BUS 375 week 3 assignment (DO NOT CHANGE THE BID)

6(I)mplementation—Execution

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Learning Objectives

After reading this chapter, you should be able to:

• Carry out beta and pilot testing of training.

• Describe the desired skill set of a trainer.

• Manage the barriers to implementing training.

• Evaluate the cost benefit of outsourcing training.

There are two types of speakers: those who get nervous and those who are liars. —Mark Twain

Beta and Pilot Testing of Training Chapter 6

Pretest 1. In a beta test of training material, a few select trainees undergo the training and pro-

vide feedback on it. a. true b. false

2. Human beings tend to think at a rate about 3 to 6 times faster than we speak. a. true b. false

3. A trainer’s vocal inflections and rate of speech can affect trainees’ learning. a. true b. false

4. Because e-learning programs save money, it is recommended that most organizations implement them as quickly as possible. a. true b. false

5. Though cost savings is a major reason companies outsource trainings, outsourcing can end up being quite expensive. a. true b. false

Answers can be found at the end of the chapter.

Introduction Whereas the development phase focused on the creation and preparation of the training materials, instructional methods, and media, the implementation phase centers on roll- ing out and beginning the training itself. Especially when the training is organization wide, training programs may be rolled out first on a provisional basis through beta and/or pilot testing before full-scale implementation (ASTD, 2012; Noe, 2012; Piskurich, 2010; Vijayasa- mundeeswari, 2013). During the implementation phase, we ensure that our trainers—both classroom and on-the-job trainers—have the requisite skill sets to deliver the training com- petently, including managing potential trainee resistance to the new learning. It is during the implementation phase, too, that we evaluate whether the training should be implemented via internal personnel or through an outside vendor.

6.1 Beta and Pilot Testing of Training During the development phase, we performed a technical review of the training material and the edited content; in the implementation phase, after we have made decisions about whether the trainers come from an in-house team or from an outside provider, we can now begin rolling out the training. This often starts with a beta test and a pilot test (Shaw, 2011;

Beta and Pilot Testing of Training Chapter 6

Wan, 2013; Welty, 2013). Pilot tests and beta tests confirm the usability of the training; they also determine how effective the training materials are and how well activities are designed. Pilot and beta tests also examine the trainees’ reactions to the training, including the extent to which trainees have learned from their participation in the program (Preskill & Russ-Eft, 2005; Russ-Eft & Preskill, 2009). Table 6.1 reviews the differences between beta and pilot tests.

Specifically, with a pilot test, we “prerelease” the training to selected trainees and subject mat- ter experts for testing under normal, everyday conditions so we can pinpoint any remaining flaws and get feedback on particular training modules, as well as the training as a whole. Beta testing is testing where the training takes place in the real-time trainee environment (Chan, 2009; Morrison, Ross, & Kalman, 2012; Piskurich, 2010). In the beta testing, all intended users participate (Morrison et al., 2012).

Beta and pilot testing are part of what is known as a formative evaluation. A formative evalu- ation is a method for judging the worth of a program while the program activities are form- ing (in progress); in sum, we are evaluating the training processes (Morrison et al., 2012). In Chapter 7, we will discuss the other type of evaluation, summative evaluation, which evalu- ates outcomes of the training itself.

Table 6.1: Differences between beta and pilot tests

Test Audience and participants When How

Pilot Some subjects close to trainee level

Before beta 1. Prepare trainees. 2. Observe and ask questions. 3. Debrief extensively.

Beta The real audience in the real environment

After pilot 1. Conduct exactly as the training will be used. 2. Observe, if possible, but do not interrupt. 3. Debrief with planned questions and goals.

Source: Adapted from Piskurich, G. M. (2010). Rapid training development: Developing training courses fast and right. New York: Wiley.

Outcomes of Testing

Testing of the training enables you to fine-tune the training design itself as well as the usabil- ity of the program. By testing the training prior to implementation, trainers can better ensure that the end users’ needs are being met and that the objectives of the training program are being fulfilled per the organizational goals. Specifically, testing accomplishes the following:

• It enables you to gauge your target population’s reaction to the training program by selecting a pilot group that is demographically similar to your program’s specific target population.

• It helps you make better decisions about how to allocate time and resources. Specifi- cally, pilot testing the training program can help determine if you need to spend more time or resources on particular aspects of the program. For example, you might learn that the training program shows a need for changes to your recruitment strategy based on the entry-level behaviors; that is, the necessary requirements of the job (Rothwell & Kazanas, 2011; Shaw, 2011; Stolovitch & Keeps, 2011; U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2013).

Beta and Pilot Testing of Training Chapter 6

• It can reveal unanticipated issues that might arise, such as matters of setting, logistics, and particular lessons or activities for which more staff training or attention may be necessary, and it can ensure that staff members are well prepared to handle issues that come up during the full-scale implementation.

HRD in Practice: Evanston Northwestern Healthcare

Jane Dowd is the chief learning officer at Evanston Northwestern Healthcare (ENH) in Evanston, Illinois. ENH is an integrated, academic healthcare system composed of 3 hospitals, 851 beds, and 65 group practices housed in more than 50 different locations. Dowd and her staff ramped up, simultaneously hiring staff, performing needs analyses, determining facilities, and creating training. Dowd describes using the five-phase ADDIE model and specifically addresses the testing during phase 4, implementation:

Finally, it was time to move … the first few weeks feel like a test. Before going live with training, we performed a test run. You can beta test with a few real trainees, some experts, and other instructional designers. We performed pilot testing (a dress rehearsal) with real trainees as the audience, and a reviewer test, where participants look at the courses through the eyes of the end-user. Use feedback to tweak classes. Doing this, you’ll save time, money, and energy down the road.

So, before training officially began, trainers ran pilots, gathering immediate feedback. Classes were tweaked accordingly, and tracking was critical. We became a massive reporting house. Because of the vast number of scheduling options, courses, people, and rolling go-live dates, registration, and tracking software proved critical. ENH used more than 200 training coordinators to register staff and track scores.

We got the job done. With full support from hospital administration, my team and I implemented an award-winning software education and communications training initiative. It included eight modules, 51 courses, 12,382 training encounters, and 7,886 learners, including 1,287 physicians. The initiative played a key role in ENH’s successful implementation of the ambitious Electronic Health Records (EHR) system.

Source: From Duggan, Christina Mayer. “Designing Effective Training.” Journal of AHIMA 76, no.6 (June 2005): 28-32. Reprinted with permission from the American Health Information Management Association. Copyright c 2014 by the American Health Information Management Association. All rights reserved. No part of this may be reproduced, reprinted, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the association.

Consider This 1. In which areas would budgetary constraints have impacted the implementation of the

software education and training initiative? 2. How does Dowd differentiate between a beta test and pilot test? 3. What message is the organization sending to stakeholders regarding its commitment to

the training and development function by having a chief learning officer position?

Trainer KSAs Chapter 6

6.2 Trainer KSAs An important truism in human resource development (HRD) is that—irrespective of well- designed and developed training—if training delivery is inferior, the desired outcomes from the training will not be realized. This consideration becomes especially important in a train- the-trainer scenario, in which you train someone to deliver the training in the most effective way. Simply put, although a good trainer does not guarantee that the trainees will learn, a poor trainer almost always guarantees they will not!

The Anatomy of the Excellent Trainer

Remember, the ultimate goal following the training is for trainees to apply the training to the workplace, and the first step toward successfully transferring the training to the workplace begins with the trainer. Here are some pointers to becoming an excellent trainer:

1. Gain a familiarity with adult learner expectations. Previously, we discussed the assumptions an expert trainer should consider for guiding his or her adult learn- ers through the SVVE (success, volition, value, and enjoyment) (Wlodkowski, 2008) framework. Although lacking one of more of these areas does not always spell presen- tation disaster, this framework underscores the principles of how adults learn. The following assumptions maximize trainee motivation to learn: • Success. Adults want to be successful learners; few employees come to work every

day wanting to do a bad job. The assumption should be that employees want to do a good job, and your role is to ensure that they have the requisite KSAs to succeed at performing their job duties.

• Volition. Adults want to have choice in their learning. Although every job has necessary duties, motivational benefits occur if the employee participates in the decision-making process concerning the order, pace, and modality of the required training.

• Employees want to learn something of value. Specifically, adult learners need to know the reasons for learning something before undertaking to learn it (Knowles, 1973).

• Enjoyment. Finally, though it is called work, adults want to have some level of enjoyment while performing their jobs.

2. Develop a motivating presentation framework (Knowles, Holton, & Swanson, 2012; Wlodkowski, 2008). We know, too, that to optimize the relationship between the trainer and trainee, a trainer must possess the skill set of EEEC (expert, enthusiastic, empathetic, and clear); that is, trainees relate better to the trainer when he or she is: • Expert. According to Wlodkowski (2008), expertise involves three essential ele- ments: trainers know something beneficial, they know it well, and they can convey it through an instructional process.

• Enthusiastic. The trainer values the subject matter and demonstrates a commit- ment to the topic with appropriate degrees of emotion, animation, and energy.

• Empathic. The trainer puts him- or herself in the trainee’s shoes; this is different from sympathy, which is more of a third-party detachment. Empathic training respects the learner’s perspectives and experiences.

• Clear. Verbalizing concepts in an organized and cogent way, supported by clear training materials.

Trainer KSAs Chapter 6

3. Demonstrate an understanding of communication patterns (Bates & Davis, 2010; Chase, 1997; Goldsmith, 2000; Hodell, 2011; Wlodkowski, 2008). One of the more practical aspects of training is maintaining trainee engagement and, specifically, managing trainees’ attention spans vis-à-vis the trainee’s speech–thought differen- tial (Jaffe, 2009). The speech–thought differential is the premise that we think at a faster rate than we speak. Specifically, we speak at a rate of 100 to 180 words per minute, and we think at a rate of 500 to 600 words per minute; as a result, the trainer must monitor trainee attention spans and know how to bring trainees back into focus, if necessary. Lundsteen’s (1979) classic work on speech–thought differential noted four levels of potential distraction that trainers should know about their trainees: • Small departures. Trainees produce their own examples, relate material to their

own personal experiences, answer rhetorical questions, and use time for mental interaction with the trainer’s ideas.

• Going off on a tangent. Trainees depart from the trainer’s line of thinking; train- ees seize on one of trainer’s ideas, taking it in their own direction. Going off on a tangent includes daydreaming.

• Private argument. Trainees begin to challenge and argue internally before they hear the trainer out. Trainees stop trying to understand the trainer and carry on a running argument with themselves.

• Large departures. Trainees’ pattern of attention wanders off into unrelated areas; their attention is brought back into focus on training for a while, but they go off again into thinking about unrelated topics. For example: A trainee thinks: “I wonder where we are going to eat tonight…” (Trainee lis- tens a bit about the new training software.) Then trainee thinks: “I can tell you—no more Mexican food!”

Another aspect of communication that trainers must manage concerns the potential distor- tion of how trainees’ receive and process the new information, including leveling, sharpen- ing, and assimilation (Kimmel, 2013):

• Leveling. Trainees’ tendency to reduce the message with fewer and fewer details. An example of this would be the telephone game that youngsters play. In this game a message is passed on in a whisper by each of several people so that the final version of the message is often radically changed from the original.

• Sharpening. Trainee selectively retains information, especially only dominant points (such as hyperbole). For example: Trainer: “If we can implement this new procedure efficiently, that means more money to our bottom line, which means more money for raises next year.” Trainee, upon leaving training: “Since this new procedure is saving the company money, we are going to get raises next year.”

• Assimilation. Trainees take the message into their own frame of reference or per- sonality. This idea follows adult learning principles in that learners process messages based on their prior experiences with the subject matter. For example, if the trainer speaks about quality, the construct of quality means different things to different people. Consider telling a teenager to clean his room; he might look around and say, “What do you mean? It is clean!”

Trainer KSAs Chapter 6

Consider, too, that even the trainer’s vocal variation and inflections (Jaffe, 2009) may have an unintended effect on the trainees. Consider these ideas of vocal variations and associations also mentioned in the following video links: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hdBNUDIOIP8 and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rTm4r_SbJq0 (also see Chapter 5).

• Loud and fast = self-sufficient • Loud and slow = aggressive • Soft and fast = enthusiastic • Soft and slow = benevolent

So, for example, consider a trainer who speaks loudly and slowly. She may think she is being clear, but trainees may instead consider her aggressive.

Did You Know? For Some, Public Speaking Is Second Only to Death in Fear Factor!

Trainers must be comfortable speaking in public. Unfortunately, some novice trainers fear public speaking more than they fear death (Grigsby, 2010).

Training becomes easier with practice, but while you are practicing, here are a few tips for presenting and settling down those nerves:

• Drink water! Staying hydrated helps avoid “cotton mouth,” a real sign of anxiety; the person experiencing it is suffering.

• Exercise that morning. It has been shown that exercise can alleviate anxiety by releasing endorphins that can make you feel better.

• Think of something funny or pleasant. They used to say “picture your audience in their underwear.” While that tactic still may be effective, you can also try methods such as looking at a humorous photo or reminding yourself of a joke.

• And, perhaps the best tip of all, be prepared. You cannot overprepare for a presentation. Know your material back and forth; anticipate audience questions, and have a backup plan if technology or equipment fails.

Communication Patterns Particular to On-the-Job Trainers When selecting site trainers to lead OJT, not only should they be experienced and knowl- edgeable and follow all the rules of successful training, they also should have particular communication skills that go with the dynamics of shadowing someone in the workplace (Clifford, 2007).

Specifically, and as discussed in Chapter 2, we depend on the site trainer to make the implicit (that which could be articulated, but has not been yet) explicit, as appropriate. As previously discussed, here are the reasons for implicit knowledge remaining in the implicit realm:

• Productive reason. “Sure, I could tell David everything, but I believe he will learn bet- ter if he tries out some things himself and learns by trial and error; he’ll understand things better that way.”

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• Neutral reason (including trainer laziness). “Ah, sorry. I had forgotten to tell you that.” • Counterproductive reason. “If I tell Eliot too much, he’ll know as much as I do and then

the higher ups won’t value me as much!”

Food for Thought: Six Top Qualities of a Great Trainer

Kelly Prince, who is the senior instructional designer at Management Concepts, was interviewed on the top qualities that trainers should possess. She says a great trainer has all of the following qualities:

1. A command of the material 2. Preparation and practice 3. Rhythm and energy 4. Readiness to allow and encourage participants to learn from themselves and the class to

create as many organic learning moments as possible 5. Love for what they do 6. An excellent organization supporting them

At the top of her list, Prince advises that effective trainers have not only a command of the material—that is, know the material back and forth—but also know where to get answers if they do not know something. And although Prince emphasizes preparation and practice, trainers must come off as prepared yet not scripted. Trainees notice if trainers are just going through the motions; fake engagement is soon found out. She says that trainers should focus on being engaging rather than entertaining. Prince underscores that trainers should have a love for what they do; if the trainer is jaded and bored, this demeanor necessarily reflects poorly on the quality of the training itself.

Lastly, effective trainers have excellent organizations supporting them. Without organizational support, training programs suffer; trainers are not given enough time to prep, train-the-trainer procedures are lacking, and materials get delivered late or are of poor quality. A lack of organizational support inevitably leads to burnout, even for the most well- intended trainer.

Source: Malik, J. (2011). 6 top qualities of a great trainer. Retrieved from GovLoop website: http://www.govloop.com/profiles/blogs/title-6-top- qualities-of-a

Consider This 1. What additional qualities might be needed if the trainer were an external consultant

versus an internal trainer? 2. If one quality of great trainers is a love for what they do, what limitations might there be

in the train-the-trainer model? 3. What does Prince mean when she says engagement is more important than

entertainment?

Barriers to Implementing Training Chapter 6

HRD in Practice: When a Subject Matter Expert Does Not Equal a Presentation Expert

“What a colossal waste of time that was!” Rashanda muttered to herself as she left the training room. “That’s 90 minutes I’ll never get back!”

“Hey, Rashanda. What’s up? What’s wrong?”

“Hi, Carrie. Nothing. I just got out of the so-called training on the new system.”

“Bad?”

“Awful! And, it wasn’t because of the content; I actually was looking forward to learning the new system. Supposedly, the guy they got to train us was an expert on this system. But he was terrible! First off, we couldn’t hear a word he was saying because of the buzz from the computer fan, and when we could hear him, all he would do is stammer; every other word was like, ‘Ah—Uh—OK— Uh.’ And then he would turn his back to us and read word-by-word each of his PowerPoint® slides. To top things off, he ignored questions when people had their hands up. If there was a poster child for how not to give presentations, this guy was it! I wish there would have been some type of evaluation at the end because I would have written a thing or two, believe me! The bottom line is I still don’t know the system—I didn’t learn anything!”

Consider This 1. Given Rashanda’s description of the trainer, what rules for presentation do you think the

trainer violated? 2. What should an organization do if the subject matter expert is not an expert in

presentations skills?

6.3 Barriers to Implementing Training For a training program to be effective, employees must first perceive it as being useful (Agbet- tor, 2013; Rothwell & Kazanas, 2011; Sambrook & Stewart, 2007). However, achieving this goal is sometimes easier said than done, due to three levels of potential resistance trainees may exhibit toward new training (Connor, Lake, & Stackman, 2003; Welty, 2007, 2013):

• Barriers to understanding the need for training. Trainees may feel the new train- ing is pointless because they see no need for it. “This is ridiculous; we don’t need con- flict handling training here. What we need is a raise!”

• Barriers to acceptance of training. Trainees may feel there is a need for the train- ing, but they do not accept that they themselves are in need of training. “Why are they grouping me with the supervisors who don’t know how to do a performance appraisal? I’m one of the supervisors who does know how to do it!”

• Barriers to acting out the training. Trainees may see the need for the training and accept they will be in training, but they are not committed or dedicated to the

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outcomes of the training. “This is going to be a monster to implement; I’m just going to do it the way I always have.”

Remember, as discussed in Chapter 2, in the absence of able and willing trainees, barriers ultimately come down to a distressed status of the trainee’s ability and/or willingness:

• Able and willing • Not able, but willing • Able, but not willing • Not able and not willing

Chapter 8 will further discuss how to overcome such barriers using Lewin’s force-field analysis.

Food for Thought: Ways to Address Training Barriers

The Nonprofit Risk Management Center (http://www.nonprofitrisk.org) provides tips to overcome training barriers, specifically in workplace safety. These are common barriers:

• Lack of engagement and support from top management • Lack of trainee understanding and appreciation of the training • Lack of appropriate time investment for design and implementation • Lack of clear and consistent communication about performance expectations • A decentralized organizational structure

Source: Nonprofit Risk Management Center. (2008). Recognizing some barriers to implementing workplace-safety programs. Retrieved from: https:// nonprofitrisk.org/tools/workplace-safety/nonprofit/c2/barriers.htm

Consider This 1. What would be an example of an organization’s reward structure for employees who

engage in safety practices? 2. Regarding workplace safety training, describe what you would do to convey to employees

a need for this training. 3. What challenges does a highly decentralized organization (one with many sites or

locations) pose for conveying the need for or appreciation of the training?

E-learning Readiness: Potential Barriers

Because of the touted cost savings of e-learning programs, it is tempting for organizations to jump right in and implement e-learning in their training program. However, one aspect orga- nizations must evaluate so it is not a barrier is the culture for e-learning (Aydin & Tasci, 2005; Borotis & Poulymenakou, 2004); that is, the organization’s e-learning readiness.

The factors that make up e-learning readiness are varied and numerous, ranging from evalu- ating the practical (for example, the IT equipment and financial wherewithal) to the intan- gible (for example, the interpersonal and sociological readiness of the workforce). To assess

Outsourcing Training Chapter 6

an organization’s e-learning readiness, Chapnick (2001) developed the e-learning readiness scale as a 5-point Likert scale (ranging from “strongly disagree” to “strongly agree”) on the following factors:

• Psychological readiness—the individual’s state of mind as it affects the outcome of the e-learning initiative

• Sociological readiness—the interpersonal aspects of the environment in which the program will be implemented

• Environmental readiness—the large-scale forces operating on the stakeholders, both inside and outside the organization

• Human resource readiness—the availability and design of the human support system • Financial readiness—the budget size and allocation process • Technological skill (aptitude) readiness—observable and measurable technical

competencies • Equipment readiness—the question of the proper equipment possession • Content readiness—the subject matter and goals of the instruction

The use of e-learning for training should not be done casually or indifferently (Liu, Gibby, Quiros, & Demps, 2002; Meier & Stormer, 2009; Onguko, Jepchumba, & Gaceri, 2013); in fact, the skills of trainers who use e-learning are so important that recently, the ATD developed a certification specifically for e-learning in instructional design.

6.4 Outsourcing Training Until now, we have detailed the processes of ADDIE and training internally, but an organi- zation might have various reasons for outsourcing, or deciding to purchase prepackaged training materials and bring in outside trainers for delivery (Duggan, 2013; Larson & Lockee, 2013; Neirotti & Paolucci, 2013; Noe, 2012; Welty, 2013). These reasons include:

• the need to comply with complex regulations such as those governing safety or envi- ronmental issues;

• legal requirements such as those governing equal opportunity, harassment, and discrimination;

• a small staff and a lack of enough (or any) qualified trainers; • large numbers of employees who need refresher training; and • the desire to keep employees up to date on what is happening in the industry.

Outsourcing: A Rising Trend

The State of the Industry report is ATD’s definitive review of workplace learning and develop- ment trends (ASTD, 2012). The ATD estimates that U.S. organizations spent approximately $164.2 billion on employee learning in 2012, of which 28% ($46 billion) was spent on exter- nal services and outsourcing. This total was up from 24% the previous year and only 12% in 2010.

Why an organization outsources some or all of its training depends also on its goals. For instance, if an organization’s goal is to maximize shareholder economic value, what Beer and

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Nohria (2000) call Theory E, then the outsourcing typically would be large and knowledge driven; that is, there would be extensive dependence and assistance from outside consultants, who would most likely perform the training. If the goal is to develop organizational capabili- ties, so-called Theory O, then the outsourcing would be small and process driven; that is, we would look to the outside consultants to give us the train-the-trainer processes so our train- ers could perform the training (see Table 6.2).

Table 6.2: Outsourcing dimensions

Dimensions of change Theory E Theory O

Goals Maximize shareholder value Develop organizational capabilities

Leadership Manage change from the top down Encourage participation from the bot- tom up

Focus Emphasize structure and systems Build up corporate culture: employees’ behavior and attitudes

Process Plan and establish programs Experiment and evolve

Reward system Motivate through financial incentives Motivate through commitment; use pay as fair exchange

Use of outsourcing Consultants analyze problems and shape solutions

Consultants support management in shaping their own solutions

Source: Adapted from Beer, M., & Nohria, N. (2000). Breaking the code of change. Boston, MA: Harvard Business School Press.

Potential Disadvantages of Outsourcing Although outsourcing has its advantages, organizations should consider some potential dis- advantages (Luftig & Ouellette, 2012), as well. They include the following:

• Cost. Although cost savings is often one of the reasons cited for outsourcing noncore functions, outsourced training services can be expensive (Agbettor, 2013; Allen, 2013; Laird, Naquin, & Holton, 2003). Training companies may charge hundreds of dollars per employee for a 1-day training course, and executive training programs, especially, tend to be more expensive.

• Control. Companies lose control when outsourcing support functions because the training services provider chooses the format and content of its training programs, which typically contain generic examples and case studies. For example, a car deal- ership may send its sales representatives to a training course that may contain few examples on how to convert car dealership visitors to customers. Also, training com- panies usually retain copyright of all training materials, so hiring companies may not be able to customize the manuals or presentation slides for future internal training needs. These restrictions make companies dependent on third parties for creating a skilled workforce (Basu, n.d.).

• Security issues. Both small and large companies generate and store data that can be critical and important. Although most outsourcing vendors take adequate precau- tions to safeguard sensitive data of clients—such as employee performance records,

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company trade secrets, patents, and copyrights—it is more difficult to secure data when that data is in another organization’s hands (Jochems, Koper, & Van Merrien- boer, 2013; Pelet, 2013). For example, if an outside firm was training your employees on a particular new KSA that would give your organization a competitive advantage, a leak could be devastating (Seth & Sethi, 2011).

• Lower quality work. Because the trainers are “outsiders” to begin with, employee per- formance may suffer, particularly if outsourcing vendors are not chosen well or if the host organization does not manage the outsourcing vendor properly. Good “fitness” of the vendor to the hiring organization is critical; therefore, contacting previous clients and reviewing vendors’ past results is critical (Agbettor, 2013; Allen, 2013; Laird et al., 2003).

The market for outsourced training, especially in e-learning scenarios, will grow to more than $50 billion over the next few years (ASTD, 2012), and each organization must weigh the pros and cons of outsourcing, with consideration given to factors such as financial resources, tech- nological capacity, and the subject matter of the training itself.

HRD in Practice: Cases for Outsourcing

Weyerhaeuser, an international paper and building products manufacturer, outsources about half its training programs—those focused on soft skills (communications, time management, leadership development, decision making, and problem solving), sales training, and health safety issues—to Novations Group, Inc. At the heart of the outsourcing is Novations’ standard catalog of 30 training courses to support Weyerhaeuser’s soft-skills learning programs; Novations adds new content as it is needed.

Weyerhaeuser’s motivation to outsource was an annual outlay of about $30 million on training; management had little idea where the money was going or what the return-on- training investment was. Further, the company wanted to find better, lower cost, less risky, and faster ways to manage and implement training programs. Weyerhaeuser’s director of education, Horace Parker, explains:

We used to maintain training contracts with 400 vendors, just in the soft-skills area. Now we have all that covered through one contract with Novations. We’re rid of all the hassles of dealing with multiple vendors, and we have the economies of scale that come from working with a single vendor.

Weyerhaeuser’s alliance with Novations realized a reduction in total gross spending for training of about 15%. The company was also able to reduce its in-house training staff by nearly 60%.

Source: Why outsource training? (2003). HRO Today, 2(3). Retrieved from http://www.hrotoday.com/content/575/why-outsource-training

Consider This 1. Although a cost savings was realized, what could be the unintended consequences of

Weyerhaeuser’s reduction in its in-house training staff?

Summary and Resources Chapter 6

Summary and Resources Chapter Summary

• An important step in implementation is testing the training prior to full-scale imple- mentation; this includes beta and pilot testing. In pilot testing we “prerelease” the training to selected trainees and SMEs for testing under normal, everyday conditions to pinpoint any remaining flaws and get feedback on particular modules of the train- ing, as well as the training as a whole. Beta testing takes place in the real-time trainee environment, and all intended users participate.

• In the implementation phase, we also ensure that the trainer has the required KSAs, which include being an expert in the training material, being well prepared, and hav- ing enthusiasm and good energy that the trainees pick up on. The trainer also has good communication skills and can manage speech–thought differential as well as the aspects of leveling, sharpening, and assimilation.

• It is important to manage the barriers of implementation, as well. These include bar- riers to understanding the need for training, barriers to acceptance of training, and barriers to acting out the training.

• Finally, it is important to weigh the pros and cons of outsourcing the training to out- side vendors. Outsourcing might be advantageous if the company must comply with complex regulations, such as those governing safety or environmental issues; when an organization does not have enough qualified trainers; and when an organization wants to keep employees current on industry trends. Disadvantages include lack of control and security issues and, if training is not managed properly, lower quality work from trained employees.

Posttest 1. Which type of testing assesses training’s outcomes?

a. beta testing b. pilot testing c. summative evaluation d. formative evaluation

2. In which testing situation would evaluators observe the training but not usually inter- rupt it? a. beta testing b. pilot testing c. prerelease testing d. posttesting

3. A trainee leaves a training remembering only the most dominant, even overstated, points that he heard. This is an example of which tendency in receiving and process- ing information? a. leveling b. departure c. sharpening d. assimilation

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4. is the idea that each trainee might understand a concept differently according to his or her own unique frame of reference. a. Leveling b. Departure c. Sharpening d. Assimilation

5. In which level of potential distraction does a trainee find him- or herself relating the trainer’s material to personal examples from his or her own experience? a. going off on a tangent b. small departures c. internal argument d. large departures

6. Which of the following would be the LEAST effective way of speaking for a trainer? a. loud and slow b. loud and fast c. soft and fast d. soft and slow

7. A trainee believes that although many of his coworkers lack the skills to follow the new production protocol, he has followed it correctly numerous times and should be exempt from the training. This trainee is exhibiting . a. barriers to understanding the need for training b. barriers to acceptance of training c. barriers to acting out the training d. barriers to responding to training

8. Which aspect of e-learning readiness refers to the interpersonal environment in which the training will be implemented? a. psychological readiness b. human resource readiness c. environmental readiness d. sociological readiness

9. Which of the following is NOT a commonly feared disadvantage of outsourcing train- ing programs? a. Companies have less control over the content and format of what their employees

learn. b. Outside vendors have access to some company data, which might compromise

security. c. Employees do not trust that their employer cares about their learning if it out-

sources training. d. The quality of training and results could suffer if an outside vendor is chosen that is not a good fit.

Summary and Resources Chapter 6

10. How can copyright issues affect companies that outsource training functions? a. Training companies copyright their materials, so hiring companies cannot cus-

tomize them. b. Trainees are prohibited from discussing what they learned with other employees

in the company. c. Third-party trainers are allowed to use a company’s copyrights, which weakens

the protection of those copyrights. d. Regulations limit copyright of educational materials, so training companies

charge more for sessions rather than selling their materials.

Assess Your Learning: Critical Reflection 1. What would be the special considerations, if any, in piloting a self-directed training

program? 2. If you had to choose between one of the following trainer profiles, which one would

you choose and why? a. a subject matter expert who scored a 75% in presentation skills b. an expert presenter who scored a 75% in content knowledge

3. Give your own communication examples of leveling, sharpening, and assimilation. 4. Explain the paradox in which employees can see the need for training but are not

committed to being trained. How do you overcome this barrier? 5. Are there certain subjects or content that should not be outsourced? If so, why?

Additional Resources Web Resources

For speaking skills: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hdBNUDIOIP8

2013 top 20 training outsourcing companies: http://www.trainingindustry.com

Case study on overcoming the top five barriers to electronic health records implementation: http://www.prognosishis.com/pdf/Overcoming%20Barriers%20Whitepaper.pdf

About outsourcing management training: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h64PnKpAKTY

For more readings on Theory E and Theory O: http://hbswk.hbs.edu/item/2166.html and http://stevblogs.wordpress.com/2009/05/22/theory-e-o

Further Reading

American Society for Training & Development. (2012). State of the industry report. Alexandria, VA: ASTD.

Jochems, W., Koper, R., & Van Merrienboer, J. (2013). Integrated e-learning: Implications for pedagogy, technology and organization. London: Taylor & Francis.

Kimmel, A. J. (2013). Rumors and rumor control: A manager’s guide to understanding and combatting rumors. London: Taylor & Francis.

Piskurich, G. M. (2010). Rapid training development: Developing training courses fast and right. New York: Wiley.

Summary and Resources Chapter 6

Shaw, J. (2011). The cave man guide to training and development. Los Gatos, CA: Smashwords.

Answers and Rejoinders to Chapter Pretest

1. False. In pilot testing, selected trainees and subject matter experts take the training under everyday conditions and provide feedback. Beta testing, on the other hand, involves the entire training audience in the real training environment.

2. True. Humans think at about 500 to 600 words per minute but can only speak about 100 to 180 words per minute. This difference, called the speech–thought differential, is useful for trainers to remember because it helps explain how easy it is for trainees’ thoughts to wander.

3. True. Trainers should be aware that the speed and volume of their speech can influ- ence how trainees perceive them and thus how well trainees learn. For example, a trainer attempting to speak clearly may in fact sound aggressive to listeners.

4. False. Because of the potential cost savings of e-learning programs, management may be tempted to start them without examining the organization’s readiness. Organiza- tions should first evaluate their culture for e-learning to make sure that culture does not pose a barrier to training.

5. True. One-day training courses outsourced to training companies can cost hundreds of dollars per employee, and executive training programs may cost even more.

Answers and Rejoinders to Chapter Posttest

1. c. Evaluations of a training’s final outcomes are called summative evaluations. Forma- tive evaluations judge a program’s value while the program’s values are still ongoing and include beta testing and pilot testing.

2. a. In prerelease pilot testing, which takes place under less formal everyday conditions, those who are evaluating the training can observe and ask questions. Because beta testing occurs in the real-time trainee environment, it may be observed but not usu- ally interrupted.

3. c. Trainers must manage potential distortions in how trainees receive and process the new information. In the distortion pattern called sharpening, trainees selectively retain information, usually the most dominant, sometimes hyperbolic, points.

4. d. Each trainee integrates the message in terms of his or her frame of reference or prior experiences. Distortions in how trainees receive or process a training message are sometimes due to these assimilation differences.

5. b. When trainees’ attention turns to mentally creating their own examples, answer- ing rhetorical questions, and relating material to their own life, they are at the level of small departures, the lowest level of potential distraction.

6. b. Speaking loudly but slowly is often perceived by trainees as aggressive. On the other hand, loud and fast speech is perceived more neutrally as self-sufficient. The other two patterns have more positive connotations: soft and fast speech is heard as enthusiasm, while soft and slow speech is believed to be benevolent.

7. b. Trainees who experience barriers to acceptance of training understand that there is a need for training within the organization. However, they do not accept that they should receive the training themselves.

Summary and Resources Chapter 6

8. d. Sociological readiness refers to the interpersonal aspects of the environment in which the program will be implemented. It is just one of many kinds of readiness that must be considered before a company jumps in to start an e-learning component.

9. c. Common potential downsides of outsourcing training include loss of control over format and content, security risks, and the possibility of lower quality work or poor fit between trainers and the company.

10. a. Training companies typically retain copyright to all training materials, meaning that hiring companies are not able to customize them for future internal training. As a result, companies can become dependent on third-party trainers.

Key Terms assimilation A process by which trainees incorporate a message into their own frame of reference or personality. This idea follows adult learning principles in that learners take in messages based on their prior expe- riences with the subject matter.

barriers to acceptance of train- ing Barriers to training whereby trainees may feel there is a need for the training, but they do not accept that they must be trained.

barriers to acting out the training  Barriers to training whereby trainees may see the need for the training and accept that they will be in training, but they are not committed or dedicated to the outcomes of the training.

barriers to understanding the need for training Barriers to training whereby train- ees may feel the new training is pointless and see no need for it.

beta test A type of test in which the training takes place in the real-time trainee environ- ment and all intended users participate; part of a formative evaluation.

control An outsourcing consideration. Organizations may lose control when out- sourcing support functions because the training services provider decides on the format and content of its training programs.

cost An outsourcing consideration. Cost savings is often one of the reasons cited for outsourcing noncore functions, but outsourced training services can be more expensive.

EEEC Expert, enthusiastic, empathic, and clear; a skill set recommended for a trainer in order to optimize the relationship between the trainer and trainee.

e-learning readiness An organization’s culture for e-learning.

formative evaluation A method for judging the worth of a program while the program activities are forming (in progress); an evalu- ation of the processes of the training.

going off on a tangent Engaging in a depar- ture from the trainer’s line of thinking: The trainee seizes on one of trainer’s ideas and takes it in his or her own direction; includes daydreaming.

implementation One of the phases of ADDIE; implementation rolls out and com- mences the training itself and is usually done after the analysis, design, and develop- ment phase.

large departures A level of distraction in which a trainee’s attention wanders off into unrelated areas; the trainee’s attention is brought back into focus on training for a while but goes off again into thinking about unrelated topics.

leveling The trainee’s tendency to reduce the message with fewer and fewer details.

outsourcing Purchasing prepackaged train- ing materials and bringing in outside train- ers for delivery.

pilot test A pretest administered to pin- point any remaining flaws and get feedback

Summary and Resources Chapter 6

on particular modules of the training by prereleasing the training to selected actual trainees and SMEs for testing under normal, everyday conditions; part of a formative evaluation.

private argument A distraction whereby the trainee begins to challenge and argue internally before hearing the trainer out. The trainee stops trying to understand the trainer and carries on a running argument with him- or herself.

security issues Another outsourcing consideration. Outsourcing vendors must take adequate precautions to safeguard data of clients who undertake outsourcing; it is more difficult to secure data when that data is in another organization’s hands.

sharpening The trainee’s tendency to selectively retain information, especially only dominant points (such as hyperbole).

small departures A level of distraction in which trainees produce their own exam- ples, relate material to their own personal

experiences, answer rhetorical questions, and use time for mental interaction with the trainer’s ideas.

speech–thought differential The premise that people think at a faster rate than they speak.

summative evaluation An evaluation of the final outcomes of the training itself.

Theory E The theory that if an organiza- tion’s goal is to maximize shareholder eco- nomic value, then the outsourcing typically would be large and knowledge driven.

Theory O The theory that if an organiza- tion’s goal is to develop organizational capa- bilities, then the outsourcing should be small and process driven.

vocal variation and inflections Various ways of speaking; in presentation of training, these must be appropriate or they may have an unintended effect on the trainees; for example, vocal variations such as loud and slow could be interpreted as aggression.