CHAPTER 8

• Training is the “systematic acquisition of skills, rules, concepts, or attitudes that result in improved performance”
• Training is essential for an organization because it ensures that employees have the knowledge and skills necessary to perform the job
• Conducting a needs analysis is the first step in developing an employee training system
• The purpose of needs analysis is to determine the types of training, if any, that are needed in an organization, as well as the extent to which training is a practical means of achieving an organization’s goal
• three types of needs analysis are typically conducted: organizational analysis, task analysis, and person analysis
• The purpose of organizational analysis is to determine those organizational factors that either facilitate or inhibit training effectiveness
• A properly conducted organizational analysis will focus on the goals the organization wants to achieve, the extent to which training will help achieve those goals, the organization’s ability to conduct training (e.g., finances, physical space, time), and the extent to which employees are willing and able to be trained (e.g., ability, commitment, motivation, stress)
• If the results of the organizational analysis indicate that a positive organizational climate for training exists, the next step is to conduct a task analysis. The purpose of a task analysis is to use the job analysis methods to identify the tasks performed by each employee, the conditions under which these tasks are performed, and the competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities) needed to perform the tasks under the identified conditions
• Person Analysis

  The third and final step in the needs analysis process is determining which employees need training and in which areas
• Person analysis is based on the recognition that not every employee needs further training for every task performed.
• Performance Appraisal Scores

  Perhaps the easiest method of needs analysis is to use employees’ performance appraisal scores
• Surveys

  Another common approach to determine training needs is to design and administer a survey that asks employees what knowledge and skills they believe should be included in future training.
• The fourth way to determine training needs is with a skill test or a knowledge test. Some examples of areas that could be tested to determine training needs include knowledge of lending laws for loan officers, knowledge of company policy for new employees, free-throw shooting for basketball players, and the dreaded midterm exam for this course
• The fifth method for determining training needs is the critical-incident technique
• Once the needs analyses have been conducted, the next step in developing a training program is to establish the goals and objectives for the training as the training goals will determine the resources allocated to the training, the methods used to deliver the training, and the methods used to evaluate the success of the training.
• Lectures are a good training source if the goal is for employees to obtain knowledge, but unless they are accompanied by such techniques as simulations and role-plays, they are not usually effective at teaching skills.
• An important part of any training presentation is the handouts to the audience. The purpose of handouts is to provide material that the trainees can take back to their jobs.
• Once employees have received the information they need through lecture, it is important that they be able to apply what they have learned. One way to do this is through the case study
• Case studies are similar to leaderless group discussions and situational interview problems, and are considered to be good sources for developing analysis, synthesis, and evaluation skills
• For case studies to be most successful, the cases should be taken from actual situations
• Simulation exercises allow the trainee to practice newly learned skills. Simulations offer the advantage of allowing the trainee to work with equipment under actual working conditions without the consequences of mistakes.
• a simulation exercise can be effective only if it physically and psychologically simulates actual job conditions
• role-play allows the trainee to perform necessary interpersonal skills by acting out simulated roles
• One interesting variation of the role-play exercise has an employee playing the role of “the other person.”
• Behavior modeling is similar to role-play except that trainees role-play ideal behavior rather than the behavior they might normally perform.
• The behavior modeling technique begins with a discussion of a problem, why it occurred, and the employee behaviors necessary to correct the problem. These behaviors are called learning points and are essentially rules to follow in solving a problem.
• The most obvious way to “motivate” employees to attend training is to require them to attend training “on the clock.”
• there are three broad methods of delivering the training: in the classroom, through distance learning, and on the job