Effective Strategies for Workforce Training and Development
School
Fitchburg State University**We aren't endorsed by this school
Course
MGMT 9050
Subject
Management
Date
Dec 12, 2024
Pages
4
Uploaded by MinisterTitanium15939
Copyright 2020 Pearson Education, Inc 118 Chapter 8 Training the Workforce CHAPTER OVERVIEW Organizations face several questions with respect to training. For example, they have to respond to "How can we effectively and efficiently deliver training to employees?" and "Should training programs cut across functional or craft lines?" These and other questions are addressed in this chapter. The chapter distinguishes between training and development. The major challenges managers face in trying to improve workers' performance through training are also presented. In addition, the chapter offers suggestions on managing the three phases of the training process, explores particular types of training, and considers ways to maximize and evaluate training's effectiveness. The chapter closes with a discussion of new employee orientation. LEARNING OBJECTIVES After reading this chapter, students should be able to deal more effectively with the following challenges: 8.1 Understandthe distinction between training and career development. 8.2 Describethe major challenges affecting the training process. 8.3 Develop skills to manage the training process. ANNOTATED OUTLINE LEARNING OBJECTIVE 1 Understand the distinction between training and career development I.Training versus Career Development Although training is often used with development, the terms are not synonymous. Training typically focuses on providing employees with specific skills or helping them correct deficiencies in their performance. In contrast, development is an effort to provide employees with the abilities that the organization will need in the future. Figure 8-1 in the text summarizes the differences between training and development. LEARNING OBJECTIVE 2 Describe the major challenges affecting the training process II.Challenges in Training The training process brings with it many questions that managers must answer. Included in these questions are: Is training the solution to the problems? Are the goals of training clear and realistic? Is training a good investment? Will the training work?
Copyright 2020 Pearson Education, Inc 119 A.Is Training the Solution? A goal of training is to eliminate a problem or improve performance. Training, however, may not always be the solution. B.Are the Goals Clear and Realistic? Clear and realistic goals will guide the program’s content and determine the criteria by which its effectiveness is to be measured. C.Is Training a Good Investment? If training is well designed and implemented appropriately then it can pay off in more capable and loyal employees. Only an analysis of costs and benefits will indicate whether a training investment, no matter how well planned and positioned, was worth it or is worth continuing. D.Will Training Work? Successful training includes good participants and managers who support training and its purpose. A well-designed training program flows from the company’s strategic goals; a poorly designed one has no relation- ship to—or even worse, is at cross-purposes with—those goals. It is the manager’s responsibility to ensure that training is linked with organizational goals. E.How Can Training Keep Pace with a Changing Organizational Environment Many training topics are provided online. As products, sales procedures, and equipment change, online content can be easily created or changed and disseminated to employees. F.Should Training Take Place in a Classroom Setting or on the Job Classroom training may lack realism and not be as effective as training that occurs while on the job. However, on-the-job training can cause slowdowns that decrease production or irritate customers. G.How Can Training Be Effectively Delivered on a Large Scale? An option for a widely dispersed firm could be to offer hands-on training on a regional basis, such that face-to-face training takes place at various regional centers.
Copyright 2020 Pearson Education, Inc 120 H.How Can Training Be Delivered so Trainees Are Motivated to Learn? A key to motivating trainees is to make sure that what they are learning is for them and their jobs. When employees are sent to training, they should be able to see how the content of the training is related to performance of their jobs. If this relevance link isn’t there, employees can’t be expected to be motivated to learn the content LEARNING OBJECTIVE 3 Develop skills to manage the training process III.Managing the Training Process Effective training can raise performance, improve morale, and increase an organization's potential. Poor, inappropriate, or inadequate training can be a source of frustration for everyone involved. To maximize the benefits of training, managers must closely monitor the training process. As Figure 8.2 shows, the formal training process consists of three phases: (1) needs assessment, (2) create and deliver training, and (3) evaluation. A. The Needs Assessment Phase The overall purpose of the assessment phase is to determine if training is needed and, if so, to provide the information required to design the training program. Assessment consists of three levels of analysis: organizational, task, and person. The only performance problem that training can address is a deficiency that is under the trainee’s control. Figure 8.2 B. Clarifying the Objectives of Training The objectives for a training program should be based on the assessment phase. Objectives should be stated in terms of behavior and the criteria for judging the training program’s effectiveness should flow directly from the behavioral objectives. The objectives of training must be clarified, related to the KSAs identified in the task analysis, and should be challenging, precise, achievable, and understood by all. Figure 8.3 C. The Create and Deliver Phase The training program that results from assessment should be a direct response to an organizational problem or need. Approaches vary by location, presentation, and type. They are as follows: 1. Location options
Copyright 2020 Pearson Education, Inc 121 a. On the job: job rotation, apprenticeships, internships b. Off the job: formal courses, simulation, role-playing. 2. Presentation options a. Teletraining and webcasts b. Computers c. Simulations d. Virtual reality e. Classroom instruction and role-plays 3. Types of training a. Skills training b. Retraining c. Cross-functional training d. Team training e. Creativity training Figure. 8.4 f. Literacy training g. Diversity training h. Crisis training i. Ethics training j. Customer service training D. The Evaluation Phase In this phase, the effectiveness of the training is assessed. Effectiveness can be measured in monetary or nonmonetary terms. It is important that the training be assessed on how well it addresses the needs it was designed to address. There are four levels of evaluation: reactions, learning, behavior, and results. Figure 8.5 E. Legal Issues and Training The major requirement is that employees must have access to training and development in a nondiscriminatory fashion.