On 27 February 2016, the CMS Business School, Jain (Deemed-to-be University), held a panel discussion on “Latest trends in training and development and the outcome of it translating to the business objective.” Eminent dignitaries like Ms. Abhipsha Mishra, Behavioral Competency Lead, L&T Infotech; Maj. Jacob Kurian, Head of Human Resources at Fujitsu India; Ms. Soma Pandey, Director of HR at Randstad India; and Ms. Nayana Martin, Manager – L&D, at CareerNet Technologies, chaired the panel, which was moderated by Ms. Preeja Sreedhar, Faculty HR area, CMS Business School, Jain (Deemed-to-be University).
The moderator kick started the session by asking a few questions like:
Major Jacob Kurien, the Head of Human Resources at Fujitsu India, initiated his response by referring to the world of disruptive technologies, the importance of learning curve, and the efficiency of people with respect to time, quality, and speed. The talk evolved over the tools like JIT and competency framework metrics used in the organization. Emphasis was on latest versions like Internet of things (IOT), big data, duplicate data, and analytics. He also mentioned the leadership program named “My journey to the leadership training” that is being used at Fujitsu. Maj. Jacob summarized his talk by referring to the coaching, mentoring, and experiential learning used in his organization and advised students to work on their attitude primarily because according to him the companies are keen on hiring students with positive attitudes and an open minds to learn.
Ms. Soma Pandey, Director of HR at Randstad India, spoke next. She referred to the learnability quotient, which related to the top-line and the bottom-line approach of organizations. “The managerial capabilities of individuals are aligned with the individual development plans, and the learning is measured on critical conversations and target interventions,” she said. Ms. Soma pointed out that the need for adaptive learning with 360 degrees feedback is the norm at Ranstad. Ms. Abhipsha Mishra, Behavioral Competency Lead, L&T Infotech, spoke about the technical and behavioral skills training centers at L&T. Setting of expectations and facilitator-driven training was considered the norm at her organization. She also referred to the gamification simulations and micro-sharing tweets, which were oriented towards virtual training.
Ms. Nayana Martin, Manager – L&D, at CareerNet Technologies, talked on the instructional design, blended training methodology, and mobile learning practiced at CareerNet. The concept of Self-Development Plan (SDP) and the “start, plot, and end process” were some of the strategies used in the organization to drive the learning and development dimension. She mentioned that, at CareerNet, learning and development was imperative and there was a huge cost involved in terms of ROI. The moderator, Ms. Preeja Sreedhar, summed up the entire conversation by saying that learning is customized and creates a dimension for process and business. The speed versus need of learning and development is the need of the hour, and above all, leveraging technology and connecting with the latest tools and techniques is vital for organizations to survive in the long run. The discussion ended with a Q&A session.
