500-Word Business Memo
PRINTED BY: [email protected]. Printing is for personal, private use only. No part of this book
may be reproduced or transmitted without publisher's prior permission. Violators will be prosecuted.
So that employees can increase their ability to contribute to successful growth, Facebook provides them with
the right kind of training. Training consists of an organization’s planned efforts to help employees acquire job-
related knowledge, skills, abilities, and behaviors, with the goal of applying these on the job. A training
program may range from formal classes to one-on-one mentoring, and it may take place on the job or at remote
locations. No matter what its form, training can benefit the organization when it is linked to organizational
needs and when it motivates employees.
Training
An organization’s planned efforts to help employees acquire job-related knowledge, skills, abilities, and
behaviors, with the goal of applying these on the job.
This chapter describes how to plan and carry out an effective training program. We begin by discussing how to
develop effective training in the context of the organization’s strategy. Next, we discuss how organizations
assess employees’ training needs. We then review training methods and the process of evaluating a training
program. The chapter concludes by discussing some special applications of training: orientation of new
employees and the management of diversity.
Training Linked to Organizational Needs
The nature of the modern business environment makes training more important today than it ever has been.
Rapid change, especially in the area of technology, requires that employees continually learn new skills. The
new psychological contract, described in Chapter 2 , has created the expectation that employees invest in their
own career development, which requires learning opportunities. Growing reliance on teamwork creates a
demand for the ability to solve problems in teams, an ability that often requires formal training. Finally, the
diversity of the U.S. population, coupled with the globalization of business, requires that employees be able to
work well with people who are different from them. Successful organizations often take the lead in developing
this ability.
With training so essential in modern organizations, it is important to provide training that is effective. An
effective training program actually teaches what it is designed to teach, and it teaches skills and behaviors that
will help the organization achieve its goals. To achieve those goals, HR professionals approach training
through instructional design —a process of systematically developing training to meet specified needs.
2
LO 7-1
Discuss how to link training programs to organizational needs.
Instructional Design
A process of systematically developing training to meet specified needs.
A complete instructional design process includes the steps shown in Figure 7.1 . It begins with an assessment of
Fundamentals of Human Resource Management https://jigsaw.vitalsource.com/api/v0/books/0078095654/print?from=19...
1 of 3 7/12/17, 6:05 PM PRINTED BY: [email protected]. Printing is for personal, private use only. No part of this book
may be reproduced or transmitted without publisher's prior permission. Violators will be prosecuted.
the needs for training—what the organization requires that its people learn. Next, the organization ensures that
employees are ready for training in terms of their attitudes, motivation, basic skills, and work environment.
The third step is to plan the training program, including the program’s objectives, instructors, and methods.
The organization then implements the program. Finally, evaluating the results of the training provides feedback
for planning future training programs. For an example of a company that effectively uses this process, see the
“ Best Practices ” box.
Figure 7.1: Stages of Instructional Design
Fundamentals of Human Resource Management https://jigsaw.vitalsource.com/api/v0/books/0078095654/print?from=19...
2 of 3 7/12/17, 6:05 PM PRINTED BY: [email protected]. Printing is for personal, private use only. No part of this book
may be reproduced or transmitted without publisher's prior permission. Violators will be prosecuted.
Fundamentals of Human Resource Management https://jigsaw.vitalsource.com/api/v0/books/0078095654/print?from=19...
3 of 3 7/12/17, 6:05 PM
