Companies
invest more than $130 billion a year in employee training because they believe
that their training programs improve their employees’ productivity and business
performance in general. Particularly
leadership training programs are considered as absolutely essential for
long-term success of a company and globally operating businesses like Deloitte,
Unilever or American Express successfully implemented them to actively build
new leaders. Many companies rely on
external coaches but internal mentoring programs gain more in popularity. Using
specifically trained managers is a cost effective solution especially when
coaching a large number of employees. However, millions of dollars are spent
without seeing measurable results or changes in behaviour. The problems lie in
the preparation of the internal coaches but also in the adaptation of the
programs to different countries and cultures. How can companies overcome
cultural barriers and create efficient leadership training programs to enable
sustained coaching outcomes?
A recent
Deloitte paper suggests that leadership training is one of the biggest drivers
of employee motivation and engagement. Therefore it is important to tailor the
programs to business needs and provide employee-centric solutions. Moreover, it
is important to consider country-specific differences in coaching and learning
culture.
Assign senior managers as credible ambassadors of the training program who promote the importance of leadership and act as role models for internal coaches and academy participants.
A McKinsey
& Co paper suggests that most efforts to transform organisational behaviour
fail due to lack of role models. Leadership does not end with a seminar, a
webinar or a 360° feedback session but it is an ongoing process that never
stops. A senior sponsor will not only help employees to understand the
importance of leadership and development but he will also provide specific
advice and guidance to managers who act as internal coaches on how to
incorporate behaviour changes into practice. An ambassador will provide best
practices, give insights into coaching techniques and highlight the importance
of internal coaches in the leadership training process. Additionally, a local
program ambassador will help to overcome the cultural barriers to
communication. Talking the same language and knowing how to promote leadership
to a specific region helps a lot to improve the participation in the program. Moreover,
an executive who is enthusiastic about leadership and employee training in
general, will inspire employees to become future leaders.
Provide online training solutions to easily access learning contents and share experiences about the program.
Most companies
are aware of online learning solutions and some are already offering coaching
resources. The so-called massive open online course providers such as edX or
Coursera demonstrated how exciting and barrier-free learning could be. In
practice, most leadership training programs offer a wide range of information
and recommendations that may work for an Australian manager but totally
misinterpreted by a Chinese employee. By transforming corporate learning and
providing online resources, the companies not only can reduce their costs but
they can also provide tailored solutions for program participants as well as
for internal coaches. It will facilitate effective coaching by providing up-to-date
information to internal coaches about the recent developments in leadership
training. An online platform will also ensure a barrier-free communication
between coaches around the world where they can ask for advice, talk about
their experiences and suggest recommendations on how to improve the training
program. From program participant’s point of view, online learning will enable
them to access the resources from wherever and whenever they want. It will be
still very important to have face-to-face seminars but the online solution
could act as a powerful supportive platform. Moreover, it will enable the
employees to connect with other participants around the world. Finally, an
online solution will create completely new possibilities for customisation of
the training process. A good leader in one situation, in one country or in one
division of a company is not necessarily a good leader in another. A coach,
together with his participant, can decide on the goals and objectives of the
participant, on the expectations of the coach, and then design a customized
program. Different online modules can then be incorporated into the training
process that will facilitate the learning process of the participant. Moreover,
different provided languages would help employees around the world to clearly
understand the program contents.
A survey by
Deloitte showed that “only 13 per cent of companies rate themselves as ‘excellent’
in providing leadership programs”. The reengineering of learning strategies not
only requires financial resources but also a clear understanding of what
fosters active learning. Companies with successful leadership programs develop
their leaders locally. They understand the importance of cultural impacts on
coaching and learning outcomes. Moreover, high-performing companies extend
learning and coaching via virtual connections. This facilitates
cross-functional, cross-regional virtual coaching and provides new networking
opportunities. Finally, it is essential that executives highlight the
importance of leadership. The leadership training objectives and outcomes must
be incorporated into corporate values of the company. By doing that a company
can foster a culture of development and growth – a culture of leaders.
List
of references:
Ddiworld.com,.
(2015). Five Trends in Leveraging
Leadership Development to Drive a Competitive Advantage. Retrieved 9 June
2015, from http://www.ddiworld.com/DDI-World/media/trendresearch/fivetrendsinleveragingleadershipdevelopment_tr-bersin.pdf?ext=.pdf
Dupress.com,.
(2015). Global Human Capital Trends 2014:
Engaging the 21st-century workforce. Retrieved 5 June 2015, from http://dupress.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/GlobalHumanCapitalTrends_2014.pdf
Hru.gov,.
(2015). HOW COACHING & MENTORING CAN
DRIVE SUCCESS IN YOUR ORGANIZATION. Retrieved 9 June 2015, from https://hru.gov/documents/MentoringStudio/How%20Coaching%20%20Mentoring%20Can%20Drive%20Success%20in%20Your%20Organization.pdf
Mckinsey.com,.
(2015). Change
leader, change thyself.
Retrieved 9 June 2015, from
http://www.mckinsey.com/insights/leading_in_the_21st_century/change_leader_change_thyself
Mckinsey.com,.
(2015). Getting more from your
training programs. Retrieved 8 June 2015, from http://www.mckinsey.com/insights/organization/getting_more_from_your-training_programs
