INDUSTRIAL/ORGANIZATIONAL PSYCHOLOGY - PSY 014

TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT

TRAINING these tasks are performed, and the competencies (KSAO/KSA)
needed to perform the tasks under the identified conditions.
●​ Training is the “systematic acquisition of skills, rules, concepts, or ➢​common job analysis methods: interviews, observations,
attitudes that result in improved performance.” and task inventories
●​ Training is essential for an organization because it ensures that ➢​once the tasks and competencies for a job have been
employees have the knowledge and skills necessary to perform the identified, the next step is to determine how employees
job. learn to perform each task or obtain each competency
●​ Training compensates for the inability to select desired applicants.
●​ Efforts initiated by an organization to foster learning among its
members.
●​ Tends to be narrowly focused and oriented toward short-term
performance concerns.

SYSTEM MODEL OF TRAINING

○​ Person Analysis - identifying the employees who need training

and determining the areas in which each individual employee
needs to be trained.
➢​not every employee needs further training for every task
performed
➢​should also include an evaluation of an employee’s
readiness for the training
➢​how to determine the individual training needs of each
employee:
○​ performance appraisal score - low ratings in a specific
area means additional training. A high score means little
training is needed.
○​ surveys - asks employees what knowledge and skills
Determining Training Needs they believe should be included in future trainings. The
most common method is a questionnaire that asks
employees to list the areas in which they would like
further or future training. Perhaps a better method is to
provide a list of job-related tasks and components of
knowledge and have employees rate the need for
training on each.
○​ interviews - employee feelings and attitudes are
revealed more clearly than with the survey approach.
○​ skills and knowledge tests - if all employees score
poorly on these tests, training across the organization is
indicated. If only a few employees score poorly, they are
singled out for individual training.
○​ critical incidents - although not a commonly used
method, it will be discussed here because it is relatively
easy to use, especially if a proper job analysis is
available. To use this technique for needs assessment,
the critical incidents are sorted into dimensions and
separated into examples of good and poor performance.
●​ Training Needs Analysis aims to determine the type of training, if Dimensions with many examples of poor performance
any, that is needed in an organization. It is also the first step in are considered to be areas in which many employees
developing an employee training system. are performing poorly and in which additional training is
○​ Organizational Analysis - the process of determining the indicated.
organizational factors that will either facilitate or inhibit training
effectiveness. Choosing The Best Training Method
➢​do we have money to conduct a training program?
➢​goals the organization wants to achieve Most training programs have multiple goals and objectives, the best
➢​the ability to conduct training (e.g., finances, physical space, training programs often use a variety of methods so that employees will
time) understand the reasons for doing a certain task, how it should be done,
➢​the extent to which employees are willing and able to be and in what situations it should be done.
trained (e.g., ability, commitment)
➢​should also include a survey of employee readiness for EXAMPLE OF AVAILABLE TRAINING METHODS
training Classroom Distance On-The-Job
○​ Task Analysis - to use the job analysis methods to identify the Setting Learning Learning
tasks performed by each employee, the conditions under which

PSY 012 | 3Y,2S INDUSTRIAL AND ORGANIZATIONAL PSYCHOLOGY 1

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 ●​Lecture ●​Printed materials ●​Modeling Roleplay
●​Case study ●​Video/DVD ●​Job rotation ●​ A training technique in which employees act out simulated roles.
●​Simulation ●​Interactive video ●​Apprentice training ●​ Allows the trainee to perform necessary interpersonal skills.
●​Podcast ●​Coaching ●​ Role-play exercise has an employee playing the role of “the other
●​Roleplay
●​Webinar ●​Mentoring
●​Behavior person.”
●​Webcast ●​Performance appraisal
modeling ●​ Roleplay is not for everyone since some feel embarrassed to act
●​Video/DVD out.

Lectures Behavior Modeling

●​ Similar to roleplay except that trainees roleplay ideal behavior
●​ Lectures are a good training source if the goal is for employees to
rather than the behavior they might normally perform.
obtain knowledge, but they are not usually effective at teaching ●​ The behavior modeling technique begins with a discussion of a
skills unless they are accompanied by techniques such as problem, why it occurred, and the employee behaviors necessary to
simulations and role-plays. correct the problem. These behaviors are called learning points and
●​ The trainer must research a topic, develop a training outline, create are essentially rules to follow in solving a problem.
visuals (e.g., PowerPoint slides), create handouts, and obtain or ●​ Trainees view videos of employees correctly and incorrectly solving
create supporting materials such as DVDs and role-play exercises. the problem.
●​ Employees roleplay (behaviorally rehearse) situations and receive
●​ An important part of any training presentation is the handouts to the feedback on their performance.
audience. The purpose of handouts is to provide material that the ●​ Videos must represent commonly encountered problems and
trainees can take back to their jobs. Handouts should include: situations.
○​ a cover sheet with the title of the training program as well as the
date and location in which the training took place; Motivating Employees to Attend Training
○​ a list of goals and objectives; ●​ Relate the training to an employee’s immediate job.
○​ a schedule for the training (e.g., breaks, ending times); ●​ Make the training interesting.
○​ a biographical sketch of the trainer; ●​ Increase employee buy-in.
○​ the notes themselves in outline form, full text, or copies of the ●​ Provide incentives
●​ Provide food
PowerPoint slides;
●​ Reduce the stress associated w/ attending
○​ activity sheets such as personality inventories, free writes, or
group activity information;
DELIVERING THE TRAINING PROGRAM
○​ references and suggestions for further reading; and
○​ a form to evaluate the quality of the training program. ●​ Once the training program has been created, there are 3 broad
methods of delivering the training;
○​ Classroom Training
Case Studies ■​ Initial Decisions
●​ Employees, usually in a group, are presented with real or ●​ Who will conduct the training?
hypothetical workplace problems and are asked to propose the best ○​ In-house trainers = employees of the organization
solution. ○​ Outside trainers = contract w/ the organization
●​ For case studies to be most successful, the cases should be taken ○​ Videos
from actual situations. ○​ Local universities
●​ Where will the training be held?
●​ Trainees not only discussed the problem but also interviewed
○​ Can be offered onsite or offsite locations such as
employees to gather more information. This use of a living case hotels, universities, or a conference center.
was found to be superior to the typical case study. ●​ How long should it be?
●​ However, employees may not be the best individuals to solve the ○​ Massed Practice v. Distributed Practice -
problem. distributing the reading over several days will make it
●​ Case studies should be interesting. They are best when they are relatively easy to learn.
written in the form of a story, contain dialogue between the ○​ Training materials should be distributed over a
period of time (distributed learning) rather than all at
characters, use realistic details, are descriptive and easy to follow, once (mass learning).
contain all information necessary to solve the problem, and are ○​ Distance Learning
difficult enough to be challenging. ■​ Asynchronous - provided with media materials for learning
the content, as well as with a series of exams that measure
Simulation Exercises what they have learned from them.
●​ Simulation exercises allow trainees to practice newly learned skills. ■​ Synchronous - conducted live where the trainer
communicates to an audience that might be “attending” over
●​ Exercise designed to place an applicant in a situation that is similar
the phone, through the Internet, or by satellite TV.
to the one that will be encountered on the job. ○​ On-The-Job Training - informal training by experienced peers
●​ Work with equipment under actual working conditions. and supervisors that occurs on the job and during job tasks.
●​ Can be effective only if it physically and psychologically stimulates OJT works best for teaching skills that require supervision to
actual job conditions. learn, are best learned through repetition, and benefit from role
●​ Ex.; performing CPR on dummies, servers roleplay such situations modeling.
■​ Modeling (Social Learning) - employees learn by watching
as medical emergencies and computer breakdowns
others.

DV | AL COMPETENCY APPRAISAL 2
 ■​ Job Rotation - an employee performs several different jobs
within an organization. Job rotation is especially popular for
managerial training because it allows a manager trainee to
experience and understand most, if not all, of the jobs within
the organization that his subordinates will perform.
■​ Apprentice Training - the apprentice learns a valuable
trade, and the organization can ensure that it will have
highly trained employees for difficult-to-fill positions,
employees that tend to stay with the employer long after the
apprenticeship ends.
■​ Coaching
■​ Mentoring

DV | AL COMPETENCY APPRAISAL 3