Training Interventions and Learning Experiences

1. Training Interventions and Learning Experiences Dr. Steve Training & Development INP6325

2. Competency-Based Training Competency-Based Training – Holistic approach to train global skills across positions and tasks in order to increase organizational effectiveness • Competency modeling techniques • Derive competencies consistent with core vision and values of company • Identify competencies through critical incident analysis • Skills that distinguish top performers from average performers • Both are typically combined to allow various aspects of HR (e.g., selection, training, appraisal) to work together in achieving generic (to org) competencies.

3. Competency-Based Training 1.Ability to search scholarly and professional sources for information on one or more topics in I/O psychology.  2.Ability to write in styles appropriate for audience in academic and business. 3.Ability to plan and conduct an applied project in I/O psychology. 4.Ability to present information orally to academic and business audiences. 5.Ability to work effectively with others to accomplish a project relevant to I/O psychology 6.Ability to integrate background information with problem-solving and interpersonal skills in the application of I/O psychology • I/O Psychology Master’s Program Competency-Based Training • Regardless of area in I/O the student chooses to pursue after graduation, the following competencies must be learned:

4. Employee Orientation Orientation training is designed to acquaint new employees to their supervisors, peers, tasks, organizational policies and culture • Orientation Objectives • Provide info about job and org (requirements, benefits, office/dept locations, etc.) • Teach safety and job skills • Discuss expected attitudes • Help employee understand “how things work” • Clarify roles of supervisor and co-workers in workgroup

5. Employee Socialization • Chao et al.’s (1994) 6 dimensions of socialization related to outcomes such as income, career involvement, and job satisfaction • Performance Proficiency – learning necessary job skills • People Skills – establishing relationships • Politics – learn how to get things done • Language – learn office speak, jargon, acronyms • Organizational Goals & Values – learn what the org stands for and its expectations of workers • History– learn traditions, rituals, myths of org

6. Leadership Development • Business Simulations – allow leaders to experience events similar to real life • Focus on leadership skills such as: • Situational awareness, coordination, communication, interpersonal skills, problem solving, & decision making • Advantages: • Risk-free situations • Dynamic – can see consequences of decisions • High content validity • Disadvantages: • Lack of empirical data on improving learning and training transfer • Learners get too involved in winning, less in learning • Lack of generalizability – may teach solutions to specific problems

7. Leadership Development • Behavioral Role-Modeling – approach based on social learning theory stressing observation, modeling, and vicarious reinforcement • Four processes • Attentional Processes – ability of observer to attend to and differentiate among cues (characteristics of model) • Retentional Processes – ability to remember stimuli over periods of time (covert & overt rehearsal) • Motor Reproduction Processes – physical abilities needed to acquire and perform modeled behavior • Incentive & Motivational Processes – reinforcement conditions existing at the time the observed behavior is performed

8. Leadership Development • Assessment Centers – standardized set of activities given to trainees under standardized conditions (e.g., worktask simulations, leaderless group discussions, in-basket exercise, interviews) • Trainees assessed in groups • Assessed by group of trained assessors • Dimensions include: communication, initiative, decisiveness, organization & planning, decision-making • Feedback delivered one-on-one and in formal report • 360 degree feedback may be provided (supervisors, peers, subordinates)

9. Leadership Development • Experience-Centered Learning – job activities that challenge and promote learning • Created through job assignments or through mentoring • Challenges may include: creating change, managing high levels of responsibility, dealing with diversity • Learning Situations: • Incremental – competencies are gained linearly, giving the learner the opportunity to learn at own pace and time to clarify role expectations • Frame-breaking – learners are “thrown into the fire” without initial preparations. Learner makes effort to acquire large number of new skills needed or risk failure

10. Leadership Development • Global Leadership – ability to coordinate efforts with leaders in other countries to: • Effectively manage a diverse workforce • Adapt to demands of international assignments • Understand global responsibilities

11. Global Leadership • Diversity Training – intended to integrate diverse mix of employees into org culture, eliminate inequities • Training focuses on increasing awareness, knowledge, understanding, attitude change, and skill enhancement • Training may include: • Factual info about law • Questionnaires on diversity issues • Group discussions • Leadership skills training (coaching, communication, feedback)

12. Global Leadership • International Assignments • 30 – 50% failure rates of leaders • Failure costs est $500,000 per executive • Causes of failure • Difficulty adjusting to new culture • Lack of interpersonal skills • Lack of experience with people of other cultures Some Attributes of Successful International Assignee Perseverance, Empathy, Respect, Flexibility, Patience, Tolerance, Openness, Extraversion, Motivated, Confident, Dependable, Creative, Alert, Desire to go, Emotionally stable, Stress-tolerant, Resourceful

13. Global Leadership • Intercultural Training – designed to reduce culture shock, establish interpersonal relations, and improve task effectiveness • Culture Assimilator – Scenarios that highlight cultural differences in host culture as compared to own • Cross cultural host – leader paired with member of host country for a period of time to learn about the culture prior to move overseas