Yahoo Company Training and Career Development - Assignment Example

Yahoo! Company Training and Career Development Yahoo!’s Business Strategy, Training and Development Yahoo! developed a strategy that has kept them competitive and profitable for nearly two decades now based on creation of a brand around innovative technology that individuals would be interested to use alongside continued services and product sophistication as the internet market/users become more sophisticated (Price, 2000). Branding is the backbone of the Yahoo!’s strategy and was achieved through simplicity and imagination which explains even the name Yahoo! itself. The management at Yahoo! realized that the brand had to be flexible i.e. changing appropriately with consumer needs hence the company has been able to grow from a mere search engine content and communication provision to become a major commerce player. The best training and staff development possible is important to Yahoo! for two reasons: to support the brand already in existence and to be able to stay competitive in the fierce employment market where it is easy to lose top employees to rivals. Yahoo! has as a result realized the importance of effective and value additive career development as being intrinsic to their business strategy hence programs that enable individuals to undertake their jobs more effectively have been put in place. Human resource research indicates that optimal performance is dependent on creation of a connection between the employee on one part and the employer and organization on the other. As a result, the training program at Yahoo! is designed to ensure that employees feel that adequate investment is being made on them and it has resulted in Yahoo! experiencing lower staff turnovers in comparison to close rivals (Giber, 2009). Needs Assessment for Yahoo Conducting a needs assessment is the first phase of designing a program for staff training and development, preceding the instructional goals, designing, roll out and appraisal. The activities undertaken here include conducting an organizational assessment to determine the organization’s objectives, conducting an adept task analysis and finally identification and analysis of the individuals that need to be trained alongside establishing the skills and expertise that they need to fulfill their job descriptions. The needs assessment is a description of what is currently available in an organization and what is desired (Miller and Osinski, 2002). The first step in the needs assessment for Yahoo! is its organizational analysis. To begin with, Yahoo! is a big company in terms of operations, market share and workforce and as a result slight changes in the global dynamics can result in massive impacts on its business. The recent global economic decline is thus something that the company needs to address from all angles including human resource. In recent times, Yahoo! has faced stiff competition from rivals especially Google to the extent of losing its position as the market leader hence the goals are to first retain its market share and then win over new followers to the brand to expand its market. New markets are also emerging across the world especially in the developing countries and as an organization Yahoo! is positioning itself strategically to sell the brand to these places. Yahoo!’s new mission statement indicates that the company is charting a path aimed at connection of individuals to their preferred passions, societies and knowledge from around the world which summarizes all the previous organizational analyses and gives a bearing as to what a training program should entail (Lashinsky, 2007). The task analysis is meant to generate information about the knowhow, attitudes and abilities required for optimum performance for particular Yahoo! jobs. A KSA analysis at Yahoo! provides huge insight into what task analysis should contain. Yahoo! has already undergone a change in management therefore what remains is development of the rest of the staff towards the organizational path being charted. Two sections of these employees that particularly need to be addressed are the service delivery and technology/new products development. The highest possible PR skills coupled with adept knowledge of interaction are desirable in the quest to hold onto existing markets and create new ones. Anticipation, imagination, creativity, originality, hard work and cooperation are some of the skills and abilities desirable in development of novel and brand-strengthening technologies. The last part of the needs assessment involves an analysis of the individuals to establish the extent to which the employees meet their job descriptions and expectations, hence specify the need for training and the exact kind of training to be undertaken. Evaluation of performance, problems and observation are important sources of insight into Yahoo! According to Hollahan (2007) Yahoo! as of 2007 had a 13,000 strong workforce but has struggled against small start-ups alongside the traditional major rivals in terms of development of the next generation internet features, web tools and social presence on the internet. This has resulted in millions of dollars being spent in attracting and acquiring the small competitors doing better jobs at attracting the techno-savvy market besides the millions spent in its own technological developments. There is thus a clear need for internal strategic staff development. Learning Theory in the Yahoo! Training Program Training is mainly based on the theoretical framework of andragogy which concerns the preferred learning style for adults. Choy and Delahaye (2002) state that andragogy is learner-based with the role of the teacher being reduced to a facilitator as opposed to pedagogy which is teacher-centered. The framework for andragogy is that adult learners are interested in knowledge, have a self-concept, have prior experience that will have an impact on the training being implemented and are ready and motivated to learn since they realize the need for a life-long learning process. It is clear that this theoretical framework is at work for training at Yahoo! The other theory that guides the training at Yahoo! is Kolb’s experiential learning style which is formulated around experience that is concrete, reflective practice, abstract/critical conceptualization and active experimenting (Zoller and Harrison, 2007). Henke (2001) demonstrates that application of Kolb’s experiential learning style is particularly suited for computer-based-training (CBT) which is the preferred method of training for Yahoo! staff. Learning Process: Computer-Based-Training Yahoo! is an organization deeply embedded in internet technology and a training program that complements this aspect should be computer-based. Two things are of particular importance in this case: the design should balance out the mechanical aspect of instruction with the content being delivered. For Yahoo! training program the learning process is targeted at technological advancement and service delivery departments and since they are all stationed at computers, in-class training will not be necessary. The training objectives and materials will be communicated to them alongside a timeframe and format for organizational and self appraisal. In the case of service delivery, a structured format will be used to deliver the content. The objective for the technology development department will not only be to keep them abreast with the latest advancements but also to spark imagination in them hence reflective-centered training which will make up the bulk of the learning process. Learning Objectives The outcomes of the training program to be implemented are aimed at retaining the existing Yahoo! market share and expanding the brand. In terms of service delivery, user help and response and routine maintenance for the entire Yahoo! products are the specific objectives hence the outcomes in view include enhancing the capacity of each employee to handle more customer concerns than they currently are and doing more than the minimum necessary to give users an impressive and unforgettable experience for each event of interaction that will fortify the brand that Yahoo! is. The outcomes for technology developers include development of top of the range web designs and futuristic tools that will attract the tech-savvy and hippy individuals and keep them loyal to Yahoo! besides creating a buzz in the market. This calls for increased creativity, conceptualization and imagination into next generation web lifestyles. The Training Program, Learning Transfer and Materials According to Chan (2009) designing and developing training programs is a continuous cycle that involves analysis, design, implementation and evaluation. The design part involves planning the sequence, determining the opening and wind down, time planning and segmenting and finally establishing the materials needed for the training. As indicated earlier this training program will be computer-based hence the design will have to depend heavily on smooth and effective flow of communication. For the service delivery staff, each segment of training and accompanied on-job practice will last for 3 days. In the case of technology development staff, their specialization will determine the content of training with emphasis being placed on the most advanced developments in their field and assignments to create novel ideas. One week will be given for scrutiny of the content developed by the best in the industry after which three weeks will be set aside for development of a product either in teams or individually. The entire training program will last for one month. Transfer of training for the Yahoo! staff will be provided for in the program design through clear and specific objectives, case studies, examination of myths and fallacies, performance support tools, analogies, on-job scenarios experienced as the training unfolds, reflective practice, information sharing among the staff and prompt feedback and guidance. Both near transfer and far transfer skills will thus be employed on a practical level with the basic aim being to ensure that the employees internalize the concepts directly from their application in practice (ISPP, 2006). The learning materials for the Yahoo! staff training will be mainly web document formats transmitted electronically for the service delivery employees since they already have access to computers. In the case of the technology development employees, training materials will include software and application tools specific to their field of specialization besides the documents. Training Event The total period for the training will be two months. The first two weeks will be for communication and preparing employees for the oncoming training alongside logistics planning. The next one month will be for the actual training and the last two weeks will involve preliminary evaluation and drafting a report. Each segment for the service delivery staff will last for three days with training flowing from greetings, comprehension of client or user needs, confirmation of comprehension from the service user, value added and useful response, positive and jargon-free response, handling impatient, dissatisfied or angry users and finally conclusion of the interaction. For the technology development staff one week after communication of material and objectives will be given for in depth study and three more weeks will be set aside for practice, inquiry and cooperation with the result being development of a tool, design or application demonstrating imagination and creativity alongside feasibility. Evaluation Two sets of evaluation will be conducted: an immediate one after two weeks for the preparation of a report on the training and a delayed one whose conclusions will be determined after a financial year both of which will depend on goal-based evaluation (Kirkpatrick’s theory) and responsive evaluation (Eseryel, 2002). The first evaluation will depend on observation by the trainers, self reports from the employees themselves and the designed products by the technology development staff. The long term evaluation will be based on customer reviews in terms of improvement of the Yahoo! brand, quality and quantity of technological output and ultimately improvements in business and competitiveness that can be directly or indirectly associated with increased performance from the employees as a result of the training undertaken. The conclusion and resolution made about the training program for Yahoo! staff will be based on this evaluation. A SWOT analysis will be conducted on it which will establish its gains, failures, suggested areas of improvements and ultimately whether another cycle of training will be necessary. References Chan, J. F. (2009). Designing and developing training programs: Pfeiffer essential guides to training basics. John Wiley and Sons. Choy, S., & Delahaye, B. (2002). Andragogy in vocational education and training: Learners’ perspective. Retrieved September 22, 2011 from http://www.avetra.org.au/abstracts_and_papers_2002/choy-delahaye.pdf Eseryel, D. (2002). Approaches to Evaluation of Training: Theory & Practice. Educational Technology & Society, 5 (2). Retrieved September 22, 2011 from http://www.ifets.info/journals/5_2/eseryel.html Giber, D. (2009). Linkage Inc's best practices in leadership development handbook: Case studies, instruments, training. Lastlinkage Inc. John Wiley and Sons. Henke, H. (2001). Learning theory: Applying Kolb’s learning style inventory with computer based training. Retrieved September 22, 2011 from http://www.chartula.com/LEARNINGTHEORY.PDF Holahan, C. (2007). Yahoo Taps Its Inner Startup. Bloomsberg Business Week. Retrieved September 22, 2011 from http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/feb2007/tc20070209_179924.htm ISSP, (2006). A practitioner guide to transfer of learning and training. Retrieved September 22, 2011 from http://www.albany.edu/igsp/pdf/primer_learn%20train_feb07.pdf. Lashinsky, A. (2007). Yahoo's mission quest. Fortune, CNNmoney. Retrieved September 22, 2011 from http://money.cnn.com/2007/02/01/technology/pluggedin_lashinsky_yahoo.fortune/indexhtm Price, C. (2000). The internet entrepreneurs: Business rules are good: Break them. FT Press. P 24-27. Zoller, k., & Harrison, B. (2007). Adult learning theories and practices1. Sierra Training Associates, Inc. (C) 2007. Retrieved September 22, 2011 from http://www.sierra-training.com/pdf/adultlearning.pdf Read More