Journal Article - Adult Education Theory
Journal Article
A Paper in Partial Fulfillment of
ED 7311 Theory and Methods of Educating Adults
September 17, 2010
Introduction As companies continue to try to come up with a plan for remaining profitable, some are overlooking one of their best opportunities due to their short sightedness and obsession for short term gain. It is the very asset which most firms claim is their most important and the one which provides them their competitive advantage. It is also, in some companies, the asset which is most mistreated and neglected as it is the most costly. It is the company’s employees. I don’t know of any company which would not state that employees and their knowledge of the company, its products and services, processes, policies and procedures are an important part to its competitive advantage and the reason for its success. Then the question that must be asked and answered is why then, in down economic times, is one of the first things cut in a corporate budget the training and development of this most valuable asset? The very asset which provides the company its competitive advantage. The one which, if not continually developed, will impact its growth for a considerable length of time. Management, rightly so, wants to see the impact of any venture to the bottom line. If training is the first item cut, it must mean its impact is not benefiting the company, or at least not being seen as such. Training must be designed, implemented and assessed in such a manner to provide a positive impact on the bottom line. It is therefore the responsibility of those in charge of training to be cognizant of how and why adults learn, so that training provides a positive impact on a company’s profitability and not seen as a necessary burden which only drains the company’s coffers. According to Stephen Lieb (1991, p.1) “Part of being an effective instructor involves understanding how adults learn best.” Eliminating training and only allowing for it when a
A Paper in Partial Fulfillment of
ED 7311 Theory and Methods of Educating Adults
September 17, 2010
Introduction As companies continue to try to come up with a plan for remaining profitable, some are overlooking one of their best opportunities due to their short sightedness and obsession for short term gain. It is the very asset which most firms claim is their most important and the one which provides them their competitive advantage. It is also, in some companies, the asset which is most mistreated and neglected as it is the most costly. It is the company’s employees. I don’t know of any company which would not state that employees and their knowledge of the company, its products and services, processes, policies and procedures are an important part to its competitive advantage and the reason for its success. Then the question that must be asked and answered is why then, in down economic times, is one of the first things cut in a corporate budget the training and development of this most valuable asset? The very asset which provides the company its competitive advantage. The one which, if not continually developed, will impact its growth for a considerable length of time. Management, rightly so, wants to see the impact of any venture to the bottom line. If training is the first item cut, it must mean its impact is not benefiting the company, or at least not being seen as such. Training must be designed, implemented and assessed in such a manner to provide a positive impact on the bottom line. It is therefore the responsibility of those in charge of training to be cognizant of how and why adults learn, so that training provides a positive impact on a company’s profitability and not seen as a necessary burden which only drains the company’s coffers. According to Stephen Lieb (1991, p.1) “Part of being an effective instructor involves understanding how adults learn best.” Eliminating training and only allowing for it when a
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