Due to the advent of learning management systems, corporate trainings can now be accessed in a variety of ways by employees. Such technologies inspire constant adherence to learning and development programmes. In order to execute such trainings in more effective manner, certain principles need to be kept in mind. Millennials respond well to situations where there is freedom to learn and grow at work. Due to the revolution brought about by social media, motivated employees are likely to further propagate business name online. The organizational hierarchies of old have been ripped apart to form flat structures and proper talent management will require training programmes to be delivered keeping this aspect in mind.

Sporting metaphors such as “neck and neck in competition” have long been a part of office parlance. This is primarily because the competitive nature of team sports resonates at certain workplaces especially in sales.Business research conducted by the Harvard Business Review has clearly identified four ways in which sports and sales teams share common ground. Successful organizations’ sales people always speak highly about their firms’ quality. Much like sports teams, they have structured processes. Also, they are not afraid to aim high. Sadly, but inevitably sales and sports teams are both quick to identify weak links and eliminate non- performers.

Global giants Nike, Adidas, Pepsi and Coca-Cola have all built up their brands using the concept of storytelling to give purpose to their work. That is something that has inspired its own newer employees as well as the global followers of such brands. Apple is one example where the business leader became the brand himself. Thecorporate strategy was set in such a way that Steve Jobs’ not insubstantial brand name came to be leveraged for all company products. He was such an inspirational speaker that once at Stanford University in order to inspire the students, he narrated an incident from William Shakespeare’s play Henry V where the protagonist motivates his team using the phrase “band of brothers” to refer to them all. Marshal Ganz from the Harvard’s Kennedy School of Management calls this the “public narrative” which these brands which to carry forward.

Management training has undergone a world of change due to the incorporation of online modules in it. However, HR leaders are instead suggesting that effective learning and development from such programmes has actually deteriorated over the past year. The problem identified has been that newer modules are being crammed through existing techniques and thus the trainees are not actually learning much. More mobile friendly apps for learning and development tools needs to be invested in. Tesla Motors and Xerox Services are examples of firms that have tried to innovate their training methods. Specific training is being provided to Xerox employees so they may design their own training courses. Tesla has created an atmosphere where less content is created and needs to deliver training have actually reduced due to the simplification of processes.

Talent Recruitment and Talent Management is a crucial task for leaders in today’s competitive environment where the quality of employees distinguishes the winners. These 3 lessons offer a key perspective.

1. The young workforce is today all about working with a sense of purpose which sometimes matters more to them than a fat paycheck. Leaders should thus bear in mind that an organization with values at its core will be better able to attract and retain top talent.
2. Companies and leaders should go beyond paying mere lip service to their mission statement and live the ideals enshrined in them. Not only this, the top management should continuously communicate their efforts in following these values with every employee to build and maintain motivation levels.
3. Leaders should at all times be transparent with employees and engage with them constantly to enhance the organization culture.

 Research has shown that these values ultimately result in high growth and profitability for the organization in the long term.

Mindflash is among the slew of firms which have taken advantage of a spurt in usage of mobile devices to aidcorporate training programmes. They have recently developed the mobile content for Johnson Health Tech and this has revolutionized training at the organization as employees are now using their devices for their learning purposes whenever possible. The training material is all stored using Cloud based technology and can be accesses on tablets, laptops or phones. The courses can also act as refresher as they can be accessed at later dates as well.

Organizations are heading for a major transformation as they try to adjust and adapt to the digital era and the presence of the cloud. This has an impact on how organizations view the innovation processes and need to align it to be nimble and responsive to a fast changing environment.

Organizations which find value in specialization and well structured processes are usually in conflict with the core identity of innovation which is disruptive in nature. At times, innovation is driven by hunch or a gut feel but should be fostered as it could lead to a game changing system.Innovation today is a manual process. In Future, organizational systems will need to be radically transformed to integrate digital systems into innovation and reduce unnecessary human intervention. The market is becoming increasingly dynamic and organizations run the risk of losing out on business opportunities if they are unable to match the digital and physical worlds. They should put in place a new innovation system suitable for the post-digital age. Using technology in innovation will test physical and mental capacities, decision making capabilities in real time bearing in mind the risks involved and also test organizations’ agility in face of the unexpected. In light of increasing importance of social and big data analytics and the cloud and collaborative platforms, innovation cannot be peripheral but has to become the focus of organizations. An Enterprise wide innovation system embedded in the cloud is a solution that can integrate technology with innovation. An Enterprise wide innovation system embedded in the cloud is a solution that can integrate technology with innovation.