Personal Development Plan

As I come to the end of my journey of investigating the theories of training and development, I am left with reflecting upon what types of development I will advocate that my future employer provides and/or that I will pursue on my own. Stolovitch (2012) contends that “development is a long range goal to make one more fluent and accurate in one’s professional knowledge and skills over time” (p. 1). In order for one to accomplish this, one has to be committed to being a life-long learner, enhance job experiences, build interpersonal relationships, and frequently reflect upon self-assessments.   

Pace (2010) shares with us a profound quote from Mahatma Ghandi: “You must be the change you wish to see in the world”, which for me means that one must be open to continuing one’s formal and informal education to strengthen one’s leadership ability and/or become a valuable asset for the business/organization one would be representing. Hence, knowledge is power and generally when one knows better, one does better. Moreover, for one to participate in the social and global change movement, one must be current with the available technologies, information, and strategies to assist with whatever one’s quest requires being an effective change agent in the business/organization one is representing.

Consequently, in today’s job market professionals are required to be flexible, be able to multitask, and possibly rotate jobs upon request to build their job experiences. Therefore, to enhance one’s job experiences, one can volunteer for organizations that are similar or that complement the professional that one plans to pursue. Noe (2013) advocates that “volunteering can be used for development; it gives employees an opportunity to manage change, teach others, have a high level of responsibility, and be exposed to other job demands. Another way to enhance one’s job experiences is to be open to temporary job assignments. Noe (2013) posits that temporary job assignments are good for exploring, to test the waters and see if one is in pursuit of the right profession (p.392). Most importantly in accordance to Noe (2013), both “volunteering and temporary assignments are great opportunities to improve team relationships and develop leadership and strategic thinking skills” (p. 393).

Nevertheless, one can possess all the knowledge and skills of a specific professional, but unless one knows how to build interpersonal relationships, then all the knowledge and skills one possesses are useless. Organizations and businesses are realizing the importance of an employee or manager possessing interpersonal skills to their bottom line. Therefore, they are offering mentoring and coaching programs to assist their employees and managers with developing their interpersonal skills, which enables them to interact positively and work effectively with others. It is imperative that my future employer have this type of development program to offer because I am a woman and a minority. Noe (2013) contends that “mentoring programs can help encourage women and minorities who tend to be under represented in leadership positions to develop management skills” (p. 397) In concert with Noe (2013), Pace (2010) argues that “high performing organizations have three times more positive energizers (positive individuals) that leave others feeling inspired, motivated, and full of vitality, than an average organization” (p. 44). Hence, mentoring and coaching programs within an organization can develop positive energizers throughout the organization.

However, sometimes when one has accomplished the short term development goals, one has the tendency to lose sight of the long term goals unless one has implemented a self-assessment element in his or her development strategy. For the reason that I am not currently employed, I must stay focused on both short and long-term goals. I have been fortunate enough to volunteer and except temporary assignments and with each opportunity I always solicit honest feedback. Conversely, Pace (2010) posits that the best strategy for self-reflection is “not to focus on developing one’s weaknesses, instead focus on developing one’s strengths” (p.43). Nonetheless, one can see how being a life-long learner can enhance one’s job experience and provide a foundation for one to build interpersonal relations while staying focus on the initial short and long-term goals through self-reflection.  

References:

Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer) Stolovitch, Harold. (2012). Employee Development. Baltimore, Maryland, USA.

Noe, R. A. (2013). Employee Training and Development. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Irwin.

Pace, A. (2010, January). Unleashing Positivity In The Workplace. Training and Development (T+D), pp. 40-44.

High Tech Training

Globalization has changed the rules of conducting business. Today businesses are required to reach across the oceans to maintain their competitiveness. Organizations must be innovative and forerunners of evolving technologies to recruit, train, and retain top employees, which is vital to the competitiveness and the success of the organizations. Although recruiting and retaining employees are important, training is utilized to “gain a competitive advantage” (Noe, 2013, p. 319) for an organization. Nonetheless, to develop and implement training effectively, one must consider the “costs, needs of the learners, needs of the organization, the existing technology infrastructure, and the types of content” (Dobbs, 2006, p. 504) to be effectively delivered.  Noe (2013) contends that “new technologies have made it possible to reduce the costs associated with delivering training to employees, to increase the effectiveness of the learning environment and to help training contribute to business goals” (p. 319). Some of the new technologies that have influenced the delivery of training, training administration, and training support are computer-based training, e-learning, online learning, , and web-based learning.

Computer-based training (CBT) can be used for online-learning, distant learning, and web-based learning. One of the advantages of CBT is that it does not require Internet connection to deliver training, therefore if an organization does not have an Internet infrastructure it will not hinder their training.  In accordance, Noe (2013) state that “in some CBT training, content are provided stand-alone using software or DVDs. Trainees can still interact with the training content but cannot collaborate with other learners” (p.324). Some of the software development platforms available for training are Learning Management System (LMS), Learning Content Management System (LCMS), and Content Management System (CMS), which allow for the creation, storage, management, and usage of learning content (Dobbs, 2006, p. 507) . In addition, trainers have access to “Open-source software, a relatively new and growing application, which may provide financial savings” (Dobbs, 2006, p. 504) for an organization.

     In sequence, with the global availability of the Internet, online learning, e-learning, and web-based training are popular distribution methods to deliver training. The technologies used when appropriate can be “interactive, problem oriented, relevant to real-world issues, and evoke the learner toward intrinsic motivation” (Dobbs, 2006, p. 502). Similarly, Noe (2013) advocates that “all the training methods can include and integrate into instruction text, interaction using simulations and games, and video, and collaboration using blogs, wikis, and social networks, and hyperlinks to additional resources” (p.324).

Some of the advantages of e-learning according to Noe (2013):

·         That it supports the organization’s business strategy and objectives;

·          It is accessible at any time and any place; training can be delivered to geographically dispersed employees;

·         Training can be delivered faster and to more employees in shorter period of time

·         Practice, feedback, objectives, assessment, and other positive features of a learning environment can be built into the program; learning is enhanced through the use of multimedia

·          Paperwork to training management can be eliminated

·         It can link learners to other content, experts, and peers” (p. 326).

 On the other hand, Noe (2013) discloses through the Table 8.4 Research Results Regarding the Effectiveness of Online Learning:

·         “E-learning is not effective for all learners, especially those with low computer self-efficacy,

·         Online instruction is more effective than face to face classroom instruction for teaching declarative knowledge.

·         Web-based instruction and classroom instruction are equally effective in teaching procedural knowledge.

·         Web-based instructions only appears to more effective than classroom instruction (1) when learners are provided control over content , sequence, and pace (2) in long courses; and (3) when learners are able to practice the content and receive feedback” (p. 329).

Consequently, the presentation methods will determine the use of the aforementioned technologies and the impact on the training. Any of the technologies can be incorporated into a presentation, hands-on, or group building training method. Nevertheless, through the use of the aforementioned technologies Noe (2013) advocates that the learning outcome includes verbal information, intellectual skills, and cognitive strategies. The learning environment has a high objective level, high practice level, high meaningful level, and high feedback level. Moreover, the transfer of training has a high level and the effectiveness has a high level as well (p.355). The cost has a high level but the administrative component has a low level which balances the cost. In sum, more organizations are incorporating technologies into their training because it is more cost effective, and an efficient way to train their employees to maintain the organizations’ global and domestic competitiveness.    

 
 

References:

Dobbs, R. L. (2006). Development Phase of Systematic Training: New Technology Lends Assistance. Advances in Developing Human Resources, 500-513.

Noe, R. A. (2013). Employee Training and Development. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Irwin.

Planning for Needs Assessment

Many organizations are baffled about the success of Southwest Airlines (SWA). According to the owner, Herb Kelleher many have thought that he and his CEO Gary Kelly devised a special formula to create the organization’s continued success. The fact of the matter is that the concept is quite simple, they take care of their employees and the employees take care of the customers. Kelleher (2013) describes the organization’s culture as a “huge mosaic that one is always adding pieces to make it work” (Reigold, 2013). Hence, planning for a needs assessment to maintain the mission of SWA, this is made of “dedication to the highest quality of Customer Service delivered with a sense of warmth, friendliness, individual pride, and Company Spirit” (Southwest Airlines, 2014).

Therefore, to implement a plan for needs assessment for SWA, it would be imperative for all levels of management and the employees involved to be on board with the needs assessment process for the reason of the organization’s culture. SWA’s commitment to its employees’ states,

“We are committed to provide our Employees a stable work environment with equal opportunity for learning and personal growth. Creativity and innovation are encouraged for improving the effectiveness of Southwest Airlines. Above all, Employees will be provided the same concern, respect, and caring attitude within the organization that they are expected to share externally with every Southwest Customer” (Southwest Airlines, 2014).

 In concert,  Noe (2013) contends that “because the goal of needs assessment is to be determine whether training needs exists, who it exists for, and for what tasks training is needed, it is important to include managers, trainers, and employees in the needs assessment process” (p.116).

However, during the investigation of a needs assessment I would ask the SWA executive that initiated my visit these four questions; (1) can you give more background information of the organization’s issue or concern? (2) Can you describe the ideal state? (3) What is the state now? (4) Are these the main goals and will they meet your needs? (Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer) Stolovitch, Harold, 2012). Asking these questions will assist with identifying the actual performance gap and the affecting factors that are causing the gap. Thus, the answers provided by the key stakeholder would determine the strategy of implementing the needs assessment. 

Appropriately, I would probe deeper into the organizational, person, and task analysis phases. The question I would ask in the SWA organizational phase is, do they have experts who can help develop the program content and ensure that everyone understands the needs of the business as the program is developed? My question for the person analysis would be, do the employees have the ability, attitudes, beliefs, and motivation to learn something new? And once these questions are answered, I would proceed to the task analysis phase. Noe (2013) tells us that the “task analysis is a time consuming, tedious process that involves a large time commitment to gather and summarize data from many different persons in the company, including managers, job incumbents, and trainers” (p.135), therefore one can see why I would complete the organizational and person analysis first.

Nonetheless, there are several techniques I would employ to get the necessary information required for SWA’s needs assessment. For the reason that SWA is a very large organization I would incrementally utilizes the techniques of observation, questionnaires, interviews, and online technology. I like using observation especially in situation where customer service is an issue or concern. The only employees that know me and my professional status are upper management, therefore I would be able to observe employees in their work environment without them performing for me. Questionnaires are good because employees can fill them out anonymously, thus providing more truthful answers giving me a more realistic picture of the organization. Interviews are good for uncovering details that may have been revealed through the questionnaires. Finally, online technology has two purposes, the first being that I can conduct surveys via internet and I can provide online training programs to implement the determined task.

In sum, there are many variables that are considered when one is planning for a needs assessment. Noe (2013) contends that a “need assessment is a critical first step in designing new and revising current training courses” (p.112). It dictates the what the “trainees need to learn, what training methods are appropriate, the frequency of the training, how to evaluate the training implemented, and how to facilitate the transfer of training” (Noe 2013, p.115), therefore without a needs assessment organizations such as SWA would lose millions of dollars on training that may not be needed, training that would not be conducive to the business strategy, mission statement, or vision, or training that would not be received positively by the employees or management. Finally, without a needs assessment SWA’s CEO Gary Kelly would not be able to boast, “Our people are our single greatest strength and most enduring longterm competitive advantage” (Southwest Airlines, 2014).

    

 

 References:

Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer) Stolovitch, Harold. (2012). Introduction to Performance Improvement. Baltimore, Maryland.

Noe, R. A. (2013). Employee Training and Development. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Irwin.

Reigold, J. (2013, January 14). Southwest Herb Kelleher: Still crazy after all these years. Retrieved from Fortune : http://management.fortune.cnn.com/2013/01/14/kelleher-southwest-airlines/

Southwest Airlines. (2014, May 13). About Southwest Airlines :The Mission of the Southwest Airlines. Retrieved from Southwest Airlines: http://www.southwest.com/html/about-southwest/index.html?tab=5

The Truth About Training

 I understand that your previous experience with training clouded your judgment about its importance. I get that you feel that training is too complicated and really not necessary.

 

 

Please, let me share with you why I think differently. Globalization, evolving technology, and a slow recovering economy has forced organizations to change their perspective business strategy, which in most cases are designed to influence the organization’s “physical capital like technology and equipment, financial capital such as assets and cash reserves, and human capital, the employees” (Noe, 2013, p. 60). Although, most organizations are focused on achieving their financial bottom-line. However, other organizations are focused on “goals related to employee satisfaction, industry position, and community service” (Noe, 2013, p. 60). Training formally such as in a structured environment like a classroom and informally, for example in one’s work or home environment is designed to help employees develop the skills needed to perform their jobs (Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer) Stolovitch, Harold , 2013), which directly affects the financial bottom-line of the business.

Moreover, “giving employees the opportunity to learn and develop creates a positive work environment that supports the strategy of the business by attracting talented employees, as well as motivating and retaining current employees” (Noe, 2013, p. 60), thereby providing the business with a competitive advantage. 

Do you still feel the same way about training?

References:

Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer) Stolovitch, Harold . (2013). The truth about training. Baltimore, Maryland.

Noe, R. A. (2013). Employee Training and Development. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Irwin.