chapter 7 training and developing employees

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Chapter 7 Training and Developing Employees


Chapter Outline

• 7-1 Gaining Competitive Advantage

• 7-2 HRM Issues and Practices

• 7-3 The Manager’s Guide


7-1a Opening Case: Gaining Competitive Advantage at Tesco

• Problem: Getting new employees properly oriented to their jobs.

• Solution: Providing an effective employee orientation training program.

• How the orientation program enhanced competitive advantage Employees understand their role in customer service,

helping meet the company’s goals, and improving their motivation levels.

Good relationships forge between managers and staff.


7-1b Linking Training and Development to Competitive Advantage

• Training focuses on current jobs.

• Development prepares employees for future jobs.

• Training and development contribute to competitive advantage by: Enhancing recruitment. Increasing worker competence. Reducing the likelihood of unwanted turnover.


7-1b Linking Training and Development to Competitive Advantage (cont.)

• Increasing the competence of new employees Technical training: Provide technical knowledge and

skills needed to perform a job. Orientation training: Learn about the job, the company,

and its policies and procedures. Literacy training: Improve basic skills in such areas as

writing, basic arithmetic, listening/following oral instructions, speaking, and understanding manuals, graphs, and schedules.



• Increasing the competence of current workers Remedial training: Implemented when workers are

deficient in some skills. Change-related training: Used to keep up-to-date with

various changes including technology, laws or procedures, or the organization’s strategic plan.

Developmental programs: Provide employees with the appropriate skills needed for higher level positions.



• Reducing the likelihood of unwanted turnover Training can prevent unnecessary terminations by:

- Building employee job skills, improving job performance.- Improving supervisors' capabilities for managing

“underperforming” workers.- Reeducating people whose skills have become

obsolete, allowing the organization to assign them to new job responsibilities.

Effective training programs can reduce turnover by strengthening employee loyalty.



• The cost efficiency of training and development practices Most organizations spend a great deal of time and

money on training and development. Training and development practices in many

organizations fail to result in any real benefit to employees or to the company itself.

Poor programs contribute to low morale and low productivity.


7-2a The Instructional Process

• Steps in the instructional process are: Step 1: Deciding what to teach Step 2: Deciding how to maximize participant learning Step 3: Choosing the appropriate training method Step 4: Ensuring that training is used on the job Step 5: Determining whether training programs are

effective


7-2a The Instructional Process (cont.)

• Step 1: Deciding what to teach Assessing training needs Determining training objectives



• Assessing training needs A training need exists when:

- Employees’ job behavior is somehow inappropriate.- Their level of knowledge or skill is less than that

required by the job.- Such problems can be corrected through training.

Training needs are prioritized based on these criteria:- Number of employees experiencing deficiency in a skill.- The severity of the deficiency.- The importance of the skill for meeting organizational

goals.- The extent to which skill improvement can be achieved

through training.



• Determining training objectives Describe what the trainee should be able to do as a

result of the training. Provide input for designing the training program. Help identify the measures of success used to judge

the effectiveness of the training program.



• Step 2: Deciding how to maximize participant learning To maximize learning, the program should be

presented in a way that:- Gains and maintains the trainees’ attention.- Provides the trainees with an opportunity to practice the

skills being taught.- Provides the trainees with feedback on their

performance.



• Learner attention: To gain trainees’ attention, trainers must: Relay the importance and relevance of the training. Demonstrate how the content of the program relates to

their jobs. How attendance will benefit the trainee.

• To maintain trainees’ attention, trainers must: Avoid using prolonged lectures and other passive

learning methods. Present the program in short segments. Provide frequent opportunities for audience

participation.



• Practice is essential to effective learning because it strengthens the stimulus–response bond.

• Trainers must address two practice-related issues when designing an instructional program. Whether the practice sessions should be distributed or

massed. The relative effectiveness of practicing the whole task

or practicing one part at a time.



• Distributed practice: Dividing the practice into segments or sessions; it is preferred because it leads to better long-term retention.

• Massed practice: Providing all the practice in one longer session.

• “Whole method” is used when the material is simple.

• “Part method” is used when the material is more complex; it divides the material into parts.



• Feedback Give positive feedback to trainees whenever they

perform the task correctly; this can be very encouraging to the trainee and thus serve as a motivator.

When trainees perform incorrectly, provide corrective feedback regarding what the trainee is doing wrong and how this behavior can be corrected.



• Step 3: Choosing appropriate instructional methods On-the-job training Job instruction training Lecture Case method Role playing Behavior modeling Computer-based instruction Video training Interactive video training Web-based


Exhibit 7-3 Training Methods

Training Method

Description Pros Cons

OJT (on-the-job training)

On-the-job training involves one employee showing a newer one the skills and tasks that are needed for the job. Usually, a short amount of time is set aside for OJT.

OJT allows trainees to watch more experienced workers and ask them questions as they perform the job.

OJT is often conducted haphazardly, and new employees may feel unprepared to go out on their own. Trainees are shown tasks but do not actually do them, impeding learning.

JIT (job instruction training)

Job instruction training involves trainers showing trainees each step of a job, talking over the key points at each juncture, and guiding the trainee’s practice.

JIT is a good method for teaching tasks that can be broken down into step-by-step procedures. Learners practice under the watchful eye of more experienced workers and gain confidence.

JIT is not the best method for intuitive tasks or those in which case-by-case decisions and alterations need to be made.


Lecture A lecture is just that—a speaker presenting material, usually to a large group of workers.

Lectures are ideal for giving simple knowledge—the history of a company, for example, or a company’s new vacation policy.

The downside to lectures is that the communication flows in just one way, and listeners may become bored or impatient, resulting in not paying attention and not acquiring the knowledge presented.

Cases Cases ask trainees to read sample scenarios of events and situations they may encounter on the job and then analyze the circumstances.

Cases allow trainees to learn through guided discovery and teach them to think critically about problems.

Because trainers who use the case method to train shy away from insisting on right and wrong answers, trainees may not always receive the best guidance. In addition, case study does not provide direct practice.

Role-playing

In role-playing, trainees act out a situation and its resolution and receive feedback from the trainer and other trainees.

Role-playing is a good method for teaching better communication and interaction skills.

Role-players may make mistakes without being able to correct them, causing embarrassment and loss of self-confidence. Shy or quiet trainees may feel uncomfortable acting in a group situation.


Behavior modeling

Behavior modeling is based on the idea that workers should observe a task, practice it, and receive constant feedback until they are competent. Trainees learn the “right way” to do something the first time.

Behavior modeling captures the attention of the learner; provides clear, correct instruction; and monitors progress toward competency.

Critics of behavior modeling cite the amount of time it takes to train workers using this method.

CBI (computer-based instruction)

Computer-based instruction uses a computer to take students through tutorials, drills, games, and simulations.

The high level of interactivity in CBI results in higher levels of trainees’ acquisition and retention of the materials taught, offers self-paced learning, and can be cost-saving, especially in terms of simulations.

CBI can be very expensive, and some workers may be frustrated by working with a computer instead of a live person.

Video Video training uses video to demonstrate tasks or to present material.

With video training, users can skip over material they already know or watch a procedure several times in order to better grasp it.

Some users will find the lack of personal contact in a video training session boring, leading to a lack of paying attention and thus a lack of knowledge acquisition.


IVT (interactive video training)

Interactive video training combines video and computer technology. Trainees watch a video segment and respond via the computer.

IVT allows trainees to repeat sections until they respond to training questions correctly. Learners can replay situations that end badly until they are able to succeed. Learners can be at remote locations, and large numbers of workers can be trained at once.

IVT can be somewhat expensive and requires setup in training locations.

Web-based Through the web, using computer software such as WebCT or Blackboard, the instructor can provide information in a number of ways, such as audio, interactive video, typed notes, and PowerPoint slides. Moreover, students can interact with the instructor and other students via the use of chat rooms.

Companies cite convenience and lower cost as their primary reasons for implementing web-based programs.

Certain subject matter, such as contract negotiations, customer service, sales, and interpersonal skills training, does not lend itself to web-based methods. Moreover, web-based training makes some participants feel isolated and out of touch.



• Step 4: Ensuring that training is used on the job Overlearning: Provide trainees with continued practice

far beyond the point when the task has been performed successfully.

Matching course content to the job: Ensure a close link between the training and job settings so that the trainees will understand how the learned material can be applied to the job setting.

Action plans: Indicate the steps employees plan to take to apply the new skills when they return to the job.



• Multiphase programming: Trainees are given “homework,” that requires them to apply lessons back on the job; results are shared with others in the next session to identify better ways to apply what they have learned.

• Performance aids: Such as checklists, decision tables, charts, and diagrams trigger trainees’ responses when they attempt to apply their newly learned behaviors on the job.



• Post-training follow-up procedures: Include a hot-line number and instructor visits.

• Building a supportive work environment: Trainees are encouraged to apply what they have learned to their jobs, increasing retention and proficiency.



• Step 5: Determining whether training programs are effective through training evaluations. Measuring instruments that may be used for

evaluation are trainee reactions, testing, performance appraisal, and records of organizational performance.

Designs used to evaluate the effects of a training program include the following features:- Pretest: Show the trainees’ base or pre-training level of

knowledge, skill, or performance.- Post-test: Show the trainees’ post-training level of

knowledge, skill, or performance.- Control group: Identical in makeup to the group trained,

except they have not received the training.


7-2b Management Development

• Developing a succession planning program

• Designing the instructional program: timing and content

• Designing the instructional program: instructional methods


7-2b Management Development (cont.)

• Developing a succession planning program Tying management development to HR planning. Defining managerial requirements. Assessing management potential. Identifying career paths. Developing replacement charts to indicate the

availability of candidates and their readiness to step into the various management positions.



• Timing and content Providing training before placing candidates on the job

- New managers will feel well prepared to perform their new jobs from the start.

- Demerits include inefficiency, time lapse, and inability to relate the training to the targeted job.

Providing training after placing candidates on the job- New managers have an opportunity to appreciate how

the material in the instructional program apply to the problems they face.

- Disadvantage: New managers will be unprepared when they assume their new jobs and may thus make many mistakes.


Management instruction programs should bridge gaps in what individuals already know and what they need to know for their new positions.

Figure 7-1 Instructional Needs for People at Different Managerial Levels

Source: Kraut, A.I., Pedigo, R.R., McKenna, D.D., and Dunnette, M.D. (1989). The role of the manager: What’s really important in different management jobs. Academy of Management Executive, 3 (4), 286–293.



• Instructional methods Classroom instruction: Takes place within the

organization or outside, at seminars and universities. Career resource centers: Include an in-house library

with relevant reading material for interested managerial candidates.

Job rotation: Trainees are rotated through various departments to gain an overall perspective of the organization and learn how various parts interrelate.



• Instructional methods Mentoring: Provides members with a common value

base, and with implicit knowledge of what is expected of them and what they can expect from the organization.

Special projects: Includes action learning, a management development activity in which management gives candidates real problems to solve.


7-3a Training and Development and the Manager’s Job

• Provide employee orientation training.

• Assess training needs and plan developmental strategies.

• Provide on-the-job training.

• Ensure transfer of training.


7-3b How the HRM Department Can Help

• Provide employee orientation training.

• Contribute to management development programs.

• Provide training and development.

• Evaluate training.


7-3c HRM Skill-Building for Managers

• Conducting a performance analysis Step 1: Examine the job requirements to determine

what is expected or desired of the individual. Step 2: Assess the individual’s performance in relation

to expectations. Step 3: Analyze any discrepancy between the two and

determine whether it is caused by knowledge deficiency or execution deficiency.

Step 4: Implement changes for improving performance.

chapter 7 training and developing employees

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