Training and Development

Introduction A business' most important asset is often its people. Training and developing them can be one of the most important investments a business can make. The right training can ensure that your business has the right skills to tackle the future. It can also help attract and retain good quality staff, as well as increasing the job satisfaction of those presently with you increasing the chances that they will satisfy your customers. Training and development refer to the imparting to specific skills! ability and knowledge to an employee. A formal definition of training and development is" #$ it is any attempt to improve current or future employee performance by increasing an employee!s ability to perform through learning, usually by changing the employee!s attitudes or increasing his or her skills and knowledge.% Definition of Training & Development: Improve performance Training & Development is any attempt to improve current or future employee performance by increasing an employee!s ability to perform through learning, usually by changing the employee!s attitude or increasing his or her skills and knowledge.% Meaning Of Training & Development The need for Training and &evelopment is determined by the employee!s performance deficiency, computed as follows. Training & Development Need = Standard Performance Actual Performance 'e can make a distinction among Training, &evelopment and (ducation. Distinction et!een Training and "ducation Training Application oriented )ob e*perience +pecific Task in mind ,arrow -erspective Training is )ob +pecific "ducation Theoretical .rientation /lassroom learning /overs general concepts 0as 1road -erspective (ducation is no bar

Training: Training refers to the process of imparting specific skills. An employee undergoing training is presumed to have had some formal education. ,o training program is complete without an element of education. 0ence we can say that Training is offered to operatives. "ducation: It is a theoretical learning in classrooms. The purpose of education is to teach theoretical concepts and develop a sense of reasoning and judgment. That any training and development program must contain an element of education is well understood by 02 +pecialists. Any such program has university professors as resource persons to enlighten participants about theoretical knowledge of the topics proposed to discuss. In fact organi3ations depute or encourage employees to do courses on part time basis. /(.s are known to attend refresher courses conducted by business schools. The education is more important for managers and e*ecutives rather than low cadre workers. Anyways education is common to all employees, their grades notwithstanding. Development: &evelopment means those learning opportunities designed to help employees to grow. &evelopment is not primarily skills oriented. Instead it provides the general knowledge and attitudes, which will be helpful to employers in higher positions. (fforts towards development often depend on personal drive and ambition. &evelopment activities such as those supplied by management development programs are generally voluntary in nature. &evelopment provides knowledge about business environment, management

principles and techniques, human relations, specific industry analysis and the like is useful for better management of a company. T#" T$AININ% P$O&"SS Organi*ational O +ectives and Strategies

Assessment of Training Needs "sta lis-ment of Training %oals Devising Training Programme

Implementation of Training programme "valuation of $esults

'() Organi*ational O +ectives and Strategies The first step in the training process in an organi3ation is the assessment of its objectives and strategies. 'hat business are we in4 At what level of quality do we wish to provide this product or service4 'here do we want to be in the future4 It is only after answering these and other related questions that the organi3ation must assess the strengths and weaknesses of its human resources. ',) Assessment of Training Needs .rgani3ations spend vast sums of money on training and development. 1efore committing such huge resources, organi3ations would do well to assess the training needs of the employees. .rgani3ations that implement training programmes without conducting needs assessment may be making errors. ,eeds assessment occurs at two levels" a5 Individual b5 6roup Individual" An individual obviously needs training when his or her training falls short of standards, that is, when there is performance deficiency. Inadequacy in performance may be due to lack of skill or knowledge or any other problem. The problem of performance deficiency is caused by absence of skills or knowledge can be remedied by training. 7aulty selection, poor job design, uninspiring supervision or some personal problem

may also result in poor performance. Transfer, job redesign, improving quality of supervision, or discharge will solve the problem. Individuals may also require new skills because of possible job transfers. Although job transfers are as common as organi3ational personal demands vary, they do not necessarily require elaborate training efforts. (mployees commonly require an orientation to new facilities and jobs. 2ecently, however, economic forces have necessitated significant retraining efforts in order to assure continuous employment for many individuals. 6roup" Assessment of training needs occurs at group level too. Any change in the organi3ation!s strategy necessitates training groups of employees. 7or e*ample, when the organi3ation decides to introduce a new line of products, sales personnel and production workers have to be trained to produce, sell and service the new products. Training can also be used when high scrap or accident rates, low morale and motivation, or other problems are diagnosed. '.) "sta lis-ment of Training %oals .nce the training needs are assessed, training and developmental goals must be established. 'ith out clearly set goals, it is not possible to design a training and development programme and, after it has been implemented, there will be no way of measuring its effectiveness. 6oals must be tangible, verifiable, and measurable. This is easy where skill training is involved. 7or e*ample, the successful trainee will be e*pected to type 88 words per minute with two or three errors per page. 1ut behavioral objectives like attitudinal changes can be more difficult to state. ,evertheless, clear behavioral standards of e*pected results are necessary so that the programme can be effectively designed and results can be evaluated. '/) Devising t-e Training and Development Programme (very training and development programme must address the following vital issues" 0-o are t-e trainees1 0-o are t-e trainers1 0-at met-ods & tec-ni2ues1

0-at s-ould e t-e level of training1

0-at principles of learning1

0-ere to conduct t-e program1

'ho are the trainees4 Trainees are selected on the basis of" +elf ,omination 2ecommendations of the +upervisor 1y the 02 &epartment itself 'hatever is the basis, it is advisable to have two or more target audiences. 7or e*ample, rank and file employees and their supervisors may effectively learn together about a new process and their respective roles. It also helps facilitate group processes such as problem solving and decision 9 making. 'ho are the trainers4 Training and development may be done by" Immediate +upervisors /o 9 workers -ersonnel +taff +pecialists in other parts of the company .utside /onsultants Industry Associations 7aculty :embers at ;niversities

'ho among these are selected to teach, often depends on where the program is held and the skill that is being taught. 'hat :ethods and Techniques of Training should be used4 A multitude of methods and techniques is used to train employees. Training techniques are the means employed in the training methods. Training methods are categori3ed into two groups 9 on the job methods and off the job methods. 'hat should be the level of learning4 The inputs passed on to trainees in training and development programmes can be taught at three basic levels. <evel I The trainee must acquire fundamental knowledge. This means developing a basic understanding of a field and becoming acquainted with the language, concepts and relationships involved in it. (.g. .rientation Training <evel II The goal is skill development, or acquiring the ability to perform in a particular skill area. <evel III Aims at increased operational proficiency. This involves obtaining additional e*perience and improving skills that have already been developed. All the inputs of training can be offered at the three levels. 0ow effectively they are learned depends upon several principles of learning. 'hat should be the -rinciples of <earning4 Training and development programmes are more likely to be effective when they incorporate the following principles of learning" :otivation" :otivation to learn is the basic requisite of making training and development programmes effective. :otivation comes from awareness that training fetches some rise in status and pay. Internal pressures =self esteem, quality of life, job satisfaction5 are the most powerful motivators. At the same time the individual must also have the ability to learn. Individual &ifferences" Individuals enjoy varying learning stimuli. Ability varies from individual to individual and this difference must be considered while organi3ing training programmes. -ractice .pportunities" -eople learn best through practice. The trainee should be given the opportunity to practice what is being taught. -ractice is also essential after the individual has been successfully trained. 2einforcement" 2einforcement is anything that increases the strength of response and tends to induce repetitions of the behavior that preceded the reinforcement. 2einforcement could be positive and negative. -ositive reinforcement strengthens and increases behavior by the presentation of desirable consequences. The reinforcement consists of a positive e*perience for the individual. (*ample" if an employee does something well and is complemented by the boss, the probability that the behavior will be repeated will be strengthened. In negative reinforcement, the individual e*hibits the desired behavior to avoid something unpleasant. (*ample" an employee who does something to avoid incurring a reprimand from his boss. The effect of negative reinforcement is avoidance of learning. >nowledge of 2esults =feedback5" >nowledge of results is a necessary condition for learning. 7eedback about the performances will enable the learner to know where he or she stands and to initiate corrective action if any deviation from the e*pected goal has taken place. 6oals"

6oal setting can also accelerate learning, particularly when it is accompanied by knowledge of results. Individuals generally perform better and learn more quickly when they have goals, particularly if the goals are specific and reasonably difficult. +chedules of learning" .ne of the most well 9 established principles of learning is that distributed or spaced learning is superior to continuous learning. +chedules of learning involve" &uration of practice sessions &uration of rest sessions -ositioning of rest pauses All the three must be carefully planned and e*ecuted. :eaning of material" A definite relationship has been established between learning and meaningfulness of the subject learnt. The more meaningful the material, the better the learning process. Transfer of <earning" 'hat is learnt in training must be transferred to the job. The traditional approach to transfer has been to ma*imi3e the identical elements between the training situation and the actual job. This may be possible for training skills such as maintaining a cash register, but not for teaching leadership or conceptual skills. .ften, what is learnt in a training session faces resistance back at the job. Techniques for overcoming resistance include creating positive e*pectations on the part of trainee!s supervisor, creating opportunities to implement new behavior on the job, and ensuring that the behavior is reinforced when it occurs. Though, it is desirable that a training and development programme incorporates all these principles, seldom is such a combination effected in practice. 'here to conduct the programme4 A training and development programme can be conducted" At the job itself .n site but not the job 9 for e*ample, in a training room in the company. .ff the site, such as in a university or college classroom, hotel, a resort, or a conference center. '3) Implementation of t-e Programme .nce the training programme has been designed, it needs to be implemented. Implementation is beset with certain problems" :ost managers are action oriented and frequently say they are too busy to engage in training efforts. Availability of trainers is a problem. In addition to possessing communication skills, the trainers must know the company!s philosophy, its objectives, its formal and informal organi3ations, and the goals of the training programme. Training requires a higher degree of creativity than, perhaps, any other personnel specialty. +cheduling training around the present work is another problem. -rogramme implementation involves action on the following lines" &eciding the location and organi3ing training and other facilities +cheduling the training programme /onducting the programme :onitoring the progress of trainees '4) "valuation of t-e Programme The last stage in the training and development process is the evaluation of results. +ince huge sums of money are spent in training and development, how far the programme has been successful must be judged or determined. (valuation helps determine the results of the training and development programme. In practice, however, organi3ations either overlook or lack facilities for evaluation.

O +ectives of Training and Development +taying ahead in today's business world is more challenging than ever. 1uilding trust and promoting teamwork are just two e*pectations of any business leader. Training and development programs are designed to keep an organi3ation at the front of its industry ma*imi3e performance and energi3e every level of the organi3ation. Training and &evelopment is also seen to strengthen the tie between employee development and strategic operation objectives. The objectives of Training and &evelopment are as follows" "fficienc5: (mployees become efficient after undergoing training. (fficient employees contribute to the growth of the organi3ation. 6e!er accidents: Accidents, scrap and damage to machinery and equipment can be avoided or minimi3ed through training. (ven dissatisfaction, complaints, absenteeism, and turnover can be reduced if employees are trained well. Meeting manpo!er needs: 7uture needs of employees will be met through training and development programmes. Training serves as an effective source of recruitment. Training is an investment in human resource with promise of better returns in future. Improves 2ualit5: 1etter informed workers are likely to make less operational mistakes. ?uality of products or services will definitely increase. This can be well measured through the reduction in rejections. Personal gro!t-: Training programmes also deal with personality development of the employees =through goal setting, motivation, leadership skills, etc.5 thus they personally gain through e*posure to training programmes. O solescence prevention: Training and development programs foster the initiative and the creativity of the employees and help to prevent the manpower obsolescence, which may be due to age, temperament, or the inability of the person to adapt himself to technological changes. 7ersatilit5 in operations: Training makes the employees versatile in operations. All rounders can be transferred to any job. 7le*ibility is therefore ensured. 6rowth indicates prosperity, which is reflected in profits every year. "mplo5ee sta ilit5: Training contributes to employee stability in at least @ ways. (mployees become efficient after undergoing training. (fficient employees contribute to the growth of the organi3ation. 6rowth renders stability to the work force. 7urther trained employees tend to stay with the organi3ation. M"T#ODS O6 T$AININ% There are two methods of training. ON T#" 8O9 T$AININ%" This type of training is also known as job instruction training, is the most commonly used method. ;nder this method the individual is placed on a regular job and certain skills are taught that are necessary to perform that job. The trainee learns under the supervision and guidance of a qualified worker or instructor. .n the job training has the advantage of giving first hand knowledge and e*perience under the actual working conditions. .n the job training method include job rotation, coaching, job instruction or training through step by step and committee assignments. A. 8o rotation: )ob rotation involves movement of trainee from one job to another. The trainee receives job knowledge and gains e*perience from the supervisors or trainers in each of different job assignment. This method gives on opportunity to the trainee to understand the problems of employees on other jobs and respect them. @. &oac-ing: In coaching superior plays an active role in training the subordinate by assigning him challenging tasks. The superior acts as a coach in training the subordinate by assisting and advising him to complete the assigned task.. B. 8o instruction: This method is known as training through step by step. ;nder this the trainer e*plains trainee the way of doing job, job knowledge and skills and allows him to do the job. The trainer appraises the performance of the trainee, provides feedback information and corrects the trainee. The process or the steps under job instruction method are as follows +tepA" -repare the employee for instruction. -ut him at ease. (*plain the job and its importance. 6et him interested in learning the job.

+tep @" -resent the job. 7ollow your breakdowns. (*plain and demonstrate one step at a time 9 tell why and how4 +tress key points. Instruct clearly and patiently. 6ive everything you will want back, but no more. +tep B" have him do the job. 0ave him tell why and how and stress key points. /orrect errors and omissions as he makes them. (ncourage him. 6et back everything you gave him in the step @. /ontinue until you know he knows. +tep C" 7ollow through. -ut him on his own. (ncourage questions. /heck frequently. <et him know how he is doing. If the learner has not learnt, correct him and teach him repeatedly. C. &ommittee assignment: ;nder committee assignment group of trainers are given and asked to solve an actual organi3ational problems. The trainee solves the problem jointly. It develops teamwork. O66 T#" 8O9 T$AININ%" ;nder this method of training, trainee is separated from the job situation and his attention is focused upon learning the material related to his future job performance. +ince the trainee is not distracted by the job requirements, he can place his entire concentration on learning the job rather than spending his time in performing it. .ff 9 field job training methods are as follows" A. &lassroom met-od: /lassroom method for training personnel includes lectures, discussions, role playing and case study. :ectures: It is common method to impart facts, concepts, principles etc to a large group at one time. The main advantage of lectures is that it can be used for a very large group at one time and there is low cost per trainee. Discussion: /ombining lectures with discussion eliminate the limitation of one way communication. In this method the trainees interact with the lecturer and any doubts or misunderstanding of the concept and principles are cleared. &ase stud5: In this technique, an actual or hypothetical problem is presented to a training group for discussion and solution. It is important to note that the problem is presented in cases is usually do not have a single solution, but narrow mindedness of trainees is reduced as problem solving ability is increased. @. 7esti ule training: In this method, actual work conditions are simulated in the classroom. :aterial, files and equipments those are used in actual job performance are also used in training. This type of training is commonly used for training personnel for clerical and semi skilled jobs. The duration of this training ranges from days to a few weeks. B. &ommittee conference: /ommittees can be a method of training. The junior members of the committee can learn from the discussion and interaction with the senior member of the committee. The senior member can also learn from the opinions and views e*pressed by the junior members. /ommittees can serve the purpose of developing good social relations. In the case of conference, group discussions and the meetings are held to discuss various issues and to provide solutions to various problems. The chairperson leads the discussion and then the participants attempt to provide solutions. The conferences act as a group interaction and e*change of views and idea. It reshapes thinking and attitudes of tDhe participants. C. $eading; television and video instructions: -lanned reading of relevant and current management literature is one of the best methods of management development. It is essentially a self development programme. A manager may be aided by training department, which often provide a list of valuable books. Also there are television programme that are features towards management development. Eideotapes are also available whereby important managerial discussions, debates and talks can be viewed and listened. 8. $ole pla5ing: It is defined as a method of human interaction that involves realistic behavior in imaginary situations. this method of training involves actions, doing and practice. The participants play the role of certain characters, such as production manager, mechanical engineer, superintendents, maintenance engineers, quality control inspectors, foreman, workers and the like. This method is mostly used for developing interpersonal interactions and relations.

$e2uirements of successful training programme 'principles of training) A5 Training should be e*actly as per the training needs" The training needs should be identified clearly and precisely before deciding the details of training programme. It is also necessary to identify the organi3ational constraints that are creating roadblocks in the performance. It deals with the problems due to which production efficiency reduces. Identifying training needs are the basic requirements of successful training programme. @5 (laborate and systematic" The training programme should be elaborate and systematic. It should be directly related to specific training needs of the organi3ation. B5 :otivation of trainees" Training programme should motivate trainees to take interest and initiative in the training process. 7or this some attraction should be created. This may be like pay increase, promotion or delegation of authority. C5 Theoretical and practical character" Training should be theoretical as well as practical. The contents of training programme should be prepared with the help of e*perts. This will make training purposefulF result oriented. 85 +uperior in quality" The training programme should be superior in quality. There should be proper balance between theory and practice. (*pert trainers should be appointed for giving training. +uitable materials and facilities such as books, workshops must be provided. D5 -rovision of periodical tests for evaluation" There should be periodical test and evaluation of candidate. -rogress report should be given to trainee. This facilitates the learning and encourages the trainee to take interest in training programmes. G5 <onger period training" Training programme should be of a reasonable longer duration. It should not be too short or too long as both these e*tremes are undesirable. H5 Training by e*perts" (*perts with suitable qualification, qualities, e*perience and maturity should provide training. -rofessional field trainer should be invited for giving additional information and guidance to trainee. I5 Involvement of trainees" Industrial training should not be like spoon feeding. (ffective participation of trainees should be encouraged. Training should act as a tool for self learning and self development. AJ5 -eriodical updating" Training programme should be reviewed periodically for updating the course content. It is necessary for removing deficiencies in the training programme and also making it result oriented. Training should be made interesting with use of films, audio visuals and visit to industrial estate etc. AA5 -rovision for rewards and penalties" 2ewards should be given those who show satisfactory progress and punishments to those who do not take active interest in training programme. 7or this instructor should maintain progress report of trainees. A@5 /onvenient place" The place of training should be peaceful with necessary facilities and conveniences to instructor and trainees. .n the job training has certain limitation as it is given in factory premises where as off the job training is always better as the place is convinent. AB5 2einforcement of trainees" Training should be followed by promotion to higher position where practical application of training can be done. There should be suitable increase in pay and status of a trained employee. In the absence of such training will be wasted and trained person will face frustration. AC5 (fficient training administration" This is also one more essential requirement of training. It includes deciding training content, types of training programmes, location of training activities and the general administration of training. 7or decision making proper planning and efficient e*ecution is required by the managers. +uitable administrative machinery must be created.