Creativity in Training and development

2. Creativity in Training and
Development
– Namita Bangera
C
reativity is a word we often use and
listen but yet conveniently ignore to
apply in our daily lives. The dictionary
meaning of creativity is "the state or quality
of being creative or the ability to transcend
traditional ideas". Training and Development
the word in itself suggests it all and usually
is used together but not interchangeably.
Training is the education, instruction or
discipline of a person that can help him
develop his knowledge, skills and abilities.
The process of training and development is
a very integral part of our lives just as
learning is.
of the organisations experimenting with
various training programs with outdoor
activities, adventure sports, etc. We as HR
professionals need to understand that when
an employee enters into the training "zone"
he walks in with a mindset of his own. It can
impact the success or failure of the program.
If he has a positive mindset, it would be a
blessing and if otherwise then there is a lot
of work to be done. Now, knowing this only
new and creative idea can bring about the
originality required in a training program that
can keep the employee glued, it's like a daily
soap with twists and turns that can keep the
viewers glued.
As an HR professional while writing this
article my endeavor was to capture the
essence of the need for creativity in the
process of training and development in an
employees career span. Right from the time
an employee enters the organisation he is
exposed to a variety of training programs in
order to hone his skills and help him in his
career path and in turn helps the
organisation achieve its goals. Now
considering this, my article would try to find
answers to the following questions:
Employees are our internal customer, hence
it is necessary to satisfy the "need" (identified
by the needs assessment) and also create
the "want" to learn more, and this cannot be
possible with a training program that is bland
and lifeless. Like how a product is sold to
the customers in order to satisfy his needs
and in turn create profits for the
organizations in the same manner a training
program has to cater to the development
needs and keep a continued interest in the
minds of the employee. In the case of the
training program it becomes difficult because
the product is intangible hence comes the
need for creativity.
How important is the element of
creativity in a training program?
Does this impact the effectiveness of the
training program?
Today we are living in a day and age where
ROI is of great importance and hence the
effectiveness of the training program is of
great importance in order to achieve a
greater return on investment. The use of
creativity in a training program can certainly
enhance the effectiveness and in turn
provide a greater ROI. ROI is very important
for an organisation as it provides hard facts
of how effective the training and
development effort is. Dwelling on the final
question if it can encourage openness to
learning, yes it would , after all who would
like to learn with a little element of fun in it.
Can it create openness to learning?
Most of the time a training program is
developed after the process of needs
assessment with a linkage between the
organisation, task and person analysis.
Once this has been analyzed the various
approaches of training can be used, it can
be in the form of seminars, case studies,
simulations, or role-playing etc. No matter
which technique is used the program has to
appeal to the trainees in order to have a
greater retention and application and here
enters creativity. Hence today we see many
The process of learning has become a part
of the organizational culture and creativity
can enhance the process of unlearning,
learning and relearning.
How can we use creativity in the process
of Training and Development?
The importance of a training and
development are many like optimum
utilization of human resources, development
of human resources, development of skills
of employees, productivity, team spirit,
organizational culture, climate, morale,
profitability etc. There are various ways of
creativity at various levels of training and
development:
Training Climate: The training climate
is the ambience, the feeling, the tone of the
training program. Use of creative set ups and
seating arrangements as per the desired
climate can go a long way in the success of
the training program.
Training Style: The style of the training
also plays a very crucial role keeping in mind
the audience expected for the training. The
older the age of the audience and the higher
the experience the greater is the need for
creativity to create the enthusiasm for
learning.
Training Strategies: The strategies of
training to be used right from the right
training areas and modules, the sequence
of contents there has to be originality to
captivate the audience. The process of
training should be enriching one and provide
learning to the employees.
"Enthusiasm is excitement with
inspiration, motivation, and a pinch of
creativity"
So let all the training and development
programs not only create enthuse with
motivation and inspiration but also create
something new. Keep the creative juices
flowing!!!
H
Ms. Namita Bangera is a Student of MMS Sem IV-HR at Atharva Institute of Management Mumbai. E-Mail: namibgr@gmail.com
| HRD News Letter | April 2009, Vol.25, Issue:1
26
Silver Jubilee Series