Lecture #2

Managerial decisions and org practices informed by the best available scientific evidence

Generalizable about cause-effect connections derived from scientific sources

org-specific, as evidenced by root-cause analysis and other fact based approaches

• critically examine the quality of data and methods
• seek collective wisdom
• contextualize evidence and isolate variations
• make time to access new evidence
• create a culture of evidence-based decision making

What do we want to have happen to the trainees?

• 20% of all money spent on training transfers to the job
• Knowing-doing gap

• Focus now on supporting business strategy
• Shift from pure training to performance mgmt
• Must form a learning organization

• W/O motivated learners, training programs will fail
• Motivation to learn is highly related to KSB gains AND perceived utility of training

• If you don't use it, you'll lose it
• Very few firms offer refresher training

• What happens before and after training matters
• Must promote a transfer climate (managerial support and situational constraints)

People learn more by informal means

• Needs analysis from all three levels is necessary
• Lack of alignment with the firm's strategy is a primary contributor of low levels of transfer

• Can't do - training can help due to the lack of KSBs
• Won't do - probably not an issue for training, but one more motivation

• Org analysis - where are we offering training and why
• Person analysis - who is going to be trained
• Task analysis - what is going into the training program

Answers Alignment of training & business strategy, Availability of resources, Managerial & employee support

Where we find the answers: Org. goals, objectives, & budgets; labor inventories & workforce analyses; Efficiency indices & climate surveys

Questions answered: Important tasks & KSB that need to be trained, Type (technique) of training that is necessary

Where we find the answers: Job descriptions or performance standards; Observation, interviews, literature reviews

• personal characteristics
• work context characteristics

• basic skills
• cognitive ability

Both matter. Can't do much about cognitive ability, but can change basic skills (which is a better predictor of learning)

• Speak positively about company’s training programs
• Explain why & how training relates to the job
• Provide feedback when employees attempt to use training content on the job
• Encourage a peer group mentality
• Ensure time & opportunities to practice & apply learning

belief that one has the capacity to successfully learn the content of the training program

• Strong predictor of training success and on the job performance
• Good training programs should increase self-efficacy

• Help people understand that the purpose of training is to try to improve performance (vs. identify incompetence) (assigning people to training could have a minor negative impact of self-efficacy)
• Provide as much information as possible about the training program & purpose of training before hand
• Show or describe peers’ training success in similar jobs
• Provide feedback that learning is under their control
• Explain that they have the ability & responsibility to overcome any learning difficulties

Utility perception of something (in this case, training)

Less important

• Select the job(s) or work role(s) to be analyzed
• Develop a preliminary list of tasks that the job requires
• Validate or confirm the preliminary list of tasks
• Identify the KSs necessary for successful performance of each task