Page 183 - Encyclopedia of Business and Finance

eobf_C 7/5/06 2:57 PM Page 160

Corporate Restructuring

rial by lecturing, demonstrating a skill, or leading a discus- place. This program encourages employees from all levels
sion. In-class activities may encourage collaborative learn- of the organization including upper management to laugh
ing, but for the most part, traditional classroom and have fun, making work more enjoyable for everyone.
instruction is often a passive learning experience. The motivation behind this type of training is to create an
Corporations with frequent employee turnover, such atmosphere in which employees want to work as a team,
as the hotel and resort industry, find traditional classroom are proud of their contributions, and enjoy the company
education to be inefficient and expensive. This type of of their managers and coworkers. Participating organiza-
industry must train its staff to properly and uniformly sat- tions benefit from a reduction in stress-related absen-
isfy customer service requirements; employees, however, teeism and an increase in workforce creativity and
may be seasonal workers, making repeat training a contin- innovation. Many corporations have become successful
uous necessity. Training days require employees to miss because they realized in the early stages of their develop-
work, which creates additional problems for hotel man- ment that a happy team is a winning team.
agers and guests. Additionally, tight budgets limit the
number of corporate trainers available. Lack of proper
ONGOING VALUE OF EDUCATING
training prevents workers from excelling at their jobs,
which negatively impacts the business. WORKERS
For these reasons, organizations are shifting from tra- Corporations cannot afford to become complacent. The
ditional classroom instruction to Web-based interactive perception that they have an abundance of educated
training that actively involves students in the learning employees who are motivated, content, and comfortable
process. These programs are always accessible from desig- with existing technologies is seldom correct. As demon-
nated locations and are easily modified to reflect cultural strated throughout the twentieth century, technological
and language differences. developments have altered the fortunes of once-thriving
A growing trend is the corporate for-profit university companies by outdating products and business practices
offering degree programs entirely in an online setting. that were once considered state of the art. Ongoing
These educational entities allow working individuals to employee education is a critical component in determin-
pursue bachelor’s and master’s degrees and certificate pro- ing an industry’s ability to survive and prosper. Evolving
grams with less disruption in their work schedules or information systems and peripheral equipment will
home life. Examples of these types of organizations improve business communications and transactions,
include Walden University, the University of Phoenix, and allowing instant access to many types of data from a vari-
Laureate Education. ety of locations. Speed and proficiency in the use of these
systems, which are attained mainly through continuous
Unconventional Training Programs. Unconventional workforce education, will help to determine an organiza-
methods may be used if the purpose of a training program tion’s status within the business community.
is to modify employee attitudes or work ethics. This is It is unlikely that this trend will reverse. Clients are
done to transform the internal corporate culture into one accustomed to information on demand and, in the long
that is compatible with the corporation’s external image run, technology is cost-efficient. A primary goal of most
and direction. Among the programs that may be appropri- corporations is to increase profits. Without an ongoing
ate for this type of application are leadership develop- commitment to workforce education, businesses cannot
ment, team building, and conflict resolution.
meet their full potential.
Corporate outdoor training is less conventional than
the traditional classroom approach, but it is gaining in SEE ALSO Professional Education; Training and Develop-
popularity with many international businesses as an infor- ment
mal method of conveying corporate values across a diverse
range of cultures. Moving the training experience from
Diane M. Clevesy
the classroom to the outdoors provides a unique learning
Mark J. Snyder
environment where individual challenges encourage posi-
Lisa E. Gueldenzoph
tive team behaviors. Outdoor activities such as outward-
bound trips, ropes courses, white-water rafting, and rock
climbing require individual initiative and team problem-
solving skills. Communication, trust, teamwork, and CORPORATE
camaraderie are stressed during these courses.
Another unconventional corporate education pro- RESTRUCTURING
gram emphasizes the usefulness of humor in the work- SEE Reengineering

160 ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BUSINESS AND FINANCE, SECOND EDITION