Continuing Education: From Irrationality to Strategic Advantage PDF

# LA FORMATION CONTINUE: DE LA RANÇON DE L'IRRATIONNEL A L'ATOUT STRATEGIQUE If an organization accepts that it has a collection of knowledge, skills and experiences that it manages, this implies its ability to maintain a competitive advantage is related to the process of maintaining and capitalizi...

# LA FORMATION CONTINUE: DE LA RANÇON DE L'IRRATIONNEL A L'ATOUT STRATEGIQUE If an organization accepts that it has a collection of knowledge, skills and experiences that it manages, this implies its ability to maintain a competitive advantage is related to the process of maintaining and capitalizing on these assets. The resource-based approach (Prahalad and Hamel, 1990) supports this logic, as it posits that a company's human capital is its primary source of productivity and performance. This approach also assumes that organizations become successful when they possess unique, inimitable, and valuable skills (Barney, 1991; Grant, 1991; Peteraf, 1993; Teece 1997). Nonaka and Takeuchi (1997) argue that sustaining a competitive advantage depends largely on an organization's capacity to develop and utilize knowledge for developing products, services, and systems. This, in turn, will ensure its competitiveness in a continuously changing environment. In some jobs, the specialized cognitive processes used by an organization require more targeted and focused training than what is provided through general education. This is the purpose of ongoing training, which can be defined as the set of actions that equip individuals and groups with the skills needed to perform their current duties or those that will be assigned to them. This improvement in skills must involve both acquiring knowledge and developing an attitude of commitment and responsibility, which are key elements of success. # DE LA NECESSITE DE CONTINUER LA FORMATION The case of La Poste Tunisienne: La Poste Tunisienne stands out for its heavy investment in ongoing training. The goal of their ongoing training programs is to develop employee skills in various fields, including marketing, customer experience, quality of service, IT, e-commerce, etc. As a provider of public services, La Poste Tunisienne has democratically implemented ongoing training throughout the company. Over the years, more than 5,000 employees, representing nearly half the workforce, have taken advantage of training courses. This has created a sense of professional satisfaction and self- accomplishment for employees as the right to training is seen as a professional achievement by most. The positive impact of this intangible investment is undeniable. It has mobilized a multitude of stakeholders within La Poste Tunisienne in pursuit of the company's development. However, the company has adopted a solution that focuses on improving employee skills by adapting them to their ever-changing environment. The case of Ettijari Wafa Bank: For Ettijari Wafa Bank, training is considered a strategic investment. The company is a pioneer in having established the first training center specific to the banking sector. Their academic structure offers professional development courses in various areas, including those specific to senior management and niche technical fields. Ettijari Wafa Bank's approach to training forms part of their overall strategic transformation initiative, "Intilak," launched in 2006. This initiative aims to achieve excellent customer service through the development of capable, informed, and well-trained staff. The bank adheres to individual-based training, continuously evolving employee skills. This requires ongoing training programs that build upon previous training and allow employees to master and further develop their respective fields. Each training session provides an opportunity to build on previous achievements and to identify areas that require further learning or development. Significantly, bank executives are involved in the majority of training initiatives. This has led to valuable exchanges about operational experiences and constraints between decision-makers and operational teams. # PLAIDOYER POUR EN FINIR AVEC LES EECEUILS AUTOUR DE LA FORMATION CONTINUE The bank's modular training program focusing on banking roles has proven to be effective, as trainees are now able to experience firsthand the tangible benefits of training. These two examples highlight the strategic role of training and its capacity to bring together both decision- makers and stakeholders in pursuit of improved performance. Moreover, they underscore how training can seamlessly connect employee needs with business goals. There are many examples where these two fail to align, emphasizing the need for bridging gaps and convergence. This requires organizations to adopt a collaborative learning approach. A need for further investigation exists to ensure that there is synergy between the management of training programs and skills management. This integration requires a culture of accountability, where employees take ownership of their own skill development. Following an overview of ongoing training strategies implemented by La Poste Tunisienne and Ettijari Wafa Bank, there is a need to motivate everyone to consider training a top priority. This requires a shift in mindset and culture. # LA FORMATION CONTINUE...SEUL REMEDE...OU... Companies have acknowledged the critical need for ongoing training. There are even organizations that prioritize training over the minimum required by law, most notable in high-tech sectors. Therefore, training has received widespread attention over the past few years. Initially, it was seen as a legal obligation that companies met to avoid penalties, but training has evolved to be recognized as key to driving business progress. The question now is how can training be leveraged as a strategic asset within a company's overall plan? This section provides a dynamic overview of the relationship between ongoing training and company strategy. The integration of ongoing training into strategy is often approached from a static point of view, which can yield unplanned results. This means that we should not just train for the sake of training. To achieve optimal outcomes, the solution is not to increase the number of courses. Rather, a training policy should be developed to address the actual needs of the company and its employees. Training managers should be the driving force behind training. They need to be proactive, determine clear goals, and guide the direction of training initiatives. This means that training should not be ad-hoc, but should be underpinned by a comprehensive policy that defines specific goals, outlines strategies, and uses appropriate resources to achieve them. A strategic training approach requires careful planning. # L'ABSENCE D'UNE GESTION EFFICACE DE LA FORMATION CONTINUE PEUT CREER DES CONDITIONS DE RISQUES ET DE CONTRAINTES QUI NUIENT A LA REALISATION D'UNE STRATEGIE BIEN ARTICULEE. LE POTENTIEL FINANCIER ET ECONOMIQUE DE NOMBREUSES ENTREPRISES EST DIMINUE EN RAISON DE LEUR INCAPACITE DE GERER D'UNE MANIERE EFFICACE LEURS PLANS DE FORMATION. It is common to use the term "investment-training" as if it is obvious. However, training is frequently viewed as an expense: a cost whose return on investment, especially its profitability,is not closely examined. If we want to consider training as an intangible asset, its return on investment should be carefully assessed. The same rigor should be applied to this as to any other conventional investment, such as upgrading software, purchasing new equipment, or launching an advertising campaign. However, some argue that the return on investment in training is impossible to measure. I believe this is not the case: while the return on investment may be difficult to calculate precisely, it can still be estimated, as explained below. The company strategy and ongoing training vary depending on the company's stage of development in its market. The strategy is a framework based on the company's direction. Because it involves taking a proactive stance, strategy is guided by both future intentions and projects. Decisions also reflect adjustments to meet evolving economic, technological, and socioeconomic demands in the company's operating environment. During the company’s emergence phase, knowledge and creative ideas about market opportunities are the company's assets. In other words, the company's competitive advantage is not based on machinery or distribution networks, but on the ideas held by its human resources. Ongoing training provides a key role in developing innovation and the skills of the entrepreneurial team, as it fosters a sense of entrepreneurialism in the team and helps them acquire new project management skills. The human resources recruited at this phase will ensure that the company remains flexible and adaptable to be able to meet the strategic challenges and changing needs of its emergence phase. As a company grows, the strategy shifts focus to developing distribution networks, achieving economies of scale in production and distribution, and reorienting design efforts. Integrating ongoing training into the company's strategic plan requires aligning two key areas: the flow of people within the company and the flow of decisions needed to structure the organization. The harmonious integration of the two during the growth phase is achieved by actively seeking coherence. The goal is to ensure that the workforce is trained in such a way so that the company's updated strategy aligns with the intent behind the growth strategy. During the phase of seeking diversity, choosing to prioritize training can serve not only to update the company’s strategy, but also to ensure its renewal. Leveraging the strengths of the team, entering new markets with new application strategies, and keeping up with competitive demands all require new strategies. The absence of effective ongoing training management can create conditions of risk and constraints that impede the successful operationalization of a sound strategy. A company's financial and economic potential is often negatively affected when its training plans are ineffectively managed.