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Chapter 8: Training and Developing Employees 8-9
Copyright © 2017 Pearson Education, Inc.
8-6: When facing economic, competitive, or other challenges, managers have to execute
organizational change programs.
8-7: Whatever the training program, it’s important to evaluate the training effort.
Discussion Questions:
8-1: "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
8-2: Explain how you would apply our “motivation points” 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
8-3: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?
This item can be assigned as a Discussion Question in MyManagementLab. Student
What are some important advantages to using cloud-based training?
This item can be assigned as a Discussion Question in MyManagementLab. Student
8-4: Describe the pros and cons of five management development methods.
This item can be assigned as a Discussion Question in MyManagementLab. Student
trainees? Why or why not?
Most students will probably support job rotation for management trainees. It gives the
Chapter 8: Training and Developing Employees 8-10
Copyright © 2017 Pearson Education, Inc.
and cooperation. It also gives the trainee the chance to experience different areas to see what
8-6: What is organizational development and how does it differ from traditional
approaches to organizational change?
Organizational development is a special approach to organizational change in which
employees themselves formulate and implement the change that’s required. It differs from
8-7: List and briefly explain each of the steps in the training process.
The employer should use a rational training process. The gold standard here is still the basic
analysis-design-develop-implement-evaluate (ADDIE) training process model that training
experts have used for years. As an example, one training vendor describes its training process
as follows:
1. Analyze the training need. – the training needs analysis may address the employer’s
strategic/longer-term training needs and/or its current training needs.
program including training objectives, delivery methods, and program evaluation. Sub-
steps include setting performance objectives, creating a detailed training outline (all
development means actually assembling the program’s training content and materials. It
means choosing the actual content the program will present, as well as
designing/choosing the specific instructional methods (lectures, cases, Web-based, etc.)
as on-the-job or online training.
crucial that the manager evaluate the training program. There are two basic issues to
Individual and Group Activities:
8-8: 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
Chapter 8: Training and Developing Employees 8-11
Copyright © 2017 Pearson Education, Inc.
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 people often will immediately point to training as the
8-9: Choose a task with which you are familiar—mowing the lawn, making a salad, or
studying for a test—and develop a job instruction sheet for it.
There is an example of a job instruction training sheet for operating a large motorized paper
8-10: 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 about listing guidelines. They are to
8-11: Find three or four actual examples of employers using social media for training
purposes. At what levels of managers are the offerings aimed? What seem to be the
most popular types of programs? Why do you think that’s the case?
Student results will vary but should include a variety of media such as LinkedIn, Facebook,
8-12: Working individually or in groups, develop several specific 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.
Look for examples to be well thought out and to represent the guidelines given in the
8-13: 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 in the chapter on why orientation is important. They
8-14: Appendices A and B at the end of this book list the knowledge someone studying for
the HRCI (Appendix A) or SHRM (Appendix B) certification exam needs to have in
each area of human resource management (such as in Strategic Management and
Workforce Planning). In groups of several students, do four things: (1) review
Chapter 8: Training and Developing Employees 8-12
Copyright © 2017 Pearson Education, Inc.
Appendix A and/or B; (2) identify the material in this chapter that relates to the
Appendix A and/or B required knowledge 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 that students in all teams can answer the exam
questions created by the other teams.
Material covered in this chapter relevant to the HRCI exam would include succession
planning, needs analysis, development, implementation and evaluation of training programs,
8-15: Perhaps no training task in Afghanistan was more pressing than that involved in
creating the country’s new army, which is an ongoing task. These were the people
who were to help the coalition bring security to Afghanistan. However, many new
soldiers and even officers had no experience. 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 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
Experiential Exercise: Flying the Friendlier Skies
Purpose: The purpose of this exercise is to give you practice in developing a training program
for the job of airline reservation clerk for a major airline.
Required Understanding: You should be fully acquainted with the material in this chapter and
should read the following description of an airline reservation clerk’s duties:
Customers contact our airline reservation clerks to obtain flight schedules, prices, and itineraries.
The reservation clerks look up the requested information on our airline’s online flight schedule
systems, which are updated continuously. The reservation clerk must deal courteously and
expeditiously with the customer, and be able to quickly find alternative flight arrangements in
order to provide the customer with the itinerary that fits his or her needs. Alternative flights and
prices must be found quickly, so that the customer is not kept waiting, and so that our
reservations operations group maintains its efficiency standards. It is often necessary to look
under various routings, since there may be a dozen or more alternative routes between the
Chapter 8: Training and Developing Employees 8-13
Copyright © 2017 Pearson Education, Inc.
customer’s starting point and destination. You may assume that we just hired 30 new clerks, and
that you must create a 3-day training program.
How to Set up the Exercise/Instructions: Divide the class into teams of five or six students.
Airline reservation clerks obviously need numerous skills to perform their jobs. JetBlue Airlines
has asked you to design quickly the outline of a training program for its new reservation clerks.
8-16: You may want to start by listing the job’s main duties and by reviewing any work you
may have done for the exercise.
8-17: In any case, please produce the requested outline, making sure to be very specific
about what you want to teach the new clerks, and what methods and aids you suggest
using to train them.
Application Case: Reinventing the Wheel at Apex Door Company
8-18: 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
8-19: What role do job descriptions play in training at Apex?
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
8-20: 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
Continuing Case: Carter Cleaning Company – The New Training Program
8-21: 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
Chapter 8: Training and Developing Employees 8-14
Copyright © 2017 Pearson Education, Inc.
8-22: In the HR management course Jennifer took, the book suggested using a job
instruction sheet to identify tasks performed by an employee. Should the Carter
Cleaning Centers use a form like this for the counter person’s job? If so, what should
the form look like, say, for a counter person?
The students should refer to the section on the training needs of new employees. This section
8-23: Which specific training techniques should Jennifer use to train her pressers, her
cleaner-spotters, her managers, and her counter people? Why should these training
techniques be used?
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
Hotel Paris: Improving Performance at the Hotel Paris – The New Training
Program
8-24: Based on what you read in this chapter, what would you have suggested Lisa and her
team do first with respect to training, particularly in terms of the company’s
strategy? 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
8-25: Have Lisa and the CFO sufficiently investigated 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
8-26: 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 door person.
Student answers will vary.
Chapter 8: Training and Developing Employees 8-15
Copyright © 2017 Pearson Education, Inc.
My Management Lab
Students can find the following assisted-graded writing questions at mymanagementlab.com.
Answers to these questions are graded against rubrics in the MyLab.
8-27: John Santos is an undergraduate business student majoring in accounting. He just failed
the first accounting course, Accounting 101. He is understandably upset. How would you
use performance analysis to identify what, if any, are John’s training needs?
8-28: Knowing that you are taking an HR management course, a friend asks you this: I just
hired a nanny for my child and I want to make sure she knows what to do; in outline form,
what should I cover in the training program I give her?
Key Terms:
Employee Orientation – A procedure for providing new employees with basic background
information about the firm.
Training – The process of teaching new or current 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 (the knowledge, skills, and behaviors) 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).
The Cloud – Refers to placing software programs and services on vendors’ remote servers, from
which they can then deliver these programs and services seamlessly to employee’s digital
devices.
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 (JIT) – Listing each job's basic tasks, along with key points in order
to provide step-by-step training for employees.
Chapter 8: Training and Developing Employees 8-16
Copyright © 2017 Pearson Education, Inc.
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.
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.
Electronic Performance Support Systems (EPSS) – Sets of computerized tools and displays
that automate training, 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.
Lifelong Learning – Provides employees with continuing learning experiences over their tenure
with the firm, with the aims of ensuring they have the opportunity to learn the skills they need to
do their jobs and to expand their occupational horizons.
Cross-Training – Training employees to do different tasks or jobs than their own; doing so
facilitates flexibility and job rotation.
Virtual Classroom – Teaching method that uses special collaboration software to enable
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.
Web 2.0 Learning – Training that uses online technologies such as social networks, virtual
worlds (such as Second Life), and systems that blend synchronous and asynchronous delivery
with blogs, chat rooms, bookmark sharing, and tools such as 3-D simulations.
Management Development – Any attempt to improve current or future management
performance by 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.
Chapter 8: Training and Developing Employees 8-17
Copyright © 2017 Pearson Education, Inc.
Role-Playing – A training technique in which trainees act out the parts in a realistic management
situation.
In-House Development Center – A company-based method for exposing prospective managers
to realistic exercises to develop improved management skills.
Executive Coach – An outside consultant who questions the executive’s associates in order to
identify the executive’s strengths and weaknesses, and then 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’s required.
Controlled Experimentation – Formal methods for testing the effectiveness of a training
program, preferably with before-and-after tests and a control group.
