Global Expansion Requires New HR and Training Strategies

It is no surprise that some form of Human Resources and talent development issues are routinely cited by CEOs as key focus areas in the annual surveys from Accenture and the Conference Board. Most organizations simply understand that their people are their competitive advantage.

As organizations expand worldwide, the need for locally relevant, globally consistent employee training is essential to improve performance. It is the challenge of the global Human Resources and training organization to balance the mission of the global organization and the local requirements and customs in each office.

Unfortunately, while the passion and commitment is there, the budget necessary to achieve these goals is not. As a result, HR and training leadership is constantly juggling a significant list of priorities to determine which programs to fund. Very often, localization falls to the bottom of that list. Managers work with a bare minimum of locally appropriate material, or enlist the help of local resources to translate only the most critical material like employee handbooks and government required notices. Further, training leaders are forced to evaluate and provide a variety of course options to offer the broadest possible audience access to the broadest possible set of skill development opportunities.

At the same time, language presents a primary barrier to retention, recall, and application. Training methods and delivery media must be adapted to ensure maximum impact and to ensure that the organizational goals are met.

Organizations that develop a consistent strategy for developing, localizing, and deploying HR and training materials will see improvements in several key areas:

• Workforce connection: Distributed employees will have a deeper understanding of corporate goals and mission, and will more readily understand their role in reaching those objectives.
• Reduced global turnover: Better trained and more connected employees are more likely to stay with your organization. Reducing turnover can significantly cut recruitment and training costs.
• Greater efficiencies: Engaged and well trained employees are more efficient across a number of factors depending on the type of work that is being done. Most organizations can readily identify top and bottom line improvements if they were to improve the efficiencies of their workforce.

This paper will explore areas HR and Training leaders should review to assess the value of a strategic localization program, and then examines how to put that strategy into action with the training and e-learning effort.