Developing a Research
Agenda on S-OJT
Ronald L. Jacobs
The Ohio State University
http://www.coe.ohio-state.edu/rjacobs/
http://www.coe.ohio-state.edu/paes/wde/default.htm
http://cete.org
Agenda
A. Discuss what is a research agenda
B. Discuss my agenda – human competence
C. Describe S-OJT
D. Plan an S-OJT research agenda
E. Questions and discussion
2
OSU | College of Education | School of PAES
The Ohio State University
Workforce Development and Education
Faculty
Opening in
WDE for
2006-7!
WDE Homepage
Future Students
Current Students
Faculty & Staff
Degree & Program
Courses
Research & News
Centers
WDE 360° Newsletter
The Workforce Development and Education section offers an academic degree
program emphasizing adult learning, career and technical education, human resource
development, and workforce development policy; conducts research on topics in these
areas; and provides professional development opportunities to meet the needs of
individuals, organizations and government agencies. The WDE section values
scholarly research and quality instruction as a means to model and improve theory and
professional practice, nationally and internationally. (Adopted, Summer 2003)
For questions or problems regarding the website, please email to kong.40@osu.edu.
3
Center on Education and
Training for Employment
Mission
The Center engages with state, national, and international clients from
education, governmental agencies, organized labor, and public and private
entities to:
A. Generate and disseminate knowledge useful for understanding
workforce development;
B. Develop, implement, and evaluate workforce development
programs and policies that are informed by best practices and
research;
C. Develop workforce development leaders who serve in a variety of
roles and contexts; and,
D. Provide technical assistance in ways that will positively influence
the actions of educational professionals, leaders, and scholars
involved in developing the current and future global workforce.
4
4
Human Resource Development is the process of
improving organizational performance and
individual learning through the accomplishments
that result from employee development,
organization development, and career development
programs.
5
Research Agenda?
The set of interests that guide and focus a researcher’s
actions.
• Faculty influence
• Readings
• Employer
• Other students
• Experience
6
Research Agenda?
My research agenda . . .
My research focuses on the nature of human competence
and how organizations respond to the changing work
expectations of their employees.
7
Human Competence
What makes a company successful? Good products? Most
advanced technology? Best customer service? All of these are
important for success.
None of these are more important than the people who work in the
company. It’s the knowledge and skills that people use to do their
work. Unfortunately, the needs of organizations are constantly
changing.
The challenge for organizations is having the means to help
employees update their level of competence – or their relative
ability – in the most efficient and effective ways possible
(Jacobs, 2002).
8
Human Competence
Master
The real expert among experts. This person
sets standards for others.
Expert
One who can do both the routine and nonroutine cases of the task.
Experienced
Specialist
One who has performed the task repeatedly
and can do it with ease.
Specialist
One who can reliably perform the task, but
this person has limited experience.
Novice
One who is new to the task and lacks the
ability to perform it.
Jacobs (2002)
9
Human Competence
Situations when changes occur in competence:








New-hires: Full-time, Part-time, Temporary
Promotion
Rotation and transfer
Continuous improvement efforts
Multi-skilling
Technology
New products or services
Customer requirements
10
S-OJT
Structured on-the-job training (S-OJT) was first introduced in the 1980s to
help organizations respond to the challenges of the global economy.
S-OJT makes use of the principle that training is most effective when it
occurs as close as possible to the work.
Many companies use S-OJT alone or to complement other training
approaches, such as classroom training. The following outcomes have
been reported:




Reduced training times
Lower training costs
Improved quality rates
Increased development opportunities for employees
11
Company
Employee Level
Results
Delphi – US
Operators, Supervisors
Reduced the number of wiring
errors
Truck Manufacturer – US
Production Technicians
Reduced the number of leaky
windshields
KLM Royal Dutch Airlines
Cabin Attendants
Provided more relevant customer
service training experience
Regional Hospital – US
New Supervisors
Provided information about the
mission and vision faster
Electric Utility – US
Supervisors
Reduced the number of back injuries
among production employees
Apple Computer-iBook California
High Skilled Assemblers
Reduced training time, fewer
assembly errors
Seagate – Singapore
Production specialists
Reduced number of inspection
errors
Petroleum Company - Kuwait
New Engineers
Reduced time require to complete
job rotations
12
S-OJT
S-OJT is the planned process of having an
experienced employee train a novice employee
on a unit of work at the work setting or a
location that closely resembles the work setting
(Jacobs, 2003).
13
S-OJT
Planned Process – S-OJT is designed using a systems
approach and is viewed as a system.
Experienced Employee – A person who knows the task and
has been qualified as an S-OJT trainer.
Novice Employee – A person who lacks the knowledge and
skills to perform a task, has the prerequisites, and is ready to
learn.
Work – A specific unit of work within a job. A unit of work is
not everything that a person does, but just a small part.
Work setting – This is the location of S-OJT.
14
S-OJT Example
New-hire engineers in a refinery setting need to undergo a development
process to learn the 31 engineering jobs. Currently, it takes over five
years for individuals to complete the development process.
The company seeks to reduce this development time to less than two
years if possible, and the learning experiences meet the following criteria:
• Consistent outcomes across all new-hire engineers,
approximately 75 per year
• Learning experiences are based on actual work expectations
• Training should be based on best practices, including safety and
quality, not just opinions of job incumbents
• Managers should be involved in the process, and held
accountable for the training
15
Design Process
1. Decide whether
to use S-OJT
6. Evaluate and
troubleshoot the S-OJT
2. Analyze the work
to be learned
3. Develop S-OJT
trainers
5. Deliver the S-OJT
4. Prepare the S-OJT
modules
16
S-OJT System
Training Inputs
• Novice
employee
• Experienced
• Training
• Work
Training Process
Training Outputs
• Training
employee
• Work
location
performance
• Trainee
to be learned
• Technology
• Get
ready to train
• Deliver
the S-OJT Module
• Ensure
the trainee has learned
Organizational Setting
17
performance
development
S-OJT Research Agenda
Core Research Questions
Question
Is there
relationship
among variables?
Is one approach
better than
another?
Is there a pattern
in the data?
What actions
should be taken?
How can we
explain
something?
Purpose
Explore
Predict
Compare
Contrast
Evaluate
Describe
Understand
Forecast
Plan
Theory building
Conceptual
framework
Methods
Quantitative
Quantitative
Qualitative
Quantitative
Qualitative
Qualitative
Quantitative
Meta-analysis
Qualitative
Usefulness
Confirm relationships
Plan programs
Make decisions
Select programs
Find issues
Find concerns
Explain events
Develop policies
Develop plans
Plan long-term
Predict events
18
Training Inputs
Is there a
relationship
among
variables?
Is one approach
better than
another?
Novice employee
Experienced employee
Cho (2003)
Training location
Work to be learned
Jacobs (2002)
Technology
19
Is there a
pattern in the
data?
What actions
should be taken?
How can we
explain
something?
Training Inputs
Novice Employee
a.
b.
c.
d.
What levels of employees receive S-OJT?
What are the experiences of employees?
What learning styles are best suited for S-OJT?
Is there a cross-cultural aspect of S-OJT?
Experienced Employee
a. What criteria should be used to select trainers?
b. How are trainers prepared?
c. Is there a preferred match with employees?
Training Location
a. What are the locations of S-OJT?
b. How does location affect transfer?
c. What constraints exist in the work setting?
20
Training Inputs
Work to be Learned
a. What types of work are best learned through S-OJT?
b. How should work be documented?
Technology
a. How can technology be used with S-OJT?
b. Can technology replace the S-OJT trainer?
21
Training Process
Is there a
relationship
among
variables?
Is one approach
better than
another?
Get ready
to train
Deliver the S-OJT
module
Lohman
(1994)
Ensure the trainee has
learned
Barnard
(2005)
22
Is there a
pattern in the
data?
What actions
should be
taken?
How can we
explain
something?
Training Process
Get Ready to Train
a. How do the trainer’s actions affect self-efficacy and
readiness?
b. Is there a relationship between trainer’s actions and
achievement?
Deliver the S-OJT Module
a.
b.
c.
d.
What training steps should be used?
What components of modules are most critical?
Do trainees refer to the module as expected?
What is the nature of trainer-trainee interactions?
Ensure the Trainee Has Learned
a. What is the role of follow-up questions?
b. Which aspects of the S-OJT ensure transfer?
23
Training Outputs
Is there a
relationship
among
variables?
Is one approach
better than
another?
Training performance
Barnard
(2005)
Work performance
Jacobs, Jones
& Neil (1992)
Jacobs (1994)
Jacobs (2002)
Jacobs &
Hruby (1998)
Is there a
pattern in the
data?
Cushnie
(2000)
Trainee development
24
What actions
should be
taken?
How can we
explain
something?

Training Efficiency – Does one training approach achieve
training outcomes faster, and is the cost less than the value of the
training outcomes?

Training Effectiveness – Does one training approach result in
better work outcomes, and is the training cost less than the value
of the work outcomes?
25
Unstructured OJT
S-OJT
Savings in Time
Specialist
Performance
Level
Time savings: 4 - 6:1
$ savings:
Novice
Time to Learn
26
2 - 8:1
Employee learns through
unstructured OJT
Employee learns through
S-OJT
Work Accomplished
 Truck windshields installed
 Sales calls made
 Machinery on-line
 Hard disks manufactured
Measured Performance
 Fewer reworked windshields
 Higher sales volume
 Higher machine productivity
 Lowered scrap rate
27
Organizational Context
Is there a
relationship
among
variables?
Is one approach
better than
another?
Is there a
pattern in the
data?
What actions
should be
taken?
How can we
explain
something?
Priorities of the
organization
Relationship with other
initiatives
Cho (2004)
Jacobs (2002)
Alignment with
organizational goals
Alignment with work
trends
Boulay &
Jacobs (2005)
Lee (2004)
Unanticipated impacts
of S-OJT
28
Design Process
Is there a
relationship
among
variables?
Is one approach
better than
another?
Is there a
pattern in the
data?
What actions
should be
taken?
Liu, Wang &
Jacobs (2005)
1. Decide whether to
use S-OJT
2. Analyze the work to
be learned
3. Develop S-OJT
trainers
4. Prepare the S-OJT
modules
5. Deliver the S-OJT
6. Evaluate and
improve the S-OJT
29
How can we
explain
something?
Your S-OJT Research Agenda
Is there a
relationship
among
variables?
Is one approach
better than
another?
30
Is there a
pattern in the
data?
What actions
should be taken?
How can we
explain
something?
Thank You
Developing a Research
Agenda on S-OJT
Ronald L. Jacobs
The Ohio State University