Chapter 7: Training

1. Chapter 7: Training Crystal L. McArthur PSYC 5800 April 13, 2005

2. Five Steps to Effective Organizational Training Program • Conduct Training Needs Assessment • Set Objectives • Design Training • Deliver Training • Evaluate Training

3. #1: Needs Assessment • To determine who needs training and what kind of training is needed. • Ensures that training resources are spent wisely on areas that really need the training • Focus on 3 levels: • Organization level: objectives of organization and how they are addressed by the performance of employees • Job level: the nature of tasks involved in each job. • Person level: how well job applicants or present employees are able to do job tasks.

4. #2: Objectives • To develop a training program, you must set objectives. • Based on criteria, include what a trainee should be able to do or should know after training. • Training objectives should be based on the results of the needs assessment.

5. #3: Training Design • Transfer of training is applying what you have learned to the job. • Some features of the training design can affect how well trainees learn and how well the training transfers to the job. • Trainee Characteristics – not everyone have the same ability to learn a given task. • More training is needed for the low ability trainees. • Give each individual trainee the amount of training necessary for him or her to reach the training criterion. • Attitudes and motivations can also affect outcomes in training and on the job. • Find out how to motivate employees to do their best in a training situation, or make training interesting. • Important consideration--some people learn differently. • For instance, presentations are better for others to learn, written materials, or maybe even a verbal approach.

6. Design Factors that Affect Transfer of Training • Feedback – without it, there is no way of knowing if the trainee is learning • Test trainees on information from training • Allow trainees to ask the trainer questions • General Principles – teaches why something is done and how it should be done. It also enhances learning. • Identical Elements – responses in the training situation are identical to those in the job situation. • Overlearning – giving the trainee practice beyond is that necessary to reach a criterion for success in training.

7. Design Factors that Affect Transfer of Training (cont.) Sequencing of Training Sessions • Part training – breaking a task into components that are learned one at a time. • Whole training – the entire task is taught at one time rather than being broken into individual components. • Part training is preferred over whole training when tasks are too complex to be learned all at once. • Massed training – this type of training session is long in duration and take place over a relatively short period of time. • More efficient, allows a person to leave work for training for a day. • Spaced training – this type training session is relatively short and is spread out over time. • More effective, it provides better training. This doesn’t allow a person to cram information that is being learned.

8. Work Environment • Whether or not the skills learned in training are used on the job, depends on the environment of the job. • When supervisors encourage the application of learned principles, employee motivation to learn is increased. • If there isn’t any support from the supervisor or employees, the training process will be ineffective.

9. 8 Training Methods • Audiovisual instruction - electronic presentations using audiotape, videotape, DVD, or computer. PowerPoint is used to add audiovisual elements to presentations. • Presents material that could not be heard or seen, can train many people at once • Autoinstruction (programmed instruction) - any training method that is self-placed and does not use a instructor. • Gives immediate feedback to trainees and can work at his or her own pace. • Conference - meeting of trainees and a trainer to discuss the material. • Participants can both discuss the material and ask questions. Allows for feedback to trainees and high level of trainee involvement. • Lecture - presentation by a trainer to a group of trainees. • Advantage: efficiency; can be presented to a large number of trainees and good information-given method. Disadvantage: mass presentation to many people limits the amount of feedback that can be given.

10. 8 Training Methods (cont.) • Modeling - having trainees watch someone perform, or model, a task and then having them imitate what they have seen. This can be done on film or videotape. It can show both effective and ineffective samples of behavior. • Provides practice of new skills and high level of feedback. • On-the-job training - show employees how to do the job while they are doing it. • High level of transfer and exposure to actual job. • Role-playing - trainee pretends to be doing a task. • High level of feedback and provides practice of new skills. • Simulation – technique in which specialized equipment or materials are used to portray a task situation • High level of transfer and provides practice of new skills. Trainees pretend that the situation is real and carry out their tasks as they would in the actual situation.

11. More Training Methods • Electronic Training (e-learning) • It involves the use of electronic tools to provide training. The computer is used to deliver training, such as broadcasting a lecture on the Web so others can watch on the computer. • Online training that is available to employees at all times. • Mentoring • A special kind of relationship between two employees in which the more experienced employee takes the less experienced employee under his or her wing to help the person “learn the ropes.”

12. #4: Delivery of a Training Program • Even the most well-designed training program will be ineffective unless it is properly delivered. • In most organizations, specialists are skilled in training delivery of the program. • Content is the responsibility of subject-matter experts who know the particular topics that the training will cover.

13. # 5: Evaluation of a Training Program • Define or Set Criteria • Choose Design • Choose Measure of the Criteria • Collect Data • Analyze and Interpret Data

14. Future Issues and Challenges • Changes in the workplace over the next few years will require new training strategies in organizations. • Low-skilled manufacturing jobs are being replaced by service jobs and technical jobs that require greater skills. • Older employees will have to be retrained. • Current shortages of technically trained people may require organizations to shift from selection to training. • May have to train and retrain employees due to change in technology. • Training will become an increasingly important activity to both individuals and the organizations that employ them.

15. End of Chapter 7 on “Training”