals are achieved, the HRD practitioner
has to organise activities and ensure that all resources needed are available, and then only can they lead and
support the department to complete all the required activities towards goal attainment. HRD managers need to
continuously monitor and control the activities and outputs in the department.
The Annual training report as well as the inputs needed in the employment equity report can assist in the
function of monitoring and controlling activities. Performance evaluation as well as feedback on the different
training initiatives offered will indicate progress made and any corrections needed to stay on par in order to
reach the set goals of the department.
4. Strategic Business Planning (SBP)
Strategic business planning involves choosing a plan which indicates how an organisation will compete in
order to be successful.
It is a plan that indicates where the organisations are going over the medium to long term and what needs to be
done to be successful. It requires consideration of the organisations ‘s present strengths and weaknesses and
future threats and opportunities. SBP is top management's chief concern and the highest priority of senior
managers in the organisations.
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