Friday, May 22, 2009

Explain the meaning, need, importance and methods of training. Discuss the existing training system of your organisation or an organisation you are familiar with.


Explain the meaning, need, importance and methods of training.  Discuss the existing training system of your organisation or an organisation you are familiar with.  Describe how an organisation identifies the needs of training and comes up with the appropriate training programmes. Describe the organisation you are referring to.

 

In simple terms, training refers to the imparting of specific skills, abilities and knowledge to an employee. Training intends to develop specific and useful knowledge, skills and techniques. It is basically a task oriented activity which prepares people to carry out predetermine tasks. A formal definition of training and development is

 

 .. it is any attempt to improve current or future employee performance by increasing an employee's ability to perform through learning, usually by changing the employee's attitude or increasing his or her skills and knowledge. The need for training is determined by the employee's performance deficiency, computed as follows:

Training and development need = Standard performance – Actual performance

 

Need of Training

·       Increased productivity: Training programs help in increasing skill, aptitude and abilities of workers. It results in increased productivity.

·       Reduced Supervision: The trained employee requires less supervision and he can supervise himself.

·       Reduced dissatisfaction: Well-trained employees usually experience satisfaction associated with a sense of achievement and knowledge. Consequently they develop their inherent capabilities at work.

·       Minimum wastage and accidents: An important advantage of training is that accident, spoiled work and damage to machinery and equipments can be kept at minimum.

·       Organizational flexibility and stability: Trained and motivated personnel are assets for an organization who can adjust to short run variations in the volume of work whether there is loss of key personnel. Hence personnel with multiple skills are in a position to transfer to jobs where the demands is the highest.

 

Importance of Training and development

Training and development programmes help remove performance deficiencies in employee. This is particularly true when –(i) the deficiency is cause by lack of ability rather than a lack of motivation to perform, (ii) the individuals involved have the aptitude and motivation need to learn to do the job better, and (iii) supervisors and peers are supportive of the desired behaviours.

 

There is greater stability, flexibility, and capacity for growth in an organization. Training contributes to employee stability in at least two ways. Employees become efficient after undergoing training and efficient employees contribute to the growth of the organization. Future needs of employees will be met through training and development programmes. Organizations take fresh diploma holders or graduates as apprentices or management trainees. They are absorbed after course completion. Training serves as an effective source of recruitment. Training is an investment in HR with a promise of better returns in future.

 

Training Methods

Most training takes place on the job. This can be attributed to the simplicity of such methods and their usually lower cost. However, on the job training can disrupt the workplace and result in an increase in errors as learning proceeds. In such cases off the job training methods are used.

 

On the Job training: Popular training methods include job rotation and understudy assignments. Job rotation involves lateral transfers that enable employees to work at different jobs. Employees get to learn a wide variety of jobs and gain increased insight into the interdependency between jobs and a wider perspective on organizational activities. New employees frequently learn their jobs by understudying a seasoned veteran. On the job methods includes:

·       Orientation training

·       Job-instruction training

·       Apprentice training

·       Internships and assistantships

·       Job rotation

·       Coaching

 

Off the job training: There are a number of off the job training methods that managers may want to make available to employees.

·       Vestibule

·       Lecture

·       Special study

·       Films

·       Television

·       Conference and discussion

·       Case study

·       Role playing

·       Simulation

·       Programmed instruction

·       Laboratory training

 

I am familiar with Reliance Infocomm Ltd. Reliance Infocomm is the outcome of the late visionary Dhirubhai Ambani's dream to herald a digital revolution in India by bringing affordable means of information and communication to the doorsteps of India's vast population.

 

Working at breakneck speed, from late 1999 to 2002 Reliance Infocomm built the backbone for a digital India - 60,000 kilometres of fibre optic backbone, crisscrossing the entire country. The Reliance Infocomm pan-India network was commissioned on December 28, 2002, the 70th - birth anniversary of Dhirubhai. This day also marked his first birth anniversary after his demise July - 6, 2002.

 

Existing training system of our organization

In today's electronic world, the world wide web (www) is all pervasive. The internet and intranet are changing the face of training and learning. Using a PC, modem and a web browser, it has become possible to learn online. In our company, we are reaping the benefits of virtual learning. Employees of our company have access of self-paced computer based training (CBT) material through the firm's Intranet. Our company offers nearly 100 courses online, mostly in information technology. Learning through the web can be very convenient for employees. There are no fixed schedules or limitations of time. One can attend a course at home, in the evening, or while travelling. It is not just technical programs: soft skills can also be learnt electronically. We use a CD-ROM based manual to impart soft skills like performance management, coaching, and interviewing skills.. The CD-ROM based training is supplemented with shared learning via teleconferencing, where mangers discuss key learnings and ask for clarifications. Face to face, role-playing exercises are added for the human touch.

 

Training need identification

Needs assessment diagnoses present problems and future challenges to be met through training and development. There are several methods for the purpose:

 

Group or Organizational analysis

Individual analysis

Organizational goals and objectives

Performance appraisal

Personnel/skills inventories

Work sampling

Organizational climate indices

Interviews

Efficiency indices

Questionnaires

Exit interviews

Surveys

MBO or work planning systems

Training progress

Quality circles

Rating scales

Customer survey/satisfaction data

 

Consideration of current and projected changes

 

 

In our organization, we developed a 3-tier need survey to identify training needs of employees at different levels.

 

3-tier of the proposed survey cab be described as follows:

Tier 1: Identifying problems of various departments and the training needs for the various categories of employees by line managers through questionnaire.

Tier 2: Prioritizing the various training areas for different categories of employees by the Senior Managers and Head of Departments.

Tier 3: Based on the findings from the above two tiers, conducting interviews with the Deputy General Managers and General Managers to get their feedback.

 

Objectives:

The survey was taken up with following four basic objectives.

·       To identify problems of line managers which may by overcome with the help of training.

·       To enhance the effectiveness of present training programmes vis-a-vis identified problems.

·       To identify training needs of the employees in the division.

·       To involve line managers by initiating the process of participative management in the training function. 

 

Methodology:

 

Tier1: A questionnaire consisting of six questions was designed and circulated to a random sample of 50 line managers from various departments in order to find out-answers to the following questions:                                                                                             

 

·       What are the burning problems in. the department?

·       What are the training needs of different categories of employees in the department?

·       What are the perceptions of line managers about the effectiveness of programmes presently organized by the Training Development Department?

·       What are the expectations of line managers from the Training and Development Department.

 

Tier 2: A list of various training areas/programmes was compiled and circulated to 66 Senior Managers/Head of Departments. The programmes were classified under the following heads.

 

·       General Management Programmes

·       Behavioral Science Oriented Programmes

·       Technique Oriented Programmes

·       Functional Management Programmes

·       Skill Development Programmes

 

The respondents were asked to indicate the priorities 1 to 5 under each subject for each category of employee.

 

Tier 3: Detailed personal discussions were held individually with the seven Deputy General Managers by Training and Development managers and his deputies so as to.

·       Obtain their view/perception/suggestions about the training needs

·       To get validation of the date/views expressed in the earlier two tiers

·       To intimate the process of involvement of the line as well as top management

 

Findings:

The response to questionnaires was not very encouraging. This is a normal phenomenon. Based on responses, line managers identified some of the common problems for different categories of employees as given below.

 

Among Executives

Among Supervisors

Among Artisans

Lack of Leadership

Lack of team spirit

Low productivity

Lack of role clarity

Lack of responsibility

Absenteeism

Lack of initiative

Poor Planning

Lack of Quality consciousness

Lack of Interpersonal and analytical skills

Poor decision making

Lack of interest

Lack of sensitivity to the needs of other departments

Lack of knowledge about administrative and disciplinary procedures

Lack of skills to do the job

Based on the above problems line managers identify the training needs of their employees. The category wise priorities of the training needs were also determined.

 

Tier 2: Here the response to the questionnaire was much better. The information received was compiled to find out priorities for different programmes.

 

Tier 3:             Personal discussions were held with Deputy General Managers, Senior Managers of Production, Finance and Marketing departments. Findings from the earlier two tiers were also presented to them. Their views were mostly in line with views of Senior Managers in Tier 2. They frankly expressed their views and priorities. Their emphasis was on methodology so that such forums could be used to generate solutions to problems within the organization.

 

The summary findings were discussed in detail in the Personnel Department. Some programmes were designed around real organizational problems. In some other programmes, application of concepts from innovative managers was obtained by designing some of them as Programme Directors and by involving them in identifying participants for different programmes. This method resulted in increasing the credibility, acceptance and involvement of line managers in this company's training programmes.

 


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What is Job analysis? Explain the competency approach to Job analysis and the methods involved in it.

What is Job analysis?  Explain the competency approach to Job analysis and the methods involved in it.  Discuss this with reference to an organisation where is this approach is followed.  Briefly describe the organisation you are referring to.
 

Job analysis involves developing a detailed description of the tasks involved in a job, determining the relationship of a given job to the other jobs, and ascertaining the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary for an employee to successfully perform his job. It is essentially a process of collecting and analyzing data relating to job.

 

The scope and process of Job Analysis includes the following:

1. Collection and recording job information

2. Checking the job information for accuracy

3. Writing job descriptions based on the information

4. Using the information to determine the skills, abilities and knowledge that are required on the job

5. Updating the information from time to time.

 

The process of Job analysis is depicted in the following figure:

 

 


 

Of late, what is coming to the forefront for many employer organizations is the increased use of competencies as an outgrowth of job analysis. Job and work analysis, once considered the backbone of recruiting and selecting employees, describe the job and then locate people for that job. Where traditional job analysis will focus on the evaluation of job tasks, duties, and particular responsibilities of a particular job, this focus is upon the workers and their relationship to their productivity or outputs. As such, two or more workers may share the same or similar abilities based on their skills and related knowledge. They may differ on what they are able to produce as a result of their abilities.

 

Competencies refer to individuals, how they differ, and how some may be more productive or successful with a particular employer than others with the same or similar job. Workplace competencies give the employer an added bonus in that they tend to tie the worker with the goals of the organization more efficiently than a restatement of skills and abilities. Competencies are a human capital initiative and are defined within a behavioral context. An individual's ability, or competency, may indeed come from a variety of directions, not the least of which is prior work experiences or educational accomplishments. Competencies relate to how the worker can perform the job successfully regardless of where the ability was gained or acquired.

 

Methods of performing Job Analysis

To determine what competencies are applicable to specific jobs, it is necessary to carry out some form of job analysis. The methods currently in use include:

·       diaries: self-reporting of tasks over a specific time period (simple and non-disruptive, but selective reporting may not accurately reflect what is happening).

·       interviews: employees are asked how they spend their time (recollection may be inaccurate and not reflect the true situation or interviewees may genuinely not be aware of the significance of what they have done).

·       observation: an observer shadows someone over a specified period and notes their activities (time-consuming and the person being watched may act differently, but the observer actually sees what is happening, not just what they have been told would happen).

·       critical incident technique: self-reporting of specific incidents where particular decisions were taken (this is supposed to isolate the essence of a particular behaviour but because it is self-selecting it may not truly reflect the competencies required in a particular role).

·       repertory grid: employees report on their perception of colleagues by awarding them marks over a range of behaviours and skills (this has the advantage of being self-generating but it produces a large amount of data which requires skilful analysis).

·       checklists and inventories: several types of questionnaire have been developed, many available as software programs (which aids analysis), asking about specific aspects of different jobs - these include PAQ (Position Analysis Questionnaire), JCI (Job Components Inventory) and WPS (Work Profiling System).

 

How work was described - before and after competencies

Before Competencies

After Competencies

Analysis of Work
Called:

"Job Analysis"

"Competency Modeling"

Worker
Characteristics
Called:

"Knowledge, Skills, Abilities and Other Characteristics"
( KSAO's)

"Competencies"

Methods:

Questionnaires/Interviews

Questionnaires/Interviews

Carried out by:

Industrial/Organizational

Psychologists

Everyone

Assessment Tools
Called:

Tests, Interviews
(BBI, Situational, etc.)
Reference Checks, etc,

"Competency-Based
Assessment Techniques"

 

Differences Between Job Analysis & Competency Modeling

Job Analysis

Competency Modeling

Rigor - use of multiple
input content

Medium/High

Low

Rigor- Reliability

Medium/High

Low

Rigor- Methods

Medium/High

Low/Medium

Rigor-Links to
business goals

Low/Medium

High

Focus on technical
skills

High

Low/Medium

Focus on core comps.
values & personality

Low/Medium

Medium/High

 

Developing a competency framework

Competency frameworks can be developed in a number of ways. It is possible to draw on the competency lists produced in support of occupational standards and the framework of National and Scottish Vocational Qualifications. Many organizations develop their competency frameworks through an internal research programme, sometimes aided by advisers from an external consultancy. Methods of developing a framework range from importing an existing off-the-shelf package through to developing the entire thing from scratch. The best solution usually lies between these two extremes, namely internally generating a framework that builds in business relevance, but do this by adapting existing models that have already been widely used and have proved successful.

 

The design programme is usually led by personnel or training specialists who together with a small project team of line managers, conduct research among employers and managers. Research among employees, managers and directors focuses on gaining their input and knowledge to produce definitions of performance and the names of competency headings. The specific techniques and methods used to gain this feedback vary, but include interviews, repertory grid, critical incident technique, behaviour event interviews, group roundtable meetings and focus groups. The main aim of all these techniques is to participant's views on important competencies for the organization and the ways that these should be defined.

 

It is important that the competency framework is a good fit with the rest of the organization's HR practices and reflects its mission statement and values. Experience has shown that employee involvement is the single most important factor in the introduction of competency frameworks.

 

Types of framework

There are several models of competency framework, and deciding which one will be most suitable for your organization will depend on the profile of staff jobs, size of the organization and who the framework is aimed at.

 

Some organizations opt for one framework for all employees across the organization, which is often known as a 'core framework'. This has the advantage of being simple and easy to communicate, but has several drawbacks in terms of how relevant it ends up being to different types of employees. As a core framework tends to be very general, some organizations have problems getting employees to accept it as something that is relevant to them. Because of this, core frameworks must be carefully prepared and designed so as to be accessible and relevant to all levels of worker.

 

Some organizations prefer instead to produce a core framework, but then supplement it with role specific competencies to acknowledge the special responsibilities and needs of managers and other important groups. Examples of role specific competencies are people management, financial decision making and project management. This approach offers a relatively simple way of improving the acceptability of a core framework to a diverse workforce.

 

Another option to consider is a 'menu' style approach. This involves producing a framework, from which employees with their manager selected a few competencies, which are seen as relevant to the role an individual performs. This approach enables an organization to provide a much broader range of behavioural competencies which apply to many different types of employee, thus improving the likelihood that the competencies are seen as realistic and relevant.

 

The final option is to create different framework for different groups within the organization in order to take account of diverse needs. Identifying suitable groups should be done to reflect each organization's situation and priorities, but they are often based on either major functions (e.g., HR, IT, sales) or on responsibilities (e.g., managers, senior managers). These types of frameworks can be more relevant and can be more easily customized or revised to take account of changing priorities and needs. However, there are disadvantages. It can be difficult to control the development and maintenance of numerous separate sets of competencies, in terms of ensuring consistency and fairness. But also, in terms of ensuring they are linked to the organization's objectives and values.

 

I am familiar with Zenith computers. Zenith Computers has its headquarts in Mumbai, India. It is 25 years old with a turnover of Rs. 3 Billion. Zenith Computers has 1000 employees spread all over India in its 15 offices and manufacturing plant in Goa.Zenith's 40,000 sq ft, ISO 9001 + 14001 state-of-the-art manufacturing plant in Goa is one of the most comprehensive in the PC industry. Zenith has 800 Authorized Dealers and 350 Exclusive Retail Showrooms called "Zenith PC World" across India. Zenith is the 2nd largest Indian PC Manufacturer after HCL Infosystems. Zenith Computers has shown a higher market share than Wipro, Dell, and Acer. The market share of Zenith is shown to be at par with IBM/Lenovo, just after HP.

 

Zenith computers believe that traditional job analysis approaches need to be supplemented by additional methodologies that help us to look forward rather than concentrate on the present.

 

In our company any job analysis incorporates the perspective of the senior management team so that the company's long-term strategy can be incorporated into the competency framework. If this is done effectively, individuals can be recruited and developed to reflect the kind of managers and leaders that the company will need in the future. Without this, a company could simply be recruiting people with similar competencies, year after year, with no acknowledgement that the company has moved on.

 

Competencies are designed to identify what is good job performance today, and what will be good job performance in the future. Start-State Competencies tell us what behaviours are necessary for an individual to possess right at the beginning of their tenure. However, as an individual grows within the job these Start-State competencies become less important. End-State competencies are the competencies that an individual should have developed over a period of time. If a manager has successfully developed his/her skills, you should not keep comparing him/her to the same old benchmark.

 

A Competency Tree

These competencies are designed to reflect differences in level. A management group may have a number of levels of seniority whereby each level needs the same competencies, but the way that these competencies are demonstrated may be different.

 

A Competency Tree outlines the competencies common to all levels of seniority, yet the behaviours associated with these competencies are different for each level and are also described in full. This approach to competency design is particularly useful for giving employees an illustration of the sorts of characteristics expected of them as they progress within the organization.

 

A thorough and considered job analysis is at the heart of all good competency frameworks. Zenith's approach mixes traditional job analysis techniques, such as Repertory Grid and Critical Incidence analysis, with other structured interview techniques and tools, such as the Position Analysis Questionnaire. The time devoted to job analysis, and the number of job incumbents, superiors and peers interviewed varies with the job under consideration. Zenith computers aims to conduct these interviews in alignment with best practice, mixing diplomacy, discretion and professionalism with a high degree of scientific rigour.