Pedagogical sciences / 2. The problem of training

Natalya Pazyura,

candidate of pedagogical sciences, associate professor, doctoral candidate

Institute of Pedagogical Studies and Adults Education of the National academy of pedagogical science of Ukraine (Kyiv)

Different approaches to the problem of corporate training

Corporate training has become a very important and effective means of human resource development lately. In modern world of growing competitiveness, enterprises have to develop and improve the skills of labour force in order to reach the world’s standards of new markets. Human capital of any company is considered the main origin of its competitiveness and formation of multiple skills and cultural level of workers can be achieved by the way of corporate training.

That is why the problem of corporate training as the main component of human resource development has attracted the attention of many scholars and practitioners in the human resource development. Their works aim to investigate the best practices of corporate training, its innovative and effective forms and methods, to focus on deep analysis of the concepts that were the basis, different approaches to definition and understanding of this phenomenon.

Many authors have devoted their attention to different aspects of corporate training. The most important we consider works on human resource development (Argryis C., Broom G.M., Cutlip S.M., Center A.H., Frankel M.S., Gellerman W., Jacobs R.L., Landenson R.F., Lynham S.A., McLagan P., Mills G.E., Pace W.R., Schon D., Swanson R.A., Smith P.C., Ruona W.E.A. and others), peculiarities of corporate training (M. Aoki, R. Dore, D.Finegold, E. Hutchins, G. Mason, P.Osterman, R.F. Poell S. Scribner, R. Sella, L.A. Suchman, H.Shibata, F.J.Van der Krogt, K.Wagner, G.Wood and many others), the resource-based view of the firm (J.B. Barney, R. Reed, R.J. DeFillipi). But they are unanimous in the view that human capital of a firm may represent valuable resource that contribute to a firm’s sustainable competitive advantage. These ideas create an incentive to integrate previous approaches to the study of essence of corporate training.

According to many scholars, corporate training is one of main components of human resource development. An organization is viewed as the formally structured social entity with identifiable boundaries, and partial inclusions [4, p. 499]. The practitioners and researchers who focus on undividual and organizational change through learning, see human resource development by means of corporate training as “the field of study and practice responsible for fostering long-term, work-related learning capacity at the individual, group and organizational levels in a company” (K.E. Watkins). Human resource development is primarily concerned with “increasing the learning capacity of individuals, groups, collectives and organizations through the development and application of learning-based interventions for purpose of optimizing human and organizational growth and effectiveness” (N.E. Chlofsky) [3, p. 615]. Unfortunately, most of organizations are still structured and function bureaucratically, so workplace learning still operates predominantly on a mechanistic, behavioristic paradigm for learning.

The most important definitions were presented by C. Fiol and M. Lyles in 1985, G. Huber in 1991, N. Dixon in 1993, C. Barnett in 1994, E.C. Nevis, A.J. Dibella, J.M. Gould in 1995, D. Miller in 1996, M. Crossan, H. Lane and R. White in 1999, C. Argyris, D. Schon in 1996 [1, p. 521]. The analysis of the definitions makes it possible to conclude that a worker is the center of corporate training. All authors agree that workplace learning is the phenomenon on an organization level, which presents the changes in the state of a system on individual, group and organization levels.

Summing up the given definitions we can say that: “organizational learning means the process of acquisition of new knowledge useful for the organization through processing information, that leads to the change of collective behavoiur, developing insight, and in the end, improving organizational effectiveness by means of achieving strategic renewal.

As unstructured and unplanned learning on the workplace means copying what experienced workers do, so good interpersonal relationships and mutual understanding acquire great importance in corporate training and especially in informal workplace learning on condition of well-developed corporate culture in a company [2, p. 209]. And as different models of personal interactions are presented in a company, so corporate training mostly depends on workers’ ability for mutual understanding [1, p. 514].

Thus, the organizational value of employees’ knowledge and skills has received increased attention. As the economic emphasis has shifted from production to service and information, knowledge and human expertise are increasingly recognized as the source of value creation. Corporate training is an essential part of developing high performance work-related systems and enhancing learning must be an integral part of a contemporary purpose of human resource development.

Literature

1. C. R. Arnett. Performance perspective synthesizing intellectual capital, knowledge management and organizational learning. / (Ed. Aliaga O. A.) Academy of human resource development (AHRD) conference proceedings (Tulsa, Oklahoma, February 28 – March 4, 2001). V.1 – 2. Baton Rouge, LA, 2001. – P. 514 – 521.

2. R.A. Bates, T. Hatcher, E.F. Holton, N. Chalofsky. Redefining human resource development: an integration of the learning, performance, and spirituality of work perspectives / (Ed. Aliaga O. A.) Academy of human resource development (AHRD) conference proceedings (Tulsa, Oklahoma, February 28 – March 4, 2001). V.1 – 2. Baton Rouge, LA, 2001. – P.204 – 213.

3. N.E. Chalofsky. Increasing capacity to learn in the learning organization. / (Ed. Aliaga O. A.) Academy of human resource development (AHRD) conference proceedings (Tulsa, Oklahoma, February 28 – March 4, 2001). V.1 – 2. Baton Rouge, LA, 2001. – P. 615 – 617.

4. S.R. Fisher. A multilevel theory of organizational performance: seeing the forest and the trees. / (Ed. Aliaga O. A.) Academy of human resource development (AHRD) conference proceedings (Tulsa, Oklahoma, February 28 – March 4, 2001). V.1 – 2. Baton Rouge, LA, 2001. – P. 498 – 505.