Running Head: Case Study Assignment I
Group E
Case Study Assignment 1
Running Head: Case Study Assignment I
Case Study 1
Kasikorn Bank (K-Bank) is a large corporation in the financial industry. K-Bank has a
clear mission statement and attempts to adhere to the standards they set for themselves and their
workforce. K-Bank is highly recognized and is a prominent company in Thailand. K-Bank has a
leadership team that strives to maintain clear career development goals for its employees and
wishes to maintain high performing staff members. This organization values its employees and
would like to maintain its efforts to enhance and improve career development and succession
planning of its personnel (Werner & DeSimone, 2012).
In order for K-Bank to remain a leader in the banking industry they must first recruit
employees that meet the standards and requirements set fourth by management. K-Bank can
recruit employees by introducing an employee referral program. Employee referrals can help KBank find talented and reliable employees. According to Martin Gannon (1971), employee
recruitment programs are one of the best methods for obtaining and sustaining new employees.
Furthermore, K-Bank can introduce a reward program that will compensate employees who refer
new hires with monetary incentives. The introduction of this program will not only help those
employees who refer new hires, but will also help K-Bank find new hires that are equip with the
proper skills needed to fill vacant positions.
Hiring the right employees helps ensure that K-Bank has knowledgeable and trainable
employees that can meet the organizations current and future needs (Werner & DeSimone,
2012). If K-Bank is able to hire and maintain high caliber staff, K-Bank can enhance its high
quality employees by implementing developmental opportunities. By hiring competent and
skilled employees K-Bank is ensuring that they will have a trainable workforce.
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Hiring the right employees is the first step organizations can take in order to eliminate the
skills gap. It is imperative that organizations hire trainable employees that are capable of meeting
the needs of the organization (Werner & DeSimone, 2012). In addition to the employee referral
program K-Bank can introduce a screening process to further ensure the right employees are
being hired. In addition to interviews employees should be required to pass a basic skills test.
This can be in the form of a pre-employment computerized test that assesses reading,
comprehension, and basic math skills.
Introducing such a measure will help ensure K-Bank hires the right employees. Hiring
knowledgeable employees can also help reduce organizational cost. Hiring employees who
already possess the skills required for the job will help eliminate cost related to training.
In addition to lowering the cost of training, employees who pass a pre-assessment test and
understand what is expected of them will be more likely to stay with the organization. During the
recruitment and screening processes it is important that employees understand what the job
requirements are. New employees that have realistic expectations of the job, perform much better
than those with inflated expectations. So it is important that K-Bank consider introducing
recruitment and screening processes in order to maintain its high employee standards (Werner &
DeSimone, 2012).
Once the proper employees are hired, K-Bank can introduce a formal mentor program to
enhance career development and provide specialized training to its employees. This type of
training and development tool uses behavior modeling to ensure that new employees learn from
seasoned employees. Using behavior modeling helps employees understand organizational
culture as well as proper procedures (Werner & DeSimone, 2012). Introducing a mentoring
program that focuses on advancement into management will help solidify the organizations
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culture and will yield high performing management staff. Maintaining a competent management
team will ensure that K-Bank can continue its legacy as a leader in the banking industry.
Introducing a mentoring program helps employees at K-Bank advance within the
organization adding to their career development opportunities. Also, mentoring programs can
help guide the organizations succession planning. Mentors are typically employees who have a
great deal of knowledge and rank within an organization. Introducing senior employees to
younger “fresh” employees can help rejuvenate the staff at K-Bank, while simultaneously
training new employees with valuable knowledge to take their senior mentors place (Hunt &
Michael, 1983).
This type of succession planning ensures that the organization will replace effective
senior employees with newly acquired effective talent (Hunt & Michael, 1983). Succession
planning and career development at K-Bank can be improved by introducing a mentoring
program that pairs senior employees with new “fresh” employees. The employees selected to
take part in the mentoring program will be those capable of mobility within the organization.
Mentorships are one of the most effective training and development tools available to
organizations. Not to mention that work and training are done simultaneously, saving the
organization money (Hunt & Michael, 1983).
Introducing such a program will ensure that those employees fit for mobility within KBank will have the opportunity to engage in a mentor program that will help increase their career
development opportunities. By introducing a mentor program K-Bank will not only help ensure
that eligible employees receive proper training and advancement, but a mentor program will also
benefit those doing the mentoring. Mentoring programs serve many benefits that will help
enhance the entire organization.
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As mentioned previously the mentee is able to learn valuable roles from a seasoned
employee. The mentor will benefit by training a reputable and competent replacement while
creating valuable working relationships. By introducing a mentor program organizations are able
to create a line of dependable employees while simultaneously solidifying its culture (Hunt &
Michael, 1983).
In addition to introducing a mentoring program K-Bank can also implement a training
and development course geared toward management. This course can focus on maintaining and
building strong managerial staff. Since the banking industry is constantly changing,
organizations must ensure they can compete. In order for K-Bank to ensure that management
will have the ability to interact appropriately with staff, they can implement a training group that
is specific to their personal developmental needs.
In order for K-Bank to dissect what training and development needs management
requires, they can introduce a 360-degree feedback. This type of feedback allows managers to
rate their own competencies and also gives subordinates and peers the opportunity to share their
opinion on managerial performance (Noe, 2010). This type of feedback is very valuable to
organizations because training and development needs can be designed specifically to fit the
needs of the manager in question. This type of feedback can help organizations set specific
development goals based on the strengths and weakness presented in the survey (Noe, 2010).
After the 360-degree feedback is complete some examples of training and development
that may be valuable to the organization include sensitivity training, continued education, and or
leadership training (Werner & DeSimone, 2012). The method of training will depend on the
results of the feedback. Implementing a 360-degree feedback will help employees feel involved
in the process and will allow management to evaluate their own competencies.
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Introducing a 360-degree feedback will help the organization and management
understand what skills, behaviors, and development needs are apparent within management. This
assessment will help narrow down the training needs of employees and managers (Noe, 2010). In
addition the 360-degree feedback will help K-Bank develop its management team into high
performing individuals that are capable of maintaining and working well with lower level
employees. Since K-Bank is already a highly regarded organization within the banking industry
it is important that K-Bank maintains its high employee standards. Implementing training and
development programs that focus on career development and succession planning will enable KBank to retain a highly developed workforce.
The organizations commitment to its employees is what drives employee improvement
programs and will continue to motivate employees to succeed within K-Bank. Improving the
caliber of employees employed at K-Bank will affect the consumers and shareholders by
providing a better banking experience. K-Bank’s mission statement is that they aim “to be a
strong Thai financial group that provides a variety of financial services of world-class quality
responsive to technology and human resources so as to achieve optimal benefits to customers,
shareholders employees and the county” (Werner & DeSimone, 2012, p. 3).
Hiring the right personal through referral programs will help K-Bank maintain an
effective workforce with the ability to use and learn new technologies. Employee referral
programs were shown to be one of the most effective ways to reduce employee turnover rate and
gain reliable motivated employees (Gannon, 1971). In addition to the recruitment program KBank will have a screening process that will ensure the right employees are hired for the job.
This will help K-Bank maintain its mission to provide world-class quality to its shareholders and
customers.
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The 360-degree feedback and mentorship will tie into the organization business strategy
by maintaining high performing management staff that is capable of assisting themselves as well
as lower level employees with training and career development opportunities (Werner &
DeSimone, 2012). The implementation of these HRD functions will help ensure that K-Bank
maintains its mission statement while simultaneously improving its business goals and strategies.
Case Study 2
Every day, organizations make adjustments to effectively achieve their goals and visions
while constantly responding to external and internal environmental changes. Among these many
variables, organizations need to focus on employee’s behaviors. Employee behaviors impact
organizations’ culture and performance. To enhance understanding of influential causes of
employee behavior, this case study facilitates awareness of employee behavior and its overall
implication for HRD.
When massive revenues were derived from outside of the U.S, United Technologies
Corporation (UTC) underwent major reductions of its U.S. workforce in 2009. This phenomenon
is a good example of organization change to external influences, namely economic conditions.
The first question that the case study posed was: “What do you think is likely to happen to
employee training and development efforts in the midst of major downsizing efforts?”
Downsizing is defined as voluntary actions of organizations to reduce the overall size of their
workforce (Werner, J., & DeSimone, R., 2012). Hence, downsizing refers to an organization
change. According to Bartunek and Moch (1987), organization change can range from nominal
(e.g. adopting new routines) to radical (e.g. traumatic events like bankruptcies or joint ventures).
For UTC, the reduction of the U.S. workforce is a radical transformation, and the organization
will face numerous challenges by transforming their workforce. Before organizations downsize,
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employers need to consider the effectiveness of this in terms of organizational performance,
employee satisfaction, and product and service quality, etc. According to the American Society
for Training and Development (ASTD) survey, downsizing organizations has resulted in lower
employee satisfaction compared to organizations that have retained their employees (Werner, J.,
& DeSimone, R., 2012). Therefore, primarily, organizations need to focus on efficiently
maintaining their original workforce and working with what they have. Moreover, for HRD
professionals, it is vital to establish an up-to-date training and coaching system corresponding to
major changes such as reconstructing or downsizing periods.
The second question posed was: “Do you think employees will take advantage of a
tuition reimbursement program during reconstructing?” The company, UTC, was committed to
reimburse tuition for both undergraduate and graduate courses for their employees’ sake. This
statement itself supports the company’s willingness to support employees’ personal outcomes,
which will eventually lead to organizational outcomes. It also shows employers loyalty to the
employees of UTC. Employees will feel valued because of the company’s benefit program, and
this may affect their motivation to work. The research on a self-fulfilling prophecy has shown the
connection between supervisors’ expectations and employees’ performance outcomes (Werner,
J., & DeSimone, R., 2012).
If employers show sincere efforts to improve employees’ knowledge and skills,
employees will keenly strive to reach mutual goals. Also, expectancy theory can be applied to
enforce a tuition reimbursement program. Expectancy theory illustrates that people will perform
behaviors that they perceive will bring valued outcomes (Werner, J., & DeSimone, R., 2012). To
prevent employees from taking advantage of a tuition reimbursement system, an employer can
set the ground rules or standards before reinforcing that system. For instance, employers can
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limit their rewards to those who performed up to certain levels or higher. Then, employees will
be motivated to strive further, and this may change their performance or perceptions at work.
The third question raised was: “What happens to employees who are laid off at the time
they are taking college classes?” Unexpected layoffs are disappointing from both employers’
and employees’ perspectives. However, if organizations decided to lay off their employees, they
should provide some scope of unemployment benefits for them. Obviously, change is
challenging, and leaders must continuously adapt to changes in the external environment to be
successful (Burke, 2011). Also, the situations and states may vary, and HRD professionals need
to consider diverse solutions promptly respond depending on conditions. Equity theory may
apply to building organizations’ decision-making processes. People in general desire to be
treated fairly, and they determine fairness by comparing relevant returns and contributions based
on their perceptions (Werner, J., & DeSimone, R., 2012). In order to reduce any tension, HRD
professionals need to develop organizational policies for employees. In some cases, employees
may be rehired later, while others may have to choose other options in a different organization.
In order to assist employees, HRD professionals can help them find the best fits to be successful
in their field.
Lastly, the case study’s final question was: “Can Pratt & Whitney (and UTC) maintain
their commitment to tuition reimbursement in such an environment?” Even when organizations
are facing difficult situations, their investment in their employees should be continued. Keeping
the tuition reimbursement program is a good example of the Pygmalion effect (Werner, J., &
DeSimone, R., 2012). The Pygmalion effect is a self-fulfilling prophecy that represents how the
expectations a supervisor establishes can influence a subordinate’s behavior (Werner, J., &
DeSimone, R., 2012). When UTC announced layoffs, tension may have arisen among the
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employees. Perhaps, they eventually searched for ways to reduce their fear and worry. The action
of providing tuition reimbursement itself supports the idea of UTC’s investment in their
employees.
According to UTC’s 2011 annual report, UTC offers the tuition reimbursement program
called Employee Scholar Program (ESP). The report states, “Since its inception 15 years ago,
UTC employees have earned more than 32,000 degrees through the ESP. To date, we have
invested $1 billion in the program. We see the payoff on that investment every day. And so do
our customers and other stakeholders” (UTC website, p.15). These figures indicate that the
investment in employee educational support has created fruitful outcomes for the organization.
Through this program, the employees may have achieved some sense of self-fulfillment, and this
may have affected their performance outcomes. Hence, HRD professionals need to facilitate
positive expectations for employees while continuously providing applicable support to obtain
the best result in a given situation.
In conclusion, it is essential for organizations to have high expectations for their
employees by providing them with adequate training, benefit programs, and reward systems.
That being said, HRD professionals should consistently study employees’ needs and wants in
order to assist them. Ongoing training and frequent feedback for current employees will help
them to be motivated and perform better to enhance both personal and organizational goals.
Furthermore, there will always be challenges of employee retention and turnover considering this
globalized era. To cope with these changes, HRD professionals are required to not only develop
human resources, but also to retain them efficiently. HRD professionals should observe their
workforce carefully and diagnose it in a timely manner. Then appropriate intervention should be
designed and implemented to strengthen an organization.
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Case Study 3
In today’s changing economic climate, companies must fight to stay competitive and
attractive to employees in order to keep them engaged. One way of keeping employees engaged
while aligning with company objectives is through learning and development programs.
Learning is one of the most important aspects in Human Resources Development. “Learning is
defined as a relatively permanent change in behavior, cognition, or affect that occurs as a result
of one’s interaction with the environment” (Werner & DeSimone, 2012, p. 67). An example of a
learning and development program is Caterpillar’s CAT U. CAT U was founded in 2001, during
a time where Caterpillar, Inc. made a commitment to become and organization that provided
continuous learning for its employees.
Caterpillar, Inc. is a global manufacturing and financial services company based out of
Peoria, Illinois. Caterpillar has over 132,000 workers employed in the United States, Canada,
Africa, Asia, and Europe (Caterpillar, Inc., 2013). Founded in 1905, Caterpillar, Inc. is a
household name when it comes to machinery. With a wide global reach and hundreds of
thousands of employees, it can be difficult to establish a learning and development program.
However, Caterpillar’s CAT U has exceeded expectations. An interesting facet of CAT U is that
courses are offered to employees, distributors, and customers (Caterpillar, Inc., 2013).
One of the first objectives that must be considered when putting together CAT U is
deciding on what type of learning should be offered to employees. When thinking of any
manufacturing company, safety comes to mind. Whether it is employees making Caterpillar
machines or customers using them, safety should be at the top of CAT U’s list. According to the
United States Department of Labor, 13 workers die each day due to workplace injuries (OSHA,
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2013). It is important to have instruction on how to stay safe on the job, as well as being in
OSHA compliance.
Another topic of learning could be training on how to use Caterpillar’s machines
correctly. This would be most beneficial for distributors and customers. Distributors would find
this helpful when they are showing a potential customer a certain product. They would have the
knowledge and expertise not only to explain to the customer how to use a machine, but could
actually show them with a test run. Once a customer purchases machinery, they will be able to
take courses for further instruction and also as continuing education. In addition, if a new
operator comes on board, instructional information is available for the new hire.
Finally, it would be important for employees and distributors to have access to learn more
on the company’s values and how they conduct business, as well as career development courses.
It is always a smart idea for companies to provide additional training or continuing education on
best practices including company values, beliefs, service procedures, and customer service. For a
global corporation like Caterpillar, it is easy to have cultural differences across the company.
With organizational development tools, it would be possible for Caterpillar to smooth out any
cultural differences and paint the picture of employee expectations across the company. This
could include modules on company values, how Caterpillar views the customer, and tactful
communications. Courses like these help establish the company culture. In addition, there should
be courses that serve as steps in an employee’s career development. It is common for an
employee to be in one position but desires to transition into another role. By providing
employees with courses that prepare them to transition into another area of the company,
Caterpillar could increase employee engagement.
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The next area Caterpillar would need to focus on is how to deliver the learning to its
employees, distributors, and customers. It is important to take into consideration the perceptual
preferences of different groups. Caterpillar Inc. should take into consideration many different
methods of instruction including online live courses, online self-paced courses, printed materials,
and instructor led classroom courses (Werner, J., & DeSimone, R., 2009). Different methods of
delivery would work best depending on what type of information is being taught. Caterpillar,
Inc. is a global company in my countries around the world so it would be easiest to provide
employees and distributors the option to take self-paced courses online.
This way, employees could take courses of interest at a time convenient to them, which
would eliminate problems with time differences. Also, employees would be able to take courses
that were translated into their native language, which would eliminate any problems that a live
online course may present. If onsite training could be offered in the many locations of
Caterpillar, Inc., that would be very positive. As stated earlier, people learn information in
different ways and it is important to allow employees to learn in their optimal environment. If
printed information for the courses could be provided as well, those who enjoy self directed
learning could benefit from printed material.
In addition, Caterpillar, Inc. must consider the issue of multiple generations when
developing a training program. There is research that suggests that older employees do not score
as well in an open-learning situation such as a self-directed computer-based training. In addition,
older employees generally take longer to learn information (Werner & DeSimone, 2012). Given
this information, managers may need to provide older workers with more time to complete
training courses in order to give equal opportunities to all employees. With any age group, it is
important to motivate employees while learning. Any learning activity should involve
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encouragement and praise for partaking in learning. Additionally, learning programs should
provide the opportunity to transfer skills learned back to the job of the employee (Werner &
DeSimone, 2012).
It is extremely important for Caterpillar, Inc. to provide their employees with ample time
to take courses of interest through CAT U. Managers should communicate with employees to
schedule appropriate times for their employees to stop their regular tasks to participate in
learning. For online courses, computers should be provided for the employees to view material.
In addition, it is important for the Human Resources Development department at Caterpillar, Inc.
to translate course material to all languages of employees. Each Caterpillar employee should be
provided the same opportunity for learning.
As for measuring the effectiveness of a training and development program, Caterpillar
must establish metrics to track the success. For safety, employees should be required to take
courses on occupational safety, and this information should be recorded. From there, the
compliance department should watch each employee’s safety. Any work place accidents are
reported and it is possible for Caterpillar, Inc. to see if these instructional courses have a positive
impact on reducing workplace injuries or safety violations. For personal development courses
such as those based in customer service, positive or negative changes can be seen in customer
satisfaction surveys. Managers can gain information on their employee’s behavior over the
course of a financial quarter or year to see if there are improvements in the daily operations of
the employee. Career development courses are fairly easy to get metrics around as well. All
employees who take career development courses can be monitored over the course of their
employment with Caterpillar, Inc. The Human Resources Development team will be able to see
if the employees who have taken these career development courses are using them to elevate
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themselves to the next step of their career. Any promotions or internal transfers to different
departments can be recorded and analyzed.
Training and developing employees is extremely important in order to retain the best
talent. Before setting a training and development program, it is important to first determine what
should be taught, the method of instruction, and how the outcome of the program can be
measured to compliment a company’s strategy. Caterpillar, Inc. has done an excellent job of
analyzing these questions and implementing a program that engages and retains employees.
Case Study 4
In the 1990’s customers of Cathay Pacific Airways rated the airline’s customer service as
good but “robotic”. The airline wanted to transform its flight attendants to provide exceptional
customer service. In the past, the training department adhered to strict lesson plans. This all
needed to change if the airline wanted to go to the next level and provide exceptional customer
service (Werner, J., & DeSimone, R., 2009).
How would you go about designing a needs assessment for the airline?
“Training Needs Assessment refers to the organizational process of collecting and
analyzing data that supports decision making about when training is the best option (or not) to
improve individuals’ performances, define who should be trained, and exactly what content
should be taught (Clarke, 2003)” (Ferreira & Abbad, 2013). The first step would be to conduct a
needs assessment survey based on diagnostic needs that would prevent future performance
deficiencies; analytic needs identify better ways to perform tasks; and compliance needs which
are mandated by law. With the flight attendants, trainers need to know where there are gaps in
their performance when it pertains to customer service. Also, if there are some ways of serving
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the customer that could be improved upon. Finally, which rules they had to teach, because they
were laws and if they did not follow them, they would put the company and themselves at risk.
A task analysis would need to be performed as well to evaluate flight attendants. A job
description would need to be developed to determine the activities of the job. If the job
description is not available, a job analysis will need to be performed (Werner & DeSimone,
2009, 118). This is usually done by observation of a job and determining the tasks being done.
The amount of hours that are worked per day, how long they are in front of people and what are
some of the stressful activities that flight attendants engage in are all things that need to be
addressed when determining a job description.
The next step involved in a task analysis is called task identification. This would identify
the major tasks that are involved in being a flight attendant and determine standards for all flight
attendants. Flight attendants cannot determine what expected of them until the standard in which
they are to perform is communicated to them.
Also, a strategic/organizational needs analysis should be evaluated just to determine the
organizational goals, resources, climate and constraints to make sure they are in-line with the
training and development being designed for the flight attendants. Other effective departments
could be used to strengthen flight attendants and improve effective practices already in place.
The resources need to be determined to decide on the allowable budget for the training. The
climate is very important for a trainer to know, so they can better serve the student. As a trainer,
you do not want to design a training that is totally counter-cultural and have it rejected by the
organization and the learner. The trainer has some control over the climate by making it a safe
environment for learning. It is also important to take into account the constraints that the flight
attendants might have such as time, Internet accesses or motivation. Finally, it is also important
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to assess who the learner is. What is their educational background? What trainings have been
done in the past? What has failed? What has been successful?
What methods would you use to design training that emphasized exceptional customer
service? The best kind of adult learning is self-directed and in order to foster learning a new
culture must be created. The employees’ learning must be self-directed. The best way to motivate
employees is through incentive programs and rewards. Also, the best way to train a population
that is mobile is through technology. The flight attendants would need to take a number of short
30-minute trainings with assessments that would improve the customer service. These short
trainings would pose as coaches that would remind them of customer service principles that
Cathay Pacific is trying to instill in its employees. Each training and assessment would be worth
point values. Also, at the end of each flight, the customers would rate the flight with a short
questionnaire on how they did as a team. That would be another form of evaluation. The
individual would gain points based on how well his or her flight attendant team performed. The
incentive points could be redeemed for a number of rewards such as money, time off, and gift
certificates. Hopefully, this incentive program would encourage teamwork as well as selfdirected learning.
What types of training would you recommend for flight attendants, if the new goal were
to provide exceptional customer service? Their students learn many different ways. One way
other than the thirty minute trainings, will be coaching sessions where a more experienced flight
attendant will be deemed a coach and will help each flight attendant on the airplane and provide
feedback. These coaches will also be chosen based on how they adhere to the new customer
service culture. The job of the coach would be to encourage the flight attendants perform the
principles of exceptional customer service. They are also there to build rapport with the team, so
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they can build teamwork, so they can better serve the customer. Less experienced flight
attendants would benefit from being able to lean on more experienced flight attendants for
wisdom. “In surveying workers across multiple industries, Billet (1992, 1993, 2001) found that
being involved in everyday work tasks, direct guidance from experts, and indirect experience
that emerged in the workplace contribute to how workers learn and develop their professional
knowledge” (Hutchins, Burke & Berthelsen, 2010).
These coaches will also be mentors that have been trained by the trainers in the principles
of the exceptional customer service that Cathay Pacific Airways wants to produce. They will be
each employee’s connection to the company that instills a culture that encourages diversity and
an atmosphere that is safe for employee learning. Employees will also build collaboration if the
environment is safe among coaches and other flight attendants.
The curriculum will mainly be focused on providing exceptional customer service, but
being in the airline business trainers cannot ignore safety. There was a study in The Journal of
Marketing done in 1987 that, “…for hotel and airline customers, the most important need is the
need to feel secure, especially in terms of their physical safety. Hotels and airlines need to do
everything they can to portray safety; this can be achieved via visible physical structures (e.g.
secure door locks, maintenance of equipment), material tangibles (e.g. brochures, posted
policies), as well as employee behaviors (e.g. reassurance from service personnel)” (ChungHerrera, 2007). This article articulates that in the airline industry safety has to be part of
exceptional customer service
How might the training programs themselves have to change in order to promote
innovation and collaboration among flight attendants, as well as from the trainers? The training
programs would have to work as a team to gain points for the incentive program. Today’s
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trainings are no longer simply done in a formal classroom setting. The training program uses
technology to be flexible, so the flight attendants could take a thirty minute training and
assessment while waiting for another flight on a smartphone. The software would be easily
accessible on the company website or a smartphone application. If they had a question, they
could simply send an email to the trainer or online chat with them if it is during working hours.
Another part of the online training would be online discussions with the trainer, coaches
and other flight attendants. This is another opportunity to build collaboration and give employees
a forum for innovation. The discussion can be from frustrations to how to deal with disgruntled
customers. Through the forum, the trainer can pose questions that facilitate learning and cause
the culture to change in an organization. This gives employees a chance to converse and build
rapport with each other as well.
Combined with the online training, the online discussions, coaching, and access to
trainers through email and online chat with an incentive plan curriculum, can help change the
face of customer service at Cathay Pacific Airlines. Through education is the only way to have
real change of a culture and effectively improve performance in an organization.
Case Study # 5
When we think of human resource development in an organization, training employees
are one of the most common approaches to achieve both performance and culture development.
To facilitate employee career development, providing proper education and training with work
experience allow individuals to move forward and work to build skills and expertise (ScullyRuss, 2011). It is essential for future Human Resource Development (HRD) professionals to
provide effective learning opportunities to support employees’ work performance and career
development. In order to obtain well-developed training skills in HRD, an organization needs to
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focus on proper training design, development, and implementation to minimize risk while
accentuating organization strengths. The case study about Rockwell Collins’ training issue is a
good example to examine of HRD professionals responding to both internal and external factors
when launching training programs.
Rockwell Collins is a prestigious company that manufactures electronic controls and
communications devices. In 2001, it spun off from Rockwell International to become a publicly
traded company. The company headquarters is located in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and consists of
over 20,000 employees worldwide in places like Europe, Asia, South America, and Africa.
Although Rockwell Collins emphasized the importance of training, it offered merely face-to-face
classroom instructions until 1998. Moreover, there were only twelve in-house trainers in the
main branch that provided training to employees. Due to the difficulty of access for employees
outside of Cedar Rapids, the company had low rate of participants in training sessions. Hence,
the Learning and Development group at Rockwell Collins started to consider outsourcing
training, as well as changing the types of training methods.
The first case study question posed was: “If you were manager of learning and
development at Rockwell Collins, where would you start in your efforts to improve the
availability and effectiveness of company-sponsored training efforts?” Our group believes that
diagnosing the current situation of Rockwell Collins by answering to the following questions is
necessary:

Where the training is needed the most?

What kind of training is most efficient for Rockwell Collins?

Who needs to be trained?

What conditions are established depending on diverse training types?
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Communicating closely with the current employees will be the primary step for the needs
assessment. Based on the results, we will prioritize the needs in order to help the company’s
leaders to make decisions efficiently. We need to develop strategic plans for the HRD programs
considering the Rockwell Collins’ training and budget. In addition, establishing new goals and
visions will be required in order to assist employees to reach their personal and professional
goals.
The second question was: “What suggestions would you have concerning how training is
designed and provided?” The key actions that should be considered during designing programs
are as follows: (1) defining objectives, (2) selecting the trainer, (3) developing a training plan, (4)
selecting program methods and techniques, (5) preparing proper materials, and (6) scheduling the
program (Werner, J., & DeSimone, R., 2012). The aforementioned steps are major components
during a HRD program designing phase.
After the need of assessment is defined, we should elaborate them into a set of objectives.
By conducting defining objectives, employees will feel more comfortable to engage with
programs or interventions that are offered by an organization. Therefore, establishing clear
objectives are vital. There are three useful tips by Mager that will communicate intentions:
performance, conditions, and criteria

Performance represents what a learner is expected to be able to do and/or produce

Conditions exemplify the conditions under which leaners are able to do or perform the
task

Criteria clarify how well learners should perform the task in order for the outcome to be
acceptable
Running Head: Case Study Assignment I
For the next step, we are going to select the most competent trainer in order to conduct
training programs. Training competency does not solely entail the knowledge and different skills
in HRD. An effective trainer must know how to communicate well with employees, and having
good interpersonal skills by using various instructional techniques (Werner, J., & DeSimone, R.,
2012). If trainers lack some skills, for instance considering subject matter experts, we should
provide them with a train-the-trainer program to improve their skills. Then, trainers need to
develop the most effective training plan, methods, and techniques.
To translate program objectives into training content, a well-developed lesson plan
should be prepared. According to Gilley and Eggland, a lesson plan should cover the following
elements: (1) content to be covered, (2) sequencing of activities, (3) selecting various training
media, (4) establishing experiential exercises, (5) timing and planning of each activity, (6)
selection of methods, and (7) variety of an evaluation items (Werner, J., & DeSimone, R., 2012).
When constructing lesson plans, trainers should be aware that plans should be flexible depending
on each situation.
After completing the lesson plan, we should select the appropriate training methods for
the company. Considering a large amount of employees existing worldwide from Rockwell
Collins, we will weigh in on conducting virtual training called computer-based training (CBT)
than face to face training. The methods and media selections should be selected by studying
objectives of the program, time and money allowance, availability of other resources, and trainee
learning style. Also, CBT will help employees in different regions to view their training
materials easily depending on their schedules. However, some training such as personal skills,
verbal communication skills, and demonstration skills will be provided face to face.
Running Head: Case Study Assignment I
The third question posed was: “What suggestions do you have concerning who should
provide the training (i.e., in-house trainers versus outside vendors)?” We suggest applying both
in-house and outside vendors for obtaining efficient training of Rockwell Collins employees.
Having outside vendors teaming with in-house trainers might be more effective when building
training designs. They can elaborate various training methods and options. Accordingly, outside
vendors can enrich training programs of the company. However, if a company decides to hire
only in-house trainers, it can benefit from flexible customization for any team or department in
an organization. In-house trainers are more flexible, and they can offer hands-on training with a
better understanding of the company and its employees.
The final question posed was: “How would you seek to “sell” your recommendations to
top management?” After the completion of training development phases, it is vital to talk to the
right person who has power for making decisions. To be successful, our group will prepare a
clearly stated training program proposal that delivers the following elements: training objectives,
tangible outcomes, time tables, methods, techniques, and the cost, etc. Well-designed power
point slides will be helpful to visualize our proposal. The benefits of training are not confined to
improved performance with additional benefits such as empowerment, self-efficacy,
effectiveness, and profitability studied by research (Aguinis & Kraiger, 2009). Hence, we will
focus on how these training programs will benefit the overall company’s new goals and missions
by showing potential future growth. Therefore, it is important to articulate our plan of action.
Having genuine communications with the top management should be conducted as well to
discuss our program’s impact and intention.
In conclusion, as future HRD professionals, HRD people constantly seek positive
changes in an organization. Organizations’ high commitment HR practices, including training
Running Head: Case Study Assignment I
and development, aim to prompt a strong bond of attachment to the organization leading to
improved job performance and further positive outcomes (Kooij, 2010). Training can be a
stepping stone for these changes. Moreover, the goal of this training and development should be
based upon emerging employee’s job satisfaction and performance that will lead to better
organization performance.
Running Head: Case Study Assignment I
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Running Head: Case Study Assignment I
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