Download VTU MBA 2nd Sem 17MBA21-Human Resource Management HRM Chapter 4 -Important Notes

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TRAINING

Chapter 4

• Training is a planned programme designed to improve performance and bring about measurable changes in knowledge, skills, attitude and social behaviour of employees.

Features of Training

• Increases knowledge and skills for doing a particular job.

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• Focuses attention on the individual job.
• Concentrates on individual employees
• Gives importance to short term performance

Training is essential for job success. It can lead to higher production, fewer mistakes, greater job satisfaction and lower turnover.

Need For Training:

• helps new recruits to perform assigned tasks effectively

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• helps existing employees to prepare for higher level jobs
• enables existing employees to keep in touch with latest developments
• permits employees to cope with changes brought in by transfers
• makes employees more versatile, mobile, flexible and useful to the organisation
• bridges the gap what the employee has and what the job demands allows an employee to gain acceptance from peer groups readily

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Training vs. Development

• Training is concerned with teaching specific job related skills and behaviour. Development is future oriented training, focusing on the personal growth of the employee.

Training vs. Development

Training vs. Education

• Training, more or less, is job oriented (skill) learning. Education, on the other hand, is a person-oriented, knowledge-based knowledge whose main purpose is to improve understanding of a particular subject (a kind of conceptual learning).

Training Pitfalls:

Here is a checklist to avoid training pitfalls

• Attempting to teach too quickly
• Trying to teach too much

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• Viewing all trainees as the same
• Giving very little time to practice
• Offering very little to the trainee in the form of encouragement, praise or reward

Learning Principles: The Philosophy of Training

Training efforts are invariably based on certain learning oriented goals.

• Modelling: It is simply copying someone else's behaviour. (like showing the videotapes of desired behaviour while at work)

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• Motivation: For learning to happen, it is important to motivate the trainee first.
• Reinforcement: If behaviour is rewarded, it probably will be repeated. Positive reinforcement consists of rewarding desired behaviours.
• Feedback: Feedback helps an employee find where he stands. Trainees learn best if reinforcement is given as soon as possible.
• Spaced practice: Learning takes place easily if the practice sessions are spread over a period of time.
• Whole learning: Employees learn better if the job information is given as an entire logical process.

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• Active practice: Learning is enhanced when trainees are provided opportunities to repeat the task.
• Relevance: training should be as real as possible so that trainees successfully transfer the new knowledge to their jobs
• Environment: employees learn faster in comfortable environments

Areas And Types of Training

Training is generally offered in the following areas

• Knowledge

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• Technical skills
• Social skills
• Techniques

The various types of training that are commonly employed in present organizations may be listed thus.

Types of training:

• Skills training: here certain basic skills like reading, writing, communication, speaking, listening, problem solving etc are taught

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• Refresher training: here the focus is on short term courses to help employees learn about latest developments in their respective fields
• Cross functional training: this helps employees perform operations in areas other than their assigned job.
• Team training: this is concerned with how team members communicate with each other, how to debate ahead, how they should handle conflictful situations, how to find solutions using collective wisdom etc.
• Creativity training: this helps employees to think unconventionally, break the rules, take risks, go out of the box and develop unique solutions.
• Diversity training: it aims to create better cross cultural sensitivity with the aim of fostering more harmonious and fruitful working relations among a firm's employees

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• Literacy training: this is generally offered to those employees lacking reading, writing or arithmetic skills.

Systematic Approach To Training

• A systematic approach to training would consist of three phases: training needs assessment, implementation and evaluation

Training needs assessment

• Training efforts must aim at meeting the needs of the organisation and the individual employees. This, essentially, involves three types of analysis:

A. Organizational analysis:

This is a study of the entire organisation in terms of its objectives, utilization of resources to achieve objectives etc.

• Analysis of objectives

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• Resource utilization analysis
• Environmental scanning
• Organizational climate analysis

B-. Task or role analysis:

this is a detailed examination of a job, its components, its various operations and conditions under which it has to be performed.

C. Person analysis:

here the focus is on the individual given job; whether training is needed, whether the employee is capable of being trained, and the areas where the training is needed.

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D. Identify training objectives:

Training objectives are of three types

Objectives of training

E. Training methods:

Formal training methods include on the job training covering job instruction training, coaching, mentoring, job rotation, apprenticeship training, committee assignments etc. and off the job training including lectures, conference, simulation exercises and programmed instruction.

F. Evaluation:

Evaluation helps in controlling and correcting the training programme.

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On The Job Training Methods

• Job instruction training (JIT): This is training directly done on the job. Here the trainee receives an overview of the job. The trainer actually demonstrates the job and the trainee is asked to copy the trainer's way. The trainee, finally, tries to perform the job independently.
• Coaching: Here the supervisor explains things and answers questions; throws light on why things are done the way they are; offers a model for trainees to copy, conducts decision making meetings, and allows trainees freedom to commit mistakes and learn .Coaching, thus, requires teaching skills.
• Mentoring: The use of an experienced person to teach and train someone with less knowledge and experience in a given area is known as mentoring. The mentor nurtures, supports and guides the efforts of young persons by giving appropriate information, feedback and encouragement whenever required.

Job rotation: This kind of training involves the movement of trainee from one job to another.

Apprenticeship training: Most craft workers such as plumbers, carpenters etc are trained through formal apprenticeship programmes. In this method, the trainees are put under the guidance of a master worker typically for 2-5 years.

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Committee assignments: In this method, trainees are asked to solve an actual organisational programme along with other trainees.

Off The Job Training Methods

• Vestibule training: It occurs off the job on equipment and methods that are highly similar to those used on the job.
• Role playing: This is a development technique requiring the trainee to assume a role in a given situation and act out the behaviours associated with that role.
• Lecture method: Here the instructor organises the study material on a specific topic and offers it to a group of trainees in the form of a talk.
• Conference or discussion method: In this method the instructor delivers a lecture and involves the trainees in a discussion so that the doubts about the job to be undertaken get clarified.

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• Programmed instruction: This is an approach that puts the material to be learned into highly organised logical sequences that require the trainees to respond

EXECUTIVE DEVELOPMENT

• The basic purpose of executive development is to improve managerial performance by imparting knowledge, changing attitudes or increasing skills. Training courses helps in improving job-related skills but when the intention is to enhance executives' ability to handle diverse jobs and prepare them for future challenges the focus must be on executive development.

Training vs. executive development

Features of executive development

• It is a planned effort to improve executives' ability to handle a variety of assignments
• It is not a one-shot deal, but a continuous, on-going activity
• It aims at improving the total personality of an executive

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• It aims at meeting future needs unlike training, which seeks to meet current needs
• It is a long term process, as managers take time to acquire and improve their capabilities
• It is proactive in nature as it focuses attention on the present as well as future requirements of both the organisation and the individual

Importance of executive development

• Invaluable investment in the long run as it helps managers to acquire requisite knowledge, skills and abilities needed to handle complex situations in business
• Enables executives to realise their own career goals and aspirations

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• Helps executives to step into superior positions easily
• Assists executives in enhancing their people-management skills, taking a holistic view of various problems

Steps in the organisation of an executive development programme

• Analysis of organisational development needs
• Appraisal of present managerial capabilities
• Inventory of executive talent(in terms of age, service, education, experience etc

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• Planning of individual development programmes
• Devising appropriate development programmes
• Evaluating results

Methods/techniques

1. Decision-making skills
   1. In-basket
   2. Business game

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   3. Case study
2. Interpersonal skills
   1. Role play
   2. Sensitivity training
   3. Behaviour Modelling

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3. Job knowledge
   1. On-the-job-experiences
   2. Coaching
   3. Understudy

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4. Organisational knowledge
   1. Job rotation
   2. Multiple management
5. General knowledge
   1. Special courses
   2. Special meetings

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   3. Specific readings
6. Specific individual needs
   1. Special projects
   2. Committee assignments

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• In-basket: The trainee is asked to look into a number of papers such as memoranda, reports, telephone messages that typically confront a manager and respond appropriately.
• Case-study: The participant is asked to take up a simulated business problem and take appropriate decisions.
• Business games: It is a learning exercise representing a real-life situation where trainees compete with each other to achieve specific objectives.

• Role play: This is a technique that requires the trainee to assume different identities to learn how others feel under different circumstances
• Sensitivity training: This is a method of changing behaviour through unstructured group interaction. (also known as T-training, where T stands for training)

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• On the job experience: This is a kind of class room learning where the trainee learns by actually doing things under the supervision of an experienced supervisor. Such method is highly useful for certain groups like scientific and technical personnel
• Behaviour modelling: This is an approach that demonstrates desired behaviour and gives trainees the chance to practice and role-play those behaviours and receive feedback.
• Coaching: This is a development activity in which a supervisor plays an active role in imparting job knowledge and skills to a trainee. For effective coaching, a healthy and open relationship must exist between employees and their supervisors.

• Understudy: This is a development method where potential managers are given the chance to temporarily relieve an experienced manager of a job and act as his substitute during the period, giving him vital insights into the overall job that would make him an automatic choice in the succession process.
• Job rotation: Moving a trainee from job to job so as to offer cross training is called job rotation. The idea behind this is to give managers the required diversified skills and a broader outlook.

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• Multiple management: It is a system in which permanent advisory committees of managers study problems of the company (thereby gaining first hand experience of important aspects of business) and make recommendations to higher management.

• Special courses, meetings, readings: In addition to the above, managers could also benefit by attending workshops organised by academic institutions, attending special meetings organised by various governmental and voluntary organisations and by reading specific articles relevant to their respective fields.
• Special projects: In this method, a trainee is put on a project closely related to the objectives of the department.
• Committee assignment: In this method, an adhoc committee is appointed to discuss, evaluate and offer suggestions relating to an important aspect of business.
• Conferences: A conference is a meeting of people to discuss a subject of common interest. The participants exchange notes, opinions and ideas on the subject in a systematic and planned manner.

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• Lectures: Lectures are formal presentations on a topic and an presentation is generally supported by discussions, case studies, audio-visual aids and film shows.
• Group discussion: In this method, papers are presented by two or three selected participants followed by thought-provoking discussions.
• Programmed instruction: This is a learner-oriented technique which presents subject matter to the trainees in small sequential steps requiring responses from the trainee and immediately confirms him of their accuracy or otherwise.

While choosing a specific method, the following guidelines might be kept in mind

CAREER AND SUCCESSION PLANNING

• A career comprises of a series of work related activities that offer continuity, order and meaning to a person's life. The underlying idea behind a career is that a person can shape his destiny through a number of well planned and well timed, positive steps. The success of one's career, therefore, depends on the individual more than anything else.

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Career: Important features

• A career develops over time
• The success of one's career depends, most often, on one's own careful planning and timely steps taken at the right time
• The important element in one's career is experience and psychological success.
• The typical career of a person today would probably include many positions and transitions.

Career stages

• Exploration: the transition that occurs in mid-twenties and looks at work after college education, seeking answers to various questions about careers from teachers, friends

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• Establishment: this is the stage where one begins the search for work, picks up the first job, commits mistakes and learns thereafter.
• Mid-career: Between 35 and 50 one is typically confronted with a plateaued career, where your maturity and experience are still valued but there is the nagging feeling of having lost the initial fire in the belly
• Late career: This is the stage where one relaxes a bit and plays an elderly role, offering advice to younger ones as how to avoid career mistakes and grow continually.
• Decline: This is the stage where one is constantly reminded of retirement, after a series of hits and misses.

Career anchors

• These are distinct patterns of self-perceived talents, attitudes, motives and values that guide and stabilise a person's career after several years of real world experiences.

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More about eight career anchors

• Managerial competence
• Technical competence
• Security
• Creativity

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• Autonomy
• Dedication to a cause
• Pure challenge
• Life style

Career planning

• Career planning is the process by which one selects career goals and the path to achieve those goals. Career planning, it should be noted here, is a prerequisite to effective human resource planning.

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• Attract and retain talent
• Use human resources properly and achieve greater productivity
• Reduce employee turnover
• Improve employee morale and motivation
• Meet the current and future human resource needs of the organisation

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The process of career planning

• Identify individual needs and aspirations
• Analyse career opportunities
• Align employee needs with available career opportunities
• Develop action plans
• Carry out periodic review

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Career Development

• Career development consists of the personal actions one undertakes to achieve a career plan. The actions for career development may be initiated by the individual himself or by the organisation

• Individual career development: Some of the important steps that could help employees achieve their career goals could be listed thus;

Succession Planning

• The basic purpose of succession planning is to identify and develop people to replace current job holders in key positions. Through succession planning organisations ensure a steady flow of internal talent to fill important vacancies. Succession planning encourages “hiring from within" and creates a healthy environment where employees have careers and not merely jobs. It should be noted here that career planning (which covers executives at all levels), by its very nature, includes succession planning (which covers key positions at higher levels)

• Succession management focuses attention on creating and stocking pools of candidates with high leadership potential. It assures that key people are not just identified but also nurtured and developed into future leadership roles

Steps in succession management

• Identifying the shortage of leadership skills and defining the requirements

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• Identifying potential successors for critical positions
• Coaching and grooming the 'star performers'