PART 1: LITERATURE REVIEW
4.8 DEVELOPING HUMAN RESOURCES TRAINING NEEDS .1 Organizational Development
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4.8 DEVELOPING HUMAN RESOURCES TRAINING NEEDS
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Figure 4.1ThePlace of Training and Development in Human Resources Management
(Brinkerhoff in Cheminals, et al. 1998:193) Training materials must be tailored in such a way that the identified gap is bridged. Grobleret al. (2002: 317) suggest three levels at which assessment can be conducted, i.e. organizational analysis, operational analysis and personal analysis.
4.8.3 Organizational Analysis
Organizational analysis includes the examination of organizational goals, resources, the training climate and the scanning of both the internal and external environment to combat threats and weaknesses. The purpose of organizational analysis is to unearth problem areas that may be a factor in staff development and retention.
4.8.4 Operational Analysis
Operational analysis is conducted to determine how a job should be performed. It is imperative for learning organizations to conduct research on a regular basis and to source the data necessary to encourage staff innovation and, thus, to improve organizational efficiency and effectiveness in meeting customers‟ needs. It is through research that organizations replace old technologies with new ones to improve the velocity of production. It is important that staff at operational level “... understand the complexities of global market change without becoming enmeshed in technical minutia” (Wade, 1995:22). Research enables the training material to be updated and the development of new work methods that have an impact on the
Human Resources outputs: quality
productivity effectiveness
Selection Placement Planning Job Design
Organizational Development
Labour Relations
Research & Information Support Remuneration Training & Development
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sustainability of service delivery. The emphasis is not only on the training programme and material, but also on the modes of delivery and the content of the training (Grobler, et al.,2002:318).
4.8.5 Personal Analysis
According to Wade (1995:22) personal analysis focuses on the application of the skills and knowledge acquired by the trainee during the training. Employee assessment, Wade (1995:23) argues, would determine whether the training is of good quality or not. In addition, personal analysis must determine whether or not the problem is with the trainer or the trainee.
If the problem lies with the employee, efforts are made to assist him or her to perform effectively. Performance improvement programmes must be introduced for employees who do not perform as expected after training.
After the above three phases have been completed, training and development can take place.
Carrel et al.(1999:354) note two types of training, namely: on-the-job training and off-the-job training. The former includes training techniques such as job instructions given by an employee‟s supervisor or an experienced co-worker in the form of job orientation, enlarged and enriched job responsibilities and mentorship. The latter refers to the training performed away from the employee‟s immediate work areas. Examples of off-the-job training methods include video tapes, lectures, conferences or discussions and simulation or vestibule training.
These methods allow participants to share experiences; resources which can be useful in their individual organizations (Carrellet al., 1999:318).
Carrellet al. (1999:318) are of the view that training and development can place the novices in an organization at a competitive advantage. During orientation, new employees are trainedto use work procedures effectively in line with their job description, and to observe the organizational rules and other work-related expectations. Chawla and Renesch (1995:145) see orientation as the “...socialization of new employees which must occur on the job concurrently with job skills training under the guardianship of the line supervisor and clearly identified aims of colleagues”.
The essential feature of any HRD and training programme is that trainees are provided with the right sequence of experience and are assisted to understand and learn from that experience (Armstrong, 1991:415). Such a planned experience must be preceded by the organization clearly identifying the aims of its training and development programme. According to Gerber,
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Nel and Van Dyk (1995:462) the purposes of training and development include the following:
To equip the workforce, including disabled persons, with the skills, values and attitudes required to support the development of the economy in the formal and informal sector.
To optimize the training capacity of employees by means of bridging training, the teaching of reading, writing, numeracy, and job and learning skills as well as further training.
Heneman, Schab, Fossun and Dyer (1983:348) regard the following as some of the more immediate goals of particular training programmes:
To orientate new employees to the organization and their jobs;
To improve employee performance levels in their present jobs;
To enable employees to maintain their performance levels as their present jobs change; and
To prepare employees for new jobs.
According to Ghosh and Kumar (1991:151) one of the reasons for undertaking training and development is for the organization to ensure that it achieves the best possible returns from its employees. To this effect, the main objective of any training and development will be to achieve some kind of change in knowledge, skills, experience, behaviour or attitudes, which enhances the effectiveness of the employee (McCracken & Wallace, 2000:286; Torrington, Hall & Taylor, 2002: 401). Specifically, HRD and training will be used to:
Develop individual skills and abilities to improve job performance;
Familiarize employees with new systems, procedure and methods of working; and
Help employees to become familiar with the requirements of their particular job and those of the organization.
It is essential that any HRD and training that are provided are based on a systematic analysis of their contribution to the effectiveness of the organization (Mayo, 2000:7). The following model aims to ensure that this is the case:
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Figure 4.2 A Model for HRD and Training (Ndevu, A.Lle and I.U Lle, Vol 42 no 5.
2007)
4.9 LEARNING APPROACHES (Creating a learning environment)