Candidate Number: 850829 Module Coordinator: Helen Shipton Module Code: BHM351 Module Title: Learning and Talent

Development

Date of Submission: 04/12/2012

Table of Contents
Page No. Executive Summary Question 1 Introduction 1. Establishing the Partnership 1.1. Organisational Drivers 1.2. Key Business Outcomes 1.3. Partnership 2. Integrating Planning and Evaluation 2.1. Forging a Causal Chain 2.2. Collecting the Baseline Data 3. Identifying Training and Learning Needs 3.1. Analysing Training and Learning Needs 3.2. Analysing Workplace Context 4. Agreeing Learning Principles and Strategy 5. Designing and Delivering Training 5.1. Programme Enablers 5.2. Structure of the Training Programme 5.3. Training Delivery 4 5 5 6 6 6 6 7 7 7 8 8 9 10 12 12 12 12

6. Monitoring and Evaluating Outcomes Question 2 7.1. Informal Learning 7.2. Why a Formal Training Event is more Practical 7.3. Combining Formal and Informal Learning

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Conclusion Appendix A Timetable for Training Event (4i Sales Agent Acadamy) References

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Executive Summary In this report, a training day is designed for and organisation called 4i Security, a small organisation, which currently has no learning and development strategy in place. After employing 10 new sales agents and getting feedback that better training is needed, the managing director and senior managers have realised that a formal training intervention is needed to prepare sales agents for their new role and for the organisation to meet their objectives. The training event takes into account Harrisons (2009) six-stage value-adding training cycle which includes establishing the partnership, integrating planning and evaluation, identifying learning and training needs, agreeing learning principles and strategy, training design and delivery and monitoring and evaluation outcomes. After the training event was designed, a new CEO was appointed who has queried the need for a formal training intervention. To address this, informal learning techniques are discussed along with why in they are not practical in this organisational context. Lastly, it is suggested an approach should be taken where the organisation has a pro-active intervention along with providing support to employees for naturally occurring learning as this would combine formal and informal learning.

To design a one- day training event at an organisation of your choice. The training can be on any topic you choose. (2000 words max) Introduction 4i Security is an organisation that provides security and health and safety solutions to a range of commercial and public sector organisations. It is currently a small organisation which has 1 Chief Executive and 3 Senior Managers who make up the Senior Board along with 30 sales agents who are located in many different areas of England and work from home. Currently, the chief executive has no formal learning and development strategy in place and sales agents have previously been trained over the telephone. The company has recently taken on 10 more sales agents who started the job with the old training procedures and complained the training they received was not adequate.

1. Establishing the Partnership. 1.1 Organisational drivers A training intervention is needed within 4i Security as the organisation is currently not meeting their organisational objectives which include raising their company awareness, meeting sales targets and maintaining a low level of employee turnover. Although the board agrees this could be due to companies not being interested in upgrading their security alarms systems they feel the performance of their sales agents should be higher and recognises that if a structured training programme was in place for sales agents before they started their role this could lead better performance. 1.2 Key business outcomes The key business outcomes a training event would produce are an increase in the number of meetings arranged with potential companies by sales agents which could increase sales and raise company awareness. An agreement was reached between the board members that the focus of this training programme would be to equip sales agents with the knowledge and skills to perform well in their job role. 1.3. Partnership The Managing Director of 4i Security has committed to providing a budget for a 1 day training programme off site and one of the Senior Managers has taken on the role of designing the programme. The board members have also agreed to employ an external trainer specialising in sales calling training to deliver some of the workshop sessions. The trainees will be the 10 sales agents who have recently been employed and the training day will be booked before the Christmas period.

2. Integrating Planning and Evaluation. 2.1 Forging a causal chain Spitzer (2005) states organisation level outcomes should be linked with key indicators as this forms a causal chain. If the sales agents develop their knowledge of the company, the product and the security market this will improve their sales skills, which will then result in an increase in the amount of sales they make, adding value to the organisation. Performance will be assessed by comparing January 2013 sales figures with December 2012 and the overall 2013 sales figures to 2012 as the board have a target to increase sales by 20% in 2013. 2.2 Collecting the baseline data Data will be collected from the main stakeholder groups which include the board and the trainees, as being involved at this stage should clarify the added value training can contribute and enhance their commitment to the training project. This is important as many training initiatives are organised without the gathering of clear baseline data to measure the trainings organisational outcomes against (Spitzer, 2005, CIPD 2008a). Therefore, a survey will be sent out to the board to understand how they perceive the training will help the organisation meet its goals and telephone interviews will be carried out with the trainees as it is important to analyse what their training needs and training expectations are from the training day (Fairburns, 1991; Anderson, 2007).

3. Identifying Training and Learning Needs. 3.1 Analysing training and learning needs Kessels & Harrison (1998) discuss the importance of involving all the stakeholders when identifying the training and learning needs of the organisation as they are the people the training will effect. The senior manager designing the training, as the central figure, has decided that the most valuable stakeholder that can identify learning and training needs would be the new sales agents as they have experienced the job without adequate training. In this context, problem-centred analysis is an appropriate approach to use as the training programme needs to be developed quickly and it would help to gain the trainees commitment to training (Harrison, 2008). The problems found as a result of this approach are that sales agents are currently having difficulty talking to customers and selling the product. The cause of this could be lack of awareness of security market and of the product advantages and could be tackled by providing sales agents with information on the current security market, the 4i security product and competitive positioning against similar companies. Another problem occurring is that sales agents are unwilling to talk to companies who they are unfamiliar with which could be addressed by providing guidance on approaching different types of companies. Additionally. sales agents are contacting potential customers but not booking any appointments which could be the result of having an ineffective sales pitch which can be tackled by having guidance from an established and successful sales agent. Lastly, there are administration problems where sales agents have successfully sold the product but not completed the correct documentation. This could be due to a lack of knowledge on procedures and can be addressed by providing guidance about what to do in this situation.

3.2 Analysing workplace context The current workplace context involves sales agents working from home which means they are extremely isolated. They are also paid on a commission basis and have the flexibility of working as many or as few hours per week. The workplace outcomes linked to a formalised training programme would include more efficient results from each sales agent. In addition, as payment is commission based, it is anticipated sales agents will make more sales which would increase their monthly wage and motivate them to commit to working more hours each week, resulting on a lower level of employee turnover for the organisation.

4. Agreeing Learning Principles and Strategy. After identifying the learning and training needs of the organisation, it is evident that an intervention is needed to increase the knowledge sales agents need to perform well in their job role. It is also important to select learning principles that are able to deliver the outcomes needed. This training event will take into account cognitive learning theories and the learning objectives for the day are: 1. To educate the sales agents what the training programme aims to achieve
2. To educate sales agents about the security market outlining the security

landscape and what companies in the sector are doing and why 3. To educate sales agents about 4is company background, heritage and existing clients 4. To educate sales agents about the 4i security product grid, including key product features, benefits and advantages
5. To educate sales agents about the clients 4i security currently has and to identify

where the product has been successful.

6. To educate sales agents about the correct procedures to follow after making a

sale As these learning objectives will be accomplished by the use of lectures, cognitive learning theory is useful as it describes three phases in the learning process. Firstly, the learner orientates their attention to the trainer, then they organise what they have observed into a coherent mental pattern or structure and lastly, organise information in their own minds. This is related to Piagets (1950) idea of assimilation and accommodation as

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Piaget believed individuals possess mental structures that assimilate external events, and convert them to fit their mental structures. Additionally the mental structures accommodate themselves to new aspects of the external environment. 7. To educate sales agents on how to perform an effective sales pitch For this learning objective, social cognitive theory (Bandura, 1977) is relevant as the trainee sales agents will watch an experienced sales agent perform a successful sales call which will influence their own ability to do this and increase their self-efficacy as they will learn the expected outcomes and strategies for effective performance. 7. To educate sales agents on how to deal with typical objections to the product For this learning objective experiential learning theory (Kolb, 1948) can be applied as a role playing exercise will be used where learners will experience a four-stage cycle of learning whilst working in groups. Firstly, the learner will practice a phone call where they will be given a typical objection (concrete experience). They will then review and reflect on the experience (reflective observation) and then conclude and learn from the experience (abstract conceptualisation). Lastly, they will plan how to apply what they have learned (active experimentation).

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5. Training design and delivery 5.1 Programme enablers Before the training programme takes place each trainee sales agent must have a short session with a senior manager to establish the goals they would like to achieve from the training. In particular, they will be encouraged to set individual goals which align with the overall organisational goals. Locke and Lathams (1990) goal-setting theory proposes that intentions to work towards a specific, challenging and achievable goal are a good source of motivation. Additionally, the senior manager responsible for the training design will need to work with the trainer to create PowerPoint slides for the training day with relevant content. 5.2 Structure of the training programme The structure of the programme will be an offsite 1 day training intervention. This is practical as the sales agents are located in various locations of England and would have to travel to this one day session. The day will consist of short sessions which cover different learning objectives in order to comply with overall organisational and individual goals (see Appendix A for a full plan of the day). Completion of this programme will ensure that sales agents have required the basic knowledge and skills to start their job role. 5.3 Training delivery The training will be delivered by the senior manager who designed the training and an external trainer who specialises in sales calling training. This is appropriate as the senior
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manager has expert knowledge about the security market, the company and procedures whilst the external trainer has a background in effective sales calling. It is important to have experienced trainers as the unpredictable and dynamic interaction between trainer and learner will determine the success of the intervention overall (Korte, 2006). The training will involve a range of delivery methods including PowerPoint presentations with question and answer sessions, a product demo, a sales calling demonstration and a workgroup activity.

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6. Monitoring and Evaluating Outcomes. The outcomes of the training event will be evaluated by using the four-level Kirkpatrick Framework (1975). This looks at outcomes in terms of reactions from learners, what the learners learned and achieved, whether job performance has changed and whether there has been a positive result on the organisation by assessing Return on Investment (ROI) and Return on the Expectations (ROE) of stakeholders. For this training event, the trainees immediate reactions will be assessed by end of day evaluation sheets and the knowledge they have learnt will be assessed by an online e-learning activity which they will be required to complete within 3 days of the training event. Additionally, long term outcomes will be assessed by having a performance appraisal system in place where the performance of sales agents are reviewed every two months to review whether they are meeting their objectives and targets. Lastly, as mentioned in section 2, ROI will be assessed by financial outcomes and ROE will be assessed by surveying the board to see whether they feel the training has helped the organisation to meet its goals and the trainees to see if the training programme met their expectations.

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The organisation described above has a new CEO. She has queried the need for the above event, having picked up at a recent networking event that informal, work-based learning is more effective than formal, planned interventions. Present a reasoned case to CEO to convince her that in this instance a formal, planned training event is likely to yield the outcomes required. (1000 words max) 7.1 Informal Learning Common types of informal workplace learning are action learning, communities of practice and support from managers or mentors. Action learning facilitates learning for individuals as it emphasises interacting with others and learning by doing by involving real experience and observation. The advantages of working on real problems is that individuals find actual solutions rather than hypothetical ones and this can contribute to their development of leadership and team working. Secondly, there are instances where groups are formed over common interests which are called communities of practice (COPs). This can be defined as groups of people who share a concern, a set of problems or a passion about a topic, and who deepen their knowledge and expertise in this area by interacting on an ongoing basis (Wenger et al, 2002). The purpose of these groups are to learn but also to network and encourage social interaction as individuals can come together to use the learning team to examine and revise reasoning for problems in home groups . Thirdly, informal learning can occur when individuals have support methods in the workplace such as mentoring and coaching which can involve supporting leaders, rotating roles across teams and being provided opportunities and challenges. Informal learning differs from formal learning as it involves reflection on actual experience. A theory that promotes informal learning is Honey and Mumfords (1992) cycle where it is described that an individual firstly, enters the role of an activist role by having a learning

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experience. They then become a reflector where they review their experience before moving on to being a theorist where they become aware of our own learning processes to conclude from the experience. Lastly, they take a pragmatist role where they plan their next steps. Workplace learning can also be viewed as a natural process for human development and Vaill (1997) specified seven criteria. Firstly, the criteria states learning should be self-directed so the learner has control over purpose, content, form and evaluation. Secondly, learning should be creative so no pre-set goals or methods should be put into place to make sure the learner finds and solves problems. Thirdly, learning should be expressive so it can occur on the process of doing. The remaining four criteria suggest learning involves feeling so the learner cares about what they do and what is accomplished, that learning is in a real environment rather than artificial, it is a continual process and lastly, that it is reflective so the learner becomes more aware of their learning processes. 7.2 Why a formal training event is more practical In this instance there are a number of reasons why a formal planned training event would be more likely to achieve the outcomes required compared to informal learning. Firstly, action learning is unlikely to occur for sales agents due to them to working alone and not being able to observe and learn from others whereas on a formal training day they would have the opportunity to experience group interaction and openly discuss ideas and problems. With regards to COPs, there are presently not any set up as workers are located in different regions of England. A formal training day would enable COPs to be formed as individuals would be able to network with other new sales agents. Additionally, implementing mentoring and coaching procedures is not a practical solution due to there only being 3 senior managers, as each individual trainee would require a high level of attention and support.

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Additionally, when evaluating Vaills criteria it is further emphasised that informal learning is not the best option in this situation. This is because it wouldnt be appropriate for learning to be self-directed due to the learners being unaware of what expectations the organisation expects from them. Therefore, formal learning would support the organisational objective of giving individuals the basic skills and knowledge to carry out their job role effectively. Additionally, the organisation cannot rely on individuals to learn at their own pace, due to sales agents working remotely, as it would be extremely hard to monitor each trainee. Therefore, having a formal intervention would make it easier to identify who needs extra support after the training day. It would also be extremely risky for the organisation to let individuals learn on the job as mistakes being made should be avoided when sales agents are communicating with potential clients as they need to make a good impression in order to achieve the organisational aims of increasing company awareness and making sales. Lastly, as informal learning involves a feeling of accomplishment, if individuals started their job role without formal training they are likely to by unsuccessful in reaching their sales targets due to a lack of knowledge which could result in low confidence and a higher likelihood for employee turnover which the organisation is trying to avoid. 7.3 Combining formal and informal learning An ideal solution would be for 4i Security to take the 4-quadrant approach to learning by having a proactive intervention in place to work towards their change in strategic direction and to also to recognise and provide support for naturally occurring learning (Shipton, 2006). They could do this by creating a visible learning culture within the organisation by having a strong push to innovation in the workplace, creating new structures that provide employees with possibilities for linking work and learning and having the board active in establishing and communicating new organisational vision and values (Tjepkema, 2002). The view that it is beneficial to be a learning organisation is supported by Ellinger (2002) who found a
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significant relationship between organisations who described hemselves as 'learning organisations' and a range of financial performance outcome measures.

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Conclusion In conclusion, a formal training event is needed in response to the request for better training by the new sales agents and to ensure they feel more confident within their job role and overall, for the organisation to meet its objectives. It would also be extremely useful due to the nature of the job role where individuals work alone and remotely as it could facilitate group interaction and networking. Although informal learning may be useful in some instances, in this situation it would be more beneficial to introduce and promote informal learning within the organisation alongside the formal training event as this would encourage the trainee sales agents to continue to learn and improve their skills after starting their role. A recommendation would be to repeat this formal intervention and incorporate it as part of a future learning and development strategy for the organisation in the future when employing new sales agents. Additionally, the outcomes of this training event should be evaluated to conclude whether it was successful and whether it can the improved.

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Appendix A

Part 1

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References Anderson, V, 2007. The value of learning- a new model of value and evaluation. Change Agenda. London: CIPD. Bandura, A. and McClelland, D. C., 1977. Social learning theory. Englewood Cliffs, Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development, 2008. Learning and development. Annual Survey Report. London: CIPD. Ellinger, A. D., Ellinger, A. E., Yang, B., and Howton, S. W., 2002. The relationship between the learning organization concept and rms nancial performance: An empirical assessment. Human Resource Development Quarterly, 13(1), pp. 521. Fairbairns, J., 1991. Plugging the gap in training needs analysis. Personnel Management, 23(2), pp.43-45. Harrison, R., 2009. Learning and development. London: CIPD Publishing. Honey, P. and Mumford, A., 1992. A manual of learning styles. 3rd ed. Maidenhead: Honey. Locke, E. A. and Latham, G. P., 1990. A theory of goal setting and task performance. Prentice-Hall, Inc. Kessels, J. and Harrison, R., 1998. External consistency: the key to success in management development programmes? Management Learning, 29(1), pp.39-68. Kirkpatrick, D. L., 1975. Evaluating training programs. Tata McGraw-Hill Education. Kolb, D. A., 1984. Experiential learning: experience as the source of learning and development. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall. Korte, R. F., 2006. Training implementation: Variations affecting delivery. Advances in Developing Human Resources, 8, pp.514527

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Piaget, J., 1950. The psychology of intelligence. New York: Harcourt and Brace. Spitzer, D. R., 2005. Learning effectiveness measurement: A new approach for measuring and managing learning to achieve business results. Advances in Developing Human Resources, 7(1), pp.55-70. Shipton, H., 2006. Cohesion or confusion? Towards a typology for organizational learning research. International Journal of Management Reviews, 8(4), pp.232-252. Tjepkema, S., 2002. Conclusions from case studies and survey. In: S. Tjepkema, J. Stewart, S. Sambrook, M. Mulder, H. Horst and J Scheerens, ed. 2002. HRD and learning organisations in Europe. Routledge: London, pp.156-177. Vaill, P.B., 1997. Learning as a way of being. San Francisco: Jossey Bass. Wenger,E., McDermott, R. and Snyder, W.M., 2002. Cultivating communities of practice. Boston: Harvard Business School Press.

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