Chapter 7 Flashcards
Definition of training
Formal procedures to facilitate learning in line with organizational skills.
Definition of (informal) learning
Key to training, occurs through socialization, it is a change in behavior due to experience.
Assessing training needs (levels of analysis)
Organization, job/task, and person/demographic
Feedback & active learning
Learners should actively participate in the training process (practice behaviors, take notes, discuss materials) Give timely and useful performance feedback (best if it immediately follows the behavior)
Whole vs. part of sequencing content
Whole: train entire sequence of behaviors for a task (best for training short and interdependent tasks - riding a bike)
Part: break task into components (best for complex tasks - golf, driving a car)
Massed vs. distributed practice
To cram or spread out training?
Massed practice is best for learning, distributed best for retention
Meaningfulness of material
More meaning = better learning, relevance to workers is important.
Overlearning
Continued practice even after having mastered training content (makes behavior automatic) Overlearning improves retention
Transfer of training (know how to increase transfer)
Extent to which training content is applied to one’s job (ultimate goal of training) Can be positive (good things) or negative.
Identical elements theory
Similarity between training and work situations (fidelity) improves transfer
Fidelity definition
similarity of physical/mental processes between training and the actual job
On-site vs. off-site (PC)
On-site training: conducted in the workplace P - maximizes transfer (training into job environment) trainees can produce for organization during training but… C - success depends on using current employees as trainers
Off-site training: not conducted at the workplace (home?) P - fewer interruptions for current employees, uses professional trainers or pre-planned content but… C- more difficult to achieve transfer back to the real setting where you will be working
Coaching training
one-on-one developmental relationship with coach/mentor where the coach provides advice and feedback and helps in goal setting as well as promoting collaboration outside of supervisor relationship.
Distance learning/e-learning training
Involves auto instruction or blended methods, breaks content down into logical sequence, tests content in modules, provides immediate feedback.
- Pros: work at own pace, short training times and requires no travel
- Cons: high front-end (development) costs, weak fidelity
Simulators/VR training
Designed to mimic physical and psychological context of job (high fidelity)
Can be high cost, but not as much as crashing an F-14, running over pedestrians, etc.
Kirkpatrick’s taxonomy
consists of 4 levels: Reaction, learning, behavior, and results. It can be used to evaluate either formal or informal learning and can be used with any style of training
Internal criteria
- Reaction criteria: attitudinal reactions to training (like it? hate it? useful?)
- Learning criteria: mastery of training content (immediate knowledge gained)
External criteria
- Behavioral criteria: on-the-job changes; transfer (does the employee apply training content to the job?)
- Results criteria: pay-off to org; utility analysis (1) do performance improvements outweigh training costs (2) all about the bottom-line $$
Control group designs
Random assignment of employees into conditions > deliver training to training condition/deliver no training to control group > assess trained condition on criteria/assess control condition on criteria
Pre-posttest designs
Assess criteria before and after training in one group
Pretest assessment → training delivery → posttest assessment
Solomon 4-group designs
uses four groups to assess the effects of a treatment while also addressing the potential influence of pretest sensitization
Organization analysis (training needs)
Where is training needed in the organization? Compare organizational performance to short and long term goals.
Job/Task analysis (training needs)
What tasks, duties or jobs need to be trained? Training focuses on KSAOs needed to perform tasks/jobs.
Person/demographic analysis
Who needs training? Various groups may need special training (computer-related training for older employees, communication training for non-native English speakers)
Learning vs. retention
Learning = acquiring of new information
Retention = maintaining and using the knowledge in the future.
