Chapter 7

Training and Developing Employees

In brief:. This chapter is devoted to the issue of ongoing training and development of
employees. Needs analysis, techniques, purposes, and evaluation are all covered.
Additionally, the chapter points out the importance of new employee orientation and lists some
of the important things to cover during that process.

Interesting issues: New employee orientation has been shown to have measurable and
positive effects on employee retention and satisfaction. In spite of this, many organizations do
not have a formalized orientation process and each employee gets a different orientation to the
organization. For those students who have been employed, it may be useful to discuss their
experiences and frustrations or satisfaction with orientations.

Lecture Outline

I. Orienting Employees

A. Orientation

1. Basic Background Information

2. Socialization

II. The Training Process

A. Introduction

B. The Five Step Training and Development Process (Figure 7.2 on page 251)

1. Needs Analysis

2. Instructional Design

3. Validation

4. Implementation

5. Evaluation and Follow-Up

C. Training and Learning

1. Review of How People Learn

2. Research Insight

D. Legal Aspects of Training

E. Training Needs Analysis

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Chapter 7: Training and Developing Employees

1. Task Analysis

2. Performance Analysis

F. Task Analysis: Assessing the Training Needs of New Employees

1. Task Analysis Record Form

a. task list
b. when and how often performed
c. quantity, quality performance standards
d. conditions under which performed
e. skills or knowledge required
f. where best learned

B. Performance Analysis: Determining the Training Needs of Current Employees

C. The High-Performance Organization: Employee Testing and Training Program

pages 256-257 of the text: see Discussion Boxes solutions at end of this
chapter

IV. Training Techniques

A. On-the-Job Training

1. OJT

a. preparation of the learner

b. presentation of the operation
c. performance tryout
d. follow-up

B. Apprenticeship Training

C. Informal Learning

D. Job Instruction Training

E. Lectures

F. Programmed Learning

G. Audiovisual Techniques

1. Teletraining

2. Videoconference Distance Learning

H. Vestibule or Simulated Training

1. Safety

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Human Resource Management

2. Learning Efficiency

3. Money

G. Computer-Based Training

H. Small Business Applications

page 262 of the text: see Discussion Boxes solutions at end of this chapter

V. Managerial Development and Training Techniques

A. What is Managerial Development?

B.

VI. Training for Special Purposes

A. Literacy Training Techniques

B. Aids Education

C. Global HRM: Training for International Business

page 269 of the text: see Discussion Boxes solutions at end of this chapter

VI. Managerial Development and Training Techniques

A. What is Management Development?

B. Managerial On-the-Job Training

1. Job Rotation

2. Coaching/Understudy Approach

3. Action Learning

C. Diversity Counts: Do Women Make Better Managers?

page 274 of the text: see Discussion Boxes solutions at end of this chapter

D. Managerial Off-the-Job Training and Development Techniques

1. The Case Study Method

2. Management Games

3. Outside Seminars

4. University-Related Programs

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Chapter 7: Training and Developing Employees

5. Role Playing

6. Behavior Modeling

7. In-House Development Centers

8. Executive Development in Global Companies

VII. Evaluating the Training Effort

A. Controlled Experimentation

B. Training Effects to Measure

1. Reaction

2. Learning

3. Behavior

4. Results

Discussion Boxes

The High-Performance Organization: An Employee Testing and Training

Program
(page 256)

This dialogue box describes one company’s employee testing and training program. It
is designed to train employees in those areas specifically required for their jobs, to prepare
them for ISO-9000 compliance, and to foster pride and morale. Over 70 percent of the
workforce has completed the training resulting in a significantly improved and effective
workforce.

Small Business Applications: Training

(page 266)

This dialogue box gives a step-by-step practical procedure for small businesses to
develop training programs. The five steps are: (1) Set Training Objectives; (2) Write a
Detailed Job Description; (3) Develop an Abbreviated Task Analysis Record Form; (4) Develop
a Job Instruction Sheet; (5) Prepare a Training Program for the Job.

Global HRM: Training for International Business

(page 266)

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Human Resource Management

This dialogue box gives describes some of the prepackaged training programs for
global programs. It also discusses some of the reasons for doing special global training
programs.

Diversity Counts: Do Women Make Better Managers?

(page 274)

This dialogue box describes the results of research that indicates that women
managers may be better transformational leaders than men. Transformational leaders “move
followers to go beyond their self-interest to concerns for their group or organization.”

Key Terms

employee orientation A procedure for providing new employees with basic background
information about the firm. (page 249)

training The process of teaching new employees the basic skills they
need to perform their jobs. (page 249)

task analysis A detailed study of a job to identify the skills required so that an
appropriate training program may be instituted. (page 254)

performance analysis Careful study of performance to identify a deficiency and then

correct it with new equipment, a new employee, a training
program, or some other adjustment. (page 254)

on-the-job training (OJT) Training a person to learn a job while working at it. (page 257)

job instruction training Listing of each job's basic tasks, along with key points in order to
(JIT) provide step-by-step training for employees. (page 259)

programmed learning A systematic method for teaching job skills involving presenting
questions or facts, allowing the person to respond, and giving the
learner immediate feedback on the accuracy of his or her
answers. (page 261)

vestibule or simulated Training employees on special off-the-job equipment, as in

learning airplane pilot training, whereby training costs and hazards can be
reduced. (page 263)

management Any attempt to improve current or future management

development performance by imparting knowledge, changing attitudes, or
increasing skills. (page 272)
succession planning A process through which senior-level openings are planned for
and eventually filled. (page 272)

job rotation A management training technique that involves moving a trainee

from department to department to broaden his or her experience
and identify strong and weak points. (page 272)

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action learning A training technique by which management trainees are allowed

to work full time analyzing and solving problems in other
departments. (page 273)

case study method A development method in which the manager is presented with a
written description of an organizational problem to diagnose and
solve. (page 275)

management game A development technique in which teams of managers compete

with one another by making computerized decisions regarding
realistic but simulated companies. (page 275)

role playing A training technique in which trainees act out the parts of people
in a realistic management situation. (page 278)

behavior modeling A training technique in which trainees are first shown good
management techniques in a film, are then asked to play roles in
a simulated situation, and are then given feedback and praise by
their superior. (page 278)

controlled Formal methods for testing the effectiveness of a training

experimentation program, preferably with before-and-after tests and a control
group. (page 281)

Discussion Questions:

1. "A well-thought-out orientation program is especially important for employees (like

recent graduates) who have had little or no work experience." Explain why you
agree or disagree with this statement. New employees can suffer from a significant
amount of anxiety during the first few days on the job as they find themselves in an
environment and culture that they are not acquainted with. Those with little job experience
may find it especially difficult without orientation since they have little other experience on
which to base their expectations. A well developed orientation program will socialize new
employees into important organizational values, whereby their chances of easing smoothly
into the organization are improved. (page 249)

2. You're the supervisor of a group of employees whose task it is to assemble tuning

devices that go into radios. You find that quality is not what it should be and that
many of your group's tuning devices have to be brought back and reworked; your
own boss says that "You'd better start doing a better job of training your workers."
(a) What are some of the "staffing" factors that could be contributing to this
problem? The problem could be related to inadequate training. Other staffing factors that
could be contributing to this problem are improper selection criteria resulting in the wrong
type of people being selected for the jobs. Performance criteria may be unclear or
unenforced. The climate or the values may be non-productive for any number of reasons.
(page 254)

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Human Resource Management

(b) Explain how you would go about assessing whether it is in fact a training
problem. Use performance analysis to appraise the performance of current employees
while determining if training could reduce performance problems; if so, training is the place
to start. Several steps are recommended in the text for accomplishing the performance
analysis. In the process, you will learn whether it is a "can't do" or "won't do" situation.
Other factors in the motivation model would also need to be assessed, including the
working conditions and quality of supervision. (page 257)

3. Explain how you would apply our principles of learning in developing a lecture, say,
on orientation and training. Student answers should reflect the issues identified in the
guidelines on page 260. As an exercise, you might have students develop and deliver a
lecture (perhaps on one section of this chapter). Then ask the students to critique each
other based on the guidelines summarized on page 260.

4. John Santos is an undergraduate business student majoring in accounting. He has

just failed the first accounting course, Accounting 101, and is understandably upset.
Explain how you would use performance analysis to identify what, if any, are John's
training needs. The first thing that needs to be determined is if this is a "can't do" or a
"won't do" situation. It is possible that as a first-year student, John has spent more time
socializing and not enough time studying. This would indicate a need for training on
studying skills and prioritization. It is also possible that John really does not have the
necessary basic skills that he needs in order to be successful in this course. This could be
determined through some testing to see if he has the prerequisite knowledge and skills. If
it is a problem, remedial training or courses would be appropriate. A third possibility is that
John simply does not really have the interest or natural inclinations that would make him
successful in the accounting area. This could be determined through some testing and
career interest surveys. If this is the case, training is not appropriate, but rather John
should be counseled to change majors. (page 254)

5. What are some typical on-the-job training techniques? What do you think are some
of the main drawbacks of relying on informal on-the-job training for breaking new
employees into their jobs? The most common is the understudy or coaching technique.
Others include apprenticeship training and job rotation. There are several possible
drawbacks to OJT: (1) not every employee will get the same basic information, in fact,
some may not get basic, fundamental information; (2) the quality of the training is highly
dependent on the training skills of the employee who supervises the OJT...and that
person's skills and training are usually not in the area of training; (3) the new employee
may get false information or detrimental inculturation depending on the employees that
they conduct their OJT with. (page 257)

6. This chapter points out that one reason for implementing special global training
programs is the need to avoid lost business ". . . due to cultural insensitivity." What
sort of cultural insensitivity do you think is referred to and how might that translate
into lost business? The cultural insensitivities would include cross-cultural values,
assumptions concerning communication, identity issues, etiquette, lifestyles, style of dress,
etc. Any of these can result in unintentional insults or offending people which can easily
make those people reluctant to do business with you. (page 269)

What sort of training program would you recommend to avoid such cultural
insensitivity? There are a wide variety of programs and consultants that specialize in
these areas. It is important to have someone who is knowledgeable in these areas

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conduct the training to assure that the correct information and guidance is given. (page
269)

7. This chapter presents several examples of how diversity training can backfire, such
as "the possibility of post-training participant discomfort." How serious do you think
potential negative outcomes like these are and what would you do as an HR manager
to avoid them? If the training is not properly conceived and conducted, these negative
outcomes can be very serious. They can lead to resignations of members of under-
represented groups, lawsuits, and poor morale and productivity. It is important that these
outcomes be avoided by utilizing experts in diversity for developing the training program,
and only using people who have been thoroughly trained and are culturally aware and
sensitive to conduct the training.

8. How does the involvement approach to attitude surveys differ from simply
administering surveys and returning the results to top management? Please note:
This question should not be used as the text does not address this issue.

9. Compare and contrast three organizational development techniques. Please note:

This question should be in Chapter 8, but due to an editing error, ended up in this chapter.
Chapter 8 identifies OD techniques as: sensitivity training, team building, confrontation
meetings, survey research, technostructural interventions, action research, and strategic
interventions.

10. Describe the pros and cons of five management development methods. Job rotation:
broadens experience and helps the candidate find what he or she prefers.
Coaching/Understudy: works directly with the person he or she will replace, helps assure
trained managers are ready to assume key positions. Action Learning: allows special
projects to be handled. Case Study Method: classroom oriented, gives real-life situations,
allows analysis and reflection. Management Games: learn by getting involved,
competition, emphasizes the need for planning, problem-solving skills, teamwork. Outside
Seminars: CEUs, developed by experts, time away from pressures of work. University-
Related Programs: certifications and degrees, theoretical knowledge, sharing with
students from other industries. Role Playing: opportunity to work through probable
situations, negative views of role-playing. Behavior Modeling: effective, learning and skill
development, reinforces decisions immediately. In-House Development Centers: tailored
to the needs of the company, expensive. Students should be able to come up with
additional pros and cons for each method.

11. Discuss the key alternatives in a typical off-the-job management development

program. Basically, companies or employees will have choices of case-study,
management games, outside seminars, university-related programs, role playing, or
behavior modeling. Choosing which one will be dependent on the types of skills or
knowledge needed. Accounting may be best learned in a university-related program, while
interpersonal skills might be better learned through role playing.

12. Do you think job rotation is a good method to use for developing management
trainees? Why or why not? Most students will probably support job rotation for
management trainees. It gives the trainee the opportunity to experience several areas and
to develop cross-departmental skills and cooperation. It also give the trainee the chance to
experience different areas to see what he or she likes.

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Individual and Group Activities:

1. Pick out some task with which you are familiar - - mowing the lawn, tuning a car - -
and develop a job instruction training sheet for it. There is an example of a job
instruction training sheet for operating a large motorized paper cutter on pages 257 & 258
of the text. Students should be able to put the task they select into the format given.

2. You are to give a short lecture on the subject "Guidelines to Keep in Mind When
Presenting a Lecture." Give a five or ten minute lecture on the subject making sure,
of course, to follow the guidelines as enumerated in this chapter. Students should
integrate the points listed on page 258 into their lecture. It would be useful to have
classmates evaluate each other using these guidelines.

3. Working individually or in groups, you are to develop a short programmed learning

program on the subject “Guidelines for Giving a More Effective Lecture.” Use the
example in Figure 7-4 and any other information you may have available to develop
your programmed learning program. Students should use the guidelines listed on page
260, but should not forget that this assignment is not just listing guidelines. They are to
develop a programmed learning that 1) presents questions, facts, or problems to the
learner, 2) allows the person to respond, and 3) provides feedback to the learner on the
accuracy of his or her answers.

4. Working individually or in groups, contact a provider of management development

seminars such as the American Management Association. Obtain copies of their
recent listings of seminar offerings. At what levels of managers do they aim their
seminar offerings? What seems to be the most popular types of development
programs? Why do you think that’s the case? Depending on the provider contacted,
the results of this exercise will vary. It would be a good idea to assign different groups or
individuals to different providers to assure that you get a variety of responses. It may be
useful to have a class discussion about the differences that they found.

5. Working individually or in groups, develop a series of concrete examples to illustrate

how a professor teaching human resource management could use at least eight of
the management development techniques described in this chapter in teaching his
or her HR course. Student results will again vary. Look for examples to be well
thought out and to represent the guidelines given on page 260 of the text.

6. Check with several local community colleges to determine what if any

apprenticeship programs they are partners in. Help students to understand that skilled
labor programs are technical, involve significant skills, often require high levels of math,
and are vital to economic development.

Cases and Exercises

Experiential Exercise: Developing a Training Program (page 284)

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This exercise will give students the opportunity to experience the activities involved in
creating a training program. As with any exercise, students may rush through and brush aside
details, or they might painstakingly address all the details needed. Look for quality and for
those that take the time to deal with the details that make a program a success.

Case Incident: Reinventing the Wheel at Apex Door Company (page 285)

1. What do you think of Apex’s training process? Could it help to explain why
employees “do things their way” and if so, how? There is a weak accountability
system. The person assigned to perform training is likely to very low motivation (a
departing employee). With no formal descriptions the trainer will teach “their way” of
accomplishing tasks. There is no training documentation. One receives training in “how to
train.” There are no outcomes measures to determine if the training was successful.

2. What role do job descriptions play in training? Job descriptions set the boundaries of
jobs in terms of required knowledge and skills. By understanding the job description, a
trainer can define the learning requirements for a new or transitioning employees.

3. Explain in detail what you would do to improve the training process at Apex (make
sure to provide specific suggestions, please). Every position would have a formal
(written) description. Training procedures would be documented for each position.
Supervisors would be formally accountable for training.

Case Application: A Training and Development Problem at Sumerson

Manufacturing
(page 286)

Sumerson Manufacturing is planning on opening a new plant in 16 months. You have been
asked to develop a plan to recruit, select and train the approximately one thousand new
workers that will be needed over the next three years.

1. Develop a plan outline of how to hire and train an entire staff of new employees
below the second level of management in one year and have them ready to open the
new plant? Students will need to draw from several chapters. In order to develop a hiring
plan, the company will need to have identified specific jobs and the knowledge and skills
associated with those jobs. Some students will likely recommend that Sumerson review
their existing jobs. Bright students will note that Sumerson will move some of its best
employees to the new plant (this raises an interesting set of issues about what the culture
will be like in the existing plants).

The training plan will likely involve the 5 steps noted in the chapter:
1. Needs analysis
2. Instructional design
3. Validation
4. Implementation
5. Evaluation & follow-up

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Human Resource Management

2. How should you go about procuring the balance of the thousand employees needed
to staff the plant by the projected full-operations date? HR will want to involve the
supervisors at the new plant and get their input in any recruiting plan. The plant provides
an opportunity for Sumerson to review its prior practices and establish new benchmarks.

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