Measuring The Impact of Personal/Organizational Development Initiatives May Not Be Optional Anymore

By Mwangi Wanjumbi – Newtimes B. S. CEO & Chief Consultant/Trainer

The habit of measuring performance through developing goals and objectives ensures smooth mobility in the ladder of success. Nevertheless, SMARTER goals and SMARTER objectives attract even higher chances of the desired success. This applies not just to individuals but also organizations and even the national situation. In fact, quality management concepts advocate that “you cannot manage it, if you cannot measure it.”

In this realization, some media revelations this month were seemingly provocative. Why? Several quasi government bodies were reported to be at war with the government for refusing to sign and embrace performance contracting system. Moreover, the players concerned spanned through the different segments of the public sector. But, are these parties clearly aware of the implications?

In a highly competitive global business environment, it is difficult for organizations to successively operate without measuring their performance. How do the personnel concerned  even proof their relevance? Alternatively, some sectors may assume that they have no local competition.

Nonetheless, the same no doubt happens, sometimes insurmountably from the region. A good example is the local tourism bodies, which face off with others from the East African region, Egypt in the north and far south from the ever aggressive South Africa. Why then the seemingly entrenched fear of performance contracting system?

Any business whatever the orientation may be required to constantly measure various performance attributes. Without this continued survival through the future may not be guaranteed. Firstly, it is important to measure the business expectations with regard to goals and objectives. More appropriately, embracing strategic planning for this purpose, and perhaps even incorporating performance measures, such as the balance score card and others may be inevitable.

Secondly, customer satisfaction measures are also unavoidable for any future oriented business. This measure needs to reveal the extent to which, organizations are likely to continue attracting customers, thus maintaining and improving their market share. Additionally, it may be necessary to capture improvement measures particularly from the customers’ perspective.

Related to this are employee satisfaction measures that determine the ability to execute organizational strategy. At the same time, there is need to check the degree of maintaining and retaining experienced human resource base. This is important because whatever the might of all other resources, the human element must be available to effectively manipulate the same.

Maximizing on the outcomes of the above measures, calls for continued development of the workforce in different perspectives. Some interventions include skills and attitudes training, coaching and counseling amongst others.  However, continuing involvement with trainers ( for more than 3 years now)  especially during TOT sessions, brings out some issues of concern.  Actually, many organizations find it difficult to determine the levels of achievement, particularly with regard to employee development interventions.

It is no wonder then that many organizations end up abandoning those interventions, sometimes altogether. Eventually, they just risk wading through the sometimes hostile business environment. How does this impact to growth and progress?

It is certainly detrimental. Remember that national and global wealth is made in organizations. They are also responsible for employment creation and therefore poverty eradication. Therefore, is it in anybody’s interest for organizations to stagnate in any way? Besides, the business world is endlessly subject to volatile change dynamics.  These changes bring with them opportunities and threats to business.

Apparently, only training and other human resource development measures can enable organizations to maximize on opportunities, while at the same time minimizing on the likely threats. Incidentally, any business neglecting these leads could be fomenting trouble

Meanwhile, when organizations are able to fully exploit the ensuing opportunities, they finally embrace learning as a growth initiative, as we have continually been witnessing. But, rarely does this happen until they are able to determine the benefits of investing in employee development.

In this light, a half day initial session aimed at empowering participants on how to evaluate the “return on investments in training, coaching, counseling and other human resource development interventions,” could be helpful. Only then will organizations, confidently embrace structured initiatives of exploiting ensuing opportunities that lead to continued growth and progress.

The Writer is a Specialist in Organizational Culture Change/Employee Re-branding as well as Business Leadership and Performance Management Training. He also conducts high impact Strategy Workshops and Motivational Seminars. Additionally, he is a Kenya Government Certified Chief Trainer through The Directorate of Industrial Training – DIT. He is also a former Daily Newspaper and Business Magazine Columnist and author of “Beyond Survival,” (coming soon).