WISA • CEO’S COMMENT
Do not put training on hold Managers appear to have put training on hold during this pandemic – stunting organisational resilience and capacity building. By Dr Lester Goldman
C
ovid-19 has had a devastating impact on our sector and communities. Thrust into a third wave currently, we pray that we are able to overcome, and that lives are spared. During this Covid-19 phase, many have managed to become tech-savvy, and adept at Zoom, Teams and so forth. Lockdown and working from home have become second nature to some, and even improved the efficiency rate of many. Unfortunately, we have seen one area lagging – and that is training and development. Managers seemingly have pushed the pause button on training and capacity building, while assuming we can return to a sense of past normality. However, organisations cannot afford to put this on hold, as employees need capacity building now more than ever. Digital technology, resilience, coping skills and other soft skills may be the
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very crutch your staff need, and now they may not be able to access it due to working remotely. Strategically, this period could be a valuable one spent developing and improving staff capacity and developing organisational resilience. Capacity building in areas like learning responsiveness, adapting delivery, exploring digital strategies, and multiple outcomes development can improve your business and competitiveness, for an eventual postCovid-19 world.
Evolution of capacity building
History shows that training and capacity development have evolved through decades. From the Industrial Revolution of the early 1900s, where the fundamentals of on-the-job training were developed and are still practised, to post-war booms where efficiencies were emphasised. The 1960s brought new a civil focus globally, which also changed development focus to
Dr Lester Goldman, CEO, WISA
leadership and personal development. The 1980s brought an IT revolution, with many of us having to learn new skills, just to be able to communicate effectively in the workplace, and the 1990s introduced widespread internet – ensuring we became global players to remain relevant. The 2010s brought about social media and learning, and development focused on marketing and communications in a whole new way. Covid-19 will probably be the stimulus for a whole new way and focus of doing business, and capacity building during the 2020s. Almost certainly, it will be virtual, as platforms developed are expanded and improved, and the time benefits are integrated into business. Hence, lockdown becomes a period of opportunity for early adopters and adapters of virtual training. Gaining a head start for your organisation and employees, in this undoubtedly new stage of capacity development, brings huge strategic opportunity. I hope that this can be leveraged, to ensure that post-Covid, you leap from lockdown, even more empowered and capacitated than ever. If you need any assistance in this regard, please do contact us at WISA (training @wisa.org.za). We can assist in crafting online capacity building for your organisation, professionals and employees. Please stay safe, practise collective responsibility in fighting the effects of this virus, and I wish you continued health and blessings!
