Chapter 8
Training and Development
Author Chapter Notes
This chapter, as the name suggests, is all about training and development. In this chapter,
we discuss the importance of training for employees. Training not only saves money in
the long run, but it can result in happier, more motivated employees.
This chapter is organized by discussing some of the types of training, delivery methods
and at the end of the chapter, we provide a framework for how to create an actual
training, complete with learning objectives and measurement tools to see if the training
was effective.
Section 1 Learning Objective
1.
Explain the four steps involved when training an employee.
Section Notes
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An effective company has training to help employees perform their jobs.
Lack of training can result in lost productivity, lost customers, and poor
relationships between employees and managers.
Steps to training include ensuring an employee orientation is in place. The
goals of orientation include reduction in start up costs, reduction of anxiety for
the new employee, reduction of employee turnover, time savings for
supervisor and co-workers and it’s a way to set expectations.
In-house training includes learning opportunities developed by the
organization. This training is normally ongoing, and can include ethics
training, sexual harassment training, and multiculturalism training.
Sometimes mentors are assigned to new employees. A mentor is a trusted,
experienced advisor who has direct investment in the development of an
employee.
A formal mentoring program should become part of the company culture.
Mentors are generally chosen based on their experience, personality and
willingness.
External training includes any type of training that is not performed in house,
and is ongoing. Examples include seminars and workshops.
Key Takeaways
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Employee training and development is the framework for helping
employees develop their personal and organizational skills,
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knowledge, and abilities. Training is important to employee retention.
There are four steps in training that should occur. Employee
orientation has the purpose of welcoming new employees into the
organization. An effective employee orientation can help reduce startup costs, reduce anxiety for the employee, reduce turnover, save time
for the supervisor and colleagues, and set expectations and attitudes.
An in-house training program is any type of program in which the
training is delivered by someone who works for the company. This
could include management or HR. Examples might include sexual
harassment training or ethics training. In-house training can also
include components specific to a job, such as how to use a specific
kind of software. In-house training is normally done as a second and
ongoing step in employee development.
A mentor form of training pairs a new employee with a seasoned
employee. This is usually the third step in employee training. A
mentor program for training should include a formalized program and
process.
External training is any type of training not performed in-house; part
of the last training step, external training can also be ongoing. It can
include sending employees to conferences or seminars for leadership
development or even paying tuition for a class they want to take.
Exercises and Solutions
1. Why do you think some companies do not follow the four training steps? What
are the advantages of doing so?
Answer: It is likely because they feel they do not have enough time to follow the
four training steps. The advantages of following the steps are that you can provide
development opportunities to employees and provide important information to
new employees. Not training can result in higher turnover and the employee may
feel lack of growth in their job with the company.
2. What qualities do you think a mentor should have? List at least five.
Answer: Answers will vary, but most mentors should be helpful, friendly,
positive, knowledgeable and willing to help. They should be available often to
answer questions and be successful in their own career.
3. Have you ever worked with a mentor in a job, at school, or in extracurricular
activities? Describe your experience.
Answer: Answers will vary. Consider using this question as a small group
discussion question. If students have negative feelings about the mentorship they
experienced, have them pinpoint why the relationship didn’t work. For example,
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was it the personality qualities of the mentor?
Extra Discussion Question
1. What are the advantages and disadvantages to each of the training types
discussed in this chapter?
Answer: Orientation: Can be time consuming but can be worth it to help get
the new employee off to the right start at the organization. For in-house
programs, a disadvantage may be the person giving the training is now
knowledgeable in the specific training area needs; however, it can be more
cost effective. For mentor programs, finding the right mentors can boost
morale and abilities, but sometimes finding the right personality fit can be a
challenge. External training can be expensive, but can provide valuable skills
needed to perform the job, and skills that no one in-house may have.
Key Terms
employee training and development
The framework used to help employees develop their personal and organizational skills,
knowledge, and abilities.
employee orientation
The process used for welcoming a new employee into the organization.
in-house training program
Training program used as learning opportunities developed by the organization in which
they are used.
mentor
A trusted and experienced advisor who has direct investment in the development of an
employee.
external training
Any type of training that is not performed in-house, such as seminars or conferences.
Section 2 Learning Objective
1.
Be able to explain and give examples of the types of training that can be offered
within an organization.
© Laura Portolese Dias 2011, published by Flat World Knowledge
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Section Notes
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The types of training discussed next can be used in all steps in the training
process.
Technological or technology training is used when employees need to use
technology to do their job. Examples might include training on a specific software
program the company uses.
Quality training refers to familiarizing employees with the means of preventing,
detecting and eliminating non-quality items. This type of training would likely be
used in a manufacturing setting.
Skills training includes proficiencies needed to perform a job. How answer
phones, how to assess customer needs or other specific job related components
would be included.
Soft-skills training includes personality traits, communication, social graces and
other skills that are important to the job, but not directly related to the job.
Professional training is specific to some industries. For example since tax laws
change often, accountants should attend training to get updated on these types of
training. People in the medical field sometimes have training as well to keep
updated on their certifications.
Some organizations work a lot in teams, so team training might be appropriate.
Topics in this type of training might include how to handle team conflict. In
addition, team training might include team-building activities.
For someone who has management potential, the organization may develop
training around managerial skills.
Safety training is a type of training that occurs to ensure employees are protected
from injuries caused by work related accidents. For example, eye safety,
evacuation and first aid.
Key Takeaways
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There are several types of training we can provide for employees. In all
situations, a variety of training types will be used, depending on the type
of job.
Technical training addresses software or other programs that employees
use while working for the organization.
Quality training is a type of training that familiarizes all employees with
the means to produce a good quality product. The ISO sets the standard on
quality for most production and environmental situations. ISO training can
be done in-house or externally.
Skills training focuses on the skills that the employee actually needs to
know to perform their job. A mentor can help with this kind of training.
Soft skills are those that do not relate directly to our job but are important.
Soft-skills training may train someone on how to better communicate and
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negotiate or provide good customer service.
Professional training is normally given externally and might be obtaining
certification or specific information needed about a profession to perform
a job. For example, tax accountants need to be up to date on tax laws; this
type of training is often external.
Team training is a process that empowers teams to improve decision
making, problem solving, and team-development skills. Team training can
help improve communication and result in more productive businesses.
To get someone ready to take on a management role, managerial training
might be given.
Safety training is important to make sure an organization is meeting OSHA
standards. Safety training can also include disaster planning.
Exercises and Solutions
1. Which type of training do you think is most important for an administrative
assistant? What about for a restaurant server? Explain your answer.
Answer: Answers will vary, but skills training and soft-skills training would
be important for both types of jobs. For the server, food safety handling might
be an important topic as well.
2. Research OSHA. What are some of the new standards and laws it has recently
developed? Outline a training plan for the new standards.
Answer: As of this writing, the OSHA website reported requirements for hair
salon owners regarding the use of formaldehyde. In addition, new regulations
for nail guns were implemented. The OSHA website provides an update on
the first page of their website under “latest news.”
Extra Discussion Question
1. Research ISO standards. What are the ISO standards for sustainability? What
type of training might you offer for this quality standard?
Answer: ISO 21930 was a standard developed in relationship to building and
construction and set guidelines for building requirements. Other examples of
sustainability standards include Global Green Standards ISO14000. This set of
standards defines a voluntary environmental management system. Training that
may be required include basic training on how the standards work and then
additional training might be required to implement processes on the new
standards.
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Key Terms
technical training
A type of training meant to teach new employees the technological aspects of their job.
quality training
Refers to familiarizing all employees with the means for preventing, detecting, and
eliminating nonquality items.
ISO9000
The set of standards for quality management.
ISO14000
The set of standards for environmental management.
skills training
Includes training on proficiencies needed to actually perform the job.
soft skills
Personality traits, social graces, communication, and personal habits that are used to
characterize relationships with other people.
professional training
A type of training that keeps an employee up to date in one’s professional field.
team training
A process that empowers teams to improve decision making, problem solving, and teamdevelopment skills to achieve business results.
managerial training
The type of training that occurs when someone has been identified as a good manager
candidate. Could include soft-skills training, technical training, and skills training.
safety training
Training employees so they are protected from injuries caused by work-related accidents.
Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)
The main federal agency charged with enforcement of safety and health regulation in the
United States.
Section 3 Learning Objective
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1. Explain the types of training delivery methods.
Section Outline
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There are several types of training delivery methods. On-the-job coaching is
where an approved person trains an employee on the job and tasks associated with
the job.
Mentoring and coaching training delivery is another method. With this type of
method, a mentor is assigned to show the employee “the ropes.”
Some organizations engage in brown bag training. In this type of training, people
bring their lunches and learn about soft skills or other training topics.
With a web-based delivery, all training is delivered via the web or is computer
based. For example, safety training could be delivered via the web.
In a job shadow training delivery model, a person is assigned to “shadow” an
experienced employee. This often happens in sales, where a new salesperson
might be assigned to work with a salesperson for a period of time before they
work on their own.
Job swapping occurs when two employees agree to change jobs for a period of
time. Other training may be necessary to make sure the employees are successful
in their new roles, such as additional technology training or job skills training.
Vestibule training is training that is performed near a worksite in a conference
room or lecture room, or even a classroom. Orientations and some skills based
training might be delivered in this manner.
When an employee is going on an international assignment, it is appropriate to
provide training on the culture, language or other aspects of the country in which
they will work.
Key Takeaways
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Training delivery methods are important to consider, depending on the
type of training that needs to be performed.
Most organizations do not use only one type of training delivery method; a
combination of many methods will be used.
On-the-job coaching delivery method is a training delivery method in
which an employee is assigned to a more experienced employee or
manager to learn the skills needed for the job. This is similar to the mentor
training delivery method, except a mentor training method is less about
skills training and more about ongoing employee development.
Brown bag lunch training delivery is normally informal and can involve
personal development as well as specific job-related skills.
Web-based training is any type of training that is delivered using
technology.
There are numerous platforms that can be used for web-based training and
considerations, such as cost, when selecting a platform for use.
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A synchronous training method is used for web-based training and refers
to delivery that is led by a facilitator. An asynchronous training method is
one that is self-directed.
Job shadowing is a delivery method consisting of on-the-job training and
the employee’s learning skills by watching someone more experienced.
To motivate employees and allow them to develop new skills, job swap
training delivery may be used. This occurs when two people change jobs
for a set period of time to learn new skills. With this method, it is likely
that other methods will also be used, too.
Vestibule training delivery is also known as “near site” training. It
normally happens in a classroom, conference room, or lecture room and
works well to deliver orientations and some skills-based training. Many
organizations also use vestibule training for technical training, safety
training, professional training, and quality training.
Since many companies operate overseas, providing training to those
employees with international assignments can better prepare them for
living and working abroad.
Exercises and Solutions
1. Do an Internet search on web-based training. Discuss two of the platforms you
found. What are the features and benefits?
Answer: A simple Google search produces hundreds of options. For example,
Capterra offers training software that has ready to use templates and forms, so
the HR manager only must fill in the templates to have a prepared
presentation for employees. Kalliance is another example of web-based
training which also provides self-paced training. They also offer an online
mentoring option for employees who work in different locations.
2. Which training delivery method do you think you personally would prefer in a
job and why?
Answer: Answers will vary. This is a good time to discuss learning styles,
and how everyone’s style is different. Many people would prefer to do selfpaced web training, while others may prefer a classroom setting. The key to
good training is to match a variety of learning styles.
3. What do you see as advantages and disadvantages to each type of training
method?
Answer: On-the-job coaching is fast and easy, but the person coaching may
not have the necessary skills to do a good job. This is also a challenge with
mentoring. Brown bag lunches, while they provide an informal environment,
people may want to reserve lunchtime for their personal time and attendance
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may be low. Web-based training can be great for people who can work well
independently, but may not meet all learning styles. It can also be cost
efficient and convenient delivery. Job shadowing can be an advantage on cost
savings, but it is important to make sure the job shadow is experienced and
willing to help train someone. Job swap may have initial productivity issues as
the two employees learn the job, but it can be a good way to motive and cross
train employees for different jobs. Vestibule training is appropriate for some
topics, but it does take significant time away from employees work
International assignment training is obviously only appropriate under certain
circumstances and may not be applicable to some jobs.
Extra Discussion Question
1. Find a training video on YouTube. How effective is the video?
Answer: This is a good project in teams. You can ask each team to present their
YouTube video to show why it works or why it isn’t effective. If students type
“training video” in the YouTube search engine or in Google, hundreds of results from
“real” companies will come up.
Key Terms
on-the-job coaching
Refers to the training of an employee by an approved person to learn the skills necessary
to complete the tasks.
mentoring
A process by which an employee can be trained and developed, through use of an
experienced person.
brown bag lunch training
Training occurs during lunchtime, employees bring their lunch, and someone presents
training information to them.
web-based training
Involves the use of technology to facilitate training.
synchronous
A web-based training delivery method in which the delivery uses instructor-led
facilitation.
asynchronous
A web-based training delivery method in which the delivery is self-directed.
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job shadowing
A training delivery method that places an employee who already has the skills with
another employee who wants to develop their skills.
job swapping
A method for training in which two employees agree to change jobs for a period of time.
vestibule training
Training is performed near-site in conference rooms, lecture rooms, and classrooms.
Section 4 Learning Objective
1. Be able to design a training program framework.
2. Understand the uses and applications of a career development program.
Section Outline
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When developing training, we can view it from a framework perspective. The
framework requires a needs assessment and decision on learning objectives for
the training.
Researching the training needs of the organization is part of needs assessment.
Setting learning objectives is just like setting goals-what do you hope to
accomplish from the training?
A delivery mode will also need to be decided upon. For example, is a mentor or
on the job coaching the best way to train for the learning objectives? Or does the
topic lend itself more to vestibule training?
The budget for the training needs to be considered. How much will materials cost,
and how much will the training cost in terms of time of employees and the HR
professional?
The delivery style can vary from a discussion style to a lecture style. The content
of the training will determine the best style. Obviously, for team training or team
development, you will likely want people to work in teams as opposed to a lecture
style.
Knowing the audience for the training, for example, are they new employees or
managers? Understanding the audience will make it easier to develop the right
content and delivery style.
The content of the training, or the actual development of what will be taught is a
major consideration to the training. The learning objectives, audience and time
constrains should be considered.
Timelines may be required to ensure the training has been done, for example, in
safety training. New employees will likely need safety training before they start
their new job.
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Communication of the training to employees via a company newsletter, e-mail or
special invitations will vary depending on the type of training being performed.
After we have created all components to our training and delivered the training,
we want to make sure it is effective. We can look at the Kirkpatrick model to help
us with this. Employee reaction, learning, behavior and results (benefits) can be
measured after the training has been done. For example, after safety training, have
the number of accidents decreased?
Many organizations have specific succession plans in place. This helps get the
right person ready for the new job should the current person leave their job. This
is part of ongoing training and development and can also help motivate
employees—if they see a specific career path within their job.
Key Takeaways
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There are a number of key considerations in developing a training
program. Training should not be handled casually but instead
developed specifically to meet the needs of the organization. This can
be done by a needs assessment consisting of three levels:
organizational, occupational, and individual assessments.
The first consideration is the delivery mode; depending on the type of
training and other factors, some modes might be better than others.
Budget is a consideration in developing training. The cost of materials,
but also the cost of time, should be considered.
The delivery style must take into account people’s individual learning
styles. The amount of lecture, discussion, role plays, and activities are
considered part of delivery style.
The audience for the training is an important aspect when developing
training. This can allow the training to be better developed to meet the
needs and the skills of a particular group of people.
The content obviously is an important consideration. Learning
objectives and goals for the training should be developed before
content is developed.
After content is developed, understanding the time constraints is an
important aspect. Will the training take one hour or a day to deliver?
What is the timeline consideration in terms of when people should take
the training?
Letting people know when and where the training will take place is
part of communication.
The final aspect of developing a training framework is to consider how
it will be measured. At the end, how will you know if the trainees
learned what they needed to learn?
A career development process can help retain good employees. It
involves creating a specific program in which employee goals are
identified and new training and opportunities are identified and created
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to help the employee in the career development process.
Exercises and Solutions
1. Develop a rough draft of a training framework using Figure 8.8 for a job you
find on Monster.com.
Answer: Answers will vary depending on the job. The components should
include needs assessment, learning styles consideration, delivery mode,
budget, audience, delivery style, actual content, timelines, communication,
and assessment. This activity may be appropriate for a longer in-class activity
or in teams.
2. Write three learning objectives you think would be necessary when
developing orientation training for a receptionist in an advertising firm.
Answer: Possible answers include: Learn to answer the phones in the
appropriate manner. Be able to use Outlook to schedule appointments. Greet
customers effectively.
3. Why is a career development plan important to develop personally, even if
your company doesn’t have a formal plan in place? List at least three reasons
and describe.
Answer: A career development plan is similar to a map, in that it shows the
steps someone must take in order to move forward with an organization. The
goals can be shared with a manager and then steps can be determined to see
how the person can grow with the organization.
Extra Discussion Question
1. What are some ways you could communicate a required online training to
employees?
Answer: Send messages via e-mail to individuals with follow up e-mails, you can
discuss the required training in meetings, it can be posted to the company’s intranet.
Key Terms
learning objective
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Something you want your learners to know after the training.
organizational assessment
A type of needs assessment that allows us to determine the skills, knowledge, and
abilities a company needs to meet its strategic objectives.
occupational (task) assessment
A type of needs assessment that looks at the specific tasks, skills knowledge, and abilities
required to do jobs within the organization.
individual assessment
A type of needs assessment that looks at the performance of an individual employee and
determines what training should be accomplished for that individual.
career development program
A process developed to help people manage their career, learn new things, and take steps
to improve personally and professionally.
job rotation
Involves a systematic movement of employees from job to job within an organization.
Chapter Case
The Author discusses the case for Chapter 8:
http://blip.tv/play/sDyCi8wNAA%2Em4v
Additional Case Study Exercise
You are in charge of the training component of your organization. The
organization is large, with 1,200 staff in four US cities. The organization has had
issues with employees posting inappropriate things to Facebook and Twitter about
the organization and the amount of time spent on these websites during work
hours has been excessive. The organization has identified a need to train
employees on the new social networking policy.
1. Write a policy on social networking.
2. What type of communication is necessary? Do you think it requires
training? How would you design this short training program? Discuss
what you would need to do to ensure employees are trained on the new
policy within 60 days from today.
Answers: A sample policy might be: Employees should not use work hours for
social networking activities. Off hours, employees may not post anything naming
our organization. The advantage to training rather than just sending an e-mail is
that employees are then “sure” to get the information. The best way to deliver the
training, given the size and location of employees, is probably online. The HR
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manager could create a short 20-minute video and send to employees. Once
employees have watched the video, they can take a short assessment on the new
policy to confirm they understand it. The assessment of the training, besides the
quiz, is to track the number of social networking posts after the 60-day period.
Useful Outside Resources
The Human Resource Certification Institute: http://www.hrci.org/
Society for Human Resource Management: http://www.shrm.org/Pages/default.aspx
YouTube videos:
Lynn Johnson discusses the ROI for training and development:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rnpm1RfKybc
Chrysler training proves value:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9xWkZd0zCcs&feature=related
Face to face versus online training:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uiYTIXMlKNs&feature=related
“Randstad’s workpocket” discusses training and development tips:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Moksh5oIf1o
A funny training video example:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vm_niJIaYqo&feature=related
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