Chapter Five: Training and Development

5.1 Introduction

Training and development are processes that attempt to provide an employee with information, skills, and
an understanding of the organization and its goals. In addition, training and development are designed to
help a person continue to make positive contributions in the form of good performance.
Training refers to the methods used to give new or present employees the skills they need to perform their
jobs. Training tries to improve skills or add to the existing level of knowledge so that the employee is
better equipped to do his present job more successfully.
Development refers to learning opportunities designed to help employees grow

Training is important for new or present employees. Training is, in short, an attempt to improve current or
future performance. The following specific points are important to know about training:
 Training is the systematic process of altering the behavior of employees in a direction that will
achieve organization goals. Training is related to present job skills and abilities. It has a current
orientation and helps employees’ master specific skills and abilities needed to be successful.
 A formal training program is an effort by the employer to provide opportunities for the employee
to acquire job-related skills, attitudes, and knowledge.
 Learning is the act by which the individual acquires skills, knowledge, and abilities that result in a
relatively permanent change in his/her behavior.
 Any behavior that has been learned is a skill. Therefore, improvement skills are what training will
accomplish. Motor skill, cognitive skills, and interpersonal skills are targets of training programs.

5.2 Objectives of Training

 To establish a sound relationship between the worker and his/her job

 To upgrade skills and prevents obsolescence-increase efficiency
 To develop healthy, constructive attitudes-better cooperation and greater loyalty
 To prepares employees for future assignments-to climb up the promotional ladder
 To increase productivity-most efficient (cost effective)
 To minimizes operational errors- unnecessary repetition, wastage, and spoilage of materials are
brought down
 To enhances employees’ confidence and morale
 To brings down employee turnover and absenteeism

COMPILED BY ASHENAFI E., WOLLO UNIVERSITY, DEPARTMENT OF MANAGEMENT, 2012 Page 1

 Objectives of Development

1. To stimulate a more creative and innovative approach to problem solving and decision making and
provide management with the latest information on theory and practice of management
2. To broaden the manager’s vision and understanding in preparation for additional responsibility
3. To give the managers the opportunity to discuss ideas and problems with other people.
4. To teach managers how to determine the consequences of various specific managerial actions and
behaviors
5. To reduce or prevent managerial obsolescence

5.3 Process of Training and Development

As shown below (Mondy and Noe, 1990), the steps in human resource development process are:
1. Identifying training and development needs
2. Establishing training and development objectives
3. Selecting training and development methods and media
4. Implementing the actual training and training program
5. Conducting evaluation and follow

Establish objectives Select methods and

Needs assessment
media

Implement the actual

program Conduct evaluation and
follow up

1. Needs assessment
The first step is to identify training and development needs
It is need oriented effort, determining the level, type, and duration is of prime importance
The dominant framework for identifying needs:
Organizational analysis-job related knowledge and skills that support organization
COMPILED BY ASHENAFI E., WOLLO UNIVERSITY, DEPARTMENT OF MANAGEMENT, 2012 Page 2
 Person analysis- who needs to be trained
What kind of training needed?
Task (job) analysis
2. Establish objectives
An objective is a specific outcome that the training or development program is intended to achieve
What should the trainees be able to do after training?
How well should the trainee perform the trained behavior?
3. Instructional media
The content, method, and media must watch the job requirement of the organization and the
learning style of the participant.
Learning principles are important:
Participation
Repetition
Relevance-meaningful learning material
Transference- the more closely the demand of the training program matches the demand of the job,
the faster a person learns to master the job
-feedback

D) Implementing HRD program

Who should be trained?

Where and when the program is to be conducted
Cost considerations
E) Evaluating the training and development
It is the final phase of the training and development program
It is a means of verify the success of the program
HRD is an investment in people
Evaluation can be done for various purposes. It may be done:
 To increase effectiveness of the program while it is going on
 To increase effectiveness of the program to be held next time
 To help participants to get feedback for their improvement and efficiency
 To find out to what extent the objectives are achieved

COMPILED BY ASHENAFI E., WOLLO UNIVERSITY, DEPARTMENT OF MANAGEMENT, 2012 Page 3

Evaluation can provide information about when various training goals have been accomplished. Some
important goals are:
 Training validity: Did the trainees learn skills or acquire knowledge abilities during the training?
 Transfer validity: Did the knowledge, skills, or abilities learned in training lead to improved
performance on the job?
 Intraorganizational validity: Is the job performance of a new group of trainees in the same
organization that developed the program comparable to the job performance of the original
training group (s)?
 Interorganizational validity: Can a training program that has been validated in one organization be
used successfully in another firm?
These questions (goals) result in different evaluation procedures to examine what, if anything, training
and development have accomplished.

5.4 Methods of Training and Development

After needs and objectives have been determined and trainees and trainers have been selected, the
program is run. This includes selection of content and methods to be used and the actual training and/or
development method. In many situations a combination of instructional methods are used.

5.4.1 On-the-job training:

Probably the most widely used method of training (formal and informal) is on-the-job training. The
employee is placed into the real work situation and shown the job and the tricks of the trade by an
experienced employee or the supervisor.
Although this program is apparently simple and relatively less costly, if it is not handled properly the
costs can be high—damaged machinery, unsatisfied customers, misfiled forms, and poorly taught
workers. To prevent these problems, trainers must be carefully selected and trained. The trainee should be
placed with a trainer who is similar in background and personality. The trainer should be motivated for
training and rewarded for doing it well. The trainer should use effective techniques in instructing the
trainee.

The employees must learn how to apply their knowledge to practical aspects of the job

 An employee participating in such a training program learns and at the same time accomplishes
assigned tasks that contribute to organizational achievement. Like orientation

COMPILED BY ASHENAFI E., WOLLO UNIVERSITY, DEPARTMENT OF MANAGEMENT, 2012 Page 4

  Apprenticeship training is learning both theory and practice. It usually in trades, crafts and other
technical fields.
 Job rotation is transferring of employees from job to job on a systematic and regular basis.
 Special projects – trainees asked to perform special assignments
 Internship training- sometimes known as cooperative education, selected students go to
companies.

5.4.2 Off-the-job training:

Organizations with the biggest training programs often use off-the-job training. A survey of training
directors in Fortune 500 companies examined their views of which off-the-job training techniques were
the most effective for specific objectives. The training directors indicated that if knowledge was the
objective, it would be best to use programmed instruction. On the other hand, if the training was intended
to improve problem-solving skills, then it would be better to use the case method of training (for
example, having participants analyze job-related cases). Research suggests that the most popular methods
of instruction for off-the-job training are lecture-discussion, programmed instruction, and computer
assisted instruction (CAI).

1. Lecture-discussion approach
(Special courses and lectures)

The most frequently used training method is for a trainer to give a lecture and involve the trainee in a
discussion of the material to be learned. Effective classroom presentation supplements lecture with
audiovisual aids such as blackboards, slides, and mock-ups. Frequently, these lectures are videotaped or
audiotaped. The method allows the trainers’ message to be given in many locations and to be repeated as
often as needed for the benefit of the trainees. Videotape recording also allows for self-confrontation,
which is especially useful in such programs as sales training and interpersonal relations. The trainee’s
presentation can be taped and played back for analysis.
It can be done through:

 Organization with its own trainer

 Organization with education and training institution
 Programmed instruction- on a sequential order on film or printed media
 Self-study and closed circuit television- in distance education

COMPILED BY ASHENAFI E., WOLLO UNIVERSITY, DEPARTMENT OF MANAGEMENT, 2012 Page 5

  Laboratory training- to enhance interpersonal training
2. Vestibule training
Giving new employees experience before they go to work in the shop or office. It stimulates work
conditions in a room near the production area.
Vestibule training, also known as simulation, is a method that presents the real work situation in
the learning sessions

Case Method
One widespread technique is the case method, which uses a written description of a real decision-making
situation in the organization or a situation that occurred in another organization. Managers are asked to
study the case to identify the problems, analyze the problems for their significance, propose solutions,
choose the best solution, and implement it. More learning takes place if there is interaction between the
managers and the instructor. The instructor’s role is that of a catalyst and facilitator. A good instructor is
able to get everyone involved in solving the problem.
The instructor using the case method must guard against (1) dominating the discussion, (2) permitting a
few people to dominate the discussion, and (3) leading the discussion toward his/her preferred solution.
As a catalyst, the instructor should encourage divergent viewpoints, initiate discussion on points the
mangers are missing, and be thoroughly prepared.

Role Playing
Role playing is a cross between the case method and an attitude development program. Each person is
assigned a role in a situation (such as a case) and asked to play the role and to react to other players’ role
playing. The player is asked to pretend to be a focal person in the situation and to react to the stimuli as
that person would. The players are provided with background information on the situation and the players.
Usually, a brief script is provided for the participants. Sometimes, the role playing is videotaped and
reanalyzed as part of the development situation. Often, role playing is done in small groups of a dozen or
two. The success of this method depends on the ability of the players to play the assigned roles believably.
If done well, role playing can help a manager become more aware of and more sensitive to the feelings of
others.

In-Basket technique
Another method used to develop managerial decision making abilities is the in-basket technique. The
participant is given materials (typically memos or descriptions of things to do) that include typical items
from a specific manager’s mail, and a telephone list. Important and pressing matters, such as out-of-stock

COMPILED BY ASHENAFI E., WOLLO UNIVERSITY, DEPARTMENT OF MANAGEMENT, 2012 Page 6

positions, complaints by customers, and a demand for a report from a superior, are mixed in with routine
business matters, such as a request to speak at a dinner or a decision on the date of the company picnic
four weeks hence. The trainee is analyzed and critiqued on the number of decisions made in the time
allotted, the quality of the decisions, and the priorities chosen for making them. In order to generate
interest, the in-basket materials must be realistic, job-related, and not impossible to make decisions on.

Management Games
Essentially, management games describe the operating characteristics of a company, industry, or
enterprise. These descriptions take the form of equations that are manipulated after decisions have been
made. Management games emphasize development of problem solving skills.

In a typical computerized management game procedure, teams of players are asked to make a series of
operating or top management decisions. In one game, for example, the players are asked to decide on such
matters as the price of the product, purchase of materials, production scheduling, funds borrowing,
marketing, and R& D expenditures. When each player on the team has made a decision, the interactions
of these decisions are computed (manually or by computer) in accordance with the model. For example, if
price is linearly related to volume, a decrease in price of x percent will affect the volume, subject to
general price levels. Players on the team reconcile their individual decisions with those of the other team
members before making a final decision. Then each team’s decision is compared with those of the other
teams. The result of that team’s profit, market share, and so forth is compared, and a winner or best team
performance is determined.

Advantages of games include the integration several interacting decisions, the ability to experiment with
decisions, the provision of feedback on decisions, and the requirement that decisions be made with
inadequate data, which usually simulates reality. The main criticisms of most games concern their
limitation of novelty or reactivity in decision making, the cost of development and administration, the
unreality of some of the models, and the disturbing tendency of many participants to look for the key to
winning the game instead of concentrating on making good decisions. Many participants seem to feel that
the games are rigged—that a few factors or even a single factor may be the key to winning.

Behavior Modeling
A development approach for improving interpersonal skills is behavior modeling, which is also called
interaction management or imitating models. The key to behavior modeling is to learning through
observation or imagination. Thus, modeling is a “vicarious process” that emphasizes observation.

COMPILED BY ASHENAFI E., WOLLO UNIVERSITY, DEPARTMENT OF MANAGEMENT, 2012 Page 7

One behavior modeling approach begins by identifying interpersonal problems that employees, especially
managers, face. Typical problems are gaining acceptance as a new supervisor, handling discrimination
complaints, delegating responsibility, improving attendance, disciplining effectively, overcoming
resistance to change, setting performance goals, motivating average performance, handling emotional
situations, reducing tardiness, and taking corrective action.

There are four steps in the process:

1. Modeling of effective behavior—often by use of films.
2. Role playing.
3. Social reinforcement—trainees and trainers praise effective role playing.
4. Transfer of training to the job.

Behavior modeling offers a number of promising possibilities in organizations. One especially important
need in organizations is to develop effective leaders. Modeling appears to offer some promise for
developing leadership skills, if used in conjunction with videotape methods. The participants can view
their styles, behaviors, strengths, and weaknesses and learn from this personal firsthand view. People who
see themselves in action have a vivid reminder that they can benefit from practice.

Outdoor-Oriented Programs
Case, games, modeling, and role playing are still popular, but an increasingly popular form of
development is outdoor or real-life, action-oriented programs. Leadership, teamwork, and risk-taking
are top-priority items in the outdoor-oriented programs. The programs, conducted in remote areas,
combine outdoor skills with classroom seminars. River rafting, mountain climbing, night searching, team
competition, boat races, rope climbing, and problem solving exercises are popular types of outdoor
training.

Teamwork and trust are objectives that outdoor programs attempt to achieve. Do these outdoor programs
work? When a participant returns to the office, is he/she more team-oriented? To date, there is no set of
studies available indicating that these programs are effective. There is also the issue of whether an
organization has a right to send or encourage a person to participate I a program that requires some
athletic ability, enjoyment of the outdoors, or risk.

COMPILED BY ASHENAFI E., WOLLO UNIVERSITY, DEPARTMENT OF MANAGEMENT, 2012 Page 8

Computers
Each day more firms are using computer-assisted instruction (CAI) to train employees. The advantages
for training include allowing trainees to learn at their own pace, trainees to study areas that need
improvement, and—depending on availability of personal computers—flexibility. The computer has
changed the way people at work learn. Learning is more self-initiated and individualized. A number of
computer training methods are becoming more widely used.

The Internet offers ways to increase learning, link resources, and share valuable knowledge inside and
outside an organization. People can use the Internet to deliver training in the following ways, either
individually or in combination with other instruction methods:
 E-mail for accessing course material and sharing information.
 Bulletin boards, forums, and newsgroups for posting comments and questions.
 Interactive tutorials and courses that let trainees take courses online.
 Real-time conferencing that places all participants in the same virtual classroom. Trainees can
download documents, tutorials, and software.

Intranets: They are internal, proprietary electronic networks, similar to the Internet. Typically, an
intranet delivers programs that have been developed or customized for an organization’s particular
learning needs. List-serve discussion groups and virtual learning campuses are just a few ways
organizations are using intranets to share information among employees.

HRM practitioners and trainers should also have a working knowledge of multimedia technology. It
enhances learning in individual and group settings with audio, animation, graphics, and interactive video
delivered via computer. Those capabilities let trainees retrieve information when they want it and in the
way that makes the most sense to them.

Virtual reality (VR): It is a step beyond multimedia. VR is a computer-based technology that enables
users to learn in a three - dimensional environment. The trainer can, by using a simulated situation,
interact in real time with its components by viewing a virtual model on a computer screen or through a
head-mounted display.

Distance training/learning: The trainer is quickly evolving into someone who facilitates, guides, and
acts as a mentor for employers and employees, helping them find and use the best and most timely
training available. The goal of the corporate trainer should now be find, interpret, and assess a wide range
of information and technologically sophisticated products.

COMPILED BY ASHENAFI E., WOLLO UNIVERSITY, DEPARTMENT OF MANAGEMENT, 2012 Page 9

5.4 Career development
A career is a sequence of positions, jobs and/or occupations that one person engages in during his/her
working life.
Career development is the personnel activity which helps individuals plan their future careers within the
organization to help the organization achieve its objectives and employee achieve maximum self-
development
Every one aspires a better life in society. So do employees in an organization

COMPILED BY ASHENAFI E., WOLLO UNIVERSITY, DEPARTMENT OF MANAGEMENT, 2012 Page 10