By Liz Hall
Coaching and mentoring are gaining prominence as ways to raise skills in Asia, according to a report by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development and the Hong Kong Institute of Human Resource Management.
Coaching and mentoring are the most-cited methods of raising skills (57% of respondents). Raising skills is a priority for 88% of 1,088 respondent organisations from across Hong Kong, China, South Korea, Malaysia, Singapore and Taiwan. Meanwhile, coaching by line managers is considered to be the most effective learning and development approach (32%), followed by in-house development programmes (29%).
The need for business and management/leadership skills is highlighted, along with communication and technical skills. Business and commercial skills are a priority in China while management/leadership skills are a priority in Hong Kong and Singapore. Within leadership skills, there are big gaps in leading and managing change (44%), performance management (38%) and leading and managing people (37%).
The report, Learning, talent and innovation in Asia, published this month (September) says that many organisations are prioritising talent management activities, which are perceived as effective, and that a high proportion of organisations are actively trying to raise skill levels, particularly through coaching. However, few organisations are using talent activities to forward plan, says the report. Three-quarters of organisations are engaged in talent management activities, particularly in China and South Korea. The main reasons for this activity are developing high-potential employees (60%); retaining key staff (48%), and growing senior managers/leaders (40%).
Organisations in Asia are not facing pressure to cut back spend on learning and development, particularly in China. Priority areas for expenditure include developing careers to improve retention- Asia Pacific, in particular, is struggling with shortages, and finding ways to release creativity and innovation. Around three-quarters believe creativity and innovation are critical to business, particularly in China and Taiwan where the emphasis is on process innovation. Organisations with talent strategies are more likely to focus on innovation and creativity, says the report. Although half of respondents encourage managers to innovate, less than a third involve managers in the organisation’s innovation strategy.