Training and job performance

Résumé du document

In a world where the evolution and the improvement of knowledge and technology are rapidly advancing, training is becoming more and more important in the business world. Today, the question that faces an individual or an organization is how to keep performing at a level of excellence. It is within this framework that we ask what specific impact training has on the level of job performance, and also which conditions must be brought together in order to produce a positive link between the two variables.

Extraits

[...] This means acquiring knowledge and skills. Sometimes this acquisition is needed as a result of some organizational change such as new technology; sometimes it is necessary if an individual is to change position within the organization either by lateral transfer or by promotion. So we arrive to a definition of training. In essence, training is the acquisition of the technology which permits employees to perform the standard. Thus training may be defined as experience, a discipline that causes people to acquire new, predetermined behaviors.” Whenever employees require new behaviors, then we need a training department. [...]

[...] Of course, an individual training need exists for just one person, or for a very small population. Organizational training needs exist in a large group of employees such as the entire population with the same job classification. This occurs, for example, when all clerks must be trained in a new procedure, or all managers in a new policy. A manager in a specialized department, however, may develop an individual training need when some new technology is introduced into that field, or when performance as a manager reveals the incomprehension of one facet of good managerial practice. [...]

[...] Moreover, as much as possible, the learning should be measured on an objective basis. Finally, analyze the evaluation results statistically so that leaning can be proven in terms of correlation or level of confidence.” These guideposts indicate that the evaluation of learning is more difficult than the evaluation of reaction. The third step consists in the transition between learning and changes in behavior on the job. According to an article by Professor Robert Katz, if people are going to change their job behavior, the following requirements must exist; they must want to improve, they must recognize their own weaknesses, they must work in a permissive climate, they must receive help from someone who is interested and skilled, and, finally, they must have an opportunity to try out new ideas. [...]

[...] We are going to consider why many training efforts fail. Research and experience suggest that many training efforts fail to produce the desired results because of one or more of these reasons: no prior assessment was made to determine participant's current knowledge or skill level, the scope was too broad or covered too many topics, the content was not presented in a logical fashion, the time frame was unrealistic for the amount of material to be covered, the methodology was inappropriate, the course content was too conceptual or again there was too much time between the training and the opportunity to apply the training. [...]

[...] We can cite, for example, reinforcement, rewards and recognition. Other actions could be: determine job-specific standards, provide a special training for supervisors, make reinforcement an ongoing process, identify ways to reinforce, provide flexibility to supervisors, provide meaningful rewards, increase the amount of praise, determine strategies for putting employees in the spotlight, and finally, use and identify special reinforcement tools. Finally, we will try to explain how to increase the effectiveness of training. 1995, the Bureau of Labor Statistics estimated that over $ 55.8 billion was spent annually on employer-provided training in both the public and private sectors. [...]