Global Perspectives on Shifts in Training & Development and Implications for Strategic HRM

Strategic human resource management can be termed as the linking of human resources with strategic goals and objectives in order to improve business performance and develop organizational culture that fosters innovation, flexibility and competitive advantage. Dynamic nature of business demands for people who can readily face the volatile conditions by updating their knowledge and upgrading their skills to meet the changed needs. Thus it becomes imperative that employee development on a continual basis is an important aspect of strategic human resource management (SHRM). Globally, it is understood that there is a growing importance for SHRM which needs to be distinguished from mere proposition of HR strategies. In particular, employee training needs an integrated approach which is also an integral part of SHRM. The emphasis should be to design a holistic SHRM system which in itself is persistent on advancing to the varying and growing needs of the organization by strengthening the training & development wing. With a whole new tech savvy generation coming to the workplace, the training & development methods are also being evolved to meet the new age demands. This does not mean that globally traditional training methods faded out; but the same traditional training methods have been renovated to cater to the current day needs of employees. The use of technology to the optimal level has facilitated the training & development departments to reach a higher number of human resources in an effective manner. There are many successful examples of organizations which have set new trends by introducing new techniques of training & development into their systems. Concepts like blended learning are a result of such efforts by the organizations. The present paper attempts to study the new and current training & development practices by the organizations globally to understand their implications on strategic human resource management. The paper shall throw light on the relevance and reasons for emergence of the new practices in the training & development of employees. Through the analysis of these perspectives a conceptual overview can be obtained on how the future human resources can be shaped to meet the strategic goals of organizations