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Assignment #5 Training and Development

MANA 6323: Human Resource Management

Dallas Baptist University

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Abstract

Organizations need to remain competitive within their respective markets and

therefore they need their employees to equally competitive. The primary way in which an

organization achieves this is to position is self in a learning posture. The learning

organization encourages employees to receive training for their current positions and

development for their future career paths. These two forms of learning will help propel

the organization to the front of the lines within their market. It will also ensure that they

are employing the highest caliber employees.

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A learning organization is a place “where people continually expand their capacity

to create the results they truly desire, where new and expansive patterns of thinking are

nurtured, where collective aspirations are set free, and where people are continually

learning how to learn together” (Ivancevich 2004). This passage quoted in our text from

the original work of Peter Senge’s Fifth Discipline outlines several key aspects to the

employee training and development. The environment that Senge alludes to is one in

which the organization and its employees are free to explore and expand through

critically thought. He challenges the organization and its employee to set a path of

continual learning and exploration. This in turn will affect the over all results of the

organization. There are two main form of continual learning within the organization,

training and development. Training is focus on current immediate skills and abilities

enhancements that will affect have results in the employees’ job today. Development is

preparing the employee for a future. This is impart giving employees a hope for a future

with the company or industry. This paper will explore the orientation, training and

development programs for the position of the Executive Officer, Administration and

Fiscal Affairs, Cabinet for Health and Family Services, Commonwealth of Kentucky.

These programs will be designed in tandem with the employee’s career goals as well as

the organization’s goals. Encompassed within the discussion of each program will be an

assessment for each. This assessment and evaluation will help the organization measure

results and return on training investments. It is vital that organizations not over look the

accountability portion of training and development programs. Measuring for results helps
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the organization and the employee execute on its overall goals and expectations. In some

cases results and measures are only given ‘lip service’ and not actual implementation.

Orientation training is the process of helping assimilate a new employee to the

work environment and norms of an organization. I have decided to include the discussion

of orientation within this paper because with out the proper introduction to an

organization it will be difficult to execute established training programs. Orientation is a

form of training, it is the first training that an employee is subject to. This training should

help alleviate the anxiety of the unknown for new employees. It should also provide the

employee with immediate skills training that are specific to the organization. This would

include training on the phone systems, email, intranet, and other organizational specific

behaviors or task. Orientation should help to reduce turnover and save time for

supervisors and co-workers as well as decrease the amount of time before a new

employees is able to make a significant contribution. The following is a time table as well

an overview of the orientation program for the position of Executive Officer,

Administration and Fiscal Affairs.

Time Orientation Goal Who Is Responsible

DAY ONE
8:00am (front doors Greetings and Welcome HR Division Director for Area
of facility)
8:15am– 9:00am Welcome Video from CEO HR Division Director
9:00am – 11:00am Tour with Introduction of Key HR Division Director
Personnel
11:00am – 12:00pm Video on Company Benefits HR Division Director
12:00pm – 1:00pm Lunch Immediate Supervisor
1:00pm – 2:00pm Orientation Paperwork Packet HR Division Director
Overview (Personnel Manual,
Benefits paperwork,
Employment Forms, etc.)
2:00pm – 4:00pm Computer Systems Overview IT Trainer
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(email, phones, standard

operating procedures)
4:00pm- 4:30pm Debrief and Questions HR Division Director
DAY TWO
8:00am Greetings HR Division Director
8:15am – 9:00am Identification Badges and Facilities Supervisor
Facility Security
9:00am – 11:30am Job Expectations and Specific Immediate Supervisor
Job Orientation
11:30am – 12:30pm Lunch With new co-workers
12:30pm – 1:00 Orientation to workspace Co-Workers
1:00pm – 3:00pm Orientation to new Job Employee Mentor
3:00pm-3:30pm Q& A with Supervisor Immediate Supervisor
(complete orientation check list)
3:30pm – 4:30pm Final Q&A with HR and HR Division Director
completing paperwork

This orientation program is designed to have interaction with multiple parties

within the organization. The overall desire is that the employee may not know all the vital

information once the two day orientation program is over but they will have connected

with enough people to know where to go to ask their questions. The main objective for

the orientation is the new employee has time to spend with the supervisor and co-workers

to fully understand the expectations of the job. I believe that employee orientation is vital

to the overall success of one’s employment. I would also contend that it is the first step in

training employees and therefore must be considered in the overall training and

development programs of organizations.

Training is providing opportunities for employees to enhance, improve, or

acquire skills, knowledge, or abilities that are immediately applicable to their current

jobs. Training is helping employees improve their current performance which in turn

should enhance the organizations ability to achieve its goals. Training should be a target

effort and one an activity left to random selection. In order for training to be targeted it
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must come as a result of an overall individual needs assessment which is compared to the

overall organizational needs assessment. The performance evaluation system provides a

systematic review of an individual’s performance and thus identifies areas where training

is needed. The HR department of the organization should be tracking areas where it

anticipates needs and what skills are most needed for effectiveness in certain positions.

The individual performance evaluation and the organization supply and demand

evaluation will help guide the employee and the supervisor in determining what training

is needed. Therefore, in order to adequately design a training program for the stated

position we must revisit the overall performance evaluation. Time management,

alternative dispute resolution and situation analysis were all areas that contribute to the

overall success of this position. These areas were all identified as areas in which the

employee could improve and continue to grow. These must be matched with the overall

organizational goals and confirmed that these skills are of value to the organizations.

Once confirmed a strategy must be designed for training the employee as well as

measuring the results of that training. Time management in this context is specifically a

daily management issue. It is determined that the best approach for the employee gaining

these skills is to have one-on-one on the job training from a mentor. A mentor is a season

veteran of management and has been apart of the organization for multiple years. This

mentor and the employee would agree to meet on a regular basis to review calendars and

daily schedules. This coaching will include the mentor providing suggestions and

alternative approaches for the employee to try. The main for of evaluation for this

training will be output of the employee. It is speculated that in general the employees

should decrease time taken to complete a task and increase the amount of tasks
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completed. The mentor will also contribute comments to the next employee performance

evaluation.

Alternative Dispute Resolution is a new skill and a new area of knowledge that

the employee needs to acquire. The organization has begun to develop an employee

resolution department within HR (which reports to the executive office) to address

employee needs internally and externally. The position of Executive Officer is often

working internally between agencies to mediate between competing ideas, needs or

requirements. The need for volunteers in the HR department and the general

responsibility of the position align for this employee to be a good candidate for such

training. This training will be off the job training, in which the employee goes to a week

long school to gain the needed knowledge and skills. The evaluation for this training will

come in the form of a board certification that the employee will receive once the training

is completed. This will require the employee to pass a standardized test and complete 20

hour of co-mediation in order to receive certification. The employee will then be required

to help mediate within the HR department as well as use the newly acquired skills for

completion of the overall organizational goals of the office of Administration and Fiscal

Affairs.

The final skills that was determined for training was the area of situation analysis.

This is a skill in which the employee should be able to immediately analysis a situation

and formulate a response. This training will come in the form of on the job coaching. The

coach will be the supervisor. This training will occur as the situation deems appropriate.

It will be the responsibility of the coach and the employee to initiate a coaching session.

This would mostly occur immediately prior or following a particular situation. The
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general questions would be: 1.? What went well? 2.) What did not go well? 3.) What

could I have done better? This form of training will be evaluated on the next performance

evaluation. The employee will be evaluated on number of coaching sessions and the

demonstration of an increase in critical thinking skills.

Development is the second form of the learning process for the organization.

Development should cover three different areas: individual, group, and organization. For

the purposes of this paper the focus will be individual development. Development for the

position of Executive Officer is some what difficult because of the organizational context.

The organization is not one in which there is a career ladder or a next step to take. The

organization, the government, consists of elected executives that bring in their own

leadership. Thus, with the change in leadership there is a complete change of executive

leadership. I am not sure that this is an effect way to manage an organization never the

less it is the reality of government. Therefore, the whole focus of the first four years of

an elected administration is to gain enough positive publicity to ensure reelection to

another four year term. Development therefore is not a great concern for the appointed

portion of government, which is where this position falls. The position of Executive

Officer is an appoint position by the Governor at the request of the Cabinet Secretary.

Therefore development must take a slightly different approach and focus more towards

the overall career goals of the individual rather than the organization. Development is a

long-term process and elected officials are short-term appointments. Most likely, there is

an administration change after four years so this brief absence from the private sector

must be carefully calculated so that one has a place to reenter that field once the

government ‘tour of duty’ is over. The four people that occupy the positions of Executive
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Officer, three of them are midcareers and only one is an in the early stages of their career.

However, through the job analysis conducted in the first assignment it can be determined

that each of these employees came to the position for two reasons. The first is to expand

their skills by working in a large scale organization with a broad scope of responsibilities.

The second is that each had a relationship with the leader of the organization and a belief

in his ability to make a positive contribution to the public. This first reason should guide

the development program for this position. The Executive Officers should be given

opportunities to experience the large scale and scope of the organization thus able to

build their resumes for future positions within government or in the private sector. The

employee owns their career paths and therefore must be able to seek out development

opportunities that are inline with their overall plans. The Cabinet for Health and Family

services allows this form of development by offering tuition remission, manger

development program and networking opportunities.

The employee tuition remission benefit allows employees to purse additional

education in their areas of interest while maintain a full-time income. This would be a

great time for midcareer individuals to retool for a different career. The evaluation for

this benefit is that employees must continue to maintain a 3.0 Grade Point Average and

receive successful marks on their annual performance evaluations. As long as these two

criteria are maintain the organization will aid in tuition and allow the employee to

develop the needed skills for future positions.

The Commonwealth also has a manager development program call the Certified

Public Managers program. This program is for those who believe that public service is

their career. Sometimes after fours years as an appointed official individuals choose to
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continue their public service within the merit (nonappointed) ranks of the organization.

This program is two years long and provides government specific training for those

wanting to transition to non-merit or appointed positions.

In addition to these two educational programs the Commonwealth provides

networking opportunities for those whom because of elections will not remain with the

government. These networking opportunities allow employees to remain connect to

private industry thus easing the transition back to it once the elected administration is

over. Those Executive officers that have come to gain scope and scale networking

opportunity is vital to their futures. These opportunities can potentially lead to future jobs

and thus development in this area is critical for a hope of the future.

Maintaining human resources is a vital part of the overall management of

organizations greatest resources, their human capital. This includes proper employee

orientation, training and development. These will help the organization create a posture

of learning and thus remain competitive in their respective markets. Government work

because of the nature of this appoint position which is contingent upon elections poses a

challenge for the creation of training and development programs however it is vital that it

not be neglected just because of the different environment. The training should be

employee specific and based on their performance evaluation and the overall supply and

demands of the organization. Employee development because of the setting should take

into account the overall career plans of the individual. The organization should provide

development opportunities for those wishing to continue their stint in public service and

those wishing to return to private sector. This development plan will also help aid in

recruiting high caliber individuals from private sectors to make a significant contribution
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to the public. Employees should be help accountable for the training and development

that they receive and thus results should be measurable for it to be an overall success.

Effective training and development is vital part of the overall management of human

resources however, in recent budget constraints it is often the first place organizations

look to cut. This should be reconsidered based upon the return that an organization

receives from its investment in its employees. Training and development are critical

components to successfully managing the human capital of an organization.

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References

Ivancevich, John M. (2004). Human Resource Management (9th ed.). Boston Burr Ridge,
IL: McGraw Hill Irwin.