Unit I Assignment

BHR 4680, Training and Development 1

Course Learning Outcomes for Unit I Upon completion of this unit, students should be able to:

1. Discuss the training implications of behavioral and cognitive learning in the training environment. 1.1 Discuss the influences and learning in the workplace that contribute to training and

development.

2. Compare the relationship between human resources and human resource development functions in a large global organization to the functions of a small global organization. 2.1 Explain the use of training and development as a contributing factor to business success.

Course/Unit Learning Outcomes

Learning Activity

1.1

Unit I Lesson Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Unit I Assessment

2.1

Unit I Lesson Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Unit I Assessment

Reading Assignment Chapter 1: Introduction to Employee Training and Development, pp. 7-50 Chapter 2: Strategic Training, pp. 65-89, 104-105

Unit Lesson Human Resource Management and Human Resource Development Human resource management (HRM) consists of seven functions: strategy and planning, equal employment opportunities (EEO), talent management, risk management and worker protection, recruitment and staffing, rewards, and employee and labor relations (Mathis, Jackson, Valentine, & Meglich, 2017). HRM plays a vital role in human resource development (HRD). In HRM, you have the human resource manager who is responsible for all functions of human resources (HR), compared to an HRD manager who is solely responsible for training and development and project management for HR. HRD is the use of training and development, organizational development, and career development to improve overall effectiveness within the organization (Noe, 2017). In creating the needed training and development plan for an organization, HRM and HRD work collaboratively, or it can be an individual effort by each entity. According to Noe (2017), organizations can allow training to be a part of HRM, but that can lead to less attention being provided and less focus being applied than when allowing the training aspect to be handled by HRD. Regardless of the choice, training and development requires a team effort from upper management, middle management, frontline managers and workers, and others.

UNIT I STUDY GUIDE

Introduction to Training and Development

BHR 4680, Training and Development 2

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What Is Learning? Learning is when employees acquire “knowledge, skills, competencies, attitudes, or behaviors” (Noe, 2017, p. 5). During the learning and training processes, you must consider your audience type(s) and the learning style(s) of your audience members. Your audience types can consist of high-tech, low-tech, or lay audience members or a combination of these types. With learning styles ranging from tactile learners to auditory learners to visual learners, you, as the manager, must be able to deliver training to meet the needs of your audience. A person also can be more than one type of learner. Learning can take place in two forms, formal and informal (Noe, 2017). Formal learning involves interactive learning with instruction provided by an expert on the topic, as compared to informal learning, such as self- learning, which is not provided by an expert on the topic and includes little or no interactive learning. It is recommended that each form of learning is offered to all employees for a more well-rounded learning experience. You will find in most learning environments that formal learning is the best choice for providing training. Of course, it is still the individual’s responsibility to supplement the learning experience in whatever form is more conducive to developing his or her knowledge of the topic. Knowledge Transfer and Knowledge Management In addition to recognizing forms of learning, it is just as important to recognize knowledge transfer and knowledge management. Knowledge transfer is the process of information being distributed to and from the intended parties. Similar to learning, knowledge transfer can take place in two forms, formal and informal. As knowledge is being transferred, it is important to properly manage the transfer of knowledge. Knowledge transfer can take many shapes such as written and non-written forms, one-on-one interactions, mentoring and coaching efforts, and technology such as gamification, applications (apps), and social media platforms. As a part of a training team, it is important to assess the delivery needs. It is crucial to address the needs of the audience and provide the material in a manner for the best learning outcome. This involves developing the material in various learning style forms and managing the efforts of the learning experience, which is handled through knowledge management. It is the responsibility of the knowledge officer, sometimes called the chief learning officer, to oversee the success of the learning experience and to determine needed enhancements. The following website has information that can be used for basic learning and to assist professionals. Chief Learning Officer: www.clomedia.com Learning Organizations A learning organization is an organization that fosters the ability to learn and supports training efforts in specialized and non-specialized areas. In addition to fostering the learning experience, it is the organization’s responsibility to create lifelong learners and supporters of the organization. It starts with the employees of the organization. The employees are viewed as the number one customers of the product that the learning organization offers. By being a learning organization, the organization is fostering better employee engagement opportunities. According to Noe (2017), employee engagement is when employees are provided opportunities to interact with working efforts in order to strengthen one’s abilities, loyalty, and work ethic for the organization. The organization can provide various opportunities for internal or external employee engagement such as company-sponsored activities like industry-specific events, holiday events or celebrations, social learning opportunities, and other basic interactive efforts. Employee engagement opportunities are a great way for the employer and employee to develop the basic connection between the two, which leads to adopting and adapting to the corporate culture for the best interest of the business. During the engagement moments, it is important that management is available and transparent while communicating the goals and objectives of the organization and allotting time for questions and answers from the employees. An organization’s success is a collective effort, which requires full support from all parties involved.

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Talent Management Talent management consists of various efforts in attracting, retaining, developing, and motivating highly skilled employees and managers. As a responsibility of the HR manager or HRD manager, it is important to properly identify and apply the learning needs of the employees and managers. In determining what training is needed, the HR or HRD managers can conduct surveys, obtain feedback from managers, review production numbers, identify skill demands, and conduct basic observation assessments. Regardless of the methods used, it is important to address the learning and training needs of the organization. In the effort to provide the best talent management possible, it should be a requirement for all employees to go through a performance evaluation. The evaluations can take place annually, quarterly, or semi-annually. From a result-oriented standpoint, it is best to conduct performance evaluations quarterly or semi-annually. This allows for growth and development to take place for a better outcome for all parties involved. It also reduces the number of performance improvement plans, probationary periods applied, and terminations. In the efforts of talent management, we must begin with leadership development. It is crucial that levels of management are properly trained in order to manage the day-to-day operations of the business. The various levels of management should be trained in the areas of business strategy, talent management, recruitment and staffing, rewards, EEO, safety and risk management, and employee relations. By developing the managers, a more developed advantage in accomplishing the goals and objectives of the organization is created. According to Noe (2017), managers contribute to the efforts of employee engagement by performing basic management functions. Strategic Training Strategic training is learning-related action used to help an organization accomplish the identified goals and objectives or initiatives. Refer to Table 2.4 on page 73 in the textbook to see initiatives and implications used in strategic training and development. Questions to be addressed during the process are found in Table 2.5 on page 76 in the textbook. In the process, it is important to identify with the vision, mission, and values of the organization. The Influences of Training In the training process, you must consider organizational characteristics that play a crucial role in the process of training. Some of the organizational characteristics are listed below:

 roles of employees and managers,

 top management support,

 integration of business units,

 global presence, and

 business conditions (Noe, 2017). As previously discussed, top management plays an important role in supporting the demands of training. The responsibility of upper management is to collaborate with training management to address the needed training of the organization. The training manager creates the learning curriculum, determines the training modality, identifies locations, and also selects who will conduct the training. The learning material can be delivered by a number of methods including basic classroom instruction, online instruction in an instructor-led or online course setting, self-paced instruction utilizing a computer-based or manual version, or a combination of these. Regardless of the method used, it must address the identified training needs. Keep in mind that it is important to meet the learning styles and needs of your targeted audience members. By doing this, it creates a better opportunity for fostering and meeting the desired success rate for the training. Once the delivery modality is identified, it is important that the style of delivery for the curriculum or activities is identified for the material. Some of the more basic approaches used to develop the material are lecture style, discussion style, and simulation style. Again, this helps in meeting the learning styles of your audience members. A best practice is to incorporate visual, tactile, and auditory styles for a broader approach in delivering the material. Of course, this is a case-by-case decision based on the support of upper management and financial capabilities since not all organizations have a large budget, let alone a budget specifically for training.

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References Mathis, R. L., Jackson, J. H., Valentine, S. R., & Meglich, P. A. (2017). Human resource management (5th

ed.). Boston, MA: Cengage. Noe, R. A. (2017). Employee training and development (7th ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Education.

Suggested Reading In order to access the following resources, click the links below. The article below focuses on basic applications in creating a guide or template for better involvement and interactions with employees through recruiting, evaluating, assessing, and overall managing efforts for the talent within the organization. Gale, S. F. (2015, February). Talent management orientation guide. Workforce Magazine. Retrieved from

http://www.workforce.com/2015/02/27/talent-management-orientation-guide/ The following article discusses the importance of training and why employees want more training. It also addresses the need for organizations to listen to the employees to bring about better training and a return on investment for training including longevity, lower turnover rate, better retention, and job satisfaction. Kuzel, A. (2016, June 17). Employees demand training over other learning opportunities. Chief Learning

Officer. Retrieved from http://www.clomedia.com/2016/06/17/employees-demand-training-over-other- learning-opportunities/

The following article provides more information about strategic training and development and how it can be used to obtain further success within an organization. Strategic training and development: A gateway to organizational success. (2008). HRMagazine, 53(3), S1.

Retrieved from https://libraryresources.columbiasouthern.edu/login?auth=CAS&url=http://go.galegroup.com.libraryre sources.columbiasouthern.edu/ps/i.do?p=ITOF&sw=w&u=oran95108&v=2.1&it=r&id=GALE%7CA17 7028732&asid=822227190c59ffbfddc77914c427d6c1

As mentioned in the lesson, the following article discusses what a learning organization is. Wilhelm, W. (2017, February 22). What are learning organizations, and what do they really do? Chief

Learning Officer. Retrieved from http://www.clomedia.com/2017/02/22/37471/

Learning Activities (Nongraded) Nongraded Learning Activities are provided to aid students in their course of study. You do not have to submit them. If you have questions, contact your instructor for further guidance and information. The learning activities below create the opportunity to apply your knowledge. Each of the activities introduces topic material from the unit lesson including self-assessment tools, career research, interview best practices, and industry knowledge development (from a manager standpoint). You may complete one or all of the assignments below, which can be found in your textbook.

 Application Assignment, page 52, #1

 Application Assignment, page 52, #4

 Application Assignment, page 52, #5

BHR 4680, Training and Development 5

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The following is a great website to visit that will help in identifying your current learning style: www.educationplanner.org. The path to access the assessment is provided below.

1. Hover over “Students,” and a dropdown will appear. 2. Click “Self Assessments.” 3. Click “What’s Your Learning Style?” 4. Click “Answer the 20 Questions,” and begin the assessment.

The assessment takes you through a series of 20 questions. Select your best choice, and then click the red apple arrow. Once you complete the 20 questions, your results will appear. Also, keep in mind, you will not be able to save the results or return to the previously answered questions; however, you can print the results. The print feature is available in the upper right-hand corner of the screen.