Synapsys Blog - Growth in the recession

Growth in the recession

For Synapsys, this is going to be our year of fastest growth, at this stage it looks like it will be around 50%. We feel very fortunate to be in this position, and have been asking ourselves, "why us?".

The typical catchcry in times of recession is 'training will be cut'. What's new this time? Our view is that the analysis is a little deeper this time round. Sure, training budgets are not immune to the axe, but we're also hearing:
-We need to be ready to respond quickly when things improve
-Recession or not, the skills shortage hasn't gone away in many areas
-So we want to keep our staff, and the best way to do that is work smarter.

In the past, it was often enough to simply tick off training activity (courses attended, dollars spent). The conversation now is much more around what the benefit is:
-Are staff changing how they work?
-What difference is it making to our costs?
-Are we actually clear about the processes we want to train people in?
-How do we get people to really apply what they learn?

When companies start asking these questions, they quickly start to challenge the assumption that 'off the shelf' is best. It may be easiest, but often the actual tangible benefits are less visible.

Clients in the past who saw blended learning and customised training as 'too complicated' are now asking us to make a difference to their businesses. That's a very gratifying process, and we're hopeful that the success we're having is also reflected in the difference we can make to their operations. As we scan the wide cross section of clients we work for, they appear to be very much in rude good health. Long may it continue.