It fails to make any significant impact where it becomes more ritualistic than useful. A competency framework should be defined and agreed between strategic, tactical and operational management. Once the competencies, traits, behaviours whatever you like to call them have been defined, they should then be driven through the organisation. If such a scheme is implemented and used throughout the organisation the strategic role of the HRD department becomes even clearer. The competency framework, however, should not be set in stone and ought to be reviewed in line with organisation strategy and objectives.
Training is extremely fashion conscious.
Every year its seems like a new approach or system is launched that promises to help organisations achieve their goals and targets. You should always be aware and keep abreast of training advances and new approaches that appear with some regularity, but you should assess them with a critical and objective eye. The representatives of HRD must go out and get themselves involved, rather than sitting back and waiting to be invited. Faint heart never won fair training strategy or something to that affect. The above is an adaptation of the full article, which appeared in the May 2000 edition of Training Journal .