The paper will evaluate the level of effectiveness of a training program that is being used in Fabrics, Inc. Organization. The focus will be on the phase of the Training Process Model. There will be an evaluation of the performance of Fabrics, Inc. in each of the phases. The procedure for impacting knowledge will only be effective is there is evaluation of the Training Process Model. That entails the realization of the reason why the employees new to learn new things and the strategy that will be used to ensure there is effectiveness and efficiently in the training. The most appropriate training is that which will provide the trainees with the Knowledge, Skills, and Attitudes (KSA) that they can use to improve on their operations and level of performance. The practical training program is effective for the company’s success since the employees will be educated to integrate the skills and knowledge they have gained with the goals and objectives of the company. Regardless of its size, every organization has the same goal of attaining the needed competitive advantage in the market.
Keywords; Market, Training, Skills, Attitude, Process, Model.
The Training Program (Fabrics, Inc.)
Background of Fabrics, Inc.
Fabrics, Inc. began as a tiny company but has been a part of tremendous growth recently. The number of employees has increased in the organization from 40 to 200 while that of the supervisors has increased from 1 to 9. The company's growth made the owners be in a position to promote some of the employees to the position of supervisor. The promotion was done following the ability of the employee to accomplish their daily tasks in situations where no training was being provided. After a while, the organization's executive team realized that there are underlying problems with the employees that has been promoted to the position of supervisors. The newly promoted employees were, in most instances, shouting to other workers, and there was an increase in the number of complaints from the customers that the quality of service being provided was of poor quality. Since the company was experiencing growth, the management decided to seek advice from a consultant. There was a need to create a training design that will provide the newly elected employees with the Knowledge, Skills and Attitudes (KSA) that are important in addressing the problem of their subordinates. The management needs an easy fix and does not consider that other factors could attribute to the issue they are facing in the organization. According to the information that the consultant gave to Fabrics, Inc., it is evident that there is a need for training. Still, it is important to establish the first milestone by stating the reason why training is required in the organization.
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Needs Analysis
In Fabrics' case study, the training need for the nine employees has not been established. That is the main reason why the consultant suggests that there is a need for analysis. The requirement is necessary even when it need not be well-defined (Martin, 2009). The analysis starts with an interview with the owners of the Fabrics Company. The step is essential as it creates an opportunity to establish the direction that the organization is taking. The questions asked by the consultant are regarding the Human Resource System, the transfer, and the promotion of the employees. Also, the questions are concerned with the job design, the rewarding system, and the various practices used to complete the daily operations in the company. The organization analysis of Fabrics, Inc. is effective since it has been established that the organization lacks a mission and the milestones that they are expected to accomplish have not been clearly highlighted. The questions asked by the consultant posits that other internal factors need to be addressed before the initiation of the training program. The organization can only move forward if the owners and managers have an idea and strategies to solve some of the current problems that the organization is experiencing. There is a need to make the most out of the opportunity presented to them (Allan, 2009). The absence of organizational policies, objectives, and procedures will be a threat to creating the most effective training program.
The consultant took another step in carrying out an operational analysis where the focus was to ask the nine supervisors a set of questions. The analysis clarifies that Fabrics, Inc. does not have a set structure in the work environment. All the nine supervisors were engaging themselves in their activities. Some of the question that should have been asked during the analysis process included the following.
What strategies do you use to solve daily work problems?
Who addresses the challenges when they arise?
What process is used in decision-making?
Who is responsible for making the final decision?
What is your personal view of the goals and objectives of the company?
Who take part in training employees that have been newly hired?
What is the criteria that is used in the evaluation of employee’s level of performance?
Are you aware of some of your roles and responsibilities?
Identification of the needs makes it easy to know the objectives of the training. The program needs to be designed such that it addresses the needs of the employees and organization at large. The trainer should create a link between what is needs and what will be accomplished through the training process.
Training Design
The consultant determined some of the areas where the supervisors needed to use training. One of the sections identified is in the provision of feedback. The creation of effective feedback requires planning. The focus is to ensure accuracy and detailed information in the provision of the required feedback. Planning of the feedback will allow the managers to recognize a specific job performance or a particular behavior that needs reinforcing or redirection and realization of the effects that it will have on the organization (Miller and Poertner, 2010). The feedback provides a need for being useful while the information will highlight the advantages of focusing of what is supposed to come and not what has already happened. The main purpose as to why the feedback is very crucial is because it is key in the redirection and reinforcement of the activities. Below are samples of the objectives that are to be a part of the learning process in the training and creation of feedback.
Supervisors will need to learn new skills and knowledge that will assist them in providing effective feedback when they are delivering a performance review to the workers.
Supervisors will learn the various methods that they can use to deliver effective feedback and learn the most appropriate time for the delivery of their feedback.
The supervisors will have to start the training through the completion of a self-assessment. The focus will be on evaluating the current feedback skills. When the training program is over, the supervisors will have to take another self-assessment. The intention will be to evaluate if there are any changes in their response after they have gained the new knowledge and skills from the training procedure.
The development of learning aims is key since those who are being trained can be able to identify the results that they want and state the manner in which they are planning to attain the goals and objectives that have been stated (Blanchard & Thacker, 2013). When the training comes to an end, those who were providing the training will be able to appreciate the importance of feedback since the results will be goals centered. Lastly, the trainees will have to understand that effective feedback should not always demand a change but focus on improvements.
The design component for Fabrics, Inc. is likely to be effective since it started with identifying the objectives to be accomplished in the training procedure. The strategy highlights the reason why the training needs to be dome, those who are in desperate need of the training and the strategies that will be used to carry out the training (Blanchard & Thacker, 2013). But there is a challenge since the element of design did not state the time when the training is supposed to take place, the region for conducting the training and the duration that the training will take place. Also, there is neglect of some of the strategies that will be effective in ensuring the employees are motivated and ready to take part in the training. Based on Blanchard & Thacker (2013), learning is not likely to occur if the employees are not motivated. All the information is vital as it will make the trainer establish the time required in the designing and development of the training milestones. It equally allows the trainer to provide the trainees with the program that will grant them the knowledge, skills, and attitude and improve motivation.
Development and Implementation
Implementation is necessary for making the training a success. It will act as the connection between the design that is supposed to be used in the training and creation of the various stages (McArdle, 2011). The development stage is where everything that is required to make the training successful is identified. The organization consultant has already created a manual for the instructor and material module for the provision of instructions. A trainee’s manual is another module that will be very necessary. A manual is essential since it provides the employee with a sample of they are supposed to do while they are being trained. According to Blanchard & Thacker (2013), there is a need to provide notes on all the critical information to maintain the interest and involvement of the trainees. The manual will have information of all the important section that will be addressed in the training process. That includes the listening process, communication channels, strategies to use in resolving conflict, and providing feedback. The development of the content, which was a part of the design stage, entails building storyboards, trainer and earners guides, handouts, and other learning resources (Gallaher, 2012). The manual for the trainees can equally serve as a tool for reference once the training is over. There will be two self-assessments included in the manual where the participants will have to take the training at the start and completion. Additional information in the manual will be on the practical strategies that can be used to address different scenarios according to the training areas that will be covered. The implementation will have to cover the compensation strategy to use for the employees. It can be done using commission or based on individual performance.
Evaluation of Training
Evaluation entails gathering information on the outcomes obtained to analyze them to facilitate the optimization of the training in the future (Pineda, 2010). Procedure and output are the main training methods implemented in the organization. The procedure method entails the trainer, duration period, documentation of what was covered by the trainer, and the time that has been spent (Blanchard & Thacker, 2013). The outcomes method entails the use of reaction questionnaires for both the one providing the training and the one who is being trained. Those who are going through the training will have to take a test to evaluate their level of effectiveness in grasping the content of the training procedure. The main focus of the training in the company is for the supervisors to gain the needed knowledge on effective ways they can use to deal with the employees and customers. Classic test and examination is the best instrument to use in the scene since the focus is on training transmission (Pineda, 2010). The instrument will be applied before, during, and after the training. The outcomes of the training will be used in measuring the general success of the program being implemented. The output will indicate the objectives that those who have undergone training have accomplished and establish if there is a need for improvement. Also, the outcomes will be effective in identifying the gains that the training program will bring to the organization regarding the production, customer service delivery, and the level of satisfaction of the workers. The feedback should be used to identify the credibility of the program and its impact on the organizational goals. Lastly, the outcomes will be effective in determining the program's profitability, where the focus will be on measuring both the internal and external factors.
Conclusion
The development of a small company requires the creation of an effective training program. The focus is to ensure that the organization gains the needed competitive advantage in the market. The owners of Fabrics, Inc. have realized that there is a need for training with the increasing growth of the company. The focus will be on aligning the employees' skills, knowledge, and attitude with their tasks and obligations. The training program prepared the employees with the needs knowledge for the effective accomplishment of the organizational goals. The program is created in instances where changes and improvements are required. A key consideration is to address the issues of the performance gap by granting the trainees the knowledge, skills, and attitude that will improve their work engagement. The degree of competence will depend on the manner in which each of the stages that have been included in the Training Model is being accomplished. Trainers need to understand that each of the phases is connected, and the focus is to improve the process of training. Lack of an effective training program will waste valuable resources such as time and money within the organization.
References
Allan, L. (2009). Training needs or training wants analysis? Training and Development in Australia, 36 (2), 25-27.
Blanchard, P. N., & Thacker, J. W. (2013). Effective training: Systems, strategies, and practices (5th ed). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, Inc.
Gallagher, J. (2012). Why does training fail and how can effective learning design help? Training & Development, 39 (2), 24-25.
Martin, G. (2009). Making sure the solutions are the right ones: Training needs analysis. Training and Development in Australia, 36 (2), 18-21.
McArdle, G. E. (2011). Part II: Designing a training program: Implementation . Alexandria: American Society for Training and Development. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/894056027?accountid=32521 . Accessed 13 July 2021.
Miller, K.M. & Poertner, S. (2010) The Art of Giving and Receiving Feedback . Retrieved from http://www.trainingsolutions.com/pdf/feedback.pdf . Accessed 13 July 2021.
Pineda, P. (2010). Evaluation of training in organizations: A proposal for an integrated model. Journal of European Industrial Training, 34 (7), 673-693.