Why training is important

1. Why training is important • Organizations with superior training often prevail over organizations with poor training, all else bring equal. • To become good at anything takes training and practice. • Training is a principal method for adapting an organization’s workforce to a changing environment. • Advanced economies in the twenty first century are based on sophisticated human skills that can only be acquired through extrnsive training.

2. Some Functions of Organizational Training Programs • Fosters communication • Skill building • Sends signals about management’s priorities • Develops team spirit and teamwork • Socialization • Generates new ideas

3. LEARNING A process by which an individual’s pattern of behavior, knowledge, or attitudes is changed by experience.

4. TRAINING The systematic acquisition and maintenance of skills and task-specific knowledge.

5. EDUCATION The systematic acquisition of abilities, general knowledge, and attitudes.

6. DEVELOPMENT A systematic, long-term process of education, training, on-the-job experiences, and socialization to prepare an individual to fulfill an upper-level role in an organization.

7. Skill Behaviors or mental operations related to the performance of a task or set of related tasks. Ability Behaviors or mental operations useful for adapting to a variety of environmental demands. Aptitude A hypothetical construct signifying the potential to learn a skill.

8. KNOWLEDGE Symbolic representations in the mind that can be recalled.

9. Developing a Training Program • Conduct a needs analysis • Design training using principles of learning • Use training methods that are most appropriate for the type of skills to be learned • Teach best-practice skill techniques • Structure supportive learning environment • Evaluate

10. Training Needs Analysis Training needs analysis is… An assessment of the training requirements for an organization, job, or individual.

11. Organization Analysis • Organizational values • Long and short term goals • Desired behaviors and attitudes • Where training is needed

12. Teaching Brotherly Love: Philadelphia offers taxi drivers training on civic pride and customer service. Last week, it started briefing graduates on coming conventions – just in time for the arrival of 7,000 Mennonites for their church convention. The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission considers requiring the training of all cabbies. -Wall Street Journal, August 3, 1993, p. A-1.

13. Task Analysis Analyze job into component tasks Determine the importance of the tasks to effective job performance Determine what job encumbents must do to perform the job well

14. Person Analysis • Who needs training? • In what areas do they need training? • Sources of information to determine a person’s training needs - formal performance appraisal - self appraisal - peer appraisal

15. Some Reasons Why Needs Analysis Is Not Done • Managers do not know what they want • Lack of a strong value orientation • Lack of priorities • Determining one’s values, objectives, and goals is hard work • Changing environment • Conflict over values, objectives, and goals • It may be politically expedient to be vague

16. Why Needs Analysis is Not Always a Good Idea • Minimizes variation of skills • Is a top-down approach to knowing what is best to do - Over-planned and centralized - over-reliance on experts - Time consuming, slow, and can be unresponsive to fast-paced change

17. Alternatives to Needs-Based Training • Allow employees select a percentage (40%) of training programs of their own choice - you never know what skills will be useful - people usually have a good idea of their own strengths and limitations • Be tolerant of fads - new information - imitation isn’t always a bad thing

18. Principles of Learning Psychological principles, derived from research, which suggest the optimal conditions for learning.

19. Some Principles of Learning • Motivation to learn • Ability to learn • Practice • Knowledge of results • Meaningfulness of material • Over learning

20. Low-tech Training Methods • What learning outcomes can each produce? • What are the pros and cons of each? • Lecture • Behavior • Role playing • Experiential groups • Case studies • Simulations • Guided trial and error • Internships • On-the-job training

21. High Technology Training Methods • What learning outcomes can each produce? • What are the pros and cons of each? • Video and cassette tapes • CD (computer) courses and modules • Web courses and modules • Interactive TV (ITV) • Virtual reality

22. Training and the World’s Best Runners • Which country dominates long distance running? • Since 1968___________ has taken at least one gold medal in men’s middle and long distance events in each Olympic Game; it has also taken 14 silver and eight bronze medals. • How high tech are this country’s training methods?

23. Training and the World’s Best Baseball Players • Which country has produced more professional and major league baseball players than any country, apart from the United States? • Which country has produced proportionately more players than any country, including the United States? • How high tech are this country’s training methods?

24. Dear fellow-artist, why so free with every sort of company, With every Jack and Jill? Choose your companions from the best; Who draws a bucket with the rest, Soon topples down the hill . . . And I may dine at journey’s end With Landor and with Donne. -W. B. Yeats

25. The surest and fastest way to Improve is by playing With better players. Faye Young Miller and Wayne Coffey (Winning Basketball For Girls)

26. Situated Learning • Learning is a social phenomenon • Apprenticeship model • Moving from peripheral to full legitimate participation • Learning from old timers • Importance of identity development in learning • Social context facilitates: • Motivation, skills, feedback

27. The Development of Expertise • The 10-year rule • Deliberate practice • Frequent, intensive practice • Rest and recuperation • Initial abilities make little difference • Practice changes abilities and physiology • Practice as the key to skill development makes evolutionary sense

28. Training: The Bottom Line • “You play the way you practice.” • John Wooden (Former UCLA basketball coach) • If you want to acquire a skill and become skillful, you have to practice – a lot.

29. Skill Development Time Deliberate Practice Skill Structure

30. Criteria for Evaluating Training Programs Reactions Knowledge Behavior Results Attitudes and Values

31. Evaluating Training Programs Think multidimensionally – Training programs usually have Multiple effects To what extent are criteria: Compatible Independent Contradictory

32. Evaluation Designs • Group T1 X T2 • Experimental Group (R) T1 X T2 Control Group (R) T1 X T2 • Group T1 T2 T3 T4 T5 T6 T7 T8

33. Additional Considerations In Training Evaluation One-shot evaluation vs. constant vigilance and evolution Critical mass of training When should criteria be measured Multiple and latent functions of training

34. Training Recapitulation • The importance of training • Needs analysis • Conditions for training • Principles of learning • Learning environments • Training techniques • Training implementation • Cross-cultural training • Training evaluation