Training and Development from the management`s viewpoint: a case study
in the food sector

Treinamento e Desenvolvimento sob a ótica dos gestores: um
estudo de cado no ramo alimentício

Evelin Panis Gil

Tecnóloga em
Gestão de Recursos Humanos. Instituto Federal do Mato Grosso (IFMT) Campus
Alta Floresta – Brasil. [email-masked]

Lenoir Hoeckesfeld

Doutorando em Administração. Universidade
do Vale do Itajaí (UNIVALI) e Instituto Federal do Mato
Grosso (IFMT) Campus Alta Floresta
– Brasil. [email-masked]

Luiz Henrique da Silva

Mestrando em Administração.
Universidade do Vale do Itajaí (UNIVALI) – Brasil.
[email-masked]

Christiane Mendes Drozdek Pereira

Doutoranda em Administração. Universidade
do Vale do Itajaí (UNIVALI) – Brasil. [email-masked]

ABSTRACT

Faced with a competitive economic scenario,
organizations use Training and Development (T&D) techniques to increase the
performance of people, develop skills and acquire new knowledge that aim to
increase the satisfaction of their human capital, preparing them for the
challenges and changes that may occur in the social and work environment. This article sought
to identify possibilities for improvements in T&D in a food industry
organization from the perspective of its managers. It is a qualitative and
descriptive research, carried out in a food company in the city of Alta
Floresta (Mato Grosso). The instrument used for data collection was the
semi-structured interview with managers of the Human Resources (HR) area, in
addition to documents made available by the company. For data analysis, content
analysis with thematic categorization was used. As a result, the need for
investments in the training of HR managers, leaders and, mainly, employees of
the industrial base were identified. As for leadership development, it was detected that there is the  need to work on communication practices
between leaders and subordinates, aiming at improving working relationships. Therefore,
the importance of thinking about T&D actions in an integrated way with
Corporate Education is considered, with the purpose of enabling employees to
develop them, in addition to meeting the strategic and operational needs of the
organization.

Keywords: Training.
Development. Corporate Education. Human Capital.

RESUMO

Diante de
um cenário econômico competitivo, as organizações utilizam-se de técnicas de
Treinamento e Desenvolvimento (T&D) para ampliar o desempenho de pessoas,
desenvolver competências e adquirir novos conhecimentos que visem aumentar a
satisfação do seu capital humano, preparando-os para os desafios e mudanças que
possam ocorrer no ambiente social e laboral. O presente artigo buscou identificar
possibilidades de melhorias no T&D em uma organização do ramo alimentício a
partir da percepção de seus gestores. Trata-se de
uma pesquisa qualitativa e descritiva, realizada em uma empresa do ramo alimentício da cidade de
Alta Floresta (Mato Grosso). O instrumento para coleta de dados utilizado foi a
entrevista semiestruturada aplicada com gestores da área de Recursos Humanos
(RH), além de documentos disponibilizados pela empresa. Para análise dos dados
foi utilizada a análise de conteúdo com categorização temática. Como resultado identificou-se
a necessidade de investimentos na capacitação dos gestores de RH, líderes e
principalmente, aos colaboradores da base industrial. Quanto ao desenvolvimento
de lideranças, percebeu-se a necessidade de trabalhar práticas de comunicação
entre líder e liderados, visando a melhoria das relações de trabalho.
Considera-se, portanto, a importância de se pensar em ações de T&D de forma
integrada com a Educação Corporativa, com o propósito de possibilitar aos
colaboradores o seu desenvolvimento, além de, atender as necessidades
estratégicas e operacionais da organização.

Palavras-chave: Treinamento. Desenvolvimento. Educação Corporativa.
Capital Humano.

Recebido
em 10/02/2020.  Aprovado em 26/03/2020.
Avaliado pelo sistema double blind peer
review. Publicado conforme normas da APA.

http://dx.doi.org/10.22279/navus.2020.v10.p01-14.1194

1 INTRODUCTION

Professionals who work in the
Training and Development (T&D) area have undergone considerable changes in
their practices in recent decades, once this process is directly related to
professional and organizational performance. The increase in technology has
brought a drastic reduction between time and development, when considering the
emerging needs for adaptation to environments, requiring rapid changes and
skills adaptation, knowledge and learning processes (Barrat-Pugh, Hodge, &
Smith, 2018).

T&D emerged in organizations
as a source of training and improvement of the skills of employees (Macena Neto
& Mota, 2017), requiring investment by organizations, who viewed Corporate
Education (CE) as an alternative. CE is considered a personalized strategy,
which enables the necessary change process to develop skills, improve
processes, enhance intellectual capacity, creativity and innovation of human
capital (Menegon & Zambarda, 2019).

The justification for this
research has as its main point a theoretical and empirical contribution on the
importance of T&D processes and the verification of difficulties found in
organizations in relation to these processes. Research shows that T&D improves the company's
image and is a way to raise awareness among employees about ethical and moral
issues, which lead individuals to reflect on improper conduct in the workplace
(Hanapiyah, Daud, Abdullah, & Sanusi, 2018), providing a change in behavior
in the execution of their work activities and in organizational practices
(Hardy III, Day, & Arthur Junior, 2018). Another aspect that emphasizes
the relevance of the research is the importance of the food sector for the
country. In 2018, the sector was responsible for handling R $ 524.7 billion
through industry distribution channels. In exports, there was a turnover of US
$ 239.9 billion, in 2017 it generated 35.8 million jobs (Brazil, 2019).

In view of the above, considering
the relevance of the proposed theme and the need for companies to qualify their
employees, this research aims to identify possibilities for improvements in training
and development in a food business organization from the perspective of its
managers, seeking to contribute to the reflection of the theme as a topic of
interest in organizations and universities.

To address the topic of T&D, this research initially
presents the importance of human capital in organizations, training,
development and corporate education. Then, the methodological procedures used
for this study. Finally, the main results of this research are presented in a
table with a summary of the main points addressed and suggestions for
improvements, and the final considerations.

2 THEORETICAL FOUNDATION

This section presents the main theoretical contributions
that supported this research.

2.1 Organizational Human Capital

From the economic point of
view, the concept of the word capital refers to wealth and assets available.
Expanding to a vision of the Human Capital Theory, people come to be considered
a form of capital for development, their learning capacity being a value compared
to other organizational resources. This theory seeks to explain that profit
from education and training are investments to prepare the workforce, increase
the productivity of individuals and organization, and are necessary for social
development (Nafukho, Hairston, & Brooks, 2004).

In this sense, the Human
Capital Theory is characterized by the transformation of an individual, through
training and information, contributing to organizational profitability and
productivity, made possible by the recognition of their skills and knowledge
(Karolczak & Souza, 2017). In addition, Azevedo (2013) states that it is up
to the organization to value this capital and to align human needs and
resources, so that they allow individual growth and converge with organizational
development, generating continuous renewal through the absorption of new
knowledge and expansion of the innovation process.

Human capital can be
understood as the total sum of individual competences (knowledge, skills,
talents, attitudes, behaviors), which make up the team and add value to the
organization and the capacity of these individuals to adapt to the various
situations generated by the internal or external environment. (Scantamburlo,
Delgado, Cavalheiro, & Kremer, 2019), which may favor productivity,
innovation and corporate performance (Bortoluzzi, Genari, & Macke, 2018).
Amorim, Cruz, Sarsur and Fisher (2015), characterize human capital by its
degree of formation, according to the group it belongs to and its ability to
identify the elements that permeate and direct to interests, ethical and social
aspects. The authors also highlight that the low level of education influences
the judgment and decision capacity of individuals.

Therefore, each organizational
context requires different needs, skills and professionals’ capacities, which
directs the actions and initiatives adopted for the T&D strategies.
Individuals' careers, strategy and organizational development, portray a
dynamic and proactive reality of professionals working with T&D and the
connection of all these factors for business growth, in addition to the
requirement of an objective and subjective ability to deal with different
organizational scenarios (Barrat-Pugh, Hodge, & Smith, 2018).

2.2 Training

Training is exposed as the
understanding of the organizational culture, through which it aims to transmit,
reinforce knowledge, skills or attitudes related to the execution of tasks or
to improvement at work (Bagattoli & Muller, 2016). In this perspective,
Marras (2017b) characterizes it as a learning process that promotes the
acquisition of skills, rules, and attitudes that culminate in adjusting the
peculiarities of employees to the demands of each function.

As a human resource
development tool, training improves the capacities and skills of organizational
human capital. What is expected from the training is to find and overcome
deficiencies in the performance of employees, leaving them prepared to take on
new assignments or adapt them to new technologies in the work environment
(Froehlich & Scherer, 2013; Macena Neto & Mota, 2017). The training
used as a continuous process, collaborates in the development of people, guides
to decision making, improves interpersonal relationships and opens a new
vision, making individuals more creative and innovative (Bagattoli &
Muller, 2016).

Following this conception,
Marras (2017a) ponders some fundamental points objectified by the training,
which are: to enable employees to perform different tasks inherent to the
organization; provide the continuous development of the individual; increase
productivity; improve the quality of results; reduce the rate of accidents at
work; improve organizational climate; increase employee motivation; reduce
absenteeism; and reduce company turnover. Also according to Marras (2017a), the
necessary steps to apply training that brings good results are: diagnosis -
verification of training needs to be addressed in the long and medium term;
training schedule - creation of the plan that will attend the detected
deficiencies; implementation / execution - implementation and management of the
training program; and evaluation - examining the results achieved after the
training.

Therefore, there is a need for
continuous improvement of human capital, since organizations seek to keep their
processes efficient and effective, which requires qualified employees. Training
becomes advantageous because it has the ability to subsidize the development of
people, being responsible for positive aspects that permeate the process of
development and growth of the organization and its collaborators. Thus, the
higher the training level, the better the results obtained (Bagattoli &
Muller, 2016).

2.3 Development

In the view of Volpe and
Lorusso (2009) the development of people presupposes a constant improvement,
characterized by the variation in the evolution, growth, stimulus and progress
of new technologies. For the individual to develop, it is necessary to invest
and capture new knowledge capable of boosting his career. It is through the
learning process that people qualify, optimize their skills, change their
attitudes and become functional pieces with the power to achieve the quality
desired by organizations, which in turn, need to stimulate and support the
continuous development of employees to preserve their competitive advantage
(Leite & Loft, 2013; Dutra, Dutra, & Dutra, 2017).

Development aims to analyze,
identify and contribute to the potential and capacity of human capital. It is a
process of self-identification and management, which allows the evolution of a
current state for the acquisition of skills, knowledge and future competence
necessary for the organizational environment (Jalloh, Habib, & Sesay, 2015).
The management and development of human capital goes through a process of
identifying new practices, centered on self-development, in social and
collective forms, through a network environment in which knowledge is generated
and evolves, based on needs, which ends up requiring more psychomotor and
cognitive skills (Barrat-Pugh, Hodge, & Smith, 2018).

For development to take place,
training must effectively achieve the results proposed by the organization.
People develop through training and better results are achieved when the
proposal to carry out the training is consistent with the employee's desire to
learn and improve. The development of people in the organization is considered
a set of learning experiences, with the purpose of intentionally improving
human performance or growth (Bagattoli & Muller, 2016).

Through training, development
and education, professional and personal aspects are modified, such as changing
behaviors, opening new horizons and the possibility of spreading more positive
attitudes. Organizations must be aware that for the full development of human
capital there is a need not only for training, but for education (Bagattoli
& Muller, 2016).

2.4 Corporative Education

Considering that the
organizational environments go through different scenarios during their
consolidation, whether at the national or international level, they require the
implementation of actions that promote the learning of individuals in a
continuous way that allows the planning and adaptation to the business needs. Faced
with an increasingly strategic perspective, traditional T&D programs no
longer meet the new requirements in the short, medium and long term. Within
this innovative and dynamic context, CE is presented, which deals with the
interaction between teaching and learning in a continuous way, promoting the
development of competences, which support the maintenance of competitive
advantage, moving from the individual focus to the business perspective (Toledo
& Domingues, 2018; Silva, Fonseca, Silva, Portugal Junior, & Piurcosky,
2018).

In organizations in general, CE
is linked to people management and it is fundamental in the integrative process
between people and organizations, with the objective of elevating and valuing
the individual, improving the quality of people, teams, processes, products,
aiming to assist in strategies maintenance and attraction of professionals
(Amorim, et al., 2015). CE has a different focus from traditional education. It
proposes a generic, comprehensive, theoretical and methodological training, as
it defines a learning path focused on the needs of the organization (Rosini,
Alves, & Alves, 2018).

Souza and Ziviani (2012)
highlight three fundamental factors for the CE process: - theory and practice:
higher education is responsible for the theoretical basis of the professionals,
but there are difficulties in using theory immediately in practice; - adequate
training: it is necessary to respect the reality of the organization, which
does not always require higher education, and may require specific training; -
constant training: training must be continuous, due to the rapid need for new
knowledge.

Toledo and Domingues (2018) point out that CE
increases the value of human capital, the market value of organizations and,
consequently, competitiveness. This new view on T&D programs allows the
development of the individual as a whole, generating stimuli for the
dissemination of knowledge, innovation and creativity. CE is part of a process
of preparing individuals for social and collective interaction, through
educational actions, raising the intellectual, physical, spiritual, aesthetic
and affective potential, influencing the business value chain (Souza &
Ziviani, 2012).

3 RESEARCH METHOD

This study is characterized as
qualitative because it is an adequate way to understand the nature of a social
phenomenon, its contexts or environments in which the participants are
inserted, in an attempt to understand in detail, the meanings and situational
characteristics presented (Creswell, 2014). The research is classified as
descriptive because it favors the understanding of behaviors from the
perspective of those involved in the investigation (Zanette, 2017). It is
understood that the most appropriate method to answer the research problem is
the case study, as the objective of this research is to identify the perception
of the managers of an organization in the food industry about the importance of
applying T&D to its employees. The case study “investigates a contemporary
phenomenon in depth and in its real-world context, especially when the
boundaries between phenomenon and context may not be clearly evident” (Yin,
2015, p. 17).

The research was carried out
with 702 employees in a food company located in the city of Alta Floresta,
state of Mato Grosso (MT), Brazil. Semi-structured interviews were conducted
with three managers in the Human Resources (HR) area of ​​the company, in
person and with an average duration of 40 minutes each. The script for the
semi-structured interview was prepared based on Souza, Kanaane and Fernandez
(2015) and Botoli (2017). The interviewees were chosen based on their time of
service in the company and the functions performed being linked to the HR area.
Chart 1 presents the interviewees' profile:

Chart 1.

Respondents
profile

Title

Gender

Level of education

Years in the company

Indentification in the analisys

HR Coordinator

M

College Degree

1,10 years

R1

HR Analyst

F

College Degree

2,5 years

R2

Planning Supervisor

M

High School

9 years

R3

Source: Developed by the authors (2020).

In this research, primary and
secondary data were used. The collection of primary data was carried out
through semi-structured interviews applied to the three managers of the
organization, recorded on audio and transcribed in full to preserve the quality
of the content. Interviews are one of the most important sources of information
in a case study, as they can provide insight into issues or actions, as well
as, identify other relevant sources of evidence (Yin, 2015). Subsequently, the
data were organized in the form of text and treated through content analysis
with thematic categorization involving pre-analysis, exploration of the
material and treatment of the results (Bardin, 2011).

Secondary data were collected in documents made
available by the company regarding its organizational characteristics, as well
as a report with quantitative data on the staff. Document analysis represents
an important contribution to studies as it is a rich source of data. The
examination of materials allows you to analyze documents that have not yet been
seen or to re-examine them in order to produce new knowledge (Godoy, 1995;
Sá-Silva, Almeida, & Guindani, 2009).

4 ANALYSIS OF RESULTS

The company studied is
considered to be large, it is located in the city of Alta Floresta - MT and has
less than 10 years of activity in the food industry. Its secondary economic
activities are: fast delivery services; processing of slaughter by-products;
provision of food prepared mainly for household consumption; and meat products
processing.

The company has a system called
AVD for people management. The AVD system in addition to being an important
management tool, is a philosophy for the company. It aims to develop and
monitor the professional growth of employees through demonstrated behaviors and
achieved results. Regarding the profile of the company's employees in education level
analysis through data provided by the HR Department, it was visible that the
vast majority have a low level of education, only 3% are graduates, and most of
these, work in management/administrative level. Jalloh, Habib and Sesay (2015),
emphasize that individuals must be motivated to learn, with the role of
management being fundamental for the science of current reality and the needs
for knowledge, skills and competences, making it essential to understand the
usefulness of learning.

Regarding the forms of
diagnosis of training needs, it was understood that the company uses several
actions in its daily life to try to identify possible deficiencies in its
structure. Annual organizational climate surveys are carried out in order to
leverage and refine the HR sector and thus, improvements for the company are
achieved. R2 explains that training needs are “verified in weekly leadership
meetings, in termination interviews, during feedbacks, in addition to the DSD
(Daily Safety Dialogue) and coffee-breaks with the employee, where a relaxed
chat aims to collect information about possible deficiencies". R1 adds
that such information is also obtained “through the factory climate, noise,
and when this begins to be perceived; it starts to be exposed in the meetings
of people that occur every Monday after work with supervisors”.

The trainings have a positive
influence on the employees' commitment, they also reflect on the turnover rates
of the organizations. When these actions are combined with the support and
monitoring of management, in aspects such as safety, career and work execution,
it allows for increased involvement of employees in T&D programs, as well
as contributing to the improvement of individuals' physical and mental
well-being and has an impact on engagement, productivity and operational
effectiveness (Rawashdeh & Tamimi, 2019).

In the last two years,
regarding the execution of T&D programs, the forms of application and those
responsible, it was observed that the company has monthly training policies for
leaders and a wide range of online courses for managers. The online courses
according to Silva, Gomes Junior, Valdati, Willerding and Lapolli (2017), have
the advantage of instructing individually according to the compass of each
employee, because their feedback is instantaneous, there is the possibility of
practice, monitoring and diagnosis, in addition to the constant guidance and
assessment of learning. Menegon and Zambarda (2019) complement that an
organization that learns is one that is able to modify its behavior to create,
acquire, interpret, transform and retain knowledge and insights.

In the company, training for
specific functions such as engineers, for example, is carried out sporadically,
mainly at the group's headquarters in São Paulo, normally related to job
security, communication, inclusion of people with disabilities. In addition to
the on-site training, normally transmitted by the managers themselves to the
base employees, confirmed by R3 when stating that “what mostly happens are
demonstrative technical visits, lectures, training with a manager on site”.
R1 also explains that, "DSD takes place every day, where managers take
time at the beginning, middle or end of production, according to the
convenience of their and the team's schedule, to deal with issues related to
safety at work and management" What is observed in this approach of
the interviewees is that the company's actions are related to CE, since it
provides continuous learning without necessarily being linked to a classroom.
In this new learning model, knowledge is in the availability of accessible
resources that enable learning anytime and anywhere (Silva, Fonseca, Silva,
Portugal Júnior, Piurcosky, 2018).

The presentation by HR analyst R2 clarifies
that:

For example, for leaders and managers, there is the
Universidade da Carne, where they offer on average 50 mandatory courses, for
each sector, available online via intranet. Among the contents covered,
there are matters on management and internal procedures and specific content
required by market demand. Monthly and in person, there is the Leadership Forum
and other small training sessions, which are my responsibility, the HR analyst
and the HR Coordinator. There is also a development program called Bank of
Talents that takes place annually. Basically, supervisory leaders appoint a
collaborator who performs monitoring in order to make him a future supervisor.
He will have an online class, a face-to-face class and a practical class. At
the end of the program, this employee is graduated and if considered fit, he is
available to take on the position of supervisor in the database of the entire
group, not just for the branch. And when the employee has no intention or
possibility of moving to another region or unit, there is the Internal Talent,
which works along the same lines as the Talent Bank program.

However, the planning
supervisor, R3, clarifies that “the company still has a great deficiency in
developing new leaders. There is a great challenge in developing leaders and
there is little interest on the part of the employee to develop. Leaders have
difficulties communicating with their followers”. Thus, there is a need for
more T&D actions, since coordinators, supervisors, managers and leaders are
responsible for training base employees, and according to Froehlich and Scherer
(2013),for the employee to take on a new position, adequate conditions are
required. The company needs to apply the process of developing people as part
of its management strategies, in which its fundamentals start to adjust the
reorganization of the work, the type of worker and the work relations. This need
becomes more evident after R3 mentions that:

Today, unfortunately, these actions are usually
developed after the problem, in a corrective way. There is often a complaint by
the customer and from there it is verified what happened and steps are taken to
prevent the problem from recurring. The correction of a problem pointed out by
a customer is an obligation of the company. There are rules that must be
followed so that such problem does not happen again. But there is a lack of
preventive actions on the part of the company. There is a lack of pro-active
actions to prevent possible problems.

With such reports about T&D programs, it is evident that there is a
failure of the organization in not paying attention to the adequate
qualification of its collaborators, mainly the ones at the base, that is, the
so-called “factory floor” workers. Having already been illustrated by Froehlich
and Scherer (2013) that training is a way to develop employees, not only able
to remedy deficiencies, but also an essential tool to refine the capacities and
skills of the organization's employees. Thus, despite the offer of monthly
courses to employees at management levels, there are still deficiencies in
training and transfer of knowledge to base workers. Macena Neto and Mota (2017)
show that the perception of coaches, instructors, tutors, in addition to the
instruments used and course time, are also extremely relevant in the approval
or not of a training.

The R1 reinforces “what the manager learns in class, in the course,
he applies everything to his followers on a daily basis. But specifically, for  floor operators, there is very little training”.
In addition, the HR analyst, R2, emphasizes the low investment in his own
training, saying that "the person responsible for T&D must be
prepared for the role and must also be very well developed and trained to be
able to captivate his team". In this same sense, R3 also includes
that:

The company has good internal training programs, but
it lacks time and planning to do time management versus production for the
correct application of such training. It is necessary to train and teach even
more about the importance of its function, notions of product quality, safety.
In other words, there are basic presentation and integration courses, but there
is a certain deficiency in specific courses, technical courses for base
operators. The most worrying issue is the lack of qualified labor in the
region.

Consequently, R1 highlights that:

It was noticed that the leaders are not able to fulfill
the demand and also answer some questions, so training is being developed to
train these leaders who work directly with employees at the base. They will be
developed in terms of people management, product quality, work safety, labor
relations. Themes that will be added to other existing leadership development
programs. The intention is to qualify the leaders who are below the
supervisors, and who are in direct contact with the base workers. And in addition
to looking for someone interested in growing and who wants to leave the
production line to take on supervision. In the past, production and quantity
were mainly aimed at, and today, you want leaders who deliver production, but
also know how to deal with people, seeking to improve contact, dialogue, a
better relationship with the base.

Regarding training aimed at new employees, the use of new equipment and
necessary procedures, it was noted that the company considers training the
Integration Program applied to new members of the organization. R1 notes that "training
takes place on a daily basis through the transfer of information by the
managers of each sector". The integration program, for Marras (2009)
is fundamental, as it seeks to help the employee adapt and mold to the social
and physical environment of the new company to which he will perform his tasks.
The HR coordinator, R1, explained that:

Depending on the area of ​​activity of the new
employee, the integration takes place, normally lasting three days. On the
first day, information related to the personal department is passed, such as
benefits, meal times, menu, obligations, occupational health (periodic exams,
consultations, mandatory questions), management information, such as product
quality requirements and how production is calculated. An institutional video
is shown to present the company, regarding size and production capacity.
Finally, the workplace safety team dedicates a day and a half or two to new
employees, who in fact undergo technical training to perform their duties in
places of height and also in confined space.They spend half a day in the
classroom and then leave for field instruction (practical part). For new hires
who will perform functions that demand less risk, there is a team of
experienced workers, who are called 'godparents', who welcome them,
present the workspace and colleagues. These godparents are responsible
for guiding and accompanying these new employees in all environments, both in
the development of their tasks, and to take them to in-site restaurants, to
locker rooms(changing facilities) ,entry and exit, during the trial period. And
when new machines are deployed in production and industry, at the time of
negotiating the purchase of such equipment, training is also negotiated by the
supplier company that comes to the site to train the employees who will handle
it. In addition, it is reinforced by the managers, considering each new tool,
new machine, all the safety part for the operation of this equipment.

On such examples of
training applied in the workplace, Araújo and Garcia (2009) consider it
convenient to present new technologies, new techniques and different methodologies.
Corroborating to the findings of Froehlich and Scherer (2013) that point out
the relevance of the company presenting as a strategy for the transfer of
knowledge, training in the workplace (on the job), where employees are placed
in real work situations, becoming productive quickly, that is, they learn by
doing. In this perspective, Silva, Gomes Junior, Valdati, Willerding e Lapolli
(2017), add that such a practice is advantageous, since there are fewer
problems due to the fact that the employee is trained in the physical and
social environment that they will work in, facilitates the assessment of the
employee's behavior already at their workplace. It is worth emphasizing the
importance of management and performance evaluation and the skills of employees,
given that an ineffective process results in challenges and consequences
related to human capital, such as demotivation and lack of commitment,
therefore, this process must be mediated by people management (Otoo, 2018).

However, R3 stresses that:

There is a lot to be done, because even with the three
days of integration with the new hires, there is still a lack of knowledge to
start working, since people are hired with little or no experience for the
function and after they start the job, there is no more time available for the
correct teaching and passing on more information.

As for the use of new technologies and updating of procedures in the
company, it was understood that in compliance with NRs (industry regulatory
standards), and according to R3, “always aiming to optimize processes,
optimize manpower, reduce costs”, the company frequently deploys new
technologies and procedures, especially on the production line, so it is
necessary to apply technical training to qualify employees to handle such
equipment. A fact reinforced by Macena Neto and Mota (2017) in which they
describe that what is expected from training is to find and overcome
shortcomings in the performance of employees, leaving them prepared to take on
new assignments or adapt them to new technologies in the work environment. In
relation to this theme, R1 mentions that:

The company has a team of corporate employees working
on what can be improved in the production line, such as, for example, the
machines that transport the bovine carcass, the conveyor belts, height
adjustment, width, speed of the machines according to the employee who operates
it. There are also vacuum machines for meat packaging. Usually there are annual
improvements, but even so, I still believe that we are below the desired level
compared to the market; there are competitors that have more advanced
technologies.

Finally, with regard to T&D in the organization, it stands out that
managers realize that employees feel the need for training and qualification,
and that the company could make greater investments in this area. Although
there are several methods considered "training" and applied to the
daily life of the company, most of them cover only the technical part and the
routines. According to R1, "the existing guidelines, transmitted by the
managers cover only the technical part for the development of their functions
and not for the personal development of employees". R3, on the other
hand, states “that there could be a partnership, an interaction between the
company and the municipal management to think about qualification programs,
mainly the technical improvement of labor, since the company employs an average
of 700 people directly in the region”. More specifically, R2 states that:

[...] they feel the need, because whenever there is any type
of free training, open to any public or sector, the number of adhesions and
demand is very high. But all of this requires a lot of investment in materials
and physical structure. For example, there is no adequate space in the unit,
the current meeting room is small. And although there is a partnership between
the company and Secitec (State Department of Science and Technology), the
location of the company and the lack of transportation and time practically
make such training impossible. The HR sector understands the investment
deficiency, since the need for training is immense, also because almost 100% of
the hires for base operators are from people with little or no experience, due
to their labor cost, and due to the deficiency in unit communication. We also
know that the motivation factor is extremely important for the smooth running
of the organization, so it is necessary to invest more in T&D to make them
feel more included and participating in the organization. Otherwise, any job
offers, even with a minimum wage difference, will continue to get them out of
here. It has been researched and found that the biggest cause of turnover is
the lack of motivation, and the lack of interaction with colleagues and
leaders.

With regard to performance evaluation, it is understood that it has the
role of verifying the level of performance and commitment of the internal
public, thus becoming a tool for the classification of unproductive cases and
the improvement of established talents. In accordance with this approach, there
are some possibilities that Gil (1994) highlights as: degree of contribution to
the company; if there is a higher than expected qualification; the contribution
of training programs; stimulating self-knowledge and self-development; the
staff profile; and data for remuneration and promotion. When there are no real
conditions to make an objective assessment, it is necessary to set goals in
advance that lead to results that can be observed or indirect conclusions that
support the choice, to confirm whether the cost-benefit link was reached or not
(Lacombe, 2011). Therefore, the company uses a tool called AVD, it is a
performance management program, to monitor and recognize the difficulties,
potential and needs of the employee. R2 defends how to evaluate and recognize
the work of employees, by saying that:

The company considers the highlights of the company.
It depends on the individual performance of the employee. The company has two
programs, an annual that is the Highlight in Workplace Safety where the
highlights are rewarded with awards in moments of relaxation, such as in the
cafeteria in front of co-workers, and another quarterly which is the People who Work where they compete with
other highlights, which are evaluated by their managers and they also receive
awards. Besides, of course, professional growth through promotions and salary
increases.

However, according to R1, "there is no specific investment
applied directly, but there are skills and abilities of talents that stand out
through internal programs and that naturally start to grow and reach new
positions within the company". Considering the reports on performance
evaluation, it was not clear how to evaluate the results of T&D programs in
the company. The material provided by the HR department, the AVD, analyzes and
evaluates the performance of previously selected employees for standing out in
their position, with the lack of a diagnosis of the result of the training
applied in the organization.

Thus, it can be seen that even with some management failures, managers
agree that the company helps the professional that stands out and intends to
grow within the organization. Naturally and due to the fact that many
inexperienced individuals are hired, the outstanding employee gradually
occupies larger/better positions. It was mentioned in the statements that the
company has an example of an employee who entered the lowest level and who now
occupies a management position.

However, there is a feeling of concern of the managers participating in
the study with the training of workers in the production base, as they suggest
greater investment for the sector in the technical, professional, personal and
motivational aspect. The R1 adds that “the lack of time, charging for more
production ends up preventing greater attention from the base operators. Because
even with the ‘cascading’ (transmission) of knowledge from the manager
to the operators, it would be necessary to invest more and directly for these
operators”. R3, on the other hand, adds that, “the suggestion would not
be just for new courses or training, but also the improvement and the most
effective and technical application for better use of the training that already
exists”. Such observation stresses the vision of Lacombe (2011), in which
he mentions that non-planning generates waste such as people in the wrong
places, inefficient training and mismanagement of teams, thus generating,
motivation and loss of talent.

In view of the responsibility for financial resources and people
development, the management area must be attentive to organizational planning,
considering that human capital is one of the main assets for achieving
competitiveness. Attention to T&D and CE actions is essential to promote
the development of competences, skills and knowledge demanded by the business,
as well as, for motivation, adaptation to new technologies and techniques for
the execution of work activities (Rawashdeh & Tamini, 2019).

In the view of managers, the results of good training add value to
business result. R1 reports that “as soon as there are trained, motivated,
qualified people and a good organizational climate, the good results appear”.
R2's statement is that “training and development are extremely important for
the business. A trained person becomes more motivated, more capable”. In
this sense, Ivancevich (2008) presents motivation as an internal condition that
produces energy to achieve goals, and at work, this turns to the achievement of
private and corporate purposes. The motivation of organizations to apply
training is the return on investment that the employee will give the
organization after acquiring new knowledge (Lacombe, 2011).

Chart 2 presents a summary of the
main notes perceived and addressed by managers, as well as, what can be
improved.

Chart 2.

Summary of the main points addressed and suggestions
for improvement.

Subject:

What happens:

What can be improved:

Needs Diagnosis

The information is
collected in different ways in the company's daily routine and through an
annual organizational climate survey.

A greater focus can
be placed on the needs of base workers.

T&D Programs

Formal T&D programs are offered basically
to leaders, specialists and HR analysts, being understood as specialists:
buyer, engineer, salesperson, consultant, lawyers.

More training can be offered to train HR managers;

More relevance can be given to leadership
training courses, with focus on practices for more efficient and motivational
internal communication;

More training and forms of development can be
offered to base workers.

T&D Application

Online and in-person
courses are available for managers, leaders and specialists at the unit or at
the group headquarters. For workers in the operational base, information and
knowledge are transmitted by immediate managers and, as the case may be, by
companies responsible for implementing new equipment in the industry.

More training and
forms of development and self-development can be offered to leaders and base
workers to make them feel more recognized and motivated when performing their
daily tasks;

It could be partnered
with municipal agencies to implement technical qualification courses in the
area.

Performance Evaluation

The performance evaluation is made through the
AVD tool, which evaluates the employees that stand out in the development of
their daily tasks.

(Observations regarding forms of performance
evaluation were limited to the AVD tool).

Source:
Developed by the authors (2020).

Based on the notes, it is observed that some points can be improved in
the current plan in the organization's T&D area with the intention of
improving possible weaknesses and making the HR department more consistent with
the organizational strategy. It is noteworthy that such suggestions are
considered / practiced during office hours. Therefore, it is suggested: a)
training and strategic direction of the focus of the people analyst (HR
analyst) also for issues that lead to greater human development, and not just
for routine issues and bureaucratic procedures; b) greater investment in
T&D capable of improving the skills and competences of leaders, especially
with regard to negotiations and direct interaction with employees, insofar as
it should facilitate the application of T&D content; c) investment in
physical structure suitable for the unit; d) greater emphasis on technical
training to increase the capacity and self-confidence of employees; e)
promoting moments of socialization between leaders and teams; f) in view of the
relevance of training evaluation, there is a need to create methods that make
it possible to evaluate the results of applied training, since they allow to
evaluate the level of learning, possible contribution to the company and the
adequacy of future training.

3 FINAL CONSIDERATIONS

It is noticeable that in the face of a competitive economic scenario,
organizations use T&D techniques to increase the performance of people,
develop skills and acquire new knowledge aimed at increasing the satisfaction
of their human capital, preparing them for challenges and changes that may
occur in the social and work environment. In this sense, we sought to identify
the possibilities for improvements in T&D in a food business organization
from the perception of its managers. To achieve the research objective, the
stages of the T&D programs were essential for analysis, through the
diagnosis, the types of training applied were identified, the people
responsible for training, the conditions for carrying out the training, and
finally, the evaluation methodologies.

It is observed that there are
opportunities for improvements that can be addressed and improved in the
T&D processes of the company's employees. In view of the reports, we
identified the need for investments in the training of HR managers, leaders
and, above all, greater attention and preparation of employees from the industrial
base is required, as this sector has a greater lack of investments. As for the
development of leaders, there is a consensus on the part of managers of the
need to work on communication practices between leaders and followers, aiming
to improve working relationships. Finally, it is suggested to partner with the
city's municipal bodies, as there is a need for technical qualification
courses.

This research contributes to the academic and managerial aspects, since
it presented theoretical contributions on the theme of T&D, reaffirming the
importance of thinking about actions in an integrated way with the CE, with the
purpose of meeting the strategic and operational needs of the organization. The
results can help managers who experience the challenges related to T&D in
practice, contributing to the observation and description of ways to improve
their processes and the development of their human capital. It is, therefore,
plausible to highlight that T&D practices enable employees to adequately
assume a new job or a new activity, generating the development of new skills,
essential for business sustainability, career opportunities and process
improvement.

When considering the limitations, it is admitted that such deficiencies
found may only be occasional, that is, they cannot be used as a rule and they
do not serve as absolute parameters for other branches of the company, since
the study was conducted only in this unit which is located in the interior of
the state of MT, relatively distant from the main large urban, industrial and
logistical centers in the country, and can portray distinct characteristics
from the others. That is, the singularity of applying the research in a single
company, will not allow generalizations to be made to other branches or
organizations.

As a suggestion for future work, it is recommended to carry out research
that addresses the managers' perception of other HR areas such as recruitment
and selection, remuneration and benefits, performance management and job
security. Or even, address the importance of T&D from the perspective of
employees, at the technical, administrative and operational levels, seeking to
contribute to the improvement of people and processes.

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