There is a huge untapped human resource waiting to be trained and developed that will help in nation building
Narayan Krishnamurthy

On his fourth visit to Oman, Vivek M. Albuquerque, director, Louis Allen International, India, finds great potential in manpower development in Oman. “I think there is tremendous opportunity for people development to propel future growth and human resources,” says the trainer who feels management training and human resource development initiatives are the means to achieve the government's Omanisation vision.

“In my interactions with people here, be they entrepreneurs, business establishments, managers or the man on the street, I have seen a willingness to learn and educate themselves which is a good sign for any developing economy,” says Albuquerque who has been holding management workshops for entrepreneurs, businessmen and even schools in Muscat. “People make organisations and nations, hence the focus has to be to train this vast resource and shape it in a way that will help them and the country,” he adds.

Most trainers address the soft side of the management equation, namely leadership, teamwork and interpersonal competence. They leave out the actual training that can impact the change. “It is one of the main reasons for ideas to fail from making it big when a business grows. One has to transcend from being the innovator to the manager and that requires specific training.”

Going on to emphasise the importance of management involvement in day to day operations, he says, “Entrepreneurs tend to focus on the idea, forgetting the commercial viability of the new business and the day to day management of the enterprise.”

World over most entrepreneurs learn management techniques as they grow, and more so from their own experiences rather than any formal education for the same. At a time when intense competition is natural in business, long-term business survival and success calls for efficient and effective management skills that come from specialised training. Everyone should work towards personal development as part of his or her career and life. Personal ownership and action is important, as training and development is not the sole responsibility of organisations. “If you are not going forward, you are in fact, going backwards.”

As new operating styles continue to emerge, employee participation and involvement
in decision-making has increased and we have to keep pace with the requirements that the change dictates. The combination of training in the fundamentals, coupled with training in the soft side of management, strengthens the core management workforce to compete globally.

The alumnus of Xavier Labour Relations Institute (XLRI), Jamshedpur, India, who has over 30 years of training, experience stresses, “I find people in Oman have the commitment to personal development and a commitment to lifelong learning.”