Chapter 8 Training and Development

Summary

This chapter on Training and Development explores various types of training—technical, soft skills, managerial, and more—while emphasizing the importance of clear learning objectives, effective training delivery, and evaluation methods. The chapter highlights the role of employee orientation, in-house and external training, mentoring, and the need for continuous improvement. It discusses multiple delivery methods, including web-based and on-the-job training, and stresses the significance of measuring training effectiveness using models like Kirkpatrick. The chapter concludes with insights into creating training programs, tailoring them to different learning styles, and aligning training with organizational goals for maximum impact.

Takeaways

• 😀 **Employee Orientation** aims to reduce startup costs, minimize anxiety, lower turnover, and set clear expectations for new hires.
• 😀 **Training Types** include technical, quality, skills, soft skills, professional/legal, team, safety, and managerial training, each serving a distinct purpose in employee development.
• 😀 **Soft Skills** are essential for career success, and employers value them more than just job-specific competencies when hiring or promoting.
• 😀 **Training Delivery Methods** include on-the-job, web-based (synchronous and asynchronous), and hybrid models, with pros and cons depending on context and audience.
• 😀 **Bloom's Taxonomy** offers a framework for creating measurable learning objectives that progress from basic recall to higher-order thinking skills like creation and evaluation.
• 😀 **Learning Styles**—visual, auditory, and kinesthetic—should be considered when designing training to enhance engagement and retention, especially in online learning environments.
• 😀 **Needs Assessment** is critical to identify organizational, occupational, and individual training gaps, helping to tailor training to the right focus.
• 😀 **Learning Objectives** should be performance-based, clear, measurable, and aligned with training goals for effective outcomes.
• 😀 **Kirkpatrick’s Model** helps measure training effectiveness through four levels: reaction, learning, behavior change, and results.
• 😀 **Training Engagement** can be boosted through well-planned communication and participant-centered strategies, such as using flyers or manager-ledVideo Script Takeaways Analysis announcements to encourage volunteer participation.

Q & A

What are the main goals of employee orientation?

Employee orientation aims to reduce startup costs, lower employee anxiety, decrease turnover, save time for supervisors and co-workers, set expectations and attitudes, and introduce company policies.

What types of training are commonly offered by companies?

Companies commonly offer technical/technology training, quality training, skills training, soft skills training, professional and legal training, team training, safety training, and managerial training.

How can mentorship be structured during employee training?

Mentorship can be formal, with a structured process and clear expectations, or informal, without assignment or oversight, depending on company policy.

What are the advantages and disadvantages of on-the-job coaching?

Advantages include hands-on guidance and practical learning. Disadvantages arise if the mentor is a poor communicator or lacks time, which can limit training effectiveness.

What is the difference between asynchronous and synchronous web-based training?

Asynchronous training is self-directed, allowing learners to complete materials on their own schedule, while synchronous training is instructor-led and interactive, often used for concept or mandatory training.

What steps should be taken when developing a training program?

Steps include conducting a needs assessment (organizational, occupational, individual), creating clear learning objectives, considering learning styles, selecting delivery methods, implementing the training, and evaluating its effectiveness.

How does Bloom's Taxonomy help in creating learning objectives?

Bloom's Taxonomy provides a hierarchy of cognitive skills—Remember, Understand, Apply, Analyze, Evaluate, Create—that helps design measurable learning objectives and ensures learners progress to higher-order thinking.

Why are learning objectives important in training programs?

Learning objectives define what learners should be able to do by the end of training, guide content creation, and provide measurable outcomes to evaluate training effectiveness.

What are the four levels of Kirkpatrick's model for evaluating training?

Kirkpatrick's model evaluates training using four levels: Reaction (participants' responses), Learning (knowledge/skills gained), Behavior (changes in behavior at work), and Results (organizational benefits).

Why are soft skills considered critical in employee training?

Soft skills, such as communication, teamwork, and problem-solving, are intangible yet essential for workplace success. Employers highly value them for hiring, promotion, and team effectiveness.

How can different learning styles be accommodated in training?

Trainers can address visual learners with graphics and slides, auditory learners with lectures or recordings, and kinesthetic learners with hands-on activities or scenarios, though kinesthetic learning can be challenging online.

What are some practical considerations when implementing training programs?

Considerations include budget constraints, target audience, content relevance, delivery method, accessibility, timelines, engagement strategies, and communication of training availability to participants.