Chapter 8

Designing and Evaluating Training Systems

Industrial/Organizational Psychology (PSY 32012-2)
Determining Training Needs needed to conduct a training need
analysis
o Conducting Need Analysis is the first step in 2) Survey – asks the employees what
developing an employee training system knowledge and skills they believe should be
▪ Determine the types of training that is included in the future training
needed in an organization, as well as the • Eliminate the problems of performance
extent to which training is a practical means rating errors
of achieving an organization’s goal • Employees often know their strengths
o Organizational Analysis – determine those and weaknesses best
organizational factors that either facilitate or • Employees may not be honest, and the
inhibit training effectiveness organization may not be able to afford
▪ A properly conducted organizational the training suggested by the employees
analysis will focus on the goals the • Common method: Questionnaire
organization wants to achieve, the extent to 3) Interviews – can yield even more in-depth
which training will help achieve those goals, answers to questions about training needs
the organization’s ability to conduct training, • Employee feelings and attitudes are
and the extent to which employees are revealed more clearly
willing and able to be trained • Interview data are often difficult to
▪ Should also include a survey of employee quantify and analyze
readiness for training 4) Skill and Knowledge Tests – few tests are
▪ A training will be effective only if the available for this purpose, expensive and
organization is willing to provide supportive time-consuming
climate for training, it can afford an effective 5) Critical Incidents – sorted into dimensions
program, employees want to learn, and the and separated into examples of good and
goals of a program are consistent with those poor performance
of the organization
o Task Analysis – use the job analysis to identify Developing a Training Program
the tasks performed by each employee, the
conditions under which these tasks are I. Establishing Goals and Objectives
performed, and the competencies needed to o Must be obtainable given the time and
perform the tasks under the identified resources allocated to the training
conditions o It should state what the learners are expected
▪ Interviews, observations, task inventories to do, the conditions under which they are
▪ Determine how employees learn to perform expected to do it, the level at which they are
each task or obtain competency expected to do it
o Person Analysis – determining which o Vague objectives must be replaced with specific
employees needs training and in which areas objectives
▪ Based o the recognition that not every II. Motivating Employees
employee needs further training for every o Most obvious way: “Require them”
tasks performed o Relate the training to an employee’s immediate
▪ Must use: job
1) Performance Appraisal Scores – the easiest o Make the training interesting
method of needs analysis o Increase employee buy-in – allowing the
• Several types of rating scores can employees to choose and plan the types of
reduce the accuracy of scores training offered
• Rarely are there situations in which all o Provide Incentives
employees score either high or low on a o Provide Good
dimension o Reduce the stress associated with attending
• Current performance appraisal system o Skill-based pay – an employee participates in a
may not provide the type of information training program that is designed to increase a
particular skill an employee needs either to be
promoted or receive a pay raise
 Chapter 8
Designing and Evaluating Training Systems
Industrial/Organizational Psychology (PSY 32012-2)
a. Vertical Skill Plans – pay for skill in a single potential for employees to receive
job college credit for completing the training
b. Horizontal skill plans – focus on skills used ? Where will the training be held – could be an
across multiple jobs on-site or off-site location
c. Depth skill plans – rewards employees for ? How Long should the Training be – if too
learning specialized skills much training occur at one time, employees
d. Basic Skills Plans – focus on such basic will not be able to pay attention to all that is
skills as math and English being taught or be able to remember that on
▪ Also results in increased savings for an which they did concentrate
organization • Massed versus Distributed Practice
o Positive feedback should be given when an B. Preparing for Classroom Training
employee performs correctly during training ▪ A trainer must consider the size,
o Negative feedback should be accompanied by demographics, and ability of the audience
suggestion on how one would improve ▪ Trainer must research a topic, develop a
o Employee are most likely to apply their new training outline, create visuals, handouts,
knowledge and skills if supervisors encourage and obtain or create supporting materials
and reward them to do so ▪ The purpose of handouts is to provide
o They should be given an opportunity to apply material that the trainees can take back to
their skills learned their jobs
o Employees will be motivated to apply what they C. Delivering the Training Program
learned in training if the training program has a 1. Introducing the Trainer and Training session –
reputation among them as being effective and introduction must be short and should establish
useful the credentials of the trainer the objectives,
o Train all the employees in one work area at the training schedule, and seminar rules must also
same time so they could help and encourage be stated
each other 2. Using Icebreakers and Energizers
III. Choose the Best Training method ✓ Asking the trainee to introduce the person
next to him or her, or having scavenger hunt
Conducting Classroom Training ✓ Jokes or stories
o Classroom Instruction, commonly called ✓ Activities
seminar, lecture, or workshop, is the most ✓ Open-ended questions
common training method ✓ Free writes
A. Initial Decisions ▪ It must accomplish a goal – usually to get
? Who will conduct the Training – could be in- people know one another, to get them
house trainers, outside trainers, videotapes talking, wake them up, or get them think
and local universities about the topic
a) In-House trainers – used when training 3. Making the presentation
program will be presented too ✓ Make eye contact with the audience
frequently to justify the cost ✓ Use gestures effectively
b) External Trainers – when the trainers in ✓ Don’t read your presentation
an organization lack the expertise on a ✓ Don’t hide behind the podium
particular topic or when the cost of ✓ Use conversational style
internally developing a training program ✓ Be confident
exceeds the cost of contracting with an ✓ Speak at a pace not so fast or slow
external trainer ✓ Avoid Swearing, offensive remarks and
c) Videotapes – can be repeated many degrading remarks
times ✓ Try to make the presentation interesting
d) College/Universities – lower costs, ✓ Don’t force humor
access to excellent training facilities, ✓ When answering the audience questions,
access to well-known faculty, and the repeat the question if the room is large
4. Using Case Studies to Apply Knowledge
 Chapter 8
Designing and Evaluating Training Systems
Industrial/Organizational Psychology (PSY 32012-2)
▪ The members of small group each read a exam ensures that the employees understand
case, either hypothetical or real and then the material
discuss the case, identify solutions, o Computer-Based Training or Web-based
evaluates the advantages and Programmed Instructions (e-learning) –
disadvantages, and arrives at what it thinks employees could choose from a variety of
the best solution training programs offered on-site, through the
▪ The use of living case is superior internet, or though the organization’s intranet,
▪ Case studies should be interesting and complete the programs at their own pace
▪ To increase the effectiveness, trainees first ▪ Interactive Video – most common
be taught of the principles involved in ▪ Webinars (more interactive) and Webcasts
solving particular type of problem, helped to (one-way communication)
use those principles, and have the principles ▪ Blogs, wikis, and listserves
reinforced after reading the case study
5. Using Simulation Exercises to Practice new Conducting On-The-Job Training
skills 1) Learning by Modeling Others
▪ Simulation exercises allow the trainee to ▪ Modeling (Social learning) – employees
practice newly learned skills learn by watching how other employees
▪ Allowing the trainee to work with equipment perform or model a behavior
under actual working conditions ▪ We tend to model behavior of people who
▪ Effective only if it physically and are similar to us, who are successful, and
psychologically simulates actual job who have status
conditions ▪ The employee must pay attention to the
6. Practicing Interpersonal Skills through Role behavior of other employees
Play ▪ The employee must be able to retain the
▪ Allows the trainee to perform necessary information that is being modeled
interpersonal skills by acting out simulated ▪ The employee must have the ability or skill
roles to reproduce the behavior that is seen
▪ Allows to practice what is being taught 2) Learning through Job Rotation
7. Increasing Interpersonal Skills through ▪ Employee performs several different jobs
Behavior Modelling within an organization
▪ Similar to role play except that trainees ▪ can improve job satisfaction by reducing
role-play ideal behavior rather than the boredom
behavior they might normally perform 3) Learning through Apprentice Training
▪ Learning points – behaviors that is need to ▪ Individual usually takes 144 hours of formal
be corrected class work each year and works with an
Providing Training through Distance Learning expert for several years to learn a particular
trade and perhaps become eligible to join a
o May result in increased working hours for trade union
employees who are already overworked and ▪ The apprentice learns valuable trade, and
have family demands the expert or the organization gets
o May feel pressured to put in their regular inexpensive labor
working hours and then engage in self-paced 4) Learning through Coaching and Mentoring
distance learning on their own time ▪ Coaching – takes in two forms: experienced
o Programmed Instruction – known to be effective employees and professional coaches
✓ Learning is self-paced a. Experienced Employees – highly
✓ Trainee is actively involved in the learning effective, allowing the employee learn
✓ Presents info in small units or chunks from the expert
o Programmed Instructions could use the books, • Pass through Programs – experienced
video, or interactive videos. With this, workers are temporarily assigned to
employees studies at their own pace, and the training department
 Chapter 8
Designing and Evaluating Training Systems
Industrial/Organizational Psychology (PSY 32012-2)
b. Professional Coaches – similar to o This allows the researcher not only to control
consultants and hired to coach a for outside effects, but also to control for any
particular employee pretest effects
▪ Mentoring – veteran in the organization o Though, it is not often practical
takes special interest in a new employee B. Evaluation Criteria
and helps him not only to adjust to the job 1. Content Validity – comparing training content
but also in the organization with the knowledge, skills and abilities required
▪ One excellent method of OJT is to have a to perform a job
supervisor that would meet the employee to 2. Employee Reactions – involve asking the trainee
discuss is strengths and weaknesses on the if they enjoyed the training and what they
job learned
3. Employee Learning – creating a test to
Ensuring Transfer of Training determine whether an employee actually
o The more similar the training situation is to the learned
actual job situation, the more effective training 4. Application of Training – the extent to which
will be employees actually can use the learned
o Have the trainee practice the desired behavior material
as much as possible 5. Business Impact – determined by evaluating
o Overlearning – practicing a task even after it whether the goals of the training were met
has been successfully learned 6. Return on Investment – after accounting for the
o Practice many different situations as possible cost of the training, did the organization actually
o Employees must be given the opportunity and saved money?
encouraged to apply what they have learned end
Evaluation of Training Results
A. Research Designs for Evaluations
o Two factors differentiate the various methods:
practicality and experimental rigor
o The most simple and practical of research
designs implements a training program and
then determines whether significant change is
seen
o Pre-test – taken before the training
o Post-test – taken after the training
o Pre-test > Training > Post-Test
o A control group must be utilized – consists of
employees who will be tested and treated the
same manner but wont have training
o Allows a researcher to look at the training effect
after controlling for outside factors
o Although, it is almost impossible to treat the
control group the same as the experimental
group
o Solomon four-groups design – one group will
undergo training but wont be taking pretest;
second group will take the pretest and training;
third group will not undergo training but will
take pretest; fourth group will not have pretest
nor training