Training is an essential activity related to the human resources of the organization, which helps employees to become competent which would improve the organizational performance. The main focus of training is to equip employees with certain skills & knowledge or to assist them in covering the deficiencies in their performances.
Human Resource Management training has great importance, which allows individuals to enhance their skills while becoming fruitful for the organization.
Below is a complete overview, infect the different methods and phases of training in detail.
Challenges in Training
It is the need of today’s organizations to improve the performance of their employees by updating their skills & knowledge. The need for training brings the following challenging questions before the management of the organization.
- Is training an effective solution to the present problematic situation?
- Are the goals realistic & clear?
- Is training considered a good investment?
- Will training Work?
Training Process
The internal & external environments of organizations are changing from time to time. These changes show the need for proper adjustment in the working environment of the organization.
This need for adjustment is referred to as a training need that includes two questions which are as follows.
- What are the training needs of the organization?
- What should be achieved through the effort of training?
So the first step is to identify the objectives of the training and finally the methods are determined through which these objectives would be achieved. There are several methods of training but the management of the organization chooses according to the goals of the training.
But in general, training should be evaluated consistently so that the change is facilitated which helps in the accomplishment of the objectives of the organization.
Different Phases of Training
There are four phases of training which are as follows.
- Need Assessment & Objectives Establishment
- Delivering the Training
- Training Methods
- Evaluation of the Training
1. Need Assessment & Objectives Establishment (Phase 1)
Organizations train their employees to compete with each other. In the first step, the need for training is identified and if the need exists then efforts are made to give the information needed to design the training programs.
Three levels of analysis are included in the assessment which is as follows.
- Organizational Analysis
- Task Analysis
- Personal Analysis
Organizational Analysis
In organizational analysis, different types of problems are examined along with their present location.
Task Analysis
It is also called operational analysis in which the identification of the behaviors & skills needed to perform the duties of a particular job is made along with the performance standards that should be met.
Personal Analysis
In this analysis, the performance of certain employees is examined to ascertain whether any of them require the training or not. Providing training to all the employees of the organization is not good a good decision and it results in the wastage of resources. The employees also feel unpleasant situations when they do not require training.
The training objectives must be clear & relevant to the identified areas only. Moreover, they should be precise, achieve able, challenge-able & understood by all. In simpler terms when the performance of employees is not according to the required standards, there is a strong need for training to improve the performance.
Certain factors must be considered before the start of any training program.
These important factors are as follows.
- The number of employees who face skill deficiency
- The severity of skill deficiency
- Importance of skill
- The degree of improvement in the skills by training.
Determination of Training Needs
Following are the sources through which the needs for training can be determined.
- Self Assessment
- Company Records
- Customer Complaints
- New Technology
- Employee Grievances
- Interview with Managers
- Customer Satisfaction Surveys
- Observation
2. Delivering the Training (Phase 2)
The problems in the organizations are assessed & resulted in a direct response in the shape of training programs. The delivery of training programs is varied according to the location:
On-the-Job Training
Training is provided by the actual work equipment in the actual work environment.
Off-the-Job Training:
In this case, training is provided other than at the actual work site. For this purpose, a specially designed training facility is used.
3. Methods of Training (Phase 3)
Following are the common Methods of Training.
Lecture
In this method, a high portion of factual information is presented to a large number of people (employees) at one time. It is similar to teaching in which material is organized & presented understandably. In the case of a lecture, the learners are not actively participated.
Case Method
In this method, the trainees study a given case by themselves & conclude some decisions on their behalf.
Simulations
The real world is duplicated by complex devices called simulators. In this way, an artificial working environment is created for the training of employees which resembles the real-world environment.
Apprenticeship
In this method, a new worker performs his job duties under the direction of a skilled worker.
Internship
The internship method is similar to the apprenticeship method of training but the difference is that in the former one, the trainees are working on posts that are relatively higher in rank & require higher qualifications. Colleges & universities facilitate internship training for their students at different organizations.
Coaching & Mentoring
In this method, an experienced person is assigned by the organization to teach a group of new employees. The mentor or teacher provides training to the new employees by improving their job skills, providing emotional support to them & encourage them to do better work. Coaching & mentoring is related to on-the-job training in which employees learn on one basis.
In general, coaching is referred to be the responsibility of the boss who possesses the experience & expertise to provide useful advice to their new subordinate. Similarly, the mentor provides guidance to the new employees but he may be posted at some other location of the organization or even he may be an outsider.
Discussions
Although group discussions & conferences are used to make decisions on certain issues these can also serve as a training method because new employees consider them as forums where they learn new things. The attitudes & behaviors are changed as a result of group discussions.
Games
In this method, the simulators are used which create copy real-world situations & create similar selective artificial situations for the participants to manipulate & learn from them.
Role Playing
In this method, the participants respond to the specified problems that they face in the real workplace.
Computer Base
Computer-based training is also common nowadays in which computer technology is used to provide training with greater memory, speed & flexibility of instructions.
Multimedia
It is a method of training that supports computer-based training with the additions of graphics, animations, audio & interactive videos.
Virtual Reality
In this training method, the trainees view objects from a unique perspective that is not possible in the normal working environment.
Video Training
In this kind of popular training method, videotapes are used. Behavior modeling is presented as an illustration of videotape in which it is shown how managers work & function in various situations in the working environment. These videotapes improve the interpersonal skills of the trainees.
Vestibule Training
In this method, certain equipment is arranged at a separate training location that resembles the actual equipment placed in the working environment.
All of the above training programs are potential methods of training the employees but they can be effective only when the required knowledge is transferred effectively by the trainer to his trainees.
Following are some of the reasons that obstacles in the transfer of knowledge effectively.
- Don’t learn the material
- The real-life applications are not understood
- Lack of confidence
- Forgetting the material
4. Evaluation of Training (Phase 4)
The training programs are said to be credible when they reflect some tangible results in favor of the organization. Several approaches are developed to determine the worth of a particular training program. In this evaluation phase of the training process, the effectiveness of the training is measured which may be in both monetary & nonmonetary terms.
The most important aspect of the assessment of training is that it reflected the needs that should be reflected. The following are ways of evaluating the training programs.
Opinions of the participants
For the evaluation of the effectiveness of the training, one way is to ask the participants to give their opinions on the training. This is an inexpensive method that results in immediate suggestions & responses for improvement. But there is a serious issue with this approach that it is not based on fact but on opinion.
In other words, there are chances that the trainee learns nothing but he may pretend that he learns a value able experience from training.
Extent of Learning
Some organizations use pre-tests, post-tests & certain designed control groups for the evaluation of learned experience by the trainees in the training.
Behavioral Change
The tests taken for the evaluation of training by the trainees may show the learned experiences clearly & fairly but the desired behavioral changes are not completely ascertained through these tests.
The accomplishment of Objectives of Training
Another method for the evaluation of the training programs is to ascertain the degree to which the stated objectives of the training are accomplished.
Benchmarking
In benchmarking approach, the exemplar practices of other organizations are used to evaluate the training programs of the organization. Estimation shows that 70% of the organizations in the USA are involved in benchmarking.
A Case of Simplicity
In this method evaluation of the training program is made by measuring the value of positive change & impact of training.
Post-Training Performance Method
In this approach, the measurement of the performance of participants is made after attendance of the training program so that resulting behavioral change is determined.
Pre-Post Test approach
In this approach, the performance of employees is measured before providing them the training. Then training is given to him and once again his post-training performance is measured. Finally, both performances are measured to ascertain the positive effects of training in the shape of an increased level of employee productivity.
Control Group & Pre-Post Training
In this method, two groups of employees are developed including the control group & experimental group. The actual job performance of both of these groups is evaluated. The control group is not provided the training while the experimental group is passed through training programs.
In the last step, the actual performance of both groups is evaluated again. If the performance of the experimental group is better than the control group then it indicates that the training is effective.
Hello everyone! This is Richard Daniels, a full-time passionate researcher & blogger. He holds a Ph.D. degree in Economics. He loves to write about economics, e-commerce, and business-related topics for students to assist them in their studies. That's the sole purpose of Business Study Notes.
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