There’s clear agreement that a company’s most important asset is its people, but there’s no consensus on the best recipe to develop them. And nor should there be, as every company’s situation is different. But are there major themes that cut across the spectrum?
Training is always an important part of an organizational development plan. Though important, in times of economic stress, the training and development budget is almost always the first to get clipped. That’s not a reflection of the importance of training. Rather, it’s a reflection of the non-mission critical nature of the training—its loose linkage with business objectives— and the slow return on investment.