Essay on "Training and Development Components to Organizational Structure"

Essay 16 pages (4961 words) Sources: 8

[EXCERPT] . . . .

Training and Development

Components to organizational structure

In their Effective training, systems, strategies and practices, Blanchard and Thacker (2010) identify three major components of the organizational structure. Each of them is crucial to the success of the economic entity, and they refer to the following:

The organizational design

The decision autonomy, and last

The division of labor.

The organizational design represents the manner in which the economic agent strives to integrate all of the organizational resources in a manner in which they function together to attain the overall organizational purpose. The resources to be integrated include primarily technologies, information and people and the scope of the organizational design is that of insuring proper interactions between them so that the organizational goals are attained (Autry, 1996).

The decision autonomy revolves around the granting of freedom in the process of decision making. This decision autonomy is mostly important in the management of the human resource as it in fact represents a motivator for the economic agents. Change processes are better implemented within the organizational setting when people are involved in the change and the ability to make decisions serves this purpose; it motivates the employees and it increases the company's chances of attaining its objectives.

The division of labor refers to the organization of the company tasks and the labor force in a manner in which the people handle the tasks for which they are best trained. The proper division of labor within the economic agent is the guarantee of operational efficiency, in the meaning that it ensures that each task is handled by the person most skilled to do so.

References:

Autry, R.H., 1996, What is organizational design? Inovus, http://www.inovus.com/organiza.htm last accessed on October 5, 2011

Blanchart, N.P., Thacker, J.W., 2009, Effective training: systems, strategies and practices, 4th edition, Prentice Hall

2. The model of training processes

The model of training process was initially developed to improve the skills and capabilities of the organizational employees. Gradually however, it became more than a simple tool to manage the employees -- it became a complex problem solving tool. The model of training processes is an integrated effort to develop not only the employees, but the company itself. Trained employees are not only better skilled and able to perform their tasks, but they are also more proactive, more involved and more innovative. They as such support the company in attaining its objectives. In such an understanding then, the model of training is a crucial part of business growth and change (Clavelle, 2008).

The training model is implemented through five gradual stages, as follows: the needs analysis phase, the design phase, the development phase, the implementation phase and the evaluation phase. At each stage, specific considerations are made:

At the first stage, the organization and the employees are observed in order to identify training needs

At the second stage, emphasis is placed on the design of a program which would serve the needs previously identified

At the third stage, the design created is developed in a realistic manner and actual materials are developed, such as charts, videos and other materials to be used in the training process

At the fourth stage, the training process is actually implemented

At the final stage, the results of training processes are evaluated to ensure that the training processes lead to the attainment of the objectives for which they were created.

References:

Autry, R.H., 1996, What is organizational design? Inovus, http://www.inovus.com/organiza.htm last accessed on October 5, 2011

Clavelle, J., 2008, Five steps to any raining process, Article Base, http://jarrodclavelle.articlesbase.com/training-articles/five-steps-to-any-training-process-389781.html last accessed on October 5, 2011

3. Social learning theory

The social learning theory was initially formulated by Albert Bandura and it centers on the idea that people learn and develop by observing those around them, and by learning from them. The theory is based on the belief that people observe those like them in terms of how they behave is specific situations, and then, later on, they implement the same behavior they witnessed. In some instances, the people will implement a behavioral model based on the observation of previous situations, yet tailored to their specifics and personal features (Learning Theories, 2008).

The underlying principle at the basis of social learning theory is that people learn by observing the behaviors of others, and then observing the consequences of those behaviors. Then, a second principle is represented by the statement that people can learn without incurring change in their lives; also, the lessons learnt through observations might or might not materialize in an actual change at the level of the individual. Finally, the third principle is that of the important role played by cognition in the learning process. Throughout the past recent years, the role of cognition in learning has increased dramatically and it is now asserted that people learn through awareness and expectations of future enforcements (The University of Texas at Austin).

In order for the social learning theory to actually manifest and for the people to learn and develop through observations, four criteria have to be met. First of all, people have to pay attention; then, they have to remember what they observed; third, they have to reproduce the observed behaviors and fourth, they have to be motivated to reproduce the behavior observed (Learning Theories, 2008).

References:

2008, Social learning theory, Learning Theories, http://www.learning-theories.com/social-learning-theory-bandura.html last accessed on October 5, 2011

Social learning theory, The University of Texas at Austin, http://teachnet.edb.utexas.edu/~Lynda_abbot/Social.html last accessed on October 5, 2011

4. Definitions of learning

The learning process is as old as humanity itself, and even older. It is present in all life forms and it is complex and intricate. And in order to ensure that the researchers provide an extended analysis and understanding of the concept, they assess it from numerous angles. Two of the more representative angles in analyzing learning are the behavioral stance and the cognitive stance.

From the cognitive standpoint, learning is viewed as a process through which people learn and develop by placing great emphasis on the though processes. The underlying principle of the cognitive approach is that people are logical and rational beings, who will make the choices which best suit them. In order to make those choices, they will undergo internal thinking processes, through which they learn, evolve and become able to make the most adequate decisions (Fritscher, 2011).

From the behavioral standpoint, learning is understood as a process of gaining knowledge from the interactions with the environment. According to this definition of learning, the individual witnesses and experiences with various instances, which are then transformed into lessons. This lesson which is learned leads to a change in the behavior of the individual, or at least to the possibility of change in behavior occurring in the future.

At the training level, the implications include the different approaches taken by trainers. In the context of the cognitive learning, trainers will focus on the acquisition of knowledge, the role of internal processes, thinking and memory. In the case of the behavioral stance however, trainers will focus on experiences, change, stimuli and efforts to modify the behavior (Sykronix).

References:

Fritscher, L.., 2011, Cognitive theory, About, http://phobias.about.com/od/glossary/g/cognitivethedef.htm last accessed on October 5, 2011

Behavioral learning, Sykronix, http://www.sykronix.com/tsoc/courses/cb/cb_beh.htm last accessed on October 5, 2011

5. Approaches to the training needs analysis

Training is, without a doubt, a key success factor in the organization's path to attaining its overall objectives. And the first and foremost important step of the training process is represented by the identification of the training needs of an economic agent, through a training needs analysis (TNA). The adequate TNA ensures that the right people would be offered the right training programs and that the objectives will as such be accomplished.

Economic agents are presented with two alternative approaches to the training needs analysis -- the proactive approach and the reactive approach (Blanchart and Thacker, 2009). The reactive approach is based on the analysis of the staff members and their skills and capabilities. What is generically looked for is the ability of the employees to perform the tasks assigned to them. If the employees possess the required characteristics to complete their job responsibilities, then there is no need for training programs. On the other hand however, if the employees are not sufficiently skilled or knowledgeable to complete their professional duties, then there is a need for training. If the job responsibilities cannot be completed for reasons such as under-developed technologies or commodity shortages, these do not raise training needs, but other types of organizational needs.

Unlike the reactive approach, the proactive approach to TNA is more hands-on and looks at the future tasks which would have to be completed within the organizational climate. It then identifies the skills, knowledge and abilities required from the individuals who would be completing those tasks. If people with those KSA (knowledge, skills and abilities) do not already exist within the firm, there is a need for training (Phillips and Phillips, 2008).

References:

Blanchart, N.P., Thacker, J.W., 2009, Effective training: systems, strategies and practices, 4th edition,… READ MORE

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