Section

1

The Environment
of Human Resource
Management 1

Section
Jobs and
Labor 121

Chap t e r

8

2

Section

3

Talent
Development 279

Section

4

Compensation
399

Section

5

Employee
Relations 527

Training Human
Resources

Learning Objectives
After you have read this
chapter, you should be
able to:
LO1 Define training
and discuss why a
strategic approach is
important.

LO2 Explain the major
categories of
training and describe
instructional systems
design.

LO3 Identify three types
of analyses used to
determine training
needs.

LO4 Specify how to design
a training program for
adult learners.

LO5 Explain different
means of internal
and external training
delivery.

LO6 Provide an example
for each of the four
levels of training
evaluation.

What’s Trending in

Training

Ensuring that workers are capable of fulfilling job responsibilities and contributing to the organization’s success is a major focus of training initiatives.
The ever-changing business environment s some exciting challenges
regarding how companies maintain and upgrade workers’ knowledge and
skills. Current aspects of the business environment impact training in the
following ways.
1. The explosion in technology has led to dramatic changes in how companies
deliver training. The process of learning “on the go” in brief, accessible
modules is starting to replace more traditional methods.
2. Viewing training as an investment rather than a cost changes what
leaders and utives expect from training programs. The introduction
of data analytics offers trainers the opportunity to prove the value of
training with solid data and metrics.
3. Ongoing skill gaps are being identified between what is needed to perform
today’s jobs and the lack of qualified people to fill them. Nearly half of the
utives of U.S. firms cite skill gaps as a major source of concern for
their organization.
4. Tracking and recognizing employees’ learning achievements highlights
the importance of skill and knowledge acquisition to both employers and
employees. Companies are finding ways to reward employees with virtual
badges and other forms of recognition for completing training programs.1

280

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Editorial review has deemed that any suppressed content does not materiall
...

...
hose who were not trained, the manager can be reasonably sure that
the training was effective.
Organizations invest billions of dollars and countless hours in training employees. These investments should support the goals of the organization and result in
benefits to both the employees and the company. Thoughtful design, delivery, and
evaluation of training offer the greatest probability of achieving success.

Summary
•
•
•
•

•
•
•

Training is a process that provides people with
the capabilities they need to do their jobs.
A strategic approach to training links
organizational strategies and HR planning to
various training efforts.
Training affects factors such as organizational
competitiveness, knowledge management,
revenue, and performance.
Global strategies must consider training as a key
component, including intercultural competence
training to prepare employees to respond more
appropriately to situations encountered during
global assignments.
Four types of training are regular, basic/
remedial skills, job/technical, and soft skills.
The instructional systems design process
consists of five phases: assessment, design,
development, implementation, and evaluation.
Training needs can be assessed using

•
•
•
•

•
•

organizational, job/task, and individual
analyses, and then training objectives can be set
to help the organization meet those needs.
Training design must consider learner readiness,
learning styles, and learning transfer.
Training can be delivered internally, through
external means, or via a combination of both.
Use of technology in training is increasing, and
organizations should assess the pros and cons
before adopting new technologies.
Various organizations are taking advantage
of training that uses technology such as webbased multimedia, mobile devices, MOOCs,
simulation, and games.
Training can be evaluated at four levels:
reaction, learning, behavior, and results.
Training evaluation metrics may include
cost–benefit analysis, ROI analysis, and
ing.

Copyright 2017 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part. Due to electronic rights, some third party content may be suppressed from the eBook and/or eChapter(s).
Editorial review has deemed that any suppressed content does not materially affect the overall learning experience. Cengage Learning reserves the right to remove additional content at any time if subsequent rights restrictions require it.