1. A Systematic Approach To Training
Dr. Steve
Training & Development
INP6325
This lecture will serve as an advanced organizer for future lectures. (hooks to hang later material on). I’ll go over the process, but not in detail. The details will come in later lectures.

2. Systems Approach to Training
Systems Theory – Darwinian model applied to organizations
Orgs must adapt to their environment to survive
Specify
Objectives
Control learning
experiences to
achieve objectives
Specify Criteria
For Acceptable
performance
Evaluate
Feedback

3. Benefits of Systems Approach
Feedback helps modify and improve training program
Treats training program as a complex system of interacting parts
Forces one to think about how a change in one component affects the other components
Focuses on process rather than outcome
Views training program as a system within a larger system
Is program meeting its goals – should be asked at every step
ex: how does changing the medium affect the ability of the training to adapt to new objectives? Ex: videotape of a successful lecture, may not me successful
By focusing on process can track goals and make informal org’l decisions. If focus solely on outcome, then may reward faulty processes that led to concidental positive outcome
Training affects the entire organization and the organization and environment affect the training program

4. Generic Training Development Model
Validity Levels
Needs Assessment
Evaluation
Org Support
Org Analysis
Req’ment Analysis
Task Analysis
Person Analysis
Training
Validity
Transfer
Validity
Development
Of Criteria
Reaction
Learning
Behavioral
Results
Instructional
Objectives
Intra-Org’l
Validity
Selection
And Design
Of Instructional
Programs
Inter-Org’l
Validity
Use of
Evaluation
Models
Training

5. Phase 1: Needs Assessment
Organizational Support
Make friends with P.O.C.
Establish liaison teams/work groups
Gain acceptance by supervisors and employees
Minimize intrusiveness
Follow org’s rules, norms, policies

6. Phase 1: Needs Assessment
Organizational Analysis – Determine the general goals of the organization (not just training)
Determine what org goals are because training may not be the solution
Potential questions (Schuler 1994)
Is there a sufficient supply of people?
How do you attract, retain, and motivate a diverse workforce?
How do you compete for individuals with the right KSAs?
What do your employees need to do for the org to be competitive?
Might find that promotion, job design, or selection are better ways to obtain org goals
Make sure that the system will support the training throughout. If supervisors do not provide workers the opportunity to use their trained skills, then the training becomes short circuited.

7. Phase 1: Needs Assessment
Requirements Analysis
What jobs are being examined?
Who are the SMEs for each job?
What methods will be used to collect information?
What is the target job?

8. Phase 1: Needs Assessment
Task and KSA Analyses – Analysis of the job for which individuals will be training
Basic Steps
Job Description – Specify duties and conditions in which job is performed.
Task Specification – The what, how, to whom or what, and why of the job.
Professor: Disseminates information through lectures and discussions to college students to prepare them for careers in their profession
KSA requirements – What KSAs are necessary to perform the tasks described?

9. Phase 1: Needs Assessment
Person Analysis – Determine characteristics of group to be trained
What do they already know?
What is the criteria for performance?
Who needs the training?
Everyone?
New employees?
Specific dept?
Those with poor evaluation?
Those using new equipment?
Those needing refresher?

10. Phase 1: Needs Assessment
Instructional Objectives – Specify what trainee should be able to do or know upon completion of training
Use to determine behavioral criteria for evaluation
List the behaviors required for effective performance

11. Phase 2: Training Development
Choosing the training environment
Match the medium to the learning objectives
Common error – using existing training program/technology and simply modifying it w/out considering objectives
Training should be guided by learning principles
Acquisition – knowledge, skills, abilities, attitudes
Transfer – applying what is learned to the job
Learning principles derived from various disciplines (cognitive psych, behaviorism, education, etc.)
Misuse of VR in VETE project, or student taking video version of course watches all 15 hours of video just before taking the test.
Current trend is cognitive psych approach to learning, using info processing model and covering topics such as attentional workload, mental models, naturalistic decision making,
- however, do not discount the power of the behavioral principles of reinforcement, skill maintenance, extinction, etc.

12. Phase 3: Evaluation Determine whether training helped meet goals
Should use systems approach to provide feedback for program improvements/modifications
Process
Establish criteria – how will you know training was successful
Performance standards determined during needs assessment
Behavior req’d to show proficiency & conditions of performance
Ex: typist training – measure improvement in WPM, errors, etc.
Assess improvement and transfer
Separate criteria for training performance & job performance
Most orgs do not evaluate their training, therefore do not know whether it is actually effective.
For example: if a university develops a course for freshmen to help retain them, then you’ll need to evaluate 4 years later to see whether a group receiving the course was more likely to graduate.

13. Phase 3: Evaluation Criteria Reaction – opinion of trainees (survey)
Learning – mastery of training material (test)
Behavioral – trainee job performance (ratings)
Results – org profit by training ($$$$)

14. Phase 3: Evaluation Goals – empirical test of whether goals are met:
Training Validity – did trainees learn desired skill?
Transfer Validity – were trainees able to use that skill on the job?
Intraorganizational Validity – do later training groups perform as well as original trained group?
W/in org comparison
Interorganizational Validity – can training program be successfully used in other orgs?
Between org comparison

15. Phase 3: Evaluation
Experimental design – depends on goal you are trying to meet
Individual differences – compare differences in training performance to job performance
Can then use scores as a selection tool
Problem is that doesn’t necessary mean training helped, good trainees may be good workers
Content validity – did training target correct KSAs?
Empirical data then used to determine training effectiveness and needs for modification
Changes in content, medium, transfer, etc.