ASSIGNMENT 1: CASE STUDY TWO

Getting Started: Planning – resources - preparation

Case study TWO (weighting 25%):

These guidelines are to be read in conjunction with the Course outline and Course site
information. Case study one is based on the scenario ‘The performance appraisal
training program’

This case study can be located on page 101, chapter 3 in the ebook by Saks and Haccoun
2015, which is available in the library.

The case study

IKEA is a Sweden-based home furnishings chain with stores in Canada and the
United States. A single store can have 40 managers, making the task of training
enough new managers quickly and well a challenge. To get managers trained for
new store openings, IKEA has established certain stores as centres of excellence.
These centres of excellence become learning sites for one or more management
competencies that managers must master. Manager trainees have a carefully
developed, objectives-based curriculum and access to a 17-module online
learning program that covers the basics of each of nine management
competencies. Once a trainee has mastered the learning material and a series of
practicum assignments, he or she is eligible to be certified as successful by the
competence centre store manager. Trainees can be at a competence centre for
two to six weeks depending on the competency to be mastered and number of
competencies to be mastered at each centre. Part of the process involves
shadowing successful managers. This is followed by two weeks of classroom
training at IKEA Business College, where managers are introduced to the
philosophies and theories behind IKEA store operations. They get exposed to the
“big picture,” the theory of how the company operates, and what the IKEA vision
is all about. Six months after a location opens, managers begin rotating back to
Business College for advanced store operations training.

Citation for the book:

Saks, A and Haccoun, R 2015, Managing Performance Through Training and
Development, Nelson Education, 2015. ProQuest Ebook Central,
(you may see this also listed in the library with a 2016 date but the citation details give
2015)

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Word length: 1,350 to 1,500 words, not to be exceeded.

Case study 2 - ‘The performance appraisal training program’

Please answer the following questions making sure you draw on details in the case study,
course concepts and readings in your discussion. The Noe text book is an essential
reference. Refer to the Course outline and guidelines in preparing the assignment.

Questions: (each question has equal weighting, approximately 300-375 words each; no
separate introduction or conclusion to the assignment is required)

1. Describe the desired learning (training) outcomes for this program. Discuss the
supervisors’ motivation for this training. How could motivation have been
improved?

2. If a needs analysis is a process to identify gaps or deficiencies in employee and

organizational performance, then what is the gap at the hospital and what
additional information would be helpful to learn about the nature of the gap and
possible solutions for closing it?

3. Discuss the extent to which adult learning theory principles were incorporated
into the training program. Which principles were included, and which ones were
absent? Discuss what the consultant could have done differently to make better
use of adult learning theory.

4. Using Kirkpatrick’s evaluation model (4 steps) discuss how the performance

appraisal training program could be evaluated by the training consultant. Explain
why a systematic evaluation method is important.

Getting Started - Guidelines

1. Answer the case study scenario in essay style, that is, in full sentences with
references. It is not a report. No general introduction or conclusion is required.
Write the question, then commence your answer.

2. Your writing needs to reflect the context of the case study and analysis with support
from course theory and concepts. Don’t make the mistake of discussing concepts in
general without connecting with the case study scenario. This will result in a fail
grade.

3. Avoid using the 1st person where possible, that is, rather than ‘I will conclude based
on the previous discussion ..’, write ‘this discussion supports the conclusion that …’

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4. When quoting or referring to the case study, use the abbreviation (CS) as the
reference. For example:
The organisation places an increasing emphasis on developing team leaders who ‘can
think creatively and problem solve under pressure’ (CS) and therefore they have
implemented an approach that builds …. No page number is required for the case
study reference.

5. Your essay must refer to and engage with the Noe 2017, 7th edition text as well as five
other references. A list of recommended readings is provided below in addition to
those in the eReadings list on the Course site and the Course Outline.

6. The Assignment 2 Feedback form provides important information about assessment

criteria and should be uploaded as a separate document in addition to the
assignment document.
7. Save your assignment file with your FAMILY NAME, Given name, ID, Case Study 2.

Recommended readings the Case Study Assignment

(6 to 10 references required for Case Study 2)

Main resources:

CCH IntelliConnect, 2012, Training and development function, IntelliConnect

Database, IntelliConnect. (From the contents list, click on ‘Employment and HR’, then
‘Australian Human Resource Management’, then ‘Training and Development’)

Noe, RA 2017, Employee training & development, 7th edn, Irwin McGraw-Hill, New
York, NY, textbook available in library as an Ebook .

Saks, A and Haccoun, R 2015, Managing Performance Through Training and

Development, 7th edition, Nelson Education, Toronto, Ontario, ProQuest Ebook
Central,
https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/unisa/detail.action?docID=5323691.

Ayers, K. (2009). Why engagement is not enough. Training and Development in Australia,
10–11

Tansley, C. (2011). What do we mean by the term “talent” in talent management?

Industrial and Commercial Training, 43(5), 266–274.

Noe, R. A., & Winkler, C. (2012). The forces influencing working and learning. Training &
development: learning for sustainable management (2nd ed., pp. 9–10).

Blanchard, P. N., & Thacker, J. W. (2013). Aligning training with strategy. In Effective
training: systems, strategies, and practices (5th ed., pp. 24–55). Boston: Pearson
Education.

Biech, E. (2014). ASTD handbook: the definitive reference for training & development (2nd
ed.). ASTD Press

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Griffin, R. (2014). Complete Training Evaluation : the Comprehensive Guide to Measuring
Return on Investment. London: Kogan Page.