Effective Training: Systems, Strategies, and Practices, 4th Edition

Chapter Ten Key Areas of Organizational Training

P. Nick Blanchard and James W. Thacker

Copyright 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Prentice Hall

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Positive Outcomes Possible from an Effective Orientation Part 1 of 3

Reduce anxiety A better understanding of expectations and formalized meeting of coworkers results in the new employee not feeling the higher level of anxiety associated with the first few days on the job. A structured opportunity to determine what is required on the job and a comfortable feeling about approaching the supervisor and coworkers to ask questions about the job provides more opportunity to clear up any misunderstandings about job requirements. Substantial evidence indicates that effective orientations reduce turnover.
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Reduce role ambiguity

Reduce turnover

Copyright 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Prentice Hall

Positive Outcomes Possible from an Effective Orientation Part 2 of 3

Improved job performance A better understanding of job requirements and the willingness to ask for assistance results in fewer errors and the ability to get up to top production levels sooner, all of which translates to improved performance.

Higher level of commitment

Evidence suggests those who receive effective orientations are more committed, more involved in their job, and more likely to take on the values of the organization.

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Positive Outcomes Possible from an Effective Orientation Part 3 of 3

More effective/efficient organization The organization with more employees achieving optimal performance quicker, operating at a higher level of performance, showing a clearer understanding of their responsibilities, staying with the organization for a longer time, and being more committed to the values and objectives of the organization is definitely going to be more efficient, effective, and valuable to its shareholders.

Copyright 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Prentice Hall

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Advantages of an Effective Diverse Workforce Part 1 of 4

Larger Applicant Pool
An effective and diverse workforce that is well maintained will contribute to a good reputation, and more individuals will want to join the organization. It will mean more people will apply for jobs, thus giving the organization a better likelihood of selecting employees. This will translate into a more effective workforce.

Copyright 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Prentice Hall

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Advantages of an Effective Diverse Workforce Part 2 of 4

Reduced Costs
An effective diverse workforce will result in fewer turnovers which will translate into less rehiring due to quits.

Also, the tension created in organizations that do not deal with diversity will not be present and the outcomes of such tension (lower productivity, absenteeism, fighting, refusing to cooperate on projects, etc.) will not be present.
Those organizations with effective diverse workforces will not incur the costs associated with paying for legal representation and settling lawsuits for discrimination.
Copyright 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Prentice Hall 10-6

Advantages of an Effective Diverse Workforce Part 3 of 4

Access to More Markets
The North American population is more diverse. The more your organization reflects the diversity, the more likely a diverse customer base will be cultivated. Minorities and females will be attracted to an organization that employs a diverse employee workforce. As we become an international community with more international business, those organizations whose employees that understand the cultures of these international markets will do better.

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Advantages of an Effective Diverse Workforce Part 4 of 4

Creative Problem Solving
The more diverse the group, the more diverse the ideas that are generated. Employees with different backgrounds are more likely to see issues from very different perspectives, resulting in more creative ideas (other things being equal), which can result in better products and service.

Copyright 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Prentice Hall

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Agenda for Assuring Diversity Remains an Important Part of the Organization Part 1 of 2

Develop diversity refresher training and implement throughout the plant. Cover holidays that deal with diversity and publish throughout the plant.

Create a Diversity Council and maintain its image by sharing what it does throughout the plant.
Write articles about diversity in the plant newsletter.

Set up a booth on diversity at the company picnic.

Invite non-member managers to diversity council meetings.

Copyright 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Prentice Hall

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Agenda for Assuring Diversity Remains an Important Part of the Organization Part 2 of 2
Ask plant manager, on a monthly basis, to share information on what is going on in the way of diversity issues within their department.

Establish a mentoring program to provide employees with a source for help.

Continue to addresses the guidelines supervisors need to be aware of when appraising and making training and development decisions.

Address, in a timely manner, any concerns regarding diversity and report back to person affected.

Monitor the effect of diversity efforts, praise successes, and investigate the failures.

Copyright 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Prentice Hall

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Effective Strategies for Dealing with Sexual Harassment Part 1 of 3

Set an example at the top Provide training
Get their verbal support for training, and their support through behavior at the office. Everyone needs to know what is acceptable and what is not, which can be provided in information sessions. Also examples and role-plays are useful to make clear what is not appropriate. Labor lawyers strongly recommend a written exam to determine (and demonstrate in the case of suit) whether everyone understood the information provided. This indicates the importance of evaluation training at the learning level.
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Check for understanding

Copyright 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Prentice Hall

Effective Strategies for Dealing with Sexual Harassment Part 2 of 3

Provide refresher training The executives in the study suggested refreshers once a year to keep everyone sensitized to the topic and current on the issues. Be sure an adequate complaint procedure is in place that does not involve a persons supervisor. Often it is the supervisor who is the problem. Also, respond quickly to not only determine the merits of the case but also to immediately stop any inappropriate behavior.
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Investigate complaints quickly

Copyright 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Prentice Hall

Effective Strategies for Dealing with Sexual Harassment Part 3 of 3

Keep information confidential
Only those directly involved should know about the investigation. You do not want people being intimidated because they filed a complaint. You may also want to remove the person from the work place during the complaint (with pay) just to demonstrate you take all such complaints seriously.
Guidelines regarding sexual harassment should be clear and penalties for violation severe. Those who violate the guidelines need to be dealt with no matter who they are in the organization. It must be clear that no one is free to take such liberties with any employee.
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Provide equal and effective punishment

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What Experts Suggest is Necessary to Include in a Sexual Harassment Policy

According to attorneys and experts a sexual harassment policy protects your organization if it:

States the organization has a strong opposition to sexual harassment Explains what it is with examples employees will find relevant to their jobs Establishes a clear procedure for reporting harassment that does not limit the reporting to a supervisor in their department or in Human Resources. There should be a committee of employees that has representatives from all levels of the organization, so an employee can talk to a peer if that is what makes them comfortable. Have a hotline dedicated to such reporting.

Warns potential perpetrators that violations could be punished by discipline that could include dismissal, no matter what level in the organization they are. Pledges that investigations will be conducted promptly and there will be no retaliation for reporting such issues.
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Copyright 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Prentice Hall

Tips for Improving Self Efficacy of Those Requiring Literacy Training

Assure trainees that they are being asked to upgrade because of their
KSAs because of their importance to the company. Do not call it literacy training or basic skills training, as both can sound demeaning. Use a positive name that stresses job training.

Make participation rewarding, not punishing. Pay them for the time, or conduct it on company time.

Talk about improving reading rather than learning how to read. Indicate that the problem is widespread and that many similar employees have successfully completed the training.

Provide early successes so trainee can see they are able to do it.

Use company-related examples to ensure the literacy training is not only meaningful, and therefore easier to learn, but also useful right away.
Copyright 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Prentice Hall 10-15

Components of a Learning Organization

Part 1 of 4
Personal mastery This involves the continual clarification and deepening of our personal vision. it connects personal learning with organizational learning. These are the deeply ingrained assumptions and generalizations that influence how we understand the world. Until these are brought to the surface, little learning takes place that does not conform to these models.

Mental models

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Components of a Learning Organization

Part 2 of 4
Building a shared vision This sets up a creative tension that pulls individuals visions into a common future that all employees desire, thus galvanizing a group toward goals accomplishment. Teams are the learning blocks of the organization; if the team does not learn, the organization does not learn.

Team learning

Systems learning

This framework enables an understanding of interrelationships rather than simply seeing things that are related.

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Components of a Learning Organization

Part 3 of 4
Systematic problem solving This is a reliance on the scientific method rather than on guesses or hunches. Data, rather than assumptions, are used for decision making. People are skilled in the use of basic statistical techniques for analysis. This is distinguished from problem solving in that its focus is on expanding knowledge rather than responding to current difficulties. Failure of experiments is accepted as away of gaining knowledge.

Experimentation

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Components of a Learning Organization

Part 4 of 4
Learning from experience The lessons of experience are documented in a form that employees find accessible and understandable. Knowledge is gained from what others do and how they do it rather than from the results they have achieved. Benchmarking and similar practices are encouraged. For the organization, rather than just individuals, to learn, knowledge must be documented and made transferable quickly and easily.

Learning from others

Transference of knowledge

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Copyright 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Prentice Hall

Copyright 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Prentice Hall 10-20