Human Resource Management – Unit: 3

Unit – III

Training and Executive Development

Training: Training is the act of increasing the knowledge and skills of an employee for doing a particular job.

Distinction between Training and Development

Particulars / Training / Development
1.Content / Technical skills and knowledge / Managerial and behavioural skills and knowledge
2.Purpose / Specific job related / Conceptual & General
3.Duration / Short-term & Immediate / Long term
4.For whom / Mostly technical & to Non-managerial personnel / Mostly for managerial personnel
5.Ment for / Operatives / Executives
6.Scope / Individual / To entire group

Purpose of Training

  1. Perform the tasks effectively by newly recruited employees
  2. To prepare existing employees for higher level jobs (Promotion)
  3. To know latest developments in job operations due to technological changes
  4. Transfer – when an employee moves from one job to another
  5. To make employees mobile & versatile to place them on various jobs depending on organisational needs
  6. To bridge the gap between what the employee has & what the job demands
  7. To make employees more productive and useful in the long run.

Importance/ Benefits of Training

  1. Benefits to the Business
  • Trained workers can work more efficiently
  • They use machines, tools, materials in a proper way – minimise the wastage
  • There will be fewer accidents
  • No need of close supervision
  • Trained workers showing superior performance and producing good quality outputs.
  • Training makes employees more loyal to an organisation
  1. Benefits to the employees
  • It makes employees more useful to a firm
  • Makes employees more efficient and effective (They can produce more with minimum effort)
  • Enables employees to secure promotions easily
  • Helps employees to move from one organisation to another easily
  • It contributes to higher production, fewer mistakes, greater job satisfaction and lower labour turnover.
  • Enables employees to cope with organisational, social and technological changes.

Training Methods/ Methods of Training

  1. On the job method

Any training technique that involves allowing the person to learn the job by actually performing it on the job.

  1. Job rotation: The movement of the trainee from one job to another. (Trainee receives job knowledge and gains experience from different job assignments).
  1. Coaching: The trainee is placed under a particular supervisor who functions as a coach in training the individual.
  1. Job instruction (Step-by-step): The trainer explains to the trainee the way of doing the jobs step by step.
  1. Committee assignments: A group of trainees are given and asked to solve an actual organisational problem. The trainees solve the problem jointly.
  1. Internship/ Apprenticeship training: It combines job training with class room instructions in trade schools, colleges or universities.
  1. Off-the-job-training method: Under this method, the trainee is separated from the job situation and his attention is focused upon learning the material related to his future job performance.
  1. Vestibule training: Actual work conditions are simulated in a class room/place.
  1. Role playing: A method of human interaction that involves realistic behaviour in imaginary situations. The participants play the role of certain character, such as the production manager, mechanical engineer, quality inspector, etc.
  1. Lecture method: The instructor organizes the material and gives it to a group of trainees in the form of a talk.
  1. Conference/ discussion approach: The trainer delivers a lecture and involves the trainee in a discussion so that his doubts about the job get clarified.

The conference is thus, a group-centered approach. Where there is a clarification of ideas, communication of procedures and standards to the trainees.

  1. Programmed instruction: The subject matter to be learned is presented in a series of carefully planned sequential units. These units are arranged from simple to more complex levels of instructions. The trainee goes through these units by answering questions.

RESIST TRAINING

The major reasons why people resist training

  1. Fear.The biggest reason for resistance to undergo training is fear. People get worried that the new way won’t work, that they will not do well following the modified process, or that it will mean having to change to another job within the company. Worst of all, they fear layoffs.
  1. Comfort. When people have it good, they are reluctant to give that up. This is most common when an improvement effort in one area requires additional work in another area. For example, let’s assume area ‘A’ can save 10 minutes by moving 5 minutes of work to area ‘B’. The employees in area ‘B’ are likely to be less than thrilled by the change, especially if things were humming along smoothly for them.
  1. Not perceiving a need. When things are going well, there is often little thought of the challenge or threat down the road. It is hard to rally the troops when there is no crisis.
  1. No faith in the process. As powerful as Lean is, if employees have had a bad experience with it, or have no background in it, they will be unlikely to throw their support behind it.
  1. Lack of knowledge. People don’t want to feel helpless. If they think that the change will make them a novice again, they won’t want to move in that direction.
  1. Lack of trust. Team members have to trust their guides when trying something new. If they don’t have that bond with their leaders, they won’t want to follow their managers forward.
  1. Heavy-handedness by leaders. Making changes is difficult. When teams are moving cautiously, leaders can make matters worse by pushing too hard. People have to be led into change, not forced into it.
  1. Personal preference. Some people have a personal style that makes it hard for them to accept training. This is basically the ‘other’ category of resistance. Some people just like things the way they are.

Training Needs Assessment (TNA)

A Training Needs Assessment is the process of separating the job tasks into those for which training is needed and those for it is not and then developing an Individual Training Plan for accomplishing the needed training.

A Training needs assessment is the process of identifying performance requirements and the "gap" between what performance is required and what presently exists.

Many training programs fail because we try to train people on things they already know or are capable of doing. Most of us have had the poor experience of attending a training session of this type at one time or another. If we properly assess each individual’s or group’s training needs this will not happen.

Needs Assessment – Three levels

There are three levels of needs assessment:

  1. organizational analysis,
  2. Task analysis and
  3. Individual analysis.
  1. Organizational analysis

It looks at the effectiveness of the organization and determines where training is needed and under what conditions it will be conducted.

The information needed to conduct an organizational analysis can be obtained from a variety of sources including:

• Organizational goals and objectives, mission statements, strategic plans.

• Staffing inventory, succession planning, long and short term staffing needs.

• Skills inventory: both currently available and short and long term needs, organizational climate indices: labor/management relationships, grievances, turnover rates, absenteeism, suggestions, productivity, accidents, short term sickness, observations of employee behavior, attitude surveys, and customer complaints.

• Analysis of efficiency indices: costs of labor, costs of materials, quality of products, equipment utilization, production rates, costs of distribution, waste, down time, late deliveries, repairs.

• Changes in equipment, technology or automation.

• Annual report.

• Plans for reorganization or job restructuring.

• Audit exceptions; reward systems.

• Planning systems.

• Delegation and control systems.

• Employee attitudes and satisfaction.

Process of TNA

  1. Task analysis

It provides data about a job or a group of jobs and the knowledge, skills, attitudes and abilities needed to achieve optimum performance.

There are a variety of sources for collecting data for a task analysis:

• Job description-- A narrative statement of the major activities involved in performing the job and the conditions under which these activities are performed. If an accurate job description is not available or is out of date, one should be prepared using job analysis techniques.

• KSA analysis-- A more detailed list of specified tasks for each job including Knowledge, Skills, Attitudes and Abilities required of incumbents.

• Performance standards-- Objectives of the tasks of the job and the standards by which they will be judged. This is needed to identify performance discrepancies.

• Observe the job/sample the work.

• Job inventory questionnaire-- Evaluate tasks in terms of importance and time spent performing.

• Review literature about the job-- Research the "best practices" from other companies, review professional journals.

• Ask questions about the job-- Of the incumbents, of the supervisor, of upper management.

• Analysis of operating problems-- Down time, waste, repairs, late deliveries, quality control.

  1. Individual analysis

It analyzes how well the individual employee is doing the job and determines which employees need training and what kind.

Sources of information available for a individual analysis include:

• Performance evaluation -- Identifies weaknesses and areas of improvement.

• Performance problems -- Productivity, absenteeism or tardiness (lateness/ delay), accidents, grievances, waste, product quality, down time, repairs, equipment utilization, customer complaints.

• Observation -- Observe both behavior and the results of the behavior.

• Work samples -- Observe products generated.

• Interviews -- Talk to manager, supervisor and employee. Ask employee about what he/she believes he/she needs to learn.

• Questionnaires -- Written form of the interview, tests, must measure job-related qualities such as job knowledge and skills.

• Attitude surveys -- Measures morale, motivation, satisfaction.

• Checklists or training progress charts -- Up-to-date listing of current skills.

EXECUTIVE DEVELOPMENT

EDPs (Executive Development Programmes) or MDPs (Management Development Programmes)

It is a planned, systematic and continuous process of learning and growth by which managers develop their conceptual & analytical abilities to mange.

It is an effort to improve managerial effectiveness through a planned and deliberate learning process.

EDPs or MDPs

  1. Decision making skills
  1. In-basket exercise:The participant is given a number of business papers (Memos reports, etc.,) that would typically cross a manager’s desk. The participant is required to act on the information contained in these papers.
  1. Business Games: Simulations that represent actual business situations are known as business games. The participants are assigned such roles as MD, GM, MM, etc., they make decisions affecting price level, production volume and inventory levels. The results of their decisions are observed.
  1. Case study: Giving simulated problems for trainees to solve. The trainees are expected to study the information given in the case and make decisions based on the situation.
  1. Interpersonal skills
  1. Role playing: In which, participants are presented with an organisational situation, assigned a role or character in the situation, and asked to enact the role with one or more other trainees.
  2. Sensitivity training (‘T’ group training): Group interaction for changing behaviour.
  3. Behaviour modeling: Learning through observations. In which, employee learn all kinds of behaviours (work related or otherwise) from observing supervisors, mangers, union leaders and co-workers who serve as role models. It gives trainees the chance to practice and role-play those behaviours and receive feedback.
  1. Job-knowledge programmes
  1. On-the-job experience: Practicing with the job which is going to hold in future.
  1. Coaching: Where the trainer giving guidelines to the trainees for performance improvement and to develop individual skills through one-to-one approach.
  1. Action learning: It involves a group of learners working together in an action learning set, to solve real problems in the actual workplace. A series of meetings are held during which set members (4 or 5) question and challenge the causes of the problem and potential solutions.
  1. Understudy: A person who is in training to assume at a future time, the full responsibility of the position currently held by his superior. (He gets an opportunity to learn the superior’s job and get ready for challenging roles at a later date.)
  1. Organisational knowledge programmes
  1. Job-rotation: Placing employees in a series of jobs and monitoring their performance. During each assignment, the employee perform the tasks that are evaluated and learn first-hand the job’s challenges and rewards.
  1. Multiple management: In which, permanent advisory committee of managers study problems of the company and make recommendation to higher management (Junior board of executives)
  1. General knowledge programmes: To have Knowledge about Economic conditions of the country, market trend and opportunities, etc.,
  1. Special courses (To acquire): Workshops/ FDPs organized through Universities or Institutions.
  1. Special Meetings (To develop): Organized through consumer forums, voluntary organisations.
  1. Special readings (To improve GK): Encouraged to publish specific articles in journals and magazines.
  1. Special individual needs
  1. Special projects
  1. Committee assignments – Adhoc committee is appointed to discuss, evaluate and offer suggestions relating to important aspects of business.
  1. Other programmes:
  1. Conferences
  2. Lectures
  3. Group discussions
  4. Staff meetings

Benefits of Executive Development

  1. It improves quality of managers and the ability to meet problems involved in managing human resources.
  2. It helps the managers to understand the basic principles of supervision, planning and organizing their work effectively.
  3. It helps to promote and maintain good employee relations through knowledge of how to get along with people.
  4. It helps in spreading greater understanding of company policies and rules, including the proper interpretation and application of collective bargaining agreements.
  5. It helps in providing more effective training to workers, both new and old, in order to make them efficient in their present jobs and to enable them to perform new operations demanded by changing conditions.

SELF DEVELOPMENT

Self-development (Personal development/ Personal growth) is defined as individuals improving their knowledge, skills and abilities through their own self-directed efforts. – Stewart.

Self development describes taking steps to better yourself, such as by learning new skills or overcoming bad habits. An example of self development is taking courses at the university to learn new skills and interesting things.

Personal development includes activities that improve awareness and identity, develop talents and potential, build human capital and facilitates employability, enhance quality of life and contribute to the realization of dreams and aspirations.

The concept is not limited to self-help but includes formal and informal activities for developing others, in roles such as teacher, guide, counsellor, manager, coach, or mentor. Finally, as personal development takes place in the context of institutions, it refers to the methods, programs, tools, techniques, and assessment systems that support human development at the individual level in organizations.

Need of Self-Development

Self-Development is needed due to following reasons:

  1. Most management jobs require a high level of personal development
  2. Managers need to maintain their effectiveness despite the pressure
  3. Necessary to the person, who is expect to move to more demanding jobs
  4. Self-development makes the person more effective, receptive, energetic, creative and resourceful.

Stages of Self-development

  1. Personal Audit: Undertake an audit of where he is now, in terms of what he can do now.
  2. Setting Self- development objectives: Setting them in terms of what he wants to achieve. These will be both work related and personal goals.
  3. Identifying Development Needs: Identifying the knowledge and skills that he will need to achieve his goals
  4. Constructing the development plan: Analysing the information that has been revealed in personal audit and identifying development objectives and identifying the gaps. The gaps will form the basis of his development

At the level of the individual, personal development includes the following activities:

  • improving self-awareness
/
  • building employability or human capital

  • improving self-knowledge
/
  • enhancing lifestyle or the quality of life

  • building or renewing identity
/
  • improving health

  • developing strengths or talents
/
  • fulfilling aspirations

  • improving wealth
/
  • initiating a life enterprise or personal autonomy

  • spiritual development
/
  • defining and executing personal development plans

  • identifying or improving potential
/
  • improving social abilities

The concept covers a wider field than self-development or self-help: personal development also includes developing other people. This may take place through roles such as those of a teacher or mentor, either through a personal competency (such as the skill of certain managers in developing the potential of employees) or a professional service (such as providing training, assessment or coaching).

Model of Self Development: Johari Window (Joseph Luft and Harrington Ingham)

Information known to self Information not known to self

Open self / Blind self

Hidden Self / Unknown Self

The purpose of using the Johari window in self-development is to enlarge the open self and reduce the blind spots, the hidden self and also encroach upon the unknown self.

KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT

Knowledge Management is the collection of processes that govern the creation, dissemination, and utilization of knowledge.

KM is the process of identifying, collecting, preserving and transforming information into knowledge that is readily accessible in order to foster innovation and improve the performance of the organisation.

Elements of Knowledge management

  1. Knowledge creation: It involves generating facts, information, and techniques that are relevant to an organisation and those associated with it.
  1. Knowledge sharing: It involves communication and distribution of knowledge organisation –wide.
  1. Knowledge utilisation: Using knowledge to solve problem for which it has been acquired.

Benefits of Knowledge Management