Experience and Education - The Perfect balance
Marketing, finance and operations are important in the functioning and growth of an organization. While marketing is very essential to make sure the right word about the company's product is reached to its customers, finance forms the backbone of profits & losses and operations is as important as any. However, the challenge lies in having the right people for the right jobs, thereby making HR an important field. But what kind of a person would be beneficial to the organization for making critical decisions? The toss-up of choosing between experience and education is critical for the functionality of an organization.
A large number of people finish their MBAs and are directly placed at responsible positions in organizations. Although they undergo extensive training, the lack of experience in practically handling real life situations makes it a huge challenge. Apart from that due to better educational qualifications as compared to their subordinates, who might have ages of experience, inexperienced managers have to control not only their team but also make sure that they deliver the required results. Thus, when newer employees are added into the hierarchy of the organization, it is pivotal they understand their respective strengths and weaknesses, and work as a combined unit.
In manufacturing units, it is the experience of the workers which leads to efficient and quick processes. Their knowledge about shop-floor activities, machines, production, processes is more in terms of experience as compared to a new manager. Thus, in manufacturing plants, workers form the backbone because of their skill, labor and experience, even though they are less educated and qualified. But the expertise of qualified people can’t be ignored in making coordination easier.
However, the scenario is different is firms like consulting companies. In knowledge based firms, education is more important than relative experience as the ability to provide solutions requires calculations and analysis. Here the subordinate staff is primarily concerned with accumulation and interpretation of data, but providing solutions and recommendations is the responsibility of the manager. Here, education scores a little over experience.
Sometimes better remuneration for qualified people causes a tension with the workers. Similarly lack of understanding of new concepts by the workers leads to frustration amongst the managers. These problems if not attended to might lead to failure of human resource machinery, thereby causing issues in the company. Therefore the right amount of training, interaction and confidence in each other’s ability between experienced people and qualified managers is essential.
Managers should respect the experience of workers, and consult them on critical decisions so as to work as a team. Similarly, if workers admire the manager as a team leader, it would lead to favorable results.
Thus, for the success of a company, the human resource pool has to be managed efficiently, and there has to be a perfect balance and coordination between education and experience.
