-
QUESTION
Question:
What are the implications of generational differences in the workforce? What strategies should companies consider from a training and development perspective to cope with generational differences and use them to benefit the company?Please use harvard reviewed references
Strategic Training
Strategic training initiatives are learning-related actions that a company should take to help itself
achieve its business strategy. The initiatives are based on the business environment, an
understanding of the company's goals and resources, and the insights regarding potential training
options. There is a tendency for a disconnect between strategy and execution.
Strategic training initiatives provide a roadmap to guide specic training activities and articulate how
the training function will help the company reach its goals. Common strategic initiatives include:
Diversify the learning portfolio—provide more training than traditional programs.
Expand who are trained—provide more training to more groups of employees.
Accelerate the pace of learning—provide more just-in-time training.
Improve customer service—training should place a greater emphasis on service competencies.
Provide development opportunities and communicate with employees—ensure employees
recognize they have opportunities to learn and grow.
Capture and share knowledge—capture and share knowledge to ensure it is not lost if key
employees leave.
Align training with the company’s direction—link training to strategy.
Ensure that the work environment supports learning and transfer of training—ensure there
exists a positive learning climate for training.
The next step in the process is to determine the activities that align with the strategic initiatives.
Activities will vary based on the initiatives that were developed.
Lastly, strategic training process helps determine if training investments were successful in helping
an organization achieve its goals and objectives. The business-related outcomes examined should be
directly linked to the business strategy and goals.
Some companies use the balanced scorecard as a process to evaluate all aspects of the business. The
balanced scorecard considers four different perspectives:
Customer (time, quality, performance, service, and cost)
Internal business processes (processes that inuence customer satisfaction)
Innovation and learning (operating efciency, employee satisfaction, and continuous
improvement)
Finance (protability, growth, and shareholder value)
Benets of Balanced Scorecard
The balanced scorecard provides an avenue to performance measurement that delivers managers
the opportunity to review the overall company performance and/or performances of specic
departments, like training from an objective standpoint of internal and external customers,
employees, and shareholders.
Given below is an example of items that could be included on a manufacturing balanced score card.
Please note the items are specic, measurable, attainable, realistic, and timely (SMART). The SMART
descriptors are a tool to ensure that each training objective is recognized and can be evaluated using
metrics. The numbers relate to annual budgetary goals as stipulated by the strategic planning
process.
Objective Metrics Target Results Responsibility
Market
Increase
market share
Increase
market share
by 2%
By the end of
the scal
year
Increase level
of primary
supplier by
10%
Vice
President
(Marketing)
Production
Increase
productivity
Increase
productivity
by 1.5%
By the end of
the scal
year
Remove the
lowest 5% of
least
protable
products
Vice
President
(Manufacturing)
Prot
Elevate the
net prot
Increase net
prot by 2%
By the end of
the scal
year
Increase to
be
demonstrated
in the annual
report
Chief
Operating
Ofcer
(COO)
We must also be cognizant of the advantages and disadvantages of a balanced score card.
Advantages Disadvantages
A clear picture is presented to
demonstrate the inherent relations
among the various entities striving for
organizational improvement.
Creating a balance sheet could be
expensive and time consuming.
The items in the balance sheet highlight
the company performance.
Creating a balance sheet requires
extensive data mining.
Advantages Disadvantages
The balance sheet highlights the strategic
goals and makes them SMART.
Objectives dened in the balance sheet
may have poor support from the
employees.
Additional Materials
From your course textbook, Employee Training and Development, read the following chapters:
Introduction to Employee Training and Development
Strategic Training
| Subject | Business | Pages | 17 | Style | APA |
|---|
Answer
GENERATIONAL DIFFERENCES IN THE WORKFORCE
Intensive advocacy for diversity and inclusive workforces has created workplaces with as many as five generations. This trend has accounted for an increase in generational differences. According to Jones, Murray and Tapp (2018) the term generational differences denotes variations in opinions, beliefs, and values between diverse generations of people. The most diverse workplaces have five generations beginning with the traditionalists, baby boomers, generation X, Y, and generation Z. Because of the differences in their upbringing and life experiences, these generations often have divergent beliefs which create generational gaps (Hayes, 2013). Guided by this backdrop, this paper evaluates the implications of generational differences in the workplace. Besides, it analyzes strategies that companies should use to train and develop perspective to cope with the generational differences and benefit the company.
Implications of Generational Differences in the Workplace
Human resource managers in organizations with multiple generations of employees have to embrace a new form of diversity. They have to manage the expectations of each employee. For instance, the baby boomers are mostly in the retiring age groups while generation Y and Z are the new entrants into the workforce (Hayes, 2013). The baby boomers expect the organization to have a reliable retirement plan while the generation Y and Z expect the workplace to provide them with opportunities for growth and self-development. From this example, it is notable that age demographics in the workplace creates both opportunities and challenges (Jones et al. 2018). The ability to explore the opportunities depends on how the management manages these generational gaps.
Some of the opportunities presented by generational differences include increased diversity which contributes towards a healthier work environment. Fishman (2016) contends that diverse and inclusive workforces are more innovative as the employees present different solutions to challenges which helps the organization to grow. Another opportunity could be derived from the increased collaboration across generations which allows for mentoring of the younger generations to embrace the workplace culture (Hayes, 2013). As a result, collaboration and mentorship facilitates knowledge transfer and knowledge sharing which helps in retaining the culture of an organization.
On the other hand, generational differences make it challenging to manage an organization. The differences in generational values, financial and technological perspectives, as well as variations in work ethics across generations is likely to be a constant source of conflict (Farrell & Hurt, 2014). The older generations are inclined to stick to the old culture and ways of doing things, while millennial employees prefer digitalized and technology driven approaches (Truxillo, Cadiz & Rineer, 2014). Such differences make it challenging for the management to create common or shared values and culture. In the long run, an organization might need to adopt different strategies to meet the diverse needs of each of the generational groups.
Strategies from Training and Development Perspective to Cope with Generational Differences
The best strategy for coping with the generational differences is by designing training and development programs targeting each of the generations. Noe and Kodwani (2018) argue that rather than subjecting all the employees to either traditional or technology based training methods, it should assess the training needs of each employee and classify them based on their generation. This strategy allows them to impart each generation with the skills they desire to be more efficient and productive.
In particular, the older generations could be trained using traditional training methods such as hands-on, group training, and presentational methods. Additional methods include on-the-job training, lectures, simulations, and group building methods such as team building (Noe & Kodwani, 2018). On the other hand, technology based training methods will be used on younger generations. These methods entail the use of virtual reality, collaboration tools and mobile learning (Farrell & Hurt, 2014). Combining these two methods is referred to as a blended approach which benefits all the generations and in return, develops talent that creates more value for the organization.
.
References
-
Farrell, L. and Hurt, A.C., 2014. Training the Millennial Generation: Implications for Organizational Climate. E Journal of Organizational Learning & Leadership, 12(1).
Fishman, A.A., 2016. How generational differences will impact America’s aging workforce: Strategies for dealing with aging Millennials, Generation X, and Baby Boomers. Strategic HR Review, 1(1).
Hayes, B.R., 2013. The implications of multigenerational differences within the workforce. Research Papers. Paper 407. Retrieved from: http://opensiuc.lib.siu.edu/gs_rp/407
Jones, J.S., Murray, S.R. and Tapp, S.R., 2018. Generational differences in the workplace. Journal of Business Diversity, 18(2).
Noe, R.A. and Kodwani, A.D., 2018. Employee training and development, 7e. McGraw-Hill Education.
Truxillo, D. M., Cadiz, D. M. and Rineer, J. R. 2014. The aging workforce: Implications for human resource management research and practice. Oxford Handbooks Online: Business & Management. DOI, 10.