Best Practices in Professional Development

Shifting from Industrial Age to Information Age Training

Feb 2, 2009

Immersion and transformation of employees to contributors of increased productivity is achieved through experienced-based training that hooks and inspires them.

Continuing education of employees is important to keep a company competitive in the fast paced business world. Teaching employees the most efficient methods and techniques for completing their tasks is critical to being known as the industry leader or an industry follower. Industry leaders hire and retain the best employees, because they find it cheaper in the long run to invest in a work place training program designed for employees of the information age.

The industrial age employee training programs relied on telling and showing employees how to complete a series of simple steps or procedures to be successful. However, today’s employees are more educated and technically literate as whole because they were raised and educated in the information age. There are two major kinds of professional development programs today: incremental (industrial age) and immersion (information age).

Immersion involves employees in the role-taking experiences. These experiences active involve employees in real situations, designed to listen to and address their ideas and concerns while being treated as adult learners. A professional development program must involve employees through immersion and transformation to meet short term and long term goals of a company.

Steps to Successful Professional Development

To lead employee training out of the industrial age and into the information age, professional development instructors must transform their practices. These instructors must provide employees with positive learning environments. Most people have endured professional development in a cramped, crowded, and uncomfortable training room. Most of the people in these environments spend most of the time looking at their watches wondering when the torture ends. Information age staff development must start with:

One-hour, four-hour, or one day stand along workshops do not work in the long run due to poor retention. Employees must be immersed in a training program over a period of time to support retention of procedures and techniques. This gives employees a chance to apply, explore, and reflect to result in a shift of their views and beliefs through problem-solving. With this approach, a transformation occurs in employees and the company meets its ultimate goal of improved job performance, efficiency, and increased productivity.

Far too often, workshop instructors approach employee professional develop as though the employees are only “users.” The training is delivered through the use of employee proof one-way communication of facts and knowledge. Pat answers are prepared in advance by a consultant or training staff. In reality, the “users” are left with a since of “do what you are told” after an industrial age training session.

Information age training involves input from employees to develop the best practices for implementing new procedures, programs, and techniques. Now employees develop a since of ownership in the process and more support for the company.

Active involvement by employees in the professional development process leads to a comfortable transformation by employees. To achieve transformation, employees must experience new procedures and techniques during initial and follow-up staff development sessions.

Too many training workshops are ho-hum, dry, and offer little mental involvement of employees. Professional development instructors must shift to being dramatic, using body language that suggests openness to questions and suggestions, high energy levels, and strategies for involving employees. Lecturing as the main delivery model is boring for employees. When employees are allowed to participate in the teaching and learning process, they become hooked and inspired to contribute.

The cost of hiring a training specialist and funding information age professional development is critical to transforming employees into contributors and not just “workers.” Money spent on a program that immerses and transforms employees, contributes to the bottom line through increased employee satisfaction, retention of the best employees, improved job performance, and increase productivity.

Making Connections

Professional development for the information age produces employees who willingly contribute to the company’s short and long term goals. When employees are immersed in the training process, they develop a since of ownership because they feel the company is concerned and listens to their suggestions. This is 180 degree turn about from the industrial age view of staff development training. Information age training requires instructors to help employees in their steps to continuing education success.

The copyright of the article Best Practices in Professional Development in Training/Professional Development is owned by David R. Wetzel. Permission to republish Best Practices in Professional Development in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.