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 per cent of respondents). Raising skills is a priority for 88 per cent of 1,088 respondent organisations from across Hong Kong, China, South Korea, Malaysia, Singapore and Taiwan.
Meanwhile, coaching by line managers is considered the most effective learning and development approach (32 per cent), followed by in-house development programmes (29 per cent).
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 per cent), performance management (38 per cent) and leading and managing people (37 per cent).
The report, Learning, talent and innovation in Asia, published in September, says many organisations are prioritising talent management activities, 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 per cent), retaining key staff (48 per cent) and growing senior managers/leaders (40 per cent).
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.
Although half of respondents encourage managers to innovate, less than a third involve managers in the organisation’s innovation strategy.
Volume 7, issue 6