Blog Post: THINK YOU CAN’T AFFORD LEADERSHIP TRAINING?

The very real pressures of an economic downturn and the tightening of learning budgets doesn't mean professional development needs go away. Not surprisingly, there is an increased need for leadership development as organizations face uncertain conditions and find they need the essential skills that are vital during reorganization and periods of adjustment.

Because many organizations are facing unavoidable restructuring due to reduced resources, according to a survey recently completed by the American Society for Training & Development (ASTD) and the Institute for Corporate Productivity (results overview here), 54% of organizational leaders expect a greater emphasis on leadership development and 37% anticipate an increase in soft skills development. The survey also noted that during prior slow economic periods, over a quarter of organizations—the forward-thinking ones—resisted the urge to reduce their training budgets.

Saying there’s still a need for learning and employee development does not mean there’s no room for change, of course.  In the ASTD/ICP survey, for example, 35% expect an increased emphasis on e-learning solutions this year.  A recent article by the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) outlined tips for prioritizing and “training on a budget” (link here).  Brandon Hall’s Top 5 Training Trends for 2009 (article here) reflects both the economic conditions and the continued presence of technology in employee development initiatives:  mobile learning, Do-It-Yourself options, flexible curricula, virtual environments, and game-based programming are all hot this year.

These current optimistic developments with emphasis on continued professional growth in the workplace show that companies are working hard to find new creative ways to accomplish current or future learning objectives with limited resources, simply because past results prove the effort is worth the investment. Rather than throw in the towel, shift your priorities towards more effective applied learning solutions.  The result will be a strong organization that doesn’t have to waste time “bouncing back” when economic conditions improve.

Co-authored with Linda Anderson, Zoe Training