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Chapter 07 – Training
IV. Discussion Questions:
The References and related Discussion Questions may be found in PowerPoint slides 15-1 to
15-9 on the instructor’s side of the text’s Website.
Learning Objective #1: To assess students’ understanding of a team and how it develops.
1. What type of team is this team? How do you know? See PPT 15-3.
This is a formal team because the senior management has assigned these individuals to
2. What stage of group development is this team in? See PPT 15-4.
Forming. They are just getting together to commence work on this project. It is clear
no one is really bought-in to the project or their expected role.
1. Cheng is off subject. What should Joe do?
2. Joe is frustrated. He should:
3. What should Joe have done before, during, and after the meeting to ensure the
commencement of the project is successful?
Joe should have, and did, send out an agenda. He may have talked to each team
member individually to understand their perspective on being assigned to this project
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Chapter 07 – Training
During the meeting, he could have explained the purpose of the project and why they
After the meeting, he should send out meeting minutes that specifically indicate what
Learning Objective #2: To identify strategies for improving group cohesiveness.
1. What factors of group cohesiveness were present in this team? See PPT 15-7.
Answers will vary. Group size typically depends on the nature of the task but 4 to 6 is a
3. Joe dismisses Rosa. He acted:
He maintained Rosa’s self-esteem by noting that he appreciated her energy
4. The team is not proactive. Joe should:
Students’ answers will vary. This should provide an opportunity to discuss how
2. What should Joe do now to ensure the team’s effectiveness and ultimate success? Use
the Model of Team Effectiveness (PPT 15-9) to support your answer.
Students should use the items in the model as a guide for suggesting specific actions
Joe could take. For example, “Reward Systems” should prompt students to suggest
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Chapter 07 – Training
5. Simon feels the project is futile. Joe should:
Simon makes comments that seem to undermine the value of the project. This
6. Simon is leaving. Joe should:
Because Simon is a senior member of the team, it would probably not be
Additional Activities
Teaching Suggestions
There are several cases and articles that can be used as additional activities when discussing the
topic of training. The cases could be assigned to individuals as writing assignments or could be
assigned to groups to be done inside or outside of class. The articles could also be assigned and
discussed in class.
1. Harvard Business School Case 9-488-016. United Parcel Service (a) by Sonnenfeld and
Lazo, Teaching Note 5-488-011. United Parcel Service (UPS) in 1987 faced serious
challenges to its long-standing policies of on-the-job training and promotion from
within. Increased competition in its traditional business of ground transport found UPS
lagging in computerization and in need of technical expertise it could not simply cull
from within its ranks. Whether, when, and how the new people were to be hired and
assimilated and to what extent the UPS culture and/or the new people would have to
adapt were the key questions.
Suggested questions for the United Parcel Service case:
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McGraw-Hill Education.
Chapter 07 – Training
(1) What are the trade-offs between hiring information services employees from within
and training them versus hiring talented people from outside UPS?
(2) Both the facilities and employees at UPS contributed to a no-frills, egalitarian,
hard-working supportive atmosphere. Develop a set of interview questions that
could be used in an interview by the hiring manager to determine if a potential
outside hire would 'fit' in at UPS.
(3) What did you learn about managing human resources from reading and analyzing
this case?
2. 'Companies That Train Best ' by Ronald Henkoff, Fortune, March 22, 1993. This article
could be assigned and students could be asked to write a review of the article, or small
groups of students could be asked to discuss the article. The article identifies
corporations that have made a significant commitment to training. Have students
discuss the similarities and differences in the corporations that are described. Why
would a corporation not spend the money for training? How does a corporation decide
how much money should be spent on training?
3. Cross-training is an important training concept discussed and explored in "Cross-Training:
The Tactical View" by Margaret Kaerer in Training, March 1993, pp. 35-39. What are
the advantages of cross-training? What are the disadvantages? Do you think
corporations will be doing more cross-training in the future? Why or why not?
4. In the August 1992 edition of HR Magazine, there are two interesting articles on training.
The article entitled "Training" by Linda Thornburg describes how four successful
companies (Xerox, KPMG Peat Marwick, Parisian, and Aetna) are thinking about
training in today's fast-paced environment. The article entitled "Retraining" by
Stephenie Overman discusses how employers and employees can benefit from
retraining, but explains that many companies are reluctant to invest. These articles
could be assigned together or separately, and students could be asked to discuss the
main points in each article.
5. The following cases on training can be used by individual students for written analysis or
used by small groups. Possible discussion questions are included.
Safety Training
(Raymond Noe, Michigan State University)
Last summer, Capistrano County experienced a rash of injuries to its employees. Although
most of the injuries were minor, the company fen that it was imperative to conduct a series of
short training programs on safe material-handling techniques. Bill Noe, road department
supervisor, who had recently attended a safety training session sponsored by the Red Cross,
conducted the training. The training was completed on a department-by-department basis with
small groups of 10 to 15 employees attending each session.
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Chapter 07 – Training
At the first of these training sessions, Bill stood up in front of 15 employees and read his
presentation in a monotone voice: The entire speech lasted about two minutes. It consisted of
the following text:
Statistics show that an average of 30 persons injure their backs on the job each day in this state.
None of us wants to become a "statistic. "
The first thing that should be done before lifting an object is to look it over and decide whether
you can handle it alone or if help is needed. Get help if there's any doubt as to whether the load
is safely within your capacity.
Next, look over the area where you're going to be carrying the object. Make sure it is clear of
obstacles. You may have to do a little housekeeping before moving your load. After you have
checked out the load and route you're going to travel, the following steps should be taken for
your safety in lifting:
1. Get a good footing close to the load.
1. Place your feet 8 to 12 inches apart.
2. Bend your knees to grasp the load.
3. Bend your knees outward, straddling the load.
4. Get a firm grip.
5. Keep the load close to your body.
6. Lift gradually.
Once you have lifted the load, you’ll eventually have to set it down, so bend your legs again
and follow the lifting procedures in reverse. Make sure that your fingers clear the pinch points.
And, finally, it’s a good idea to set one corner down first.
After Bill’s speech had ended, the employees immediately returned to work.
Question
1. What do you think about the county's training program? Should it be changed? How?
Outdoor Training for IDS Managers
(Raymond Noe, Michigan State University)
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Chapter 07 – Training
The CEO of IDS believes that outdoor training can improve the managerial skills of IDS
managers. As a result, he has made it mandatory that each manager attend an adventure
learning session in Brainerd, Minnesota. Eight to twelve managers go through the training at
one time. The program begins by having managers discuss the skills they would like to
develop. The managers participate in group exercises such as climbing a 12-foot wall.
Individual exercises such as 'trust falls" and crossing a creek while suspended from a basket by
a wire are also used. At the end of the program, the managers discuss with a facilitator what
they have learned from each exercise.
Questions
1. Why would anyone spend money and time to have managers attend adventure learning.
(Costs typically range from $2,000 to $4,000 per manager).
2. How would you evaluate this type of reining to determine if it "worked?”
The Printing Press
(Raymond Noe, Michigan State University)
You are a production manager for a daily newspaper. Since you have purchased new
technology for inserting different sections (sports, variety, etc.) into the newspaper, you have
been having problems. Newspapers are often "assembled" in the wrong order (e.g., classified
ads first), causing delivery delays and costing you money to produce papers that are “assem-
bled" in the correct order. Previously this job has been completed manually with few problems.
Now the employees must monitor machines to make sure that the sections are assembled in the
right order. The equipment involves reading directions appearing on the computer monitor.
Managers and engineers examining the new equipment held training sessions with groups of
employees to show them how the new equipment worked.
Question
1. What are the potential reasons for the production problems?
Speed Reading for Eligibility Technicians
(Raymond Noe, Michigan State University)
The Department of Social Services represents a large portion of the county's budget and total
number of employees. The job class of eligibility technician (ET) is directly responsible for all
client contact, policy interpretation, and financial decisions related to several forms of public
aid (e.g., ADC, Food Stamps, and General Relief). The County of San Capestrano has 1,100
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Chapter 07 – Training
budgeted ET positions and hires approximately 200 ETs each year. Once hired, they are
enrolled in an extensive eight-week training program intended to familiarize them with legal
statutes, procedural guidelines, and report/documentation preparation. The program costs
approximately $10,000 per trainee.
ETs are faced with having to read a large amount of correspondence, including internal memos,
announcements of new and revised policies and procedures, on a daily basis. ETs were
complaining that they had difficulty reading and responding to the large amounts of
correspondence. For an additional $100 per technician, a speed-reading module could be added
to the existing training program. You decided that the money would be well spent and added
the speed-reading module to the new technician training program.
Preliminary evaluation of the speed-reading module was that trainees liked it. Speed-reading
tests administered before and after training showed that, on average, reading speeds increased
200 percent with no loss in comprehension.
Two months after the last session, you informally asked some of the technicians you supervise
who had completed the speed reading module if they were using the speed-reading principles
on the job. They said they were not using them at work, but did use it in their leisure reading at
home. When you asked them about using it on the job, the typical response was "I never read
those memos and policy announcements anyway!"
Questions
1. Was this training a waste of money? What should have been done to insure that the
speed-reading program was necessary?
2. How would you determine the objectives of the speed-reading program? Write several
possible objectives.
3. What could you do to get the technicians to use the speed-reading principles on their jobs?
4. How would you evaluate the effectiveness of the speed-reading program?
Note: Eligibility Technician Job Description
Interviews applicants or recipients to determine eligibility for public assistance; interprets and
explains rules and regulations governing eligibility and grants, methods of payment, and legal
rights to applicant or recipient; records and evaluates personal and financial data obtained from
applicant or recipient to determine initial or continuing eligibility according to department
objectives; initiates procedures to grant, modify, deny, or terminate eligibility and grants for
various aid programs, such as public welfare, employment, and medical assistance; authorizes
amounts of grants, based on determination of eligibility for amount of money payments, food
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Chapter 07 – Training
stamps, medical care, or other general assistance; identifies need for social services and makes
referrals to various agencies and community resources available; prepares regular and special
reports as required and submits individual recommendations for consideration by supervisor;
and prepares and keeps records of assigned cases.
"Distance Learning: Work and Training Overlap" by Bill Leonard, HRMagazine, April 1966,
pp. 41-47.
Questions
1. What are the advantages and disadvantages of distance learning?
2. Why does the author believe emerging economics such as Thailand and Indonesia have
an advantage over the United States in adapting technology to train their work forces?
HRM Failures
Top
Case 7: Must Employees Be Paid for Time Spent in Training?
When a company purchased a voice and data communication system from circuit maker
As a prerequisite to the training, the employer required its technicians to complete four
Was the organization required to pay employees for the time they spent learning online?
While the Department of Labor ruled that the Web-based coursework met criteria a, b, and
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Chapter 07 – Training
Question
As an employer, you believe productivity would increase if your workers built their skills.
What should you do?
Possible answers
O-er on-the-job training to entry-level employees.
Source: James E. Hall, Mark T. Kobata and Marty Denis, “Compensability of Job-Related
Training,” Workforce Management, April 6, 2009, http://www.workforce.com. FLSA2009-13
(1/15/09).
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