Training and Development
Week5 (Ch. 7)
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The Scope of Training
• Research shows that an organization's revenues and profits are positively correlated to the amount of training it
gives its employees.
• The global pandemic brought about organizational challenges.
o COVID-19 forced companies to reimagine how to develop and train their workforce and pushed them to connect
digitally and use technology to increase output without significantly increasing expenditure.
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A Strategic Approach to Training
• Keeping track of the types of training required by a company's employees can be difficult.
• Larger corporations, such as GE, Walmart, and IBM, may employ what are known as chief learning officers.
o A high-ranking manager directly responsible for fostering employee learning and development within the firm
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Phase 1: Conducting The Needs Assessment
• A needs assessment does not have to be a time-consuming task.
o Organization analysis
o Task analysis
o Person analysis
• Orientation for new hires, on-the-job training, executive training, and information technology training are some of
the more common types of training given to employees.
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Organization Analysis
• An organization analysis is an examination of the environment, strategies, and resources of the organization to
determine where training emphasis should be placed.
• HR departments are constantly under pressure to make the most of their training budgets.
• As older workers prepare to retire, younger workers must focus on acquiring the skills required to take their place.
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Task Analysis – 1
• A task analysis is the process of determining what the content of a training program should be on the basis of a
study of the tasks and duties involved in the job.
• The types of skills and knowledge that trainees need can be determined by observing and questioning skilled
jobholders or by reviewing job descriptions.
• A competency assessment focuses on the sets of skills and knowledge employees need to be successful.
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Person Analysis
• A person analysis helps organizations decide which employees require training and, more importantly, which do not.
• Managers must determine what prospective trainees are able to do when they enter training so that the programs
can be designed to emphasize the areas in which they are deficient.
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Phase 2: Designing the Training Program
• Design of training programs should focus on at least four related issues:
o The training’s instructional objectives,
o Readiness of trainees and their motivation,
o Principles of learning, and
o Characteristics of instructors.
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Developing Instructional Objectives
• After conducting organization, task, and person analyses, managers should have a more complete picture of their firms’
training needs.
• On the basis of this information, they can then develop instructional objectives
o Desired outcomes of a training program
o Describe the skills or knowledge to be acquired and/or the attitudes to be changed.
o Objectives should be performance centred
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Assessing the Readiness and Motivation of Trainees
• Assessing the Readiness and Motivation of Trainees
o Individuals should be grouped according to their readiness, as determined by test scores or other assessment
information.
o The organization must assist employees in understanding the connection between the effort they put into training
and the payoff.
o Managers can create a learning-friendly training environment.
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Incorporating the Principles of Learning – 1
• Training programs are more likely to be effective if they incorporate the learning principles
• These are the characteristics of training programs that assist employees in understanding new material, making
sense of it in their own lives, and applying it to their jobs.
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Incorporating the Principles of Learning – 2
• Focus on learning and transfer
o Goal setting
o Meaningfulness and presentations
o Modelling
o Individual learning differences
• Focus on method and process
o Active practice and repetition
o Experiential learning
o Whole-versus-part learning
o Massed, distributed, and continuous learning
o Feedback and reinforcement
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Incorporating the Principles of Learning – 3
• Feedback and Reinforcement
• Behaviour modification:
o A technique that operates on the principle that behaviour that is rewarded, or positively reinforced, will
be exhibited more frequently in the future, whereas behaviour that is penalized or unrewarded will
decrease in frequency
• Spot rewards
o Programs that award employees on the spot when they do something particularly well during training or
on the job
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Phase 3: Implementing the Training Program
• Choosing the right training method can be difficult
• The training method continuum can range from very reactive and passive learning to very active learning.
• Traditional classroom instruction delivered by lecturers continues to be the number one training delivery method for
formally training employees.
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On-the-Job Training – 1
• The most common informal method used for training employees is on-the-job training (OJT).
o A method by which employees are given hands-on experience with instructions from their supervisor or other trainer
• An extension of OJT is apprenticeship training:
o A system of training in which a worker entering the skilled trades is given thorough instruction and experience, both on
and off the job, in the practical and theoretical aspects of the work
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Cooperative Training, Internships, and
Governmental Training
• Cooperative Training
o A training program that combines practical on-the-job experience with formal educational classes
• Internships offer students the chance to get real-world experience while finding out how they'll perform in
organizations.
• Organizations benefit by getting employees with new ideas, energy, and eagerness to accomplish their assignments.
• The federal and provincial governments are collaborating with private employers to create internship opportunities for
Canadian students.
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Simulations
• Simulations can also be used for diversity and inclusion training as well as the conduct of contract
negotiations.
• With the outbreak of COVID-19, technology’s value was only heightened as the training needed to be delivered
while maintaining social distancing
• Games and Virtual Reality
• Games are becoming more popular for training, often referred to as to the “gamification” of learning
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E-Learning
• E-learning is learning that takes place via electronic media
o Involves the delivery of content via the Internet, intranets and extranets, mobile devices, podcasts, and other
virtual spaces powered by platforms like Zoom or WebEx
o Involves the use of a learning management system (LMS)
 online system that provides a variety of assessment, communication, teaching, and learning
opportunities
• Allows companies to offer individual training components to employees when and where they need them, which is
referred to as just-in-time training
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Behaviour Modelling
• Behaviour modelling is an approach that demonstrates desired behaviour and gives trainees the chance to practice and
role-play those behaviours and receive feedback.
o Combines several different training methods and multiple principles of learning
• Involves four basic components:
o Learning points
o Modelling
o Practice
o Feedback and reinforcement
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Role-Playing
• Role-playing consists of playing the roles of others, often a supervisor and a subordinate.
• Role-playing can bring realism and insight into dilemmas and experiences that otherwise might not be shared.
• Some airlines use role-playing exercises to help employees deal with irate or unruly passengers
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Coaching Case Studies
• Coaching:
o Consists of a continuing flow of instructions, comments, and suggestions from the manager to a subordinate.
o Flow of encouragement and support to help people not just do their jobs right and get ahead but also become
leaders
• Case Studies
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Seminars and Conferences
• Useful for bringing groups of people together for training and development.
• Seminars and conferences are often used when change is a goal.
• Web conferencing is used to conduct live meetings or presentations over the Internet.
• Trainees sit at their own computers and are connected to other participants via the Web.
• A webinar is a one-way Web conference, from the speaker to the audience, with limited audience interaction.
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Blended Learning
• Blended learning is a method whereby lectures are combined with other computer and online instruction and the use of
audiovisual materials such as slideshows.
• Video recordings can be used to help trainees understand what to do when faced with a crisis.
• Blended learning includes a self-paced learning component.
• Blended learning works well because different people learn in different ways, and it breaks up the monotony of lectures.
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Phase 4: Evaluating the Training Program
• A variety of methods are available to assess the extent to which a firm's training programmes improve learning, influence
workplace behaviour, and impact an organization's bottom-line performance.
• Four basic criteria to evaluate training:
o (1) Reactions,
o (2) Learning,
o (3) Behaviour, and
o (4) Results
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Criterion 1: Reactions
• Potential questions might include the following:
o What were your learning goals for this program?
o Did you achieve them?
o Did you like this program?
o Would you recommend it to others who have similar
learning goals?
o What suggestions do you have for improving the program?
o Should the organization continue to offer it?
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Criterion 2: Learning
• Checking to See Whether They Actually Learned Anything
• Testing knowledge and skills before beginning a training program gives a baseline standard on trainees that can be
measured again after training to determine improvement.
• However, in addition to testing trainees, test employees who did not attend the training to estimate the differential
effect of the training.
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Criterion 3: Behaviour
• Transfer of Training
o Effective application of principles learned to what is required on the job
• Maximizing the transfer of training
o Feature identical elements.
o Focus on general principles.
o Establish a climate for transfer.
o Give employees transfer strategies.
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Criterion 4: Results, or Return on Investment (ROI)
• Measuring the Utility of Training Programs
o Calculating the benefits derived from training
o ROI = Benefits of Training ÷ Training Costs
 If the ROI ratio is >1, the benefits of the training exceed the cost of the program.
 If the ROI ratio is <1, the costs of the training exceed the benefits
• Benchmarking:
o The practice of comparing data and statistics from operations, such as training, against those of recognized
leaders in your industry
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Additional Training and Development Programs – 1
• Orientation and Onboarding
o Orientation: The formal process of familiarizing new employees with the organization, their jobs, and their work
units
o Onboarding: The process of systematically socializing new employees to help them get “on board” with an
organization
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Additional Training and Development Programs – 2
• Basic Skills Training
• Ethics Training
o Some firms have chief ethics officers—high-ranking managers directly responsible for fostering the ethical
climate within their firms and ensuring compliance
• Diversity and Inclusion Training
o Businesses are beginning to see the moral and financial benefits of diversity and inclusion.
o Diversity is good for business because it increases productivity and attracts top talent.
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