Article

_{DOI: 10.22167/2675-6528-20220030}
^{E&S 2022,3: e20220030}

Mauro Lúcio Gontijo Pimenta e Ana Paula Dário Zocca

The act of training aims at improving performance in a given activity. Furthermore, training is a short-term procedure that aims at learning new knowledge and skills, changing attitudes, and improving tasks directly related to the work routine and its efficiency^[1].

Development is one of the means that the employee must use and follow within the company to be able to reach positions with more complex attributions, that is, to evolve and develop^[2]. Development, in turn, aims at employee training, so that they can grow in the organization, taking on new challenges. Thus, development has a future-oriented mindset, while training aims at immediate actions^[3]. Another objective of development is to assist in the construction of the personal professional plan, which will impact the business plan, stimulating and respecting the differences of each individual^[4], ^[5].

Professionals must be in constant evolution in order to maintain efficient and effective procedures. It can be said that the result of the training will be directly proportional to its quality. However, the training process should not be standardized, but personalized, taking into account the needs of each collaborator, sector or position and their needs. Another point of attention is the importance of this process being continuous, with the objective of ensuring the company’s competitiveness, given that there is always certainty of change in all organizational spheres^[6].

Based on the context of training and professional development presented, initiatives in this sector will require the acquisition of new skills for the viability and success of the training. It is interesting to summarize the points of attention in applying training in three steps: attention to market changes; identification of key aptitudes for development; and search for data from the company itself. Then, following these three steps, it is necessary to create a detailed plan, containing the methods of execution, costs, and also the benefits that are intended to be achieved.

Another interesting point to be cited, and that may impact the success of a training, relates to the prior experiences of the trainees. These should be duly analyzed regarding the level of prior knowledge on the subject, in addition to personal characteristics that will directly affect the absorption of the taught content^[7].

Furthermore, it is undeniable that the type of training and methodology – e-learning, lecture system, company-provided workshops, professional courses, internships, etc. – should also be considered for the success of this type of activity. It is important to emphasize that there is no single correct or most efficient method; on the contrary, each case should be analyzed separately to identify the best method for each specific situation. Additionally, it can be highlighted that training will only achieve its function when the acquisition of knowledge results in a change in the trainee’s behavior^[8].

The present study was conducted in a small family-owned company in the civil construction sector, with the objective of identifying areas for improvement to be addressed through training and development. The company in question is headquartered in the Central-West region of Minas Gerais and has fourteen years of operation, with expansion into the construction sector in the last seven.

Among the main products of the company studied is the construction of new multi-family or single-family residential real estate, i.e., residential buildings and houses. In 2021, the partners saw the opportunity to purchase used properties for renovation and subsequent resale. The company under the management of the administrators needs solid growth, therefore, the need to deal with new techniques for people management, leadership, goal implementation, and better cost management was identified. Furthermore, it is necessary to consider that the challenging pandemic scenario forced remote work and a more pronounced use of technology^[9].

The data collection carried out in the research was divided into two parts: the first aiming to understand the profile of collaborators with questions about age, education, tenure, and position; the second focused on identifying areas for improvement to be addressed by training and development from the perspective of the research participants. The application was divided among different leadership levels: managing partners and investors, operational, sales, and administrative. The other participants answered a questionnaire focused on their area. In addition to the questionnaires, participant observation was conducted to identify training needs that might not be included in the collaborators’ responses to the questionnaires. Participant observation makes it possible to verify the reality and dynamics of events as they occur spontaneously^[10].

Based on the answers obtained from the questionnaires applied to each of the participants, leaders or led, and on the observation of the day-to-day in the company, it was possible to identify some gaps that can be filled with training.

Firstly, it is interesting that the partners meet to define the company’s mission, vision, and values. According to a study conducted at Harvard University, in the United States^[11], business success increases by up to 60% in cases where the company’s management uses planning to define its steps. Therefore, it is worth highlighting the importance of defining the company’s objectives, that is, there must be clarity about what the company wishes to achieve within a predetermined timeframe. Furthermore, to achieve these objectives, it is necessary to define goals, that is, activities to be carried out that will make the objectives viable. Finally, it is necessary to measure, through performance indicators, whether these activities are being carried out and presenting effective results. Other points observed in the research and that need to be developed in employees are skills such as: social media sales, photography techniques, basic video editing, “copywriting”, and basic notions of smartphone functions, which have become minimum requirements for survival in the company and in the market.   

Regarding the respondents who are part of the administrative team, it was observed that, during the period, many had to work remotely, generating a great challenge for leadership in managing and delegating functions remotely. Therefore, the need to also encourage training on remote leadership, motivation, and control techniques was verified.

Another highly relevant point about the group’s construction company in question, which, given the current moment, found itself without construction input supplies or facing exacerbated price increases. With the scarcity of inputs in the market and the rise in prices, the construction company identified the need to train the operational team in techniques for waste reduction, material reuse, and recycling, in addition to seeking more economical and efficient construction alternatives that could deliver the same result, in terms of quality, in less time and with less material investment. In this sense, training such as cost management and waste management would certainly be viable. Furthermore, training in new construction and quality management technologies, such as 5S and Six Sigma, would help the construction company achieve excellence in its activities.

Furthermore, management information systems provide technical facts so that a manager can see the whole organization and correct possible flaws^[12]. And, it is also the managers who feed the system with data that will later bring strategic information for decision-making^[13].

However, it is necessary for the company to be careful not to underutilize a program, and to train the team to use it correctly, since the system works based on the information entered. Thus, if it is fed with significant data, the system will respond with relevant information; otherwise, no information generated by the system will be leveraged, and it may even lead managers to make incorrect decisions under the illusion that they are basing them on something useful. In this regard, there is a small business management course, taught by a local professional, that can be offered to partners and collaborators in leadership positions in the company’s strategic sector.

Based on what was presented by the collaborators of the business group under study, through the questionnaire responses, and the data collected through participant observation, a spreadsheet application was developed. It is an easy-to-understand summary table, with the trainings, free or paid, that would be presented to the company after the study, and that would supply all its development needs, as they cover the improvement of all the skills mentioned by the research participants. Therefore, the execution of the proposed list – which brings together 45 trainings listed in the research – will develop the collaborators who, by applying the knowledge in the company, will bring good results.

It is important to emphasize that a list of course suggestions is not static, so that several others can be useful and added to the list over time. However, it is a broad list that gives the company the possibility of choice, depending on its financial situation when this work is presented, as well as the availability of capital to invest in development.

Furthermore, it would not be interesting to present only one path to be followed, since management in a globalized world is changeable, so that what is valid today may be outdated in a few weeks. It was also possible to list the fact that the pandemic has considerably hampered the cash flow of many companies, so that the presentation of paid training alone could make the research results unfeasible.

Furthermore, courses were researched and suggested for customer service, which aim to improve the service provided by the company’s employees, an aspect greatly emphasized in the questionnaire responses.

Points were also raised such as communication-related training, aiming to improve dialogue and avoid noise that could generate misunderstandings, and technical skills training in the three spheres of the business group: site manager for the construction company team; cpa-300 update for banking correspondent collaborators; and sales for the real estate team. Furthermore, it is important to highlight the training on NBRs (Brazilian Standard – norms and guidelines aimed at standardizing product and service development processes in the country), which deal with workplace safety, also mentioned by collaborators. However, also thinking about the partners, free courses were suggested such as: small business management, team building, and strategic planning. The latter deserves attention, as respondents unanimously stated they did not know the group’s objectives. Therefore, the development and dissemination of the mission, values, and vision should receive special attention from the company, considering that collaborators should know where the company wants to go.

Therefore, it was concluded that leadership and motivation, new communication and sales tools, cost and quality management, in addition to specific technical training, were identified as the most critical points for development through in-company training within the civil construction sector.

References

[1] Marras J.P. Administração de Recursos Humanos. 14ed. 2011. Editora Saraiva, São Paulo, São Paulo, Brasil.

[2] Milkovich G.T.; Boudreau J.W. Administração de Recursos Humanos. 2000. Atlas, São Paulo, SP, Brasil.

[3] Eboli M. Educação Corporativa no Brasil: princípios de sucesso e melhores práticas. ln: Bayma F. Educação Corporativa: desenvolvendo e gerenciando competências. 2004. Pearson Prentice Hall, São Paulo, SP, Brasil.

[4] Borghi L.D.K.G. Avaliação de resultados do treinamento: uma análise de metodologias disponíveis e sua aplicação em empresas [Dissertação]. Rio de Janeiro: Faculdade IBMEC. 2008. Disponível em: <https://www.livrosgratis.com.br/ler-livro-online-91170/avaliacao-de-resultados-do-treinamento–uma-analise-das-metodologias-disponiveis-e-sua-aplicacao-em-empresas-brasileiras>.

[5] Boog G. Manual de treinamento e desenvolvimento, processos e operações. 3ed. 2009. Pearson Prentice Hall, São Paulo, SP, Brasil.

[6] Boog G.; Boog M.T. Manual de Treinamento e Desenvolvimento. 2006. Pearson Prentice Hall, São Paulo, SP, Brasil.

[7] Bohlander G.W.; Snell S.A. Administração de Recursos Humanos. 16ed. 2015. Cengage Learning, São Paulo, SP, Brasil.  

[8] Chiavenato I. Gestão de pessoas. 3ed. 2010. Elsevier, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil.

[9] Nitahara A. Estudo mostra que pandemia intensificou uso das tecnologias digitais. Agência Brasil. 2021. Disponível em: <https://agenciabrasil.ebc.com.br/geral/noticia/2021-11/estudo-mostra-que-pandemia-intensificou-uso-das-tecnologias-digitais/>.

[10] Queiroz D.T.; Vall J.; Souza A.M.A.; Vieira N.F.C. Observação participante na pesquisa qualitativa: conceitos e aplicações na área da saúde. Rev. Enferm. 2007; 15(2): 276-283.

[11] Dornelas J.C.A. Plano de negócios – seu guia definitivo. 2011. Elsevier, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil.

[12] Monaco K.; Redmon B. Does contracting with owner operators lead to worse safety outcomes for US motor carriers? Evidence from the Motor Carrier Management Information System. Accid Anal Prev. 2012; 45: 654-659.

[13] Silva S.R. Considerações sobre sistemas de informações (SI). Pensar Contábil. 2004; 6(24): 39-44.

Como citar

Pimenta, M.LG.; Zocca, A.P.D. Proposta de treinamento e desenvolvimento para um pequeno grupo empresarial familiar. Revista E&S. 2022; 3: e20220030.

Sobre os autores

Mauro Lúcio Gontijo Pimenta, Especialista em Gestão de negócios e Administrador de empresas, Divinópolis, MG, Brasil

Ana Paula Dário Zocca, Mestre em Administração e Professora de ensino superior na área de Gestão de Pessoas, Piracicaba, SP, Brasil

Editorado por: Edson Pereira da Mota

Link para download: https://cms.revistaes.com.br/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/31.pdf