Training & Development: System & Practices

MBA3E40 Sreehari M

Unit I
The Training Context: Nature and Scope of Training, Training
Challenges, Forces Influencing Working and Learning, Role of
Training in Organizations, Systematic Approach to Training, Learning:
Theories and Process Strategic Training: Models of Training- Faculty,
Customer, Matrix, Corporate University and Business Embedded
Model, Snapshots of Training Practices: Training Facts and Figures,
Training Investment Leaders etc.

What is Training?
Training is concerned with the teaching/learning carried on for
the basic purpose of enabling the employees to acquire and apply the
knowledge, skills, abilities and attitudes needed by an organization.
Training is a systematic process of changing the behavior, knowledge,
and attitudes of present employees to improve the match between
employee characteristics and employment requirements.

Why we need Training?

At the time of hiring, no one is perfect, so training and education
becomes a must.
Employee training attempts to improve skills or add to the existing
level of knowledge so that the employee is better equipped to do his
present job, or to prepare him for a higher position with increased
responsibilities.
Continuous growth and development of employees makes an
organization viable and it adapts itself to changing environment.
Nature and Scope of Training
Training is essential for job success. It can lead to higher
production, fewer mistakes, greater job satisfaction and lower turnover.
These benefits accrue to both the trainee and the organisation, if
managers understand the principles behind the training process. To this
end, training efforts must invariably follow certain learning-oriented
guidelines.
• Better Performance.
• Elimination of wastage.
• Less Supervision.
• Less Accidents
• Team Spirit
• Organization Culture
• Quality
• Health work environment
• Profitability

Training and Development Challenges.

 Dealing with Change: Organizational change is more common
than ever. Dealing with changes due to mergers, acquisitions,
technology, budgets, and staffing is the top challenge cited by
Learning and Development (L&D) professionals.
 Developing Leaders: Many work environments are more
complex, diverse, and demanding. It is crucial for organizations
to develop leaders in every level—from the front lines to the
CEO—to support its success.
 Engaging Learners: L&D professionals must communicate the
value of learning and development. Too often, other urgent tasks
or priorities seem to win out. It’s a challenge to get learners to
attend, actively participate, and follow-through.
 Delivering Consistent Training: When a company is global or
geographically dispersed, it increases the difficulty of providing
consistent training. The most common challenges include
geographic limitations, increased costs, language barriers,
translation issues, and virtual training needs.
 Tracking Skills Application: Discovering the “stickiness,” or
sustainability of a training program is challenging at best. L&D
professionals must find and implement an effective way to ensure
skills are learned and applied in the real work environment.
 Instilling Conflict Management Skills: Training learners about
handling conflict can be difficult. Conflict management is a
critical skill and can deeply affect an organization’s success when
it is lacking. Conflict can increase turnover, decrease employee
morale, and impact the longevity and well-being of a business.
 Improving Learning Effectiveness: It is important for many L&D
professionals to provide a quantitative assessment of how training
programs are impacting their organization. It is challenging to
figure out which metrics to use, how to incorporate them into
post-training assessments, how and when to follow up, and how
to adjust future training based on the results.
 Demonstrating Value to Leadership: Training learners effectively
is important. There are so many topics to cover and many require
unique delivery methods for solid skill development to occur. It
is important to ask the right questions and identify the desired
outcomes when planning each training session.
  Adapting Training to Millennials: It is the task of senior
leadership to determine which activities are worth funding. It is
paramount for L&D professionals to demonstrate bottom-line
value in order to get buy-in from leaders. Keeping corporate
training and development as a top priority in an organization is
challenging.
 Reducing development cycle times: Getting new programs up
and running quickly doesn’t have to be so hard. Select
a professional translation company with capabilities for quick
and easy file exchange, a reputation for predictable and fast
delivery, and an established process for change orders. Work with
them to develop internal practices so you can create a workflow
that improves velocity
FORCES INFLUENCING WORKING AND LEARNING:
All those factor that appear as a hindrance in conducting a
successful training for the employer or any Human Resource.
 Globalization of business
 Demographic changes and Diversity of workforce
 New Technology
 Economic cycles
 Increased value place on Intangible assets and human capital
 Focus on link to business strategy
 Talent Management
 Customer service and quality emphasis
 High performance work systems

 Globalization of business: Globalization of business is the change

in a business in a company associated with a single country to one
that operates in a multiple country.
 Demographic changes and Diversity of workforce: Population is
the important factor in determining size and composition of labor
force. Increase in Ethnic and Racial diversity.
It is due to immigration, increased participation of minorities in
the work force and higher minority fertility rates. Training is
needed to improve technical and customer service skills for
immigrants. Aging work force
 New Technology: Tradition and New Generation Technology
 Economic cycles: Economic changes mainly occurs when there
is downturn in economy. Training and development are needed
because to understand the critical goal supporting the business
strategy
 Focus on link to business strategy: Business strategy is a plan that
integrates the company's goals, actions and policies. Company's
business strategy is to meet broad goals such as profitability,
market share, quality.
 Talent Management: Training provided by the wrong/ improver
dept. E.g.: Sales manager providing training for Production Dept.
Retirement of the Senior Delegate, Better offer for SME.
 High performance work systems:
Cross training: Refers to training employee in a wide range of
skills so they can perform any role in a team.
Virtual Team: Refers to teams that are separated by time,
geographic distance, culture and they rely on technology. They
are connected through mail, video conferencing, Internet.
Role of training:
To enable the trainer to first comprehend his / her role, it would
be helpful if training as a concept is briefly delved into. It is recognized
that the right mix of knowledge, skills and attitudes/behaviors, helps a
job holder to perform tasks successfully
Organizations target on Trainer:
 Proper selection of personnel: Choosing the right person for the
right job.
 Human resources development: Through training intervention -
helping them to learn in order to bridge the performance gap, if
any, and make them more proficient.
 The component of development may also be added to this
process.
 In order to achieve its overall goal of performance improvement,
training must lead to the enhancement of professional knowledge
and skills both at individual and collective levels.
 It should also equip personnel to respond appropriately to
emerging challenges.
 Training should also bring about appropriate changes in attitudes
and should strive for that unique synthesis between improvement
of the individual's competencies and promotion of organizational
objectives
Systematic Approach to Training.
The Systematic Approach to Training (SAT) is a methodology
for managing training programs. It is an orderly; logical approach to
determining what people must know and do at a job or in a specific
profession. The systematic approach to training ensures that people are
prepared for their work by having the necessary knowledge, skills, and
attitudes to do their job.
SAT begins with identifying people's work-related needs. It ensures
training is delivered properly; the student learns what is important; and
the student is competent to be assigned to work. The systematic
approach to training uses constant evaluation of the training program
to ensure it is meeting the needs of the students and the nuclear plant
organization. SAT is always a combined effort between trainers and
experts from operating line organizations. Managers, supervisors, and
experienced workers from organizations play an important role in the
implementation of the systematic approach to training. Professional
trainers provide expertise in the SAT methodology and process. They
apply the systematic approach to training to meet the needs of the
operating organization. Experts from operating groups provide the
expectations and work requirements of the group. They identify the
work that will be done and the standards against which students will be
judged. Operating experts with help from professional trainers
determine the knowledge, skill, and attitudes that must be mastered by
students Through the use of the systematic approach to training,
individual units within organisations ensure that important topics and
skills are identified, proper learning methods are used, training material
is useful to students, and that students can perform work as expected
when they are assigned to work. The systematic approach to training
ensures the training program supports the organisation’s needs for
human performance. In ensures people are prepared and capable to do
their jobs There are five main phases in the systematic approach to
training. They are Analysis, Design, Development, Implementation,
and Evaluation
Analysis:
The first phase in SAT is analysis. The first questions that must be
asked are "Is there a need for training?" and "If something is wrong, is
it caused by a performance problem that training will fix?" Managers
sometimes will attempt to correct a human performance problem
caused by an inadequate procedure or faulty equipment by training the
people. Trainers sometimes attempt to use training to correct problems
even though training will not solve the problem because they want to
help. Make sure training is needed. Then analyse to determine what
training should be done.
In the analysis phase the duties of a job are identified and listed.
The tasks that must be done to accomplish the duties are analyse. Often,
we find tasks that are so large that we must break them into smaller
parts that we call task elements. From the tasks and elements, we
determine the knowledge, skills, and attitudes needed to successfully
perform the task.
Tasks are reviewed and characterized by difficulty, importance,
and frequency to help determine whether training is required prior to
performing the task. These groupings also help us select tasks on which
workers will receive continuing training throughout their careers. A
more difficult task would have training associated with it. An easy task
may not have formal training but may only have a procedure for the
worker to follow. Tasks that are important to safety or operation would
have training. Routine tasks with no impact on safety or operation may
not have training. Infrequently performed tasks usually have training
completed just before they are to be performed. Infrequently performed
emergency procedures usually have training performed often so
operators are always ready to take emergency actions.
The involvement of operating line managers is important to the
analysis process. Trainers should not be expected to know everything
about a job. They are not expected to set the performance standards for
the operating group. This is the responsibility of the operating group.
The operating group must provide the standards and their expectations
for student performance to the trainers during the analysis phase. The
trainer will use these standards for successful performance of work to
create the standards for passing the training course.
During the analysis phase trainers will attempt to identify the
knowledge and skills of future students. This will allow the course to
be designed to meet their learning needs. If students were laborers with
little education, a math course may be necessary to learn to read plant
instruments. If students were engineers, the math course is probably not
necessary. The outcome of the analysis phase is a task analysis that lists
the tasks that are performed to accomplish the duties of a position and
the knowledge, skills, and attitudes necessary to perform the tasks.
These become the basis for the design of the training course and for
writing the student learning objectives.
Design
The design phase is really a decision-making phase. In the design phase
we complete three important activities:
1. We decide what the student will learn in the class and how that
learning will transfer to the job. From this activity we write student-
learning objectives.
2. We decide what will be taught and the instructional methods to
be used to teach.
3. We decide how the student will demonstrate competency to do
the required work and we develop an examination plan to test the
student's competency.
Learning objectives are often broken into two types. Terminal
objectives explain what the student must be able to do after training on
the job. Specific learning objectives (sometimes called enabling
objectives) tell what knowledge, skills, and attitudes must be displayed
during class. They are written in words the student can understand.
There should be no surprises for students, instructors, or supervisors.
Students are given the learning objectives at the beginning of class, so
they know exactly what we expect them to learn. The learning
objectives are based upon the results of the analysis phase. The student
examinations are based upon the learning objectives.
The design phase also determines what will be taught and how it will
be taught. In this phase we select the instructional technology and the
media to be used. The instructional technology usually includes some
combination of the following: hands on practice, lecture, overhead
transparencies, video tape, training equipment, computer training,
pictures, models, student reading, self-study, or on the job training. It
is important to decide how the student will practice the skill to be
learned.
During the design phase the trainer researches existing training material
to determine if material already exists to teach these learning
objectives. If material is not available, the trainer considers whether to
develop new material or to purchase material from an outside supplier.
Using the learning objectives as the standard, the trainer develops an
examination plan to determine if the student is competent concerning
the course material. This plan states the learning objectives to be tested
and the number of questions relating to each learning objective. We
determine the type of question and difficulty level of the questions. An
examination table of specifications is written to guide the actual writing
of questions in the development phase.
Managers from the operating group normally approve the design before
the development phase begins. This ensures that the nuclear plant's
needs are being met by the course.
Development
In the development phase the training design is made into training
material. Training materials for instructor and students are written or
purchased. These materials could include lesson plans, student
handouts, videotapes, training aids, or other material.
Examination questions are written as required in the examination table
of specifications from the design phase. Questions are assembled into
student exams as needed.
Implementation
In the implementation phase the instructor teaches and the student
learns. Although this is the phase that most people think of as "training"
it is the easiest phase to perform. The material written during the
development phase is used to implement the decisions that we made
in the design phase. We also apply the information learned about the
job in the analysis phase during implementation. At the completion of
the course the students prove their competency by passing the course
examination.
Evaluation
Evaluation is usually listed last. However, evaluation is done
throughout the SAT process. Evaluation is asking, "How are we
doing?"
During the other three phases trainers do an evaluation to ensure the
process is working correctly and to identify improvements
immediately. After the training is completed trainers evaluate the
effectiveness of the training. They determine if the student is
performing on the job as expected. They determine if the training
course was useful to the organisation’s performance. Trainers identify
what else is needed to improve performance and determine if the course
could have been done better. Identifying improvements for the course
and improvements for the entire training process is an important part of
the evaluation phase of SAT.
The best evaluation of training effectiveness is done on the job. We ask
students and their supervisors if they are properly prepared to do their
job. We also use plant performance monitoring programs to evaluate
the effectiveness of training and determine areas for improvement.
Operating line managers must be involved in the evaluation of training
for it to be most effective.
LEARNING PROCESS – What is learning.
The ability to learn is one of humanity’s most outstanding
characteristics. Learning occurs continuously throughout a person’s
lifetime.
To define learning, it is necessary to analyze what happens to the
individual. As a result of a learning experience, an individual’s way of
perceiving, thinking, feeling and doing may change
learning may be defined as a change in behavior as a result of
experience. The behavior can be physical and overt, or it can be
intellectual or attitudinal, not easily seen. Psychologists generally
agree, however, on some characteristics of learning. The instructor
should understand these and turn them to good use
CHARACTERISTICS OF LEARNING.
• Learning involves change.
• All learning involves activities.
• Learning Requires Interaction.
• Constitute Learning.
• Learning is a Lifelong Process.
• Learning Occurs Randomly Throughout Life.
• Learning Involves Problems Solving.
• Learning is the Process of Acquiring Information.
• Learning Involves far more than Thinking.
• Experience is Necessary for Learning.
Learning involves change: It is a reconstruction, combined thinking,
skill, information and appropriation in a single unity process. For
example, when a child learns to read, they can retain this knowledge
and behaviour for the rest of their lives. It is not always reflected in
performance. The change from the learning may not be clear until a
situation arises in which the new behaviour can occur.

Learning involves activities: These activities involve either physical

or mental activity. They may be simple mental activities of complex,
involving various muscles, bones, etc. So also, the mental activities
may be very simple involving one or two activities of mind or complex
which involve higher mental activities.
Learning Requires Interaction: At the time of learning, the individual
is constantly interacting with and influenced by the environment. This
experience makes him change or modify his behavior to deal
effectively with it.
Constitute Learning: To constitute learning, the change should be
permanent. Temporary changes may be only reflective and fail to
represent any learning.
Learning is a Lifelong Process: Learning is a lifelong process of
gaining and using the information presented to a person. It is not static.
A person never stops acquiring new information. It keeps a person’s
mind active and aware but also conscious of the world around them.
Learning Involves Problems Solving: Learning involves problem-
solving i.e. understanding and discovering relations between different
contents in a situation.
Learning is the Process of Acquiring Information: Learning is the
process of acquiring information, knowledge, wisdom, and skills. It
occurs as a result of interaction with the person’s environment.
Experience is Necessary for Learning: Some sort of experience is
necessary for learning. We can get the experience from direct
observation or from formal approaches to learning such as training,
mentoring, coaching and teaching. We can get the experience from
direct observation or from formal approaches to learning such as
training, mentoring, coaching and teaching. Learning is the acquisition
of a new discourse, a new way of speaking, acting, interacting, looking
at the world, and knowing it. It will be successful only when the
information gained is used and understood. It is a continuous process
followed by an individual that allows for the acquisition of information,
attitudes, and practices, through observation, seeking previous
knowledge, searching out guides, and looking within as well as
without. It is a key process in human behavior. If we compare the
simple ways in which a child feels and behaves, with the complex
modes of adult behavior, his skills, habits, though, sentiments and the
like we will know what difference learning has made to the individual.
Ten Principles of Learning (Horne & Pine,1990)
• Learning is an experience, which occurs inside the learner and is
activated by the learner.
• Learning is a discovery of the personal meaning and relevance of
ideas.
• Learning (Behavioral change) is a consequence of experience.
• Learning is a cooperative and collaborative process. Cooperation
fosters learning.
• Learning is an evolutionary process.
• Learning is sometimes a painful process.
• One of the richest resources of learning is the learner himself.
• The process of learning is both emotional and intellectual.
• The process of problem solving, and learning are highly unique
and individual.
• Learning is a process of actively constructing knowledge.
Laws of Learning:
Edward Thorndike developed the first three "Laws of learning:"
readiness, exercise, and effect. Since Thorndike set down his basic
three laws in the early part of the twentieth century, five additional
principles have been added: primacy, recency, intensity, freedom and
requirement.
Readiness: Readiness implies a degree of concentration and eagerness.
Individuals learn best when they are physically, mentally, and
emotionally ready to learn, and do not learn well if they see no reason
for learning.
Exercise: The principle of exercise states that those things most often
repeated are best remembered. It is the basis of drill and practice. It has
been proven that students learn best and retain information longer when
they have meaningful practice and repetition.
Effect: The principle of effect is based on the emotional reaction of the
student. It has a direct relationship to motivation. The principle of effect
is that learning is strengthened when accompanied by a pleasant or
satisfying feeling, and that learning is weakened when associated with
an unpleasant feeling.
Primacy: Primacy, the state of being first, usually creates a strong and
durable impression. Things learned first are usually learned easily and
remain, without effort, in the mind of the student.
Recency: The principle of recency states that things most recently
learned are best remembered. Conversely, the further a student is
removed timewise from a new fact or understanding, the more difficult
it is to remember.
Intensity: The more intense the material taught, the more likely it will
be retained. A sharp, clear, vivid, dramatic, or exciting learning
experience teaches more than a routine or boring experience.
Freedom: The principle of freedom states that things freely learned are
best learned. Conversely, the further a student is coerced, the more
difficult is for him to learn, assimilate and implement what is learned.
Requirement: The law of requirement states that "we must have
something to obtain or do something." It can be an ability, skill,
instrument or anything that may help us to learn or gain something.
Kolb's Theory of Learning Styles.
Overview
In his experiential theory, learning is viewed as a four-stage cycle. First,
immediate and concrete experiences serve as a basis for observation.
Next, the individual reflects on these observations and begins to build
a general theory of what this information might mean.
In the next step, the learner forms abstract concepts and generalizations
based on their hypothesis. Finally, the learner tests the implications of
these concepts in new situations. After this step, the process once again
cycles back to the first stage of the experiential process.
Theory of Learning Styles
The learning styles described by Kolb are based on two major
dimensions: active/reflective and abstract/concrete.1
The Converger: People with this learning style have dominant abilities
in the areas of Abstract Conceptualization and Active Experimentation.
They are highly skilled in the practical application of ideas. They tend
to do best in situations where there is a single best solution or answer
to a problem.
The Diverger: Divergers dominant abilities lie in the areas of Concrete
Experience and Reflective Observation, essentially the opposite
strengths of the Converger. People with this learning style are good at
seeing the "big picture" and organizing smaller bits of information into
a meaningful whole. Divergers tend to be emotional and creative and
enjoy brainstorming to come up with new ideas. Artists, musicians,
counselors, and people with a strong interest in the fine arts,
humanities, and liberal arts tend to have this learning style.
The Assimilator: Assimilators are skilled in the areas of Abstract
Conceptualization and Reflective Observation. Understanding and
creating theoretical models is one of their greatest strengths. They tend
to be more interested in abstract ideas than in people, but they are not
greatly concerned with the practical applications of theories.
Individuals who work in math and the basic sciences tend to have this
type of learning style. Assimilators also enjoy work that involves
planning and research.
The Accommodator: People with this learning style are strongest in
Concrete Experience and Active Experimentation. This style is
basically the opposite of the Assimilator style. Accommodators are
doers; they enjoy performing experiments and carrying out plans in the
real world. Out of all four learning styles, Accommodators tend to be
the greatest risk-takers. They are good at thinking on their feet and
changing their plans spontaneously in response to new information.
When solving problems, they typically use a trial-and-error approach.
People with this learning style often work in technical fields or in
action-oriented jobs such as sales and marketing.
What do these stages involve? Why are they important for us to
analyse?
The first stage is concrete learning or concrete experience, where the
learner encounters a new experience or reinterprets an existing
experience. This could be where the learner is exposed to a new task or
a new way of carrying out a project, in a way they haven’t seen before.
This is followed by the next stage, reflective observation, where the
learner reflects on the experience on a personal basis. For many people,
this is where the metamorphosis from seeing and doing to reflecting
can embed the learning into real-time absorption of materials and
methodology. It could be where a person is shown how to accomplish
a goal and then looks at how it could be applied in differing
circumstances. Following reflective observation is abstract
conceptualization, where learners form new ideas, or modify current
abstract ideas, based on the reflections that arise from the reflective
observation stage.
They now have the chance to see how the ideas learned previously can
be applied in their real world. The concepts they see can be altered by
the results they have seen obtained in observing the ideas formulated
in previous stages. Then, there’s the active experimentation stage.
This is where the learner applies the new ideas to her surroundings to
see if there are any modifications in the next appearance of the
experience. By actively experimenting with the whole concept of
visible action, we learn to associate what we have experienced with
new ideas and innovations. This second experience becomes the
concrete experience for the beginning of the next cycle, beginning at
the first stage, and this process can happen over a short or long time.
Knowing these stages helps us to develop learning experiences for our
team members in ways that enhance their whole skillsets and
capabilities. Kolb takes these four components and builds on them to
create four overall learning dimensions, as shown below:
STRATEGIC TRAINING:
Strategic training is a form of training that, according to a
business’s strategic planning, values and goals, provides employees
with the necessary tools and information required to complete their
tasks successfully.
Furthermore, it also increases productivity levels. Learning as a
strategic focus means that a company has an enhanced capacity to learn,
adapt, and change. It means that it can scrutinize and align training
processes with objectives & goals and regards training as part of a
system designed to create human capital.
Strategic Training Process:

• Business Strategy implies reaching the business plan, which

consists of the following: mission, vision, goals.
• Strategic Training Initiatives contribute to the diversity of a
learning portfolio, the improvement of customer satisfaction,
acceleration of the pace of employee learning and the rate of
gaining and sharing knowledge.
• Strategic Activities use web-based training, making
development planning mandatory, developing websites for
knowledge sharing and increasing the amount of customer service
training.
• Finally, metrics that show the value of a training involve
learning, performance improvement, reduced customer
complaints, reduced turnover and greater employee satisfaction.
This training model considers metrics and the balance
scorecard (tools for measuring the impact of the training session
on the business strategy plan).

The Models of Strategic Training:

• Faculty Model: Training departments look like the structure of a
college.
• Customer Model: Responsible for the training needs of one
division or function of the company
• Matrix Model: Trainers report to both a manager in the training
department and a manager in a function.
 • Corporate University Model: The client group includes not only
employees and managers but also stakeholders including
community colleges, universities, high schools and grad schools.
• Virtual Model: Training is provided with aid of technology,
whereby creation virtual situation or environment. Virtual Model
(Virtual Training Organizations) Virtual training organizations
operate according to three principles:
➢ Employees (not the company) have primary responsibility
for learning
➢ The most effective learning takes place on the job, not in the
classroom
➢ For training to translate into improved job performance, the
manager-employee relationship (not employee-trainer
relationship) is critical
Characteristics of Virtual Training Organizations:
• A virtual training organization is customer focused
• Takes more responsibility for learning and evaluating training
effectiveness.
• Provides customized training solutions based on customer needs
• Determines when and how to deliver training based on customer
needs.
• Leverages resources from many areas.
• Involves line managers in direction and content
Business Embedded Model:
Characterized by 5 competencies:
a) Strategic direction
b) Product design
c) Structural versatility
d) Product delivery
e) Accountability for results
 It includes a clearly described goal and direction to the department,
as well as a customer focus that includes customizing training to meet
customer needs and continuously improving programs. A Business-
Embedded training function not only views trainees as customers, but
also views managers as customers who make decisions to send
employees to training, and senior-level managers as customers who
allocate more training BE function is customer-focused which takes
more responsibility for learning and evaluating training effectiveness,
provides customized training solutions based on customer needs and
determines when and how to deliver training based on customer needs.
In BE training functions, all persons who are involved in the training
process communicate and share resources

End of Chapter.