Reference no: EM133212386

QUESTION ONE

Re-Thinking Training and Development in a Post-Covid World

The entirely unexpected change in the year 2020 is forcing all of us to rethink how we can develop and train our people and strengthen organizational capabilities and culture, when we simply cannot get together in person. Managers, Human Resources and training departments have to get more creative in designing and organizing their training and development programs. Simply putting people-development on pause until we "get back to normal" is not an option, because we're not going "back to normal" anytime soon, if ever.

While it is still not clear what "the way we work" will look like in a post-Covid world-the answer to that question will likely take years, not months, to figure out. The better organizations are actively tackling the questions of how to invest in their people to develop
skills (including new skills to lead change and stay resilient through this pandemic), fortify their cultures, and help employees execute and create value for all their stakeholders.

Realizing the seriousness and likely long-term effects of the Covid crisis, the National Bank of Bahrain (NBB) made it a priority to start looking for people development alternatives such as e-learning and virtual training. This effort was seen as mission-critical for the bank with clear mission to improve employee engagement; ensure that all workers could continue to build their skills, including new skills to deal with this crisis; and keep up the momentum of company- wide recruiting and succession planning efforts. The initiatives were driven by the executive team working together, not just HR.

NBB didn't re-invent the wheel-rather, they mustered the courage to commit to the path they had established and continue to fund it, even though slashing the training budget would have been an easy way to cut costs. What NBB did instead was conduct a thorough training needs asessment, framed by the realities of the crisis. Determination of the needs and wants of team members at every level in the organization is critical. The challenges including the changing of the existing jobs in terms of design, processes, and procedures as well as expectation and performance will have to be given serious attention.

Managers are taught and given incentives to involve their employees in the design and planning of all important business and change initiatives to foster innovation and commitment and highlight areas for improvement. Consulting,collaborating with,and involving team members has been emphasized as especially important during this time when everyone is required to work from home. Accountability is one of NBB's values, and one way that value is realized is in the expectation that each employee is accountable for his or her own development. If the company and unit's vision and direction are clear to them, employees can add more value than external consultants, and they will be more likely to get behind even difficult change efforts: people best support change if they feel it's being done with them and not to them. Consulting, collaborating with, and involving team members has been emphasized as especially important during this time when everyone is required to work from home.

NBB's culture has always revolved around respect, recognition, and teamwork at all levels. Thus, the training programs were designed and re-designed to give all employees an equal opportunity for growth and learning. While the pandemic has created challenges for NBB's, the slogan of "We are all in this together" has also highlighted the robustness and resiliency of the company's values and commitments. NBB believes they will move forward and succeed by working together. As the old proverb goes, "If you want to go fast, go alone; if you want to go far, go together." Jean-Christophe Durand, CEO of NBB, makes the case clearly and passionately: "Investing in the personal growth and professional development of our people has always been a strategic priority at NBB. We know that empowering our people to unleash their full potential strengthens our base for internal excellence and external customer service, and our commitment has not flagged despite the pandemic."

Based on the scenario above:

c) Suggest ONE (1) training program that is suitable for NBB to improve employee engagement and build their skills to deal with the COVID-19 crisis. Include your discussion on the:

i. design (title and objective) for the training program;

ii. development (content, materials, and methods of delivery) of the training program.

d) The Kirkpatrick Model is a globally recognized method of evaluating the results of training and learning programs. It assesses training effectiveness and rates them against four levels of criteria. Develop FOUR (4) levels of evaluation for NBB's training program as suggested in question (3).