M&M staff to decide their own training needs

A package of new programmes will aim at skill-building and behaviour modification.

Mahindra & Mahindra, manufacturer of sport utility vehicles, commercial vehicles and tractors, wants its employees to take the initiative for their own training.

With this aim in view, the company has reinvented its whole approach towards training. Come April, and staff will be encouraged to come forward and convey to their seniors what their training needs are and how the company can help them enhance their skills and career prospects.

Meant for employees at all levels"" operational, managerial, executive and strategic"" the programme is broadly classified into skill-building and behaviour modification.

A menu will be developed for the programme, keeping in mind its relevance and usefulness for employees. The menu will include features such as change management, relationship management, rational and creative thinking, soft skills, functional needs and career enhancement programmes.

Interestingly, under the skill-building programme, polishing employee skills will not be the only agenda. Career-based customised programmes are also to be offered to employees who want to make a career shift within the organisation.

"We will tell people that we are making options available to them. They can choose to grow or lose out on the opportunity," says Prince Augustin, M&M's senior vice-president, human capital (automotive sector).

At the strategic level, the company will send five senior managers to international universities such as Harvard, Stanford, Wharton and Michigan to attend customised executive development programmes.

"This programme is more for networking, clearing perspective and broadening horizons. In this globalised environment cross-border learning is important," says Augustin.

The new programme is expected to benefit employees by enhancing their knowledge and skill levels. M&M has also decided to use innovative means"" like making the programme accessible on the Internet and conducting special classes"" to popularise the programme, which is to cover 3,000 employees from the firm's automotive sector.

Over the last two years M&M has been conducting training in a big way. It has adopted a policy that requires every employee to go through at least five days of training in a year.

The whole idea, Augustin explains, is to promote a programme policy that is 'pull-based' and not 'push-based'. Earlier, HR used to plan training programmes and nominate employees to attend them. The superiors were asked to identify the skill one requires and put them on the required training base.

"Now, instead of nominating employees who need training, the company is aiming for employees to come forward and decide their own training needs. We want to tell people that if they have the capability to move up in the organisation, here is a programme for them to unleash their potential. Recreating the programme will help us create a commonality and also help people unleash their passion and actualise themselves," says Augustin.

After the training is completed, the progress of the employees will be reviewed by the senior management. M&M has not yet branded the programme, but plans to do so in few months. It spends around Rs 10 crore on training activities every year.