Training and Developing Employees

Training and Developing Employees

中国经济管理大学

ANNOTATED OUTLINE

I. Introduction to Orienting and Training Employees

Employee orientation programs provide new employees with the basic background information required to perform their jobs satisfactorily.  Orientation programs today are moving away from routine discussion of company rules to emphasizing the company’s mission and the employee’s role in that mission, onboarding them early as a key member of the team.

A. The Purpose of Employee Orientation/Onboarding – Employees should receive print or Internet-based employee handbooks outlining benefits, policies, and safety measures.

II. The Training Process

A.  Aligning Strategy and Training – Training refers to the methods used to give new or present employees the skills they need to perform their jobs. Training today plays a key role in the performance management process, which is a key process for employers to ensure employees are working toward organizational goals.  Overall, training has a fairly impressive record of influencing organizational effectiveness, scoring higher than appraisal and feedback, and just below goal setting in its effect on productivity.

B. The Four-Step Training and Development Process – 1) needs analysis; 2) instructional design; 3) implementation; and 4) evaluation.

C. Training, Learning, and Motivation

1. Make Learning Meaningful – Material that is meaningful is usually easier for trainees to understand and remember.

2. Make Skills Transfer Easy – Make skills and behaviors easy to transfer from the training site to the job site.

3. Motivation Principles for Trainers – Provide as much realistic practice as possible; reinforce correct responses immediately; let trainees pace themselves; create a perceived training need in the trainees’ minds; and schedule effectively. 

Know Your Employment Law:  Training and the Law – Trainers need to be knowledgeable of how various laws apply to training-related decisions, particularly with respect to discrimination, negligent training, and when training time is compensable. Negligent training may occur if an employer fails to train adequately and the employee subsequently harms a third party.

D.  Analyzing Training Needs and Designing the Program – Two main ways to identify training needs are: task analysis (an analysis of the job’s requirements) and performance analysis (an analysis to verify if there is a performance deficiency).

E. Task Analysis: Assessing New Employees’ Training Needs – A task analysis can be use to determine the training needs of new employees. A task analysis record form can also be used.  It contains the following information: task list; when and how often performed; quantity, quality performance standards; conditions under which performed; skills or knowledge required; and where best learned.

F. Performance Analysis: Assessing Current Employees’ Training Needs – There are several methods that can be used to identify an employee’s training needs, including: supervisor, peer, self, and 360-degree performance reviews; job-related performance data; observation by supervisors or other specialists; interviews with the employee or his/her supervisor; tests of things like job knowledge, skills, and attendance; attitude surveys; individual employee daily diaries; and assessment centers. 

1.  Competency Models – Many companies develop generic competency models for jobs by conducting behavioral interviews with top performers to identify those competencies that should be developed in others to ensure job success.

Ø NOTES Educational Materials to Use

III. Implement Training Programs

A. On-the-Job Training (OJT) – means having a person learn a job by actually doing it, and involves the following: preparing the learner; presenting the operation; doing a tryout; and follow-up.

B. Apprenticeship Training – is a structured process by which people become skilled workers through a combination of classroom instruction and on-the-job training.

C. Informal Learning – involves learning through day-to-day unplanned interactions between the new worker and his/her colleagues.

D. Job Instruction Training – refers to teaching a new employee the logical sequence of steps in a job step by step.

E. Lectures – quick and simple way to provide knowledge to large groups.

F. Programmed Learning – is a step-by-step self-learning method: 1) presenting questions, facts, or problems to the learner; 2) allowing the person to respond; and 3) providing feedback on the accuracy of the answers.

G. Audiovisual-Based Training – Tools include: films, PowerPoint presentations, video conferencing, audiotapes, and videotapes.

H. Simulated Training – is a method of training to replace or amplify real-world experiences.  The purpose of this type of training is to evoke or replicate substantial aspects of a real-world application in a fully interactive fashion.

I. Vestibule Training – is a method in which trainees learn on the actual or simulated equipment they will use on the job, but are trained off the job.

J. Teletraining – where a trainer in a central location teaches groups of employees at remote locations via television hookups.  Videoconferencing – allows people in one location to communicate live via a combination of audio and visual equipment with people in different locations – another city or country or with groups in several cities.

K. Electronic Performance Support Systems (EPSS) – are sets of computerized tools and displays that effectively automate and integrate training, documentation, and phone support, thus enabling individuals to provide support that’s faster, cheaper, and more effective than the traditional methods.

L. Computer-Based Training – is where the trainee uses computer-based and/or DVD systems to increase his/her knowledge or skills.  CBT programs have real advantages including reducing learning time, cost effectiveness once designed and produced, instructional consistency, mastery of learning, increased retention, and increased trainee motivation. Figure 8-2 shows various computer training techniques.

M. Simulated Learning – is a variety of different activities including but not limited to virtual reality-type games, step-by-step animated guides, role playing and software training.

N. Internet-Based Training – Distance learning methods include traditional paper-and-pencil correspondence courses, as well as teletraining, videoconferencing, and Internet-based classes.

O. Improving Productivity Through HRIS – through special software packages that support Internet training by helping employees identify training needs.

P. The Virtual Classroom – uses special collaboration software to enable multiple remote learners to use their PCs or laptops to participate in live discussions.

Q. Using Internet-Based Learning – Considerations to improve e-based learning include allowing trainees to control the pace. The trend is toward blended learning (both virtual and in-person)

1. Instant Messaging – Can be used to supplement training.

R. Lifelong and Literacy Training Techniques – Companies are responding to functional illiteracy by testing job candidates’ basic skills, and setting up basic skills and literacy programs.

Ø NOTES Educational Materials to Use

IV. Implementing Management Development Programs

Management Development is any attempt to improve managerial performance by imparting knowledge, changing attitudes, or increasing skills.  The general management development process consists of (1) assessing the company’s strategic needs, (2) appraising the managers’ current performance, and (3) developing the managers.  Succession planning is part of this process, and is the process through which a company plans for and fills senior-level openings.

A. Managerial On-The-Job Training methods include: job rotation; coaching/ understudy approach; and action learning.

    1. Job Rotation – moving management trainees from department to department to broaden their understanding of all parts of the business.

2. Coaching/Understudy Approach – where a trainee works directly with a senior manager or with the person he/she is to replace, and the latter is responsible for coaching the trainee.

3. Action Learning – programs give managers and others released time to work full time on projects to analyze and solve problems in departments other than their own.

Research Insight – Some research suggests that in addition to shattering the glass ceiling for women for equity’s sake, women may make better managers than men these days.

B. Off-the-Job Management Training and Development Techniques

1. The Case Study Method – presents a trainee with a written description of an organizational problem.

2. Management Games – computerized management games allow for the trainees to be involved.  

3. Outside Seminars – offered by many companies and universities.

4. University-Related Programs provide executive education and continuing education programs in leadership, supervision, and the like.

5. Role Playing is aimed at creating a realistic situation and then having the trainee assume the parts (roles) of specific persons in that situation.

6. Behavior Modeling involves showing the trainee the correct way to do something, letting the trainee practice the correct way, and giving the trainee feedback on his/her performance. Behavior modeling is one of the most widely-used interventions, both for teaching supervisory-type skills and particularly for behavioral computer skills training. 

7. Corporate Universities – In-house development centers have been established by many companies to expose prospective managers to realistic exercises to develop improved management skills.

8.  Executive Coaches are being used by firms to improve their top managers’ effectiveness.  An executive coach is an outside consultant who questions the executive’s boss, peers, subordinates, and sometimes, family, in order to identify strengths and weaknesses, and to counsel the executive so he or she can capitalize on those strengths and overcome the weaknesses.

When You’re On Your Own: Creating Your Own Training Program – several options are explored for training and development, such as outsourced learning and prepackaged training solutions. A process for developing your own training program includes steps such as: setting training objectives, writing a detailed job description, developing an abbreviated task analysis record form, developing a job instruction sheet, and preparing a training program for the job.

Ø NOTES Educational Materials to Use

V. Managing Organizational Change Programs

A. What to Change – When organizations are faced with the need to manage change, there are five different aspects that can be targeted, including strategy, culture, structure, technologies and attitudes, and skills. 

B. Lewin’s Change Process – The most difficult part of implementing an organizational change is overcoming employees’ resistance to it.  Psychologist Kurt Lewin formulated a classic explanation of how to implement change in the face of resistance.  His change process consists of three steps: 1) unfreezing; 2) moving; and 3) refreezing.

C. Lead Organizational Change – The ten steps are 1) establish a sense of urgency; 2) mobilize commitment through joint diagnosis of problem; 3) create a guiding coalition; 4) develop a shared vision; 5) communicate the vision; 6) help employees make the change; 7) generate short-term wins; 8) consolidate gains and produce more change; 9) anchor the new ways of doing things in the company culture; and 10) monitor progress and adjust the vision as required.

D. Using Organizational Development – Organizational Development is a special approach to organizational change in which the employees themselves formulate the change required and implement it, often with the assistance of a trained consultant.  OD has several distinguishing characteristics, including: action research; applied behavioral science knowledge to improve the organization’s effectiveness; the ability to change attitudes, values, and beliefs of employees so that they can implement the technical, procedural, or structural changes needed; and the ability to change the organization in a particular direction. Table 8-3 shows examples of OD interventions.

Ø NOTES Educational Materials to Use

VI. Evaluating the Training Effort

A. Designing the Study – The evaluation process of choice is controlled experimentation, which uses both a training group and a control group (one that receives no training) to assess before and after performance to determine the extent to which performance in the training group resulted from the training itself rather than some organization-wide change. In practice, few firms use this method, preferring to simply measure trainees’ reactions, or to measure trainee job performance before and after the training.

B. Training Effects to Measure – Four basic categories of training outcomes can be measured: 1) reaction; 2) learning; 3) behavior, and 4) results.

Ø NOTES Educational Materials to Use

Teaching Tip: If the ASTD (American Society for Training & Development) has a local chapter, either ask a member to come in to speak to the class, or encourage students to visit a meeting or speak with a member about training careers.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

1. "A well-thought-out orientation program is essential for all new employees, whether they have experience or not."  Explain why you agree or disagree with this statement.  New employees can suffer from a significant amount of anxiety during the first few days on the job as they find themselves in an environment and culture that they are not familiar with.  Those with little job experience may find it especially difficult without an orientation since they have little other experience on which to base their expectations.  A well-developed orientation program will socialize new employees into important organizational values, whereby their chances of easing smoothly into the organization are improved.

2. Explain how you would apply our principles of learning in developing a lecture, say, on orientation and training.  Student answers should reflect the issues identified in the guidelines in the section on lectures.  As an exercise, you might have students develop and deliver a lecture (perhaps on one section of this chapter).  Then ask the students to critique each other based on the guidelines summarized in the section on lectures.  

3. John Santos is an undergraduate business student majoring in accounting.  He has just failed the first accounting course, Accounting 101, and is understandably upset.  Explain how you would use performance analysis to identify what, if any, are John's training needs.  The first thing that needs to be determined is if this is a "can't do" or a "won't do" situation.  It is possible that as a first-year student, John has spent more time socializing and not enough time studying.  This would indicate a need for training on studying skills and prioritization.  It is also possible that John really does not have the necessary basic skills that he needs in order to be successful in this course.  This could be determined through some testing to see if he has the prerequisite knowledge and skills.  If it is a problem, remedial training or courses would be appropriate.  A third possibility is that John simply does not really have the interest or natural inclinations that would make him successful in the accounting area.  This could be determined through some testing and career interest surveys.  If this is the case, training is not appropriate, but rather John should be counseled to change majors.

4. What are some typical on-the-job training techniques?  What do you think are some of the main drawbacks of relying on informal on-the-job training for breaking new employees into their jobs?  The most common is the understudy or coaching technique.  Others include apprenticeship training and job rotation.  There are several possible drawbacks to OJT:  (1) not every employee will get the same basic information; in fact, some may not get basic, fundamental information; (2) the quality of the training is highly dependent on the training skills of the employee who supervises the OJT...and that person's skills and training are usually not in the area of training; and (3) the new employee may get false information or detrimental enculturation depending on the employees that conduct their OJT.

5. One reason for implementing global training programs is the need to avoid lost business "due to cultural insensitivity."  What sort of cultural insensitivity do you think is referred to, and how might that translate into lost business?  The cultural insensitivities would include cross-cultural values, assumptions concerning communication, identity issues, etiquette, lifestyles, style of dress, etc.  Any of these can result in unintentional insults or offending people that can easily make those people reluctant to do business with you.

What sort of training program would you recommend to avoid such cultural insensitivity?  There are a wide variety of programs and consultants that specialize in these areas.  It is important to have someone who is knowledgeable in these areas conduct the training to assure that the correct information and guidance is given.

6. Describe the pros and cons of five management development methods.  Job rotation:  broadens experience and helps the candidate find what he or she prefers.  Coaching/Understudy: works directly with the person he or she will replace, helps assure trained managers are ready to assume key positions.  Action Learning:  allows special projects to be handled.  Case Study Method:  classroom oriented, gives real-life situations, allows analysis and reflection.  Management Games:  learn by getting involved, competition, emphasizes the need for planning, problem-solving skills, teamwork.  Outside Seminars:  CEUs, developed by experts, time away from pressures of work.  University-Related Programs:  certifications and degrees, theoretical knowledge, sharing with students from other industries.  Role Playing:  opportunity to work through probable situations, negative views of role-playing.  Behavior Modeling:  effective, learning and skill development, reinforces decisions immediately.  In-House Development Centers:  tailored to the needs of the company, expensive. Students should be able to come up with additional pros and cons for each method.

7. Do you think job rotation is a good method to use for developing management trainees?  Why or why not?  Most students will probably support job rotation for management trainees.  It gives the trainee the opportunity to experience several areas and to develop cross-departmental skills and cooperation.  It also gives the trainee the chance to experience different areas to see what he or she likes.  

INDIVIDUAL AND GROUP ACTIVITIES

1. You’re the supervisor of a group of employees whose task is to assemble disk drives that go into computers.  You find that quality is not what it should be and that many of your group’s devices have to be brought back and reworked; your boss says that “You’d better start doing a better job of training your workers.”  A) What are some of the “staffing factors” that could be contributing to this problem?  B)  Explain how you would go about assessing whether it is in fact a training problem.     Have students brainstorm the potential factors other than training that could be the root cause of this problem.  Make the point that often, people will immediately point to training as the issue, when in fact there are other factors at play that are impacting performance.

2.   Pick out some task with which you are familiar – mowing the lawn, tuning a car – and develop a job instruction training sheet for it.  There is an example of a job instruction training sheet for operating a large motorized paper cutter in Table 8-1.  Students should be able to put the task they select into the format given.

3. Working individually or in groups, you are to develop a short programmed learning program on the subject “Guidelines for Giving a More Effective Lecture.”  Students should use the guidelines listed in the programmed learning section of the chapter, but should not forget that this assignment is not just listing guidelines.  They are to develop a programmed learning that 1) presents questions, facts, or problems to the learner, 2) allows the person to respond, and 3) provides feedback to the learner on the accuracy of his or her answers.

4. Find a provider of management development seminars.  Obtain copies of their recent listings of seminar offerings.  At what levels of managers are the offerings aimed?  What seems to be the most popular types of development programs?  Why do you think that’s the case?  Depending on the provider contacted, the results of this exercise will vary.  It would be a good idea to assign different groups or individuals to different providers to assure that you get a variety of responses.  It may be useful to have a class discussion about the differences that they found.

5. Working individually or in groups, develop several examples to illustrate how a professor teaching human resource management could use at least four of the techniques described in this chapter in teaching his or her HR course.  Student results will again vary.  Look for examples to be well thought out and to represent the guidelines given in the appropriate sections on traditional training techniques.

6.   Working individually or in groups, develop an orientation program for high school graduates entering your university as freshmen.  The students should refer to the section on why orientation is important in the chapter.  They should also create an orientation checklist similar to Figure 8-1

7. The HRCI “Test Specifications” appendix at the end of this book lists the knowledge someone studying for the HRCI certification exam needs to know in each area of human resource mangement (such as in Strategic Management, Workforce Planning, and Human Resource Development).  In groups of 4-5 students, do four things:  (1) review that appendix now; (2) identify the material in this chater that relates to the required knowledge the appendix lists; (3) write four multiple-choice exam questions on this material that you believe would be suitable for inclusion in the HRCI exam; and (4) if time permits, have someone from your team post your team’s questions in front of the class, so the students in other teams can take each other’s exam questions.  Material covered in this chapter relevant to the HRCI exam would include succession planning, needs analysis, development, implementation and evaluation of training programs, development, training methods, programs and techniques, instructional methods and program delivery, implementation and evaluation of programs to assess employees’ potential for growth and development in the organization, change management programs and activites, organizational development theories and aplications, and employee involvement strategies.

Some examples of multiple-choice questions:

1. One of the legal implications of training-related deicions is:

a.  discrimination

b.  negligent training

c.  overtime pay

            d.  all of the above (correct answer)

e.  a & b only

2. The method of analyzing training needs by verifying that there is a performance deficiency is called:

a.  task analysis

             b.  performance analysis (correct answer)

             c . on-the-job training

             d.  job instruction training

3. The managerial on-the-job training technique which involves the trainee working on a project, analyzing and solving problems in departments other than their own is called:

a.  job rotation

b.  action learning  (correct answer)

c.  coaching/understudy approach

d.  role playing

4. The Model of Overcoming Resistance to Change which includes the three steps of unfreezing, moving and refreezing was developed by:

a. Andrea Jung

b. Kurt Lewin  (correct answer)

c. Dessler

d. The Department of Labor

8.  The U.S.-led coalition in Iraq sent hundreds of trainers to that country to train new cadres of Iraqi workers, from teachers to police officers.  Perhaps no training task was more pressing that that involved in creating the country’s new police force.  These were the people who were to help the coalition bring security to Iraq.  However, many had no experience in police work.  There were language barriers between trainers and trainees.  And some trainees found themselves quickly under fire from insurgents when they went as trainees out into the field.  Based on what you learned about training from this chapter, list the five most important things you would tell the officer in charge of training (a former U.S. big city police chief) to keep in mind as he prepares the training program.

Lead a discussion with students to identify concepts learned in this chapter that apply to this example.  Have them identify how each recommendation addresses the unique issues in this scenario.  Suggest that students do Internet research to discover how, in fact, training was conducted, and have them critique the approach, techniques, and methods used based on the material in the text.

EXPERIENTIAL EXERCISES & CASES

Experiential Exercise: Flying the Friendlier Skies

This exercise will give students the opportunity to experience the activities involved in creating a training program. After students have read the description of an airline clerk’s duties, divide the class into teams of five or six students. Direct students to list the job’s main duties and produce an outline specifying what the new clerks should be taught, and which methods and aids might be used to train them. Many students will have worked at part-time positions that require dealing effectively with customers.  Class discussion should include examples of what types of situations a desk clerk may be exposed to, and what kinds of training would allow those situations to be handled more smoothly. For example, desk clerks often must deal with multiple customers at one time – on the phone and in person. Role play, or simulation, could help a clerk know how to effectively deal with multiple demands.

Application Case: Reinventing the Wheel at Apex Door Company 

1. What do you think of Apex’s training process?  Could it help to explain why employees “do things their way” and if so, how?  There is a weak accountability system.  The person assigned to perform training is likely to have very low motivation (a departing employee).  With no formal descriptions, the trainer will teach “their way” of accomplishing tasks.  There is no training documentation.  One receives training in “how to train.” There are no outcome measures to determine if the training was successful.

2. What role do job descriptions play in training? Job descriptions set the boundaries of jobs in terms of required knowledge and skills.  By understanding the job description, a trainer can define the learning requirements for a new or transitioning employee.

3. Explain in detail what you would do to improve the training process at Apex.  Make sure to provide specific suggestions, please.  Every position would have a formal (written) description.  Training procedures would be documented for each position. Supervisors would be formally accountable for training.

Continuing Case:  Carter Cleaning Company:  The New Training Program

1. Specifically, what should the Carters cover in their new employee orientation program, and how should we convey this information?   The students should refer to the orientation checklist in Figure 8-1 and the section on orienting employees in the chapter.

2. In the HR management course Jennifer took, the book suggested using a task analysis record form to identify tasks performed by an employee.  Should we use a form like this for the counterperson’s job, and if so what would the filled-in form look like?  The students should refer to the section on the training needs of new employees.  This section discusses a task analysis form. It contains the following information: task list; when and how often performed; quantity, quality performance standards; conditions under which performed; skills or knowledge required; and where best learned (refer them to Table 8-1).

3. Which specific training techniques should Jennifer use to train her pressers, her cleaner-spotters, her managers, and her counter people, and why?  The students should review the training techniques discussed in the chapter and conduct research on the Internet to review the various training resources offered for each of these positions.  

Translating Strategy Into HR Policies and Practices Case: The Hotel Paris: The New Training Program – In this case, HR manager Lisa Cruz must formulate functional policies and activities that support the hotel’s competitive strategy, and elicit  required employee behaviors and competencies.

1. Based on what you read in this chapter, what do you suggest Lisa and her team do first with respect to training? Why?

Lisa should review employee performance evaluation forms to determine whether and where there are deficits. Customer feedback may also indicate whether there is a need for certain types of training.

2. Have Lisa and the CFO sufficiently investigate whether training is really called for. Why? What would you suggest?

No. Although there are large differences in such measures as spending as a percentage of payroll, that in itself does not mean training is lacking. On-the-job training costs little and may be taking place on an informal, and therefore unmeasured, basis. Additionally, such things as employee tenure may be having an effect on training costs – if Hotel Paris employees have been there for many years, they may require less training than the employees of a hotel which has high turnover. Lisa needs to analyze the need for training more thoroughly.

3. Based on what you read in this chapter, and what you may access via the Web, develop a detailed training program for one of these hotel positions: security guard; housekeeper, or doorperson.

Answers will vary.

KEY TERMS

employee orientation A procedure for providing new employees with basic background information about the firm.

training The process of teaching new employees the basic skills they need to perform their jobs.

negligent training A situation where an employer fails to train adequately, and the employee subsequently harms a third party.

task analysis A detailed study of a job to identify the skills required.

competency model A graphic model that consolidates, usually in one diagram, a precise overview of the competencies someone would need to do a job well.

performance analysis Verifying that there is a performance deficiency and determining whether that deficiency should be corrected through training or through some other means (such as transferring the employee).

on-the-job training (OJT) Training a person to learn a job while working at it.

apprenticeship training A structured process by which people become skilled workers through a combination of classroom instruction and on-the-job training.

job instruction training Listing of each job's basic tasks, along with key points in order to provide

(JIT) step-by-step training for employees.

programmed learning A systematic method for teaching job skills involving presenting questions or facts, allowing the person to respond, and giving the learner immediate feedback on the accuracy of his or her answers.

electronic performance Sets of computerized tools and displays that automate training, 

support systems (EPSS) documentation, and phone support, integrate this automation into applications, and provide support that’s faster, cheaper, and more effective than traditional methods.

job aid A set of instructions, diagrams, or similar methods available at the job site to guide workers.

virtual classroom Enables multiple remote learners, using their PCs or laptops, to participate in live audio and visual discussions, communicate via written text, and learn via content such as PowerPoint slides. 

lifelong learning Provides employees with continuing learning experiences over their tenure with the organization, with the aims of ensuring they have the opportunity to learn the skills they need to do their jobs.

management Any attempt to improve current or future management performance by

development programs imparting knowledge, changing attitudes, or increasing skills.

job rotation A management training technique that involves moving a trainee from department to department to broaden his or her experience and identify strong and weak points.

action learning A training technique by which management trainees are allowed to work full time analyzing and solving problems in other departments.

case study method A development method in which the manager is presented with a written description of an organizational problem to diagnose and solve.

management game A development technique in which teams of managers compete with one another by making computerized decisions regarding realistic but simulated companies.

role playing A training technique in which trainees act out the parts of people in a realistic management situation.

behavior modeling A training technique in which trainees are first shown good management techniques in a film, are then asked to play roles in a simulated situation, and are then given feedback and praise by their supervisor.

in-house development A company-based method for exposing prospective managers to

center realistic exercises to develop improved management skills.

executive coach An outside consultant who questions the executive’s boss, peers, subordinates, and (sometimes) family in order to identify the executive’s strengths and weaknesses, and to counsel the executive so he or she can capitalize on those strengths and overcome the weaknesses.

organizational development A special approach to organizational change in which employees themselves formulate and implement the change that is required.

simulated training Training employees on special off-the-job equipment, as in  airplane pilot training, whereby training costs and hazards can be reduce

controlled

experimentation Formal methods for testing the effectiveness of a training program, preferably with before-and-after tests and a control group.

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