Chapter 07 – Training Employees
B. In-House or Contracted Out?
1. An organization can provide an effective training program, even if the organization
lacks expertise in training.
2. Many companies and consultants provide training services to such organizations.
3. To select a training service, an organization can mail several vendors a request for
proposal (RFP). This is a document outlining the type of service needed, the type
and number of references needed, the number of employees to be trained, the date
by which the training is to be completed, and the date by which the proposals should
be received.
4. The cost of purchasing training from a contractor can vary substantially.
5. Even in organizations that send employees to outside training programs, someone in
the organization may be responsible for coordinating the overall training program.
This responsibility, called training administration, is typically held by a human
resource professional. Training administration includes activities before, during, and
after training sessions.
C. Choices of Training Methods
1. Whether the organization prepares its own training programs or buys training from
other organizations, it is important to ensure that the content of training directly relates
to the training objectives.
2. Based on the goals and content of the training program, planners must decide how
the training will be conducted. A wide variety of methods are available. These fall
into the broad categories of presentation methods, hands-on methods and group-
building methods. Table 7.2 illustrates the Categories of Training Methods.
a. Presentation methods: trainees receive information provided by instructors,
computers, or other media – appropriate for conveying facts or comparing
alternative processes
b. Hands-on methods: actively involve the trainee in learning by trying out the
behaviors being taught – appropriate for teaching specific skills and helping
trainees understand how skills and behaviors apply to their jobs
c. Group-building methods: help trainees share ideas and experience, build
group or team identity, understand how interpersonal relationships work, and get
to know their own strengths and weaknesses and those of their coworkers –
appropriate for establishing teams or work groups or for improving their
performance
VI. Training Methods
1. A wide variety of methods are available for conducting training.
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Chapter 07 – Training Employees
2. Figure 7.2 Overview of Use of Instructional Methods, shows the share of companies
using various training methods.
3. The various training methods include instructor-led classrooms, online self-study, virtual
classrooms, social media and mobile devices, and combinations of these methods.
Although the share of instruction provided online is growing, classroom training remains
the most popular of these methods.
A. Classroom Instruction
1. Classroom instruction typically involves a trainer lecturing a group.
2. Modern technology has expanded the notion of the classroom to classes of trainees
scattered in various locations. With distance learning, trainees at different locations
attend programs over the phone and computer lines.
3. Distance learning provides many of the benefits of classroom training without the
cost and time of travel. The major disadvantage of distance learning is that
interaction between the trainer and audience may be limited.
B. Audiovisual Training
1. Presentation methods need not require that trainees attend a class. Trainees can
work independently using course material prepared in workbooks, on DVDs, or on
the internet.
2. Audiovisual techniques such as overhead transparencies, slides, and video or audio
clips also can supplement classroom instruction.
3. With modern technology, audiovisual materials can easily be made available on a
variety of devices, from desktop computers to the tiny screens of smartphones and
MP3 players.
4. Users of audiovisual training often have some control over the presentation. They
can review the material and may be able to slow down or speed up the lesson.
Audiovisual training can show situations and equipment that cannot easily be
demonstrated in a classroom. They give trainees a consistent presentation, not
affected by an individual trainer’s goals and skills. The problem associated with
these methods include trying to present too much information, poorly written
dialogue, overuse of features such as humor or music, and drama that distracts
from key points.
C. Computer-Based Training
1. With computer-based training, participants receive course materials and instruction
distributed over the Internet or on CD-ROM.
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Chapter 07 – Training Employees
2. Computer-based training is generally less expensive than putting an instructor in a
classroom of trainees.
3. Training can be delivered in smaller doses, so material is easier to remember. It is
easier to customize computer-based training for individual learners.
4. E-Learning (online learning): This is receiving training via the Internet or the
organization’s intranet. It may bring together Web-based training, distance learning,
virtual classrooms, and the use of CD-ROMs.
5. Electronic Performance Support Systems (EPSSs): These are computer
applications that provide access to skills training, information, and expert advice
when a problem occurs on the job.
6. The best E-Leaning combines the advantages of the Internet with the principles of a
good learning environment.
D. On-the-Job Training
1. On-the-job training (OJT): refers to training methods in which a person with job
experience and skill guides trainees in practicing job skills at the workplace.
2. This type of training takes various forms including: apprenticeship – a work-study
method that teaches job skills through a combination of structured on-the-job
training and classroom training and internship – on-the-job learning sponsored by
an educational institution as a component of an academic program.
3. Table 7.3 identifies typical jobs for apprentices and interns.
4. To be effective, OJT programs should include several characteristics:
a. The organization should issue a policy statement describing the purpose of
OJT and emphasizing the organization’s support for it
b. The organization should specify who is accountable for conducting OJT
c. The organization should review OJT practices at companies in similar
industries
d. Managers and peers should be trained in OJT principles
e. Employees who conduct OJT should have access to necessary materials
f. Before conducting OJT with an employee, the organization should assess the
employees’ level of basic skills
E. Simulations
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Chapter 07 – Training Employees
1. A simulation is a training method that represents a real-life situation, with trainees
making decisions resulting in outcomes that mirror what would happen on the job.
1. Simulators must have elements identical to those found in the work environment.
2. When simulations are conducted online, trainees often participate by creating
avatars, or computer depictions of themselves, which they manipulate onscreen to
play roles.
4. A recent development in simulations is the use of virtual reality technology. Virtual
reality is computer-based technology that provides an interactive, three-
dimensional learning experience.
F. Business Games and Case Studies
1. Training programs use business games and case studies to develop employees’
management skills.
2. A case study is a detailed description of a situation that trainees study and discuss.
3. With business games, trainees gather information, analyze it, and make decisions
that influence the outcome of the game.
4. Training with case studies and games requires that participants come together to
discuss the cases or the progress of the game.
G. Behavior Modeling
1. Research suggests that one of the most effective ways to teach interpersonal skills
is through behavior modeling. This involves training sessions in which participants
observe other people demonstrating the desired behavior, and then have
opportunities to practice the behavior themselves.
2. In addition, participants evaluate the performance of the model in the video and
discuss how they can apply the behavior on the job.
H. Experiential Programs (Adventure Learning)
1. To develop teamwork and leadership skills, some organizations enroll their
employees in a form of training called experiential programs (adventure learning).
These adventure learning programs use challenging, structured outdoor activities.
2. One form of experiential program is adventure learning, which uses challenging,
structured outdoor activities, which may include difficult sports such as mountain
climbing.
3. Organizations should be aware of the drawbacks before using such programs. The
drawbacks include: the physical demands of the programs, participants are
required to touch each other, which can make them feel sexually harassed or that
their privacy was invaded, and individuals with disabilities may be unable to
participate.
I. Team Training
1. Team training coordinates the performance of individuals who work together to
achieve a common goal.
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Chapter 07 – Training Employees
2. Cross-training: team members understand and practice each other’s skills so that
members are prepared to step in and take another member’s place.
3. Coordination training: trains the team in how to share information and decisions
to obtain the best team performance.
4. Team leader training: training the team leaders in the skills necessary for team
leadership, like conflict resolution or activity coordination
J. Action Learning
1. Another form of group building is action learning. In this type of training, teams or
work groups get an actual problem, work on solving it and commit to an action plan,
and are accountable for carrying out the plan.
2. Ideally, the project is one for which the efforts and results will be visible not only to
participants but also to others in the organization.
3. At General Electric, action learning has included projects aimed at analyzing the
market potential of various countries with fast-developing markets.
VII. Implementing the Training Program
1. Learning permanently changes behavior.
2. Implementation of a training program should enable employees to transfer what they
have learned to the workplace.
3. Table 7.4 summarizes the events that should take place to encourage learning.
4. In general, effective training communicates learning objectives, presents information in
distinctive and memorable ways, and helps trainees link the subject matter to their jobs.
5. Employees are most likely to learn when training is linked to their current job
experiences and tasks.
6. To fully understand and remember the content of the training, employees need a
chance to demonstrate and practice what they have learned. Trainers should provide
ways to actively involve the trainees, have them practice repeatedly, and have them
complete tasks within a time that is appropriate in light of the learning objectives.
7. Trainees also need to understand whether they are succeeding. Training sessions
should offer feedback. Effective feedback focuses on specific behaviors and is
delivered as soon as possible after the trainees practice or demonstrate what they have
learned.
1. Well-designed training helps people remember the content. Written materials should
have an appropriate reading level. A simple way to assess readability – the difficulty
level of written materials- is to look at the length of sentences and the difficulty of words.
2. Ultimately, the goal of implementation is transfer of training, or on-the-job use of
knowledge, skills, and behaviors learned in training.
3. The organization can formally provide peer support by establishing communities of
practice—groups of employees who work together, learn from each other, and develop a
common understanding of how to get work accomplished.
VIII. Measuring Results of Training
1. The stage to prepare for evaluating a training program is when the program is being
developed.
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Chapter 07 – Training Employees
2. Figure 7.3, Measures of Training Success, identifies several measures of the
success of the training.
3. Measures of training success include: trainee satisfaction with the program, knowledge
or abilities learned, use of new skills and behaviors on the job, and improvements in
individual and organizational performance.
A. Evaluation Methods
1. Evaluation of training should look for transfer of training or on-the-job use of
knowledge, skills, and behaviors learned in training. The organization can measure
this by asking employees three questions about specific training-related tasks:
a. Do you perform the task?
b. How many times do you perform the task?
c. To what extent do you perform difficult and challenging learned tasks?
2. Assessment of training should also evaluate training outcomes, that is, what (if
anything) has changed as a result of the training.
3. Training is a significant part of many organizations’ budgets. Economic measures
are an important way to evaluate the success of a training program.
4. The most accurate but costly way to evaluate the training program is to measure
performance, knowledge, or attitudes among all employees before the training, then
to train only part of the employees. After the training is complete, the trained group
is compared with the untrained group.
B. Applying the Evaluation
1. The purpose of evaluating training is to help with future decisions about the
organization’s training programs.
2. The organization may decide to expand on successful areas of training and cut
back on training that has not delivered significant benefits.
IX. Applications of Training
1. Two categories of training that have become widespread among U.S. companies are:
orientation of new employees and training in how to manage workforce diversity.
A. Orientation of New Employees
2. Orientation: training designed to prepare employees to perform their job effectively,
learn about the organization, and establish work relationships.
3. Table 7.5 summarizes the content of a typical orientation program.
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Chapter 07 – Training Employees
4. Orientation programs may combine various training methods such as printed and
audiovisual materials, classroom instruction, on-the-job training, and e-learning.
B. Diversity Training
1. Training designed to change employee attitudes about diversity and/or develop
skills needed to work with a diverse workforce is called diversity training. These
programs generally emphasize either attitude awareness and change or behavior
change.
2. Programs that focus on attitudes have objectives to increase participant’s
awareness of cultural and ethnic differences, as well as differences in personal
characteristics and physical characteristics, such as disabilities.
3. Programs that focus on behaviors aim at changing the organizational policies and
individual behaviors that inhibit employees’ personal growth and productivity.
4. Diversity training should be tied to business objectives such as understanding
customers. It should emphasize learning behaviors and skills, not blaming
employees. The program should be well structured, connected to the organization’s
rewards for performance, and should include a way to measure the success of the
training.
ROADMAP: Chapter Vocabulary
Training
Instructional Design
Learning Management System (LMS)
Needs Assessment
Organization Analysis
Person Analysis
Task Analysis
Readiness for Training
e-Learning
Electronic Performance Support System (EPSS)
On-the-Job Training (OJT)
Apprenticeship
Internship
Simulation
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Chapter 07 – Training Employees
Avatars
Virtual Reality
Experiential Programs
Adventure Learning
Cross-Training
Coordination Training
Team Leader Training
Action Learning
Readability
Transfer of Training
Taking Responsibility
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