Team training is a key aspect of a modern company if you consider that teamwork is now unanimously considered essential for business success. Therefore, today more than ever, it is essential not only to know how to create a project team that works, but above all it is imperative to make it grow in the best possible way.
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When it comes to training, you must consider the time devoted to it as an investment.
By training your team, thus enabling them to assume responsibility and make decisions on their own whenever possible, this will also allow the project manager to not have to monitor every little action of the team and use his time to work on other more important tasks.
How to know when training is needed
Before any training program is deployed, it is necessary to determine that the training methods can appropriately address the team’s needs.
This begins with performing a needs analysis, not only at the team level, but also at the individual level.
Once these needs are determined, the appropriate type of training will be chosen to overcome the challenges facing the team and/or individual.
Here are some tips for understanding when training is needed and of which type:
- 1. Set clear expectations for each role
To help determine training and development needs, you need to set clear expectations for each role within the team. This allows you to create a benchmark to monitor performance and learn what skills an employee needs to be successful in their role.
- Monitor employee performance
Gauging and monitoring performance should be considered a means of supporting employees-not penalizing them-and at the same time can be a valuable tool for identifying development opportunities within a group.
- Ask
Having employees provide direct feedback on training needs can be a very valuable addition to your training and development plan. An easy way is to ask employees to rate their job satisfaction and performance and then ask them what would make it better.
- Make use of the focus group
Focus groups are a valuable tool to help to identify training and development needs within an organization. Under the guidance of an experienced facilitator, the focus group allows you to collect employees’ views and opinions on current training and how to improve delivery.
How will team training take place?
After a needs analysis has been performed, the training program chosen should possess the following characteristics:
- Accessibility, shall be available to all employees in need of training;
- Usability, it will need to be designed at a level that employees can understand;
- Learnability, it will need to adequately address training needs, creating concrete knowledge.
Then there are several design elements to consider, including the duration, location of the training, and who will provide it.
Training programs can be run using one-on-one or group practice sessions, or they can be structured into a single continuous session or a number of smaller classes.
Studies have shown that multiple sessions yield better knowledge transfer than a single ongoing session, most likely because they provide students with a timeframe in which to rest and assimilate information without feeling overwhelmed.
As for the location of the training, this can be either within or outside the organization.
In this sense, there is little research to show which environment yields better results.
However, on-site training can facilitate on-the-job experience and provide students with a realistic practice opportunity.
Additionally, off-site training tends to be more expensive, in which case on-site training may result in a better return on investment.
As for who will facilitate the training; instructors can either be from in-house, internal trainers, or from outside the organization, external trainers. But that’s not all; a training program can also be self-directed.
These self-directed programs require more motivation from the employee/student, but allow for a more personalized, learner-centric approach.
Through the use of technology and training platforms, it is now possible to actually make these self-administered programs more engaging and very effective.
However, in this case, you need to make sure that learners are familiar with the type of technology being used or, if not, you should provide learners with a tutorial before starting the actual training program.
Team training benefits
There are a number of benefits related to Team training. Let’s see the most important ones:
- Keeping up-to-date with industry changes
Nearly every industry is facing constant change, both in relation to technology and processes as well as competition. Ensuring your team gets regular training gives them a better chance to be at the forefront of change and allows them to be aware of everything that is happening around your organization.
- Keeping up-to-date with technological developments
One of the biggest changes an organization faces every day is technological developments. By providing regular training, you can ensure that your team understands the latest technology to its maximum potential.
- Improving employee skills
We already discussed in another article how to improve team productivity by improving the work environment, but we can also improve productivity with training. One of the most striking benefits of providing ongoing employee training is the improvement of both individual and team skills. This will help the entire organization enjoy the rewards of a job properly done.
- Training as a motivational tool
If continuous training opportunities are offered, teams are more likely to come back to work eager and enthusiastic to try out the newly learned knowledge. Moreover, this allows for increased trust between employee and organization.
- Attracting new talent
A structured training program will likely make an organization more attractive to those who are looking for a job. In fact, those who care about their career and professional growth are looking for this kind of thing.
In an organization, training can often be somewhat something that is only experienced by new employees.
Many companies perceive it solely as a necessity to help the new employee transition into their new role, yet effective, ongoing training for each individual employee can be very beneficial to the organization.
Although investing in ongoing team training may seem significant, it’s imperative to understand that constantly improving staff will help increase profits and improve overall business results.
