If your organization is situated in an oil-based economy, you’ve noticed a number of changes this year from indefinite hiring freezes to mass layoffs to the cancelling of Learning & Training & Development (LTD) activities.
Some high priority LTD initiatives remain in place, but those are mostly the exceptions and not the rule and cater to senior leaders.
Why is that? I guess it depends on how you view LTD: Overhead or Investment.
However you view it, the impact of those decisions have a lasting effect in ways seen and not seen.
Taking a Deep Dive Look
The pace of a highly matrix and complex work environment probably ensures many of us at work notice the items within our full visibility. Take for instance, a cut to spending in people development vis-à-vis LTD remains as a Behaviour that leads to an Artifact in the organizational culture.
With time, but mostly due to a lack of transparent communication, both begin to sink beneath the surface where the true damage of organizational decisions takes place. The Norm ‘profits over people’ begins to emerge, which in turns creates the Belief the company really doesn’t care about its people.
Unfortunately, the pattern people often end up practicing here is Depressive Rumination and it creates Assumptions and avoidance behaviours. Whenever people within an organization are at this stage, they are unlikely to go against the current. Needless to say, without the ability to feel comfortable enough to go against the current to share new ideas, the true cost to LTD cuts is innovation, productivity, and…..trust.
The Invisible VALUE Being Reinforced
Though Trust is a simple, single-syllable word, its full comprehension is not always fully understood nor applied organizationally. If it were, decisions would take on a more mindful approach of the Character and Competence balance needed in order to maintain a healthy organizational culture.
Moreover, it’s a prerequisite to enable organizational success.
(Source: Richard Barrett – Trust Matrix)
While the degree to which difficult LTD decisions need to be made will not disappear, especially during tough economic times, the manner they are handled, communicated, and mindfully absorbed into the culture will determine and / or mitigate the cost to organizations.
“What has been the cost of cutting Learning & Training & Development to your organization?”
