Trainers Dilemma- a Case Study on Corporate Training

Abstract

In India, state owned enterprises played a massive role in the development of corporate management training. It is the state owned enterprises which took the main lead in defining the management education spectrum in India in the corporate sector due to the nature of massive investment over years in those enterprises. Eventually the demand of suitable trainers was on a rise and the same trainers were found to be imparting training in the different levels of corporate hierarchy in an organization. The question was whether the acceptability of the same trainer in all the levels was uniform or not;or whether it varied with the level of participants. A number of such cases were studied along with some parameters in consonance with adult learning principles in a series of Management Development Programmes. It was found that some trainers maintained the same level of acceptability irrespective of the level of participants ( ie,junior most to senior level ),while the feedback of a few trainers was found to be decreasing as the level of participation increased. It was also found from the parameters selected that the trainers who stuck to the underlying principles of Androgogy (Adult learning principles) are likely to enjoy a steady level of acceptability irrespective of levels. It is almost an universally accepted fact that the purpose of training is to enhance the b) Skill level and c) Attitude level of the participants. (Traditional Model-I) a ) Knowledge level Authors argued that ultimate purpose of any training is to enhance 'wisdom' and wisdom comes from three sources only, i.e. i) Book of knowledge ii) Book of Life and iii) Book of Nature. (Proposed Model -11). In order to be successful in different levels of training , it requires an understanding for the different elements, its constituents and a gradual shift in perception on the part of the trainers from Model I to Model II i.e. from a Pedagogy Model to an Andragogy Model.