TRAINING MATURITY MATRIX

Now a day’s lot of organizations have realized the value of training. They want to train their workmen and to gain. But the question is what should be their goal? I mean what is the point they would like to reach in terms of training. In other words what should be their destination? Proceeding without knowing the destination is quite dangerous. Each and every organization must know in case of training function where they are and where they should be. So I propose this Training Maturity Matrix (TMM). No need to mention it draws inspiration from CMM.

In the training maturity matrix, I envisage five levels, each level representing an improvement over other level.

In the level one I would like to place those organizations in which no training facility is there. The aim of the employer is to employ those people who are willing to accept least possible salary. No need to mention that, only desperate people join this sort of organization. The employees leave the organization at the first available opportunity. This organization’s suffer from high attrition rate.

In the level two I would like to put those organizations in which some training facility is there but it exists in a haphazard manner. TNI is not carried in a proper manner. Employees are being sent to training programs which are not even remotely related to their area of operation. Training is a kind of paid holiday in this kind of organizations.

In the level three, I would like to place those organizations, the top management of which have realized the importance of systematic approach to training. Now they want to communicate its importance to their employees who are bit sceptical about it. In India lot of organizations come under it. Here the main task of the training manager is to convince the trainees to avail training and to convince the concerned departmental heads to release them for training on a stipulated time and date.

In the level four, I would like to put those organizations in which the top management as well as employees themselves have realized the importance of systematic approach to training. It is no longer required for training manager to convenience the trainees as well as departmental heads. Once nominated, the trainees avail the training and the concerned departmental heads release them to avail training.

In the level five, I would to place those organizations where employees themselves take the responsibility for training. They identify their training needs. The training department only acts as facilitator

Now all the five stages can be compared with the progression of human life. Level 1 and level 2 can be compared with childhood of a person. Childhood of a person is characterized by dependence and lack of maturity. Level 1 and level 2 shows the lack of maturity on the part of management

Level 3 can be compared with adolescent stage. An adolescent person is stubborn. He fails to see merit in the action of others. Same is the case with employees in level 3 organization. They fail to see merit in the action of management.

Level 4 can be compared with adulthood. An adult person thinks in a logical fashion. He analyzes a particular thing in a logical fashion and tries to find out whether that thing is good for him or not. In level 4 organizations both management and employees behave like an adult. Both of them have understood the value of systematic approach to training and and co-operate with each other in making training function a success.

Level 5 can be compared with mature adult. A mature adult takes initiative of his own. Same is the case with employees of level 5 organizations. They do not wait for management to identify their training needs, as they are knowledge workers. They know their training requirement and take the help of training department only for fine tuning purpose.

NOW THE BIG QUESTION IS: WHAT IS THE TRAINING MATURITY OF YOUR ORGANIZATION?