Training & Development

Source : Chapter 12: Employee training, Personnel management by C.B.Mamoria

TRAINING A learning experience in that it seeks a

relatively permanent change in an individual that will improve his/ her ability to perform on the job. It involves changing of

SkillsAttitudeKnowledge

A process of learning a sequence of programmed behaviour

Training gives people an awareness of the rules and procedures to guide their behaviour

An attempt to improve performance of the current job or to prepare for an intended job

Development A related process Aims not only to improve performance but

also tries to bring about growth of personality, help in attaining maturity and actualisation of potential capacities

Intended to equip persons to earn promotion and hold greater responsibility

Can also be termed as training a person for a bigger & higher job

Education Understanding an interpretation of knowledge No definitive answers, rather develops a

logical and rational mind that can determine the relationships among pertinent variables and thereby understand the phenomena

Difference between training and development

TRAINING DEVELOPMENT

Non managerial personnel

Technical and mechanical operations

Specific job related purpose

Short term

Managerial personnel

Theoretical, conceptual ideas

General knowledge

Long term

Why training? To increase productivity

Most evident on new employees Improve quality

Better informed workers make fewer mistakes Help a company fulfill its future personnel needs

Internal sources are fully tapped Improve organizational climate

A chain reaction of training leading to productivity and quality improvement, better financial incentives

Improve health and safety Improving employee performance Updating employee skills Preparing for promotion Obsolescence prevention Retaining and motivation Personal growth

Responsible for TrainingTop Mgmt – Frames the Trg policy

HT Dept – plans, establishes and evaluates

Supervisors – implement and apply development procedure

Employees – provide feedback, revision and suggestions

How to create desire for training? Programmes involving behavioral change

which employees think as useful in personal life also

Awareness about better ways of performing (more productive / satisfactory ways) and gain experience

Forced demands from supervisors or higher authorities

Principles / concepts of training1) Training tends to be most responsive when

trainees feel the need to learn2) Learning is more effective when reinforcement

given inform of rewards and punishments3) In the long run awards are better than

punishments when behavioral change is desired4) Rewards are better when immediate results

after training are expected5) Reinforcement has a positive correlation with

size of reward6) Negative reinforcement may have a disruptive

effect

Principles / concepts of training (contd..)

7) Participation and discussion are a must when a trainee is expected to change attitudes, values and social beliefs

8) Feedback to the trainee on how he is performing after training is important

9) Practice makes perfect. New skills & behavioral norms are facilitated through practice and repetition

10) Meaningful training material through which the trainee understands the general principles is better than asking them to memorize few isolated steps

Learning theories Training causes learning, a process which

takes place within the trainee The 2 learning theories are1)Connectionist theory

1) Believes in stimulus-response approach

2)Cognitive theory1) All learning leads towards a goal

Learning curves

Time taken per trail or errors per trail are used as measures to gauge the success of a training program

Plotting time in X axis and the performance after training in Y axis

Learning curves Varies from person to person The common elements of a learning curve are

1. Initial steep rise2. Tendency to rise less and less rapidly in second

phase3. Leveling off at a certain time4. Ups and downs on day to day basis5. Some times plateaus

Steps in a training process1) Discovering or identifying training needs2) Getting ready for the job3) Preparation of the learner4) presentation of the operations and

knowledge5) Performance tryout6) Follow up and evaluation of the programme

STEP 1: Discovering / Identifying training needs

Task description analysis1) List duties and responsibilities using JD as a

guide2) List standards of work performance on the

job

Determine training needs3) Compare actual performance against

standards4) Determine which parts of job are giving

trouble to employee5) Determine what kind of training is needed

Tools to assist in determining training needs Identifying specific problems Anticipating impending and future problems Management requests Interviewing and observing personnel on the

job Performance appraisal Questionnaire Check list Moral and attitude surveys

STEP 2: Getting ready for the job Decide who is to be trained Trainer has to prepare himself Decide on

Support material Training period Training for different employees Training methods

STEP 3: Preparation of the learner Put the learner at ease State the importance and ingredients of the

job and its relationship with the work flow Explain why he is being taught Create interest and try to know the trainees

knowledge on the job to be trained Place the learner close to his normal working

position Familiarize with training material, equipment

tools and trade terms

STEP 4: Presentation and operations knowledge Trainer should clearly tell, show , illustrate

and question in order to put the knowledge across

Learner should be told of the sequence of job, why each step is important

Clear instructions with emphasis on key points Audio visual aids Encourage questions

STEP 5: Performance tryout Trainee asked to perform the job several times slowly

while explaining each step Mistakes are corrected Gradual building up of speed and skills Once a satisfactory level is achieved trainee is put on

his own but not abandoned Effectiveness of the training program is checked

Written / oral tests Observation Finding out individual / groups reaction to training while

training is going on Interviews Questionnaires Opinion of top management on after training performance Results comparison in terms of productivity, quality of

work

STEP 6: Follow up Putting trainee on his own Checking frequently to see if he has followed

instructions Tapering off excess supervision and close

follow-up until trainee is qualified to work under normal supervision

TRAINING METHODS / TECHNIQUES

Classification of training methods1) On the job

2) Vestibule

3) Demonstration and examples

4) Simulation

5) Apprenticeship

6) Classroom methods Lectures Conference Case study Role play Programmed instruction

7) Other training methods1) Associations2) Audiovisual aids

On the job training (OJT) Most commonly used Trainees earn as they learn under the

watchful eyes of a master mechanic or craftsmen, receive immediate feedback, practice in the actual work environment and associate with the same people they are will work with after training

Primarily concerned with developing and employee’s repertoire of skills and habits consistent with the existing practices of an organization and with orienting him to his immediate problems

On the job training (OJT) (contd..) OJT mostly used for unskilled and semi skilled

jobs Learning by doing : personal observation and

practice Difficult to simulate jobs and jobs which can

be learnt by watching and doing Variety of OJT methods. They are

Understudy Job rotation Special assignments or committees

Understudy Also known as internship or apprenticeship Employee trained by immediate superior Internship is generally for managerial position Apprenticeship is used to impart skills requiring

long periods of practice as in crafts and technical fields

Job rotation Management trainee is moved from one job to

other job at certain intervals The jobs vary in content Over all exposure to company

Special assignments / committees For lower level executives Provides first hand experience of actual problems Various department executives working as a

committee or a board need to analyze practical problems and recommend solutions to top management

Merits of On the job training (OJT) Trainee learns the actual equipment in use and in

the true environment Gets a feel of the actual production conditions

and requirements Makes transfer from training center or school to

production floor much easy Highly economical as no additional personnel or

facilities required for training Trainee learns the rules, regulations and

procedures by observing day to day applications Suitable alternative when the no of jobs is equal to

the no of people in the organization Most appropriate for teaching the knowledge and

ksills which can be acquired in a short period

Demerits of On the job training (OJT) Instructions are highly disorganized and

haphazard Not properly supervised as the skilled

employee cannot devote time Breakdown of the job because of instructions Noisy distractions

Job Instruction Training (JIT) Similar to OJT Requires skilled trainers Known as training through step by step

learning Need for extensive job analysis, training

schedules and prior assessment of trainee’s job knowledge

Trainee put into actual work site by trainer and shown how the work is done step by step and trainee has to try out and errors are corrected

Demerit: interfere with production and quality

Vestibule training Used for semi skilled workers Attempts to duplicate on the job situations in

a classroom Classroom has equipments and machines

which are identical to the place of work. Trainee can concentrate on learning the new skill rather than performing an actual job

Once theory is completed in classroom practical work will be carried out in production line

Vestibule training (contd..) Merits

Minimal distractions Trained instructor can be effectively used Correct methods can be taught Trainee don’t have to fear supervisor’s wrath and

other persons ridicule Demerits

Splitting of responsibilities leads to organizational problems

Additional investments in equipment Artificial training situation

Demonstration and examples Trainer describes and displays something as

when he teaches how to do something by actually performing the activity himself and by going through a step by step explanation of why and what he is doing

Effective method as showing how to do a job is better than asking a person to go through manuals

Can be used in conjecture with lectures, pictures, text material etc..

Not useful for managerial jobs

Simulation Trying to duplicate the actual conditions

encountered in a job as nearly as possible Vestibule training is an example Best used in aeronautical industry Trainee shows interest and motivation as the

actions of trainee closely duplicate real job conditions

Used where an error in actual job can cause injury, destruction of valuable material and resources

Generally expensive

Apprenticeship Used for jobs like machinist, draughtsman,

mechanic, carpenters etc Major part of time is spent on the job

productive work Each apprentice is given a programme of

assignments according to a pre determined schedule

Merits Skilled work force is maintained Immediate returns from training Better workmanship Lower hiring costs and reduced turnover

In basket technique It provides trainees with a log of written text

or information and requests, such as memos, messages, and reports, which would be handled by manger, engineer, reporting officer, or administrator

Procedure of the In basket Technique In this technique, trainee is given some information

about the role to be played such as, description, responsibilities, general context about the role.The trainee is then given the log of materials that make up the in-basket and asked to respond to materials within a particular time period. After all the trainees complete in-basket, a discussion with the trainer takes place.In this discussion the trainee describes the justification for the decisions. The trainer then provides feedback, reinforcing decisions made suitably or encouraging the trainee to increase alternatives for those made unsuitably.

Classroom or Off the job methods Lectures Conferences Group discussions Case studies Role play Programme instruction T-Group training

Role play Definition : a method of human interaction

which involves realistic behavior in the imaginary situations

Demonstrates the gap between thinking and doing

Trainees are given a role as in a stage play They are given a situation but no lines are

given to act out Trainees now have to do a preliminary planning

and act out the play Primarily hiring, firing, grievance procedure

type of roles played

Merits of role play Learning by doing is emphasized More stress on human sensitivity and

interactions Knowledge of results is immediate High level of trainee interest and involvement Useful when simulating on the job ocnditions

in classroom Brings on desired changes in behavior and

attitudes

Evaluation of training Objective : to determine the ability of the

participant to perform the jobs for which they have been trained

Methods Questionnaires or structured interviews Use of experimental and control groups Longitudinal or time series analysis Pre and post training tests