Training, Development, and Career Management - Essay Example

Training, Development, And Career Management Introduction Training and development has a unique role to play for all the organizations in the attainment of the goals and objectives by incorporating both the work force and the organizational interests (Werner, 2011). Currently, organizations require training programs to boost their efficiency and effectiveness. Essentially, the main aim why organizations provide training programs is to equip the workers with skills to make them work better. Trained workers boost the performance higher and ensure the organization produces quality products and services within a given time. In other words, skilled workers exploit their potentials and careers thus providing best customer service. Shelton Manufacturings approach to training Like any other performing organization, Shelton Manufacturing Company has adopted training and development programs. This is to help it increase its performance and quality of services. To enjoy the fruits of quality services, the industry has adopted a systematic approach to training its workers. First and foremost, the industry has identified the importance of training to the organization. The introduction of new machines that would triple the speed of operations requires new skills to operate. This requires that the workers, who initially worked on the old machines, should be trained on how to operate the new machines to make them productive. For this reason, the organization has organized for the program to equip the workers will the required skills. The main objective of the program is to inform the workers why the industry should adopt the use of new machines. This will help them feel secure in their jobs. Training also familiarizes the workers with the new machines and makes the friendly operate (Rothwell, 2005). Types of training needs assessment process According to Sims (2008), the main aim of conducting a training needs assessment help in identifying performance requirement as well as the knowledge, abilities and skills required by the industry’s workforce to attain its requirements. A needs assessment refers to that process of identifying the gap between the current performance and the required performance. In case there is a difference, the process tries to investigate the causes and reasons for the existence, and thus looking for ways to get rid of it. This can be done within three levels: organizational, occupational and individual assessments. The possible training needs assessment processes are (Rothwell, 2005): Determining the industrial benefits of needs assessment- this portion of the process sells and helps the stakeholders and the decision makers understand the idea of the needs assessment. The needs assessment, especially based non crucial behaviors, with a defined company mission would contribute to both occupational and performance requirements. Shelton Manufacturing Company was introducing an inevitable change that was very sensitive to the organization. However, this process could help the organization: Get rid of redundant training efforts Reduce substantially irrelevant and unnecessary costs of training Promote the managers, especially Ben, to identify performance that could be most appropriate In order for the industry to go beyond just learning and get critical behaviors, it has to put into consideration how the required drivers would sustain the desired results. Planning- successful needs assessment mainly depends on careful planning. Ben, with his team, initiated a training program having seen the need. In order to complement the industrial requirements and standards, they planned how the process would be done. First, they set the targets and prepared a project plan. This includes inviting an expert team from other organizations to facilitate the process. Conducting needs assessment-this is a continuous process Shelton company will do to ensure the efficiency of the process. This involves obtaining needs assessment date, for instance reviewing strategic plans or reviewing job descriptions for all the workers. The organization identified the reinforcement drivers needed to implement the critical behaviors. The outcome of the process allows Mr. Sage to set determine the training objectives by giving answers to these basic questions: what should be done, and why now? Changes to make to determine the training needs An assessment of Shelton’s capability to develop performance: even though it is good to measure the performance of the new machines from those that have used before, the industry should first evaluate its ability (Werner, 2011). It may be a big blow for the company to embrace change only to realize it is too expensive for the company. Shelton, therefore, should define its competency levels by looking at the employee ranks and map out clearly their careers. When this is done, workers’ performance evaluations may be scaled to various job descriptions. This is cheap and effective internal assessment. Evaluating the effectiveness of the training Reaction: this is how the workers react to the training itself. It is obvious that successful training is accompanied by joy, positive response and change in attitude. Therefore, negative reaction means the training was ineffective while positive reaction is a sign of good training. Learning and behavior: this is determining how much knowledge the workers gained. Essentially, learning brings a change in behavior. If there is no behavior change, then learning did not take place, hence the training was ineffective. Workers will use the new machines in the industry to show they welcomed the training. Results: the output of their efforts determines the effectiveness of the training. Should the results decline, then it is a sign of inefficiency of the training, and if the results increase, its shows efficacy of the program. If I were a training manager, I would follow the following steps: Identify the needs of the organization- this is by analyzing the organization in terms of its needs. Although they may be many, I choose the most pressing needs, for this case, introducing new machines to improve efficiency. Meeting the needs- this is using the necessary procedures to get the machinery to meet the needs. Because of the complexity of the organization structure, I organize on-job training programs. Workers will be trained whilst using the machineries. This will be done most frequently because of the complexities of the machine. Evaluation will be done at every instance. This will be simpler and cheaper than sourcing several instructors outside the organization (Rothwell, 2005). Conclusion Having all said and done, training is a mandatory requirement for all organizations. However, before implementing the training programs, organizations should assess and evaluate its abilities. Workers should be informed about the program to avoid wastage of resources and the program being neglected (Werner, 2011). Lastly, training should be aimed at improving the performance. Should it yield nothing, organizations should source other alternatives. References Rothwell, W. (2005). Career Planning and Succession Management. NY: Cengage Learning. Sims, R. (2008). Reinventing Training and Development. Cambridge University: Cambridge University Press. Werner, J. (2011). Human Resource Development. London: Sage. Read More