Assignment 2

Defining The Learning Environment

Darrin Clanton

EDU500: Adult Learning Theory

Dr. Joe L. Canada

Strayer University

January 14, 2021

Introduction

Training is a vital element in achieving an organization's mission and requires appropriate design and planning. Therefore, achieved by understanding the company in detail, identifying the tasks that require training, characteristics of the target audience, assessing self-centredness, and developing a theoretical basis for these training, which is discussed below in detail.

Overview of the organization.

The Bank OZK organization began as a community institution offering financial services within its small environment. The bank's growth was initiated by a young attorney who bought its controlling interests attributing to its success over the years. The organization has grown from its rural location into a global level with approximately 3000 employees and 300 branches in about 15 countries. The mission of the firm is to emerge as the best and corporate organization in its environment. By maintaining foundational values of individual commitment to excellence and exceptional service, the bank has grown and become successful.

Through maintaining high ethical standards and continuous innovations in technology, the Bank OZK attracts more customers making it the most accepted financial hub in the communities it serves. During the bank formation, the primary target audience is the small business enterprises, which the bank provided with loans and other customized services as they are the pillars of the economy. Customer-centered services to ensure full enlightenment of the community have been achieved through innovations and better relationships. The bank now focuses on small and large enterprises offering quality services and equal opportunities (Mujinga, 2019). An example is a real estate and construction industry, in which the bank has helped revolutionize the skylines in many states.

The management team consists of 10 critical executive officers headed by the CEO with the other managers comprised of the finance officer, credit and administration manager, accounting officer, baking manager, chief risk officer, counsel, and corporate secretary, among others who head different departments in the organization such as finance, accounting, human resource management, operations, and security.

Bank OZK is associated with a reputable experience in providing training among other development activities to its team members to achieve its goals. Among the areas well addressed is leadership and employee enhancement programs, which have transformed the organization and enabled it to develop better relationships within the organization, and its environment. The activities have also ensured easy adaptation to change, such as constant evolving technology and shifting markets (Fedyshyn et al., 2019).

Tasks for which Training is Developed.

Bank staff carries out several daily tasks to provide efficient customer service, which is its primary mission. Therefore, they require special training to enable them to achieve the necessary standards when interacting with customers. Tasks performed in the bank include hiring, supervising operations, customer service, statistical and financial analysis, and budgeting. Customer satisfaction is the primary goal of this organization; hence, bank tellers' training is necessary for providing financial advice, processing transactions, and dealing with complaints (Ozatac et al., 2016).

The tasks performed by the tellers are essential in that they contribute to the perception of customers towards the bank. Their interaction with customers determines whether they have a positive or negative image towards the organization. Therefore, professionalism and reception qualities are vital to enable retention and satisfaction. Also, these employees ensure the accuracy of records, which determines the institution's success or failure. Correct record-keeping and proficient accounting skills are required to prevent losses. The tellers determine whether the bank increases or declines in banking sales services through their interaction with customers. Giving out brochures and other relevant information is key in convincing clients to purchase bank-related products (Ozatac et al., 2016).

Characteristics of the Target Audience

The banking organization has approximately 1500 bank tellers distributed across all the branches in the ten states it serves. The majority of the workers are aged between 28-40 years, a productive and relatively active age, given the job's demanding nature. About two-thirds of the total tellers are female in this age bracket, while the remaining third are male. All the employees have a minimum qualification level of a high school diploma or an equivalent, excellent bank operations skills such as numerical computation skills, teamwork, and problem-solving. All the tellers are conversant with the English language and well accrued to the modern culture and lifestyles.

Some employees have a relatively negative attitude towards learning new things, with most of them comfortable with their current knowledge levels. However, the revolution of technology with new demands has forced many of them to accept the change to keep their jobs. Many bank operations require fewer manual activities making the tellers need more training in the new normal, therefore changing their attitudes. The level of familiarity with technology among these employees is promising due to most bank activities being computer-enabled demands one to become a teller, computer skills are vital.

Degree of self-directedness

Self-directedness is a virtue that enables the transfer of the instructor's responsibility to the employee in training. It is a crucial aspect as it helps learners make their own decisions towards learning and simplifying the trainer's work. Moreover, it enhances the development of skills, adjustment of personal requirements, improves deep learning, and perseverance through the training (Rahayu et al., 2018). Tellers in this organization have a promising level of self-directedness, which is promoted by their need to keep their jobs and to learn better ideas.

Whenever an organization begins incurring losses, the first people to experience the effects are the employees, and that is clear among these tellers. Training being a crucial tool towards achieving the mission of the bank, it has been welcomed well by the majority of the workers. Internal motivation towards learning indicates that the training will be completed successfully by all the members (Rahayu et al., 2018).

Theoretical Basis for the Planned Training

Andragogy is an adult learning theory associated with a famous American educator called Malcolm Knowles. He described it as an art of adult learning. According to this way of learning, adults are assumed to be self-driven beings due to the maturity levels that provide them with self -concepts that are essential for learners. Moreover, the self-driver enhances independent actions towards training and enables the learner to make sound decisions towards the training and ability to define self needs (Ferreira et al., 2018). The adult can also engage the instructor in areas of concern while identifying additional topics to be included in the training.

Another assumption is the possession of experience that adults have in a general and specific field, which is vital for learning. In most cases, training involves imparting extra knowledge, skills, and experience to the existing one. Unlike children who rely on imaginative teaching, adults have the first-hand experience of the activities taught. All the aspects explained by the instructor can be attributed to areas that the employees have already interacted with (Ferreira et al., 2018).

According to andragogy, as people age, their readiness to learn also increases, making them motivated, and therefore, learn quicker. In most cases, their motivation is the financial or other individual rewards that are associated with the completion of the learning. Adults also become interested in why they are required to train hence participate in the need to get answers (Ferreira et al., 2018). When the instructor provides more insight into the training's value, they are motivated to commit their time to study.

Orientation to learn in adults is life-centered and involves the applications in the real-life scenarios, therefore, assuring them of immediate application of what is known. Employees are assured of combining their current experience with training to offer new skills to their jobs. Hence the orientation will establish valence, expectancy, and instrumentality, which is crucial in any learning environment (Ferreira et al., 2018).

Strategies to Incorporate in Delivery of the Training

The bank tellers are in the age bracket of adults and show a high degree of self-drive; therefore, the andragogy theory best suits as a basis for the planned training. Developing objectives, using appropriate training materials, and keeping in mind the adult learning principles such as self-concept, prior experience, and orientation to learning are vital strategies for efficient training of the employees (Dalto, 2014).

Well-developed training objectives, which are enabling the tellers to achieve the organization's mission, will motivate the employees to engage in the training. Appropriate training materials that enable the workers to see the real-world application of the learning and ensure they engage the learners extensively in physical practice or a simulated way. These materials are as simple as possible and create a real work environment and in a sequential order relating to the bank activities (Dalto, 2014). All these strategies, incorporated with the andragogy theory principles, will work well for these employees.

Conclusion

The design and development of the planned theory are based on the theory of andragogy, which focuses on adult learning since the intended audience (branch tellers) are adults. The principles of this theory, which are self-concept, prior experience, orientation to learning, readiness, and motivation to learn, are incorporated with well-developed objectives of the training and appropriate training materials which create a real-world experience. Therefore, achieving successful training in customer care and other best practices that are vital to the overall mission of the bank.

References

Dalto, J. (2014). How to Create an Effective Training Program: 8 Steps to Success. Convergence Training. Retrieved June 19, 2017.

Fedyshyn, M. F., Abramova, A. S., Zhavoronok, A. V., & Marych, M. G. (2019). Management of competitiveness of the banking services. Financial and credit activity: problems of theory and practice, 1(28), 64-74.

Ferreira, D., MacLean, G., & Center, G. E. (2018). Andragogy in the 21st century: Applying the assumptions of adult learning online. Language Research Bulletin, 32(11).

Mujinga, M. (2019, March). Retail banking service quality measurement: SERVQUAL gap analysis. In 2019 Conference on Information Communications Technology and Society (ICTAS) (pp. 1-6). IEEE.

Ozatac, N., Saner, T., & Sen, Z. S. (2016). Customer satisfaction in the banking sector: the case of North Cyprus. Procedia Economics and Finance, 39, 870-878.

Rahayu, M., Rasid, F., & Tannady, H. (2018). Effects of Self Efficacy, Job Satisfaction, and Work Culture Toward Performance of Telemarketing Staff in Banking Sector. Southeast Asia J. Contemp. Business, Econ. Law, 16(5), 47-52.