Shirley J. Caruso, Ed.D.
In today’s fast changing environment, a vital factor of survival for any organization is its ability to maintain a competitive advantage. In order to accomplish this, organizations must develop its employees so that they are able to take responsibility for their production, to solve dilemmas, to work in groups, and to obtain skills that transfer across professions. Maintaining a competitive advantage begins with an extremely motivated and knowledgeable workforce to produce higher quality products at lower costs. To obtain the best result of improving skills and knowledge from training, both trainers and trainees need help from human resource development (HRD) professionals. HRD is a practice that combines training, organizational development, and career development efforts to encourage improvement of individual, group, and organizational performance. Its purpose is to enhance employee performance and productivity, which leads to employee and customer satisfaction and an increase in the profitability of the organization.
The success of organizations depends not only on the effectiveness of utilizing financial and physical resources but also on human resources. The effectiveness of developing human resources is among the most vital issues to organizations. In any organization, management of employees is a principal. The mission of an organization can be successfully accomplished through developing its employees to their fullest potential. Organizations that are unaware of the importance of developing their human resources frequently result in low productivity and high dissatisfaction and turnover among employees.
A Well-Trained Workforce
Organizations have come to realize that a well-trained workforce is essential given that skilled workers offer a sustainable competitive advantage in a fast changing business environment. This is because skilled employees cannot be obtained without investing in training and development, and only developed employees can handle the rapidly changing global competition. Consequently, human capital becomes the most valuable asset in this vigorous business environment.
HRD Should Be Present Where People Are Present
Where people are present, HRD should also be present. Where people need to acquire knowledge, skills, and attitudes (KSA) to contribute effectively to accomplishing an organization’s goals, HRD professionals should be engaged. Where employees wish to expand into new positions or take on new, superior, or broader responsibilities, an HRD professional is needed. Where the environment changes due to new technology, globalization, and demographics, HRD professionals are needed to help prepare employees for the change.
The Importance of HRD in Organizations
A well-designed human resource development program is important for organizations if they expect to expand and grow. Developing the skills, knowledge, and attitudes of employees through training and development allows businesses to keep pace with an organization’s changing needs. HRD has been determined to enhance job satisfaction, whether intrinsic or extrinsic, increase the quality of performance, reduce turnovers and symptoms like absenteeism and low quality of performance.
The Relationship between HRD and Performance
HRD can improve organizational performance and productivity by effectively implementing programs that are designed and performed by experienced HRD professionals. Training can improve employee performance, organizational productivity, product quality, and the profitability of the organization.
Summary
There is a definite need for organizations to use HRD professionals to help in facilitating changes. The importance of HRD is often ignored by organizations. Many organizations realize that their employees are in need of training, life-long education, and development but these activities are not provided. Organizations must amend their policies in training, educating, and developing their employees if they want to stay competitive and profitable in today’s competitive economic environment.
