Strategic Planning, Learning Theory, and Training Needs Analysis

Strategic Planning, Learning Theory, and Training Needs Analysis
Carolyn Haines
Professor: Ulysses Weakley
Business 407
October 28, 2011

Strategic Planning, Learning Theory, and Training Needs Analysis
1. Identify the five phases of the training process model (TPM); explain fully the process that goes on in each of the phases.
A company uses a training process model to identify training issues and how to fix them, so the employees will poses the KSA’s needed to do their job. A triggering event occurs when a person with authority to take action recognizes that actual organizational performance (AOP) is less than the expected organizational performance (EOP). There are five steps that occur when a TPM is put into place (Blanchard / Thacker, 2010). The “Needs Analysis Phase” is to determine each employee’s needs. Employees can contribute, by giving ideas of the type of training that is needed to better their knowledge, skills and attitudes. Non training needs may also be identified in this phase, these issues needs to be handled different from training needs. This phase will help by comparing the company’s current AOPs to the company’s EOPs. The performance gap is one way to figure out what is best needed in the training process of the company. Our text states that the “needs analysis phase begins when there is a performance problem within the organization. Examples of this problem might be: lack of quality, customer dissatisfaction, or reduced profits. If the identified problem is related to employee knowledge, skills, or attitudes, then a training need is indicated,” (Blanchard / Thacker, 2010). The “Design Phase” is where the needs of the training objectives are created along with the factors needed to facilitate learning through content delivery. This assessment of needs can be linked to the information and then used to create the curriculum of the program objectives. The objectives provide specific direction for what will be trained and how. We may ask ourselves how the delivery of the program is going to “influence the business operations” in the future.
The objectives are created according to the training needs identified in the analysis phase. The training needs identified in the analysis phase, in addition to areas of constraint and support, are the inputs to the design phase.
The “Development Phase” is used to develop the training that is going to be implemented. Materials are gathered, the type of media and equipment that is going to be used, manuals needed and so on. In this stage the materials used can be movies, games, visual aids, etc. The Development Phase is also described as the process of formulating an “instructional strategy” to meet a set of training objectives, while as obtaining or creating all the things that are needed to implement the training.
The “Implementation Phase” is when all the parts of the training program come together. At this stage dry runs and even a pilot of the program can be conducted to see is everything happens as planned.
The “Evaluation Phase” is really a two part phase which begins during the development phase. Evaluation objectives are outputs of the design phase, which become inputs to the evaluation phase. The two types of evaluations are process evaluations and outcome evaluations. The outcome evaluation uses the training objectives as the standard for successful training and is conducted when the training is concluded to determine what effect the training had on the trainees, the job, and the organization.
2. Identify three factors that might inhibit HRD managers from developing a strategic planning approach to training. Recommend how these three factors might be overcome. According to the text “to effectively align the unit’s activities with the strategies, a manager will need to understand the factors that have led the organization to its strategic choices” (Blanchard / Thacker, 2010). The first thought that comes to mind is the "situation analysis". This is part of any strategic planning, where an assessment of the current situation is needed to examine strengths, weaknesses and opportunities. A comparison of the company to its competitors and industry accepted "best practices" should be done. If the current HR management is invested in the current training systems, there could be some natural resistance to any critical assessments and suggestions for change. This could be overcome by ensuring that the current HR team is open and committed to zero-based thinking going in. In the “market leader strategy”, development depends on innovation, therefore employee knowledge, skills and abilities are critical. Employees have to be highly skilled and knowledgeable and must work under a structure that allows them latitude in how they go about their work. On the other hand, “cost leader organizations, emphasize tight fiscal and management controls. Conforming to standardized procedures is emphasized, and training helps to ensure conformance.
3. Compare and contrast the behaviorist and the cognitive approaches to learning. Explain which is more relevant to training.
The behaviorist approach views personality as a pattern of learned behaviors acquired through either classical (Pavlovian) or operant (Skinnerian) conditioning and shaped by reinforcement in the form of rewards or punishment. A relatively recent extension of behaviorism, the cognitive-behavioral approach emphasizes the role cognition plays in the learning process. Cognitive and social learning theorists focus not only on the outward behaviors people demonstrate, but also on their expectations and their thoughts about others, themselves, and their own behavior. Behaviourism concerns itself with the behaviour that can be observed. It assumes that we learn by associating certain events with certain consequences, and will behave in the way with the most desirable consequences. It also assumes that when events happen together, they become associated and either event will have the same response and outcome. Cognitive psychology assumes that humans have the capacity to process and organise information in their mind. It is concerned less with visible behaviour and more with the thought processes behind it. Cognitive psychology tries to understand concepts such as memory and decision making. The only real similarities between the two is that they are both attempts to explain human behaviour, and they are both old theories which have been replaced by other, more recent approaches (such as cognitive-behaviourism, which takes the best of both theories and social psychology which looks at how our interactions with others shape our behaviour).
“Behaviorismbehaviorism, school of psychology which seeks to explain animal and human behavior entirely in terms of observable and measurable responses to environmental stimuli. Behaviorism was introduced (1913) by the American psychologist John B.
..... Click the link for more information. and cognitivismcognitivism

In metaethics, the thesis that the function of moral sentences (e.g., sentences in which moral terms such as “right,” “wrong,” and “ought” are used) is to describe a domain of moral facts existing independently of our
..... Click the link for more information. are the two dominant theoretical positions in the field of learning with interactive courseware”Interactive CourseWare - (ICW) A training program controlled by a computer that relies on trainee input to determine the order and pace of instruction delivery. The trainee advances through the sequence of instructional events by making decisions and selections.
..... Click the link for more information. (Jonassen, 1991; Atkins, 1993; Hannafin, Hannafin, Hooperhoop·er
n.
A maker or repairer of barrels and tubs; a cooper.
..... Click the link for more information., Rieber, & Kini, 1996). Developments in design of such materials appear to have followed shifts in the dominant paradigms within psychology. Early computer-based materials are seen to be influenced by behaviorist concepts while discovery learning materials are felt to be founded on later cognitive modelsThe term cognitive model can have basically two meanings. In cognitive psychology, a model is a simplified representation of reality. The essential quality of such a model is to help deciding the appropriate actions, i.e.
..... Click the link for more information. of information processinginformation processing: see data processing.

information processing

Acquisition, recording, organization, retrieval, display, and dissemination of information. Today the term usually refers to computer-based operations.
..... Click the link for more information. and constructivism constructivism, Russian art movement founded c.1913 by Vladimir Tatlin, related to the movement known as suprematism. After 1916 the brothers Naum Gabo and Antoine Pevsner gave new impetus to Tatlin 's art of purely abstract (although politically intended) . “The increase in cognitive approaches in the 1980s may be due as much to technology developments in object-oriented programmingobject-oriented programming, a modular approach to computer program (software) design. Each module, or object, combines data and procedures (sequences of instructions) that act on the data; in traditional, or procedural, programming the data are separated from the
..... Click the link for more information., hypermediahypermedia: see hypertext.

The use of hyperlinks, regular text, graphics, audio and video to provide an interactive, multimedia presentation. All the various elements are linked, enabling the user to move from one to another.
..... Click the link for more information., and interactive video as to the rise within psychology of cognitive theorists” (Atkins, 1993). In Behaviorist concepts, instructional systems technology began rejecting many behaviorist assumptions of the 1980s in favor of the cognitivist view. The Cognitivist concept is the basis for innovations such as computer assisted instruction, mastery learningMastery Learning is an instructional method that presumes all children can learn if they are provided with the appropriate learning conditions. Specifically, mastery learning is a method whereby students are not advanced to a subsequent learning objective until they demonstrate
..... Click the link for more information., minimal competencyCOMPETENCY, evidence. The legal fitness or ability of a witness to be heard on the trial of a cause. This term is also applied to written or other evidence which may be legally given on such trial, as, depositions, letters, account-books, and the like. 2.
..... Click the link for more information. testing, educational accountability, situated cognitionSituated cognition is a movement in cognitive psychology which derives from pragmatism, Gibsonian ecological psychology, ethnomethodology, the theories of Vygotsky (activity theory) and the writings of Heidegger.
..... Click the link for more information., and even social constructivism. The primary theoryTENET. Which he holds. There are two ways of stating the tenure in an action of waste. The averment is either in the tenet and the tenuit; it has a reference to the time of the waste done, and not to the time of bringing the action. 2.
..... Click the link for more information. of behaviorism is that there is a predictable and reliable link between a stimulus and the response it produces. The interface can be designed with scaffolding, to present stimulus with distinctive features that tells or shows students what to do. An interface design with scaffolding also helps to stimulate recall of prior learning and aids retention and transfer of learning. “The field of multimedia ID is still emerging” (Atkins, 1993). Materials have multiple supports and scaffolds built in with multiple means of expression and means of representing information, and enable multiple means of engagement. According to Pisha and Coyne (2001), this new paradigmNew Paradigm

In the investing world, a totally new way of doing things that has a huge effect on business.

Notes:
The word "paradigm" is defined as a pattern or model, and it has been used in science to refer to a theoretical framework.
..... Click the link for more information. is based on Vygotsky 's three conditions for learning: the recognition system, the strategic system, and the engagement system. Both behaviorist and cognitive ID approaches value meaningful learning and realistic contexts for application of knowledge and skills (Atkins, 1993). Both recognize the importance of learner motivation and prior experience (Dick, 1996). The essential difference in ID is that behaviorist approaches rely on the notion that human behavior is predictable, but cognitive approaches consider the role of unobservable mental states and introspection, which are part of human behavior (Winn & Snyder, 1996). Whether trainers elect to use a behaviorist or cognitive approach or a mix of the two depends on the nature of the training to be developed and the context in which materials will be used.
4. Fully explain the purposes of a training needs analysis (TNA). Argue the conditions under which a TNA is always necessary, and offer two examples when a TNA might not be required.
Performing a training needs analysis is the first step in the training process and is critical for a successful program. The purpose of a needs analysis is to determine that training is the best solution and identify what training is needed to fill the performance or skills gap. Skipping the training needs analysis can cause major problems. Time, resources and dollars may be wasted on training that was unnecessary or ineffective. A training need exists when there is a gap between what is required of a person to perform their job proficiently and what they actually know. Performing a training needs analysis is most appropriate when training is requested for a performance issue, when new information systems or business processes are introduced, and when your organization mandates training. Conditions for always conducting a training needs analysis are: to determine causes of poor performance, to determine whether training is needed, to determine content and scope of training and to determine desired training outcomes. A Training Needs Analysis (TNA) is used to assess an organization’s training needs. The root of the TNA is the gap analysis. This is an assessment of the gap between the knowledge, skills and attitudes that the people in the organization currently possess and the knowledge, skills and attitudes that they require to meet the organization’s objectives. The training needs assessment is best conducted up front, before training solutions are budgeted, designed and delivered. The output of the needs analysis will be a document that specifies who, what, why, when, where and how.
Scenarios in which Training Needs Analysis may want to be conducted are:
Employee Performance Appraisal, generally each employee’s manager discusses training and development needs during the final part of the performance appraisal discussion. This method suits where training needs are highly varied amongst individual employees. Typically, the manager constructs an employee Performance Development Plan with the employee being appraised. The employee’s completed Performance Development Plan would document the area that requires improvement, the actual development activity, resource requirements, expected outcomes and an agreed time frame in which the development outcome will be achieved.
Periodically organizations change suites of software or hardware systems. It is at these times, HR and training teams need to have an understanding of the scope of training required and a plan of how the training will be conducted. Example 1: It can be found that many managers are not skilled in identifying which of their problems can be solved by training and which cannot. Solution: Ask managers what training they need. Make sure to engage them in constructive dialog about what their real problems are, and which of them can realistically be addressed through training. If the performance shortfall is a one-of problem or an increasing number of customer complaints, it may be more effective and cost efficient to address the issue on an improvement project basis.
Example 2. When it is a KSA deficiency, there are solutions other than training. For instance: Job Aids, which are a set of instructions, diagrams, or other forms of providing information that is available at the job site. Its purpose is to provide guidance to the worker, and is particularly useful if the worker’s task is complex, if it requires a number of steps, or if it is dangerous to forget a step. Practice, is another alternative to training for tasks that are important but are performed infrequently. This will help workers stay proficient at the task. In some cases providing practice is meant to prevent a performance gap, and periodic practice sessions should be considered to ensure that a performance gap does not occur or continue to occur, especially if its occurrence can have serious consequences (Blanchard / Thacker, 2010).
In clarifying the purpose of the Training Needs Analysis, the TNA is to determine training needs and can occur at a number of levels: the individual, team, function, project level, department level for specific employees or at organization and occupational levels.

References
Blanchard, P. N., & Thacker, J. W. (2010), Effective training: Systems, strategies, and practices: 2010 custom edition (4th ed.), Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall – Pearson., 128–129

www.businessperform.com/.../training_ needs_analysis.html http://www.nwlink.com/~donclark/analysis/analysis.html Phillips, J. & and Phillips, P. "Reasons Why Training & Development Fails...and What You Can Do About It." Training Magazine, September 2002 (pp. 78-85).
Rossett, Allison & Sheldon, Kendra (2001). Beyond the Podium: Delivering Training and Performance to a Digital World. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass/Pfeiffer, p. 67.
Rummler, G. & Brache, A., (1990). Improving Performance: How to Manage the White Space on the Organization Chart. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Atkins, M.J. (1993). Theories of learning and multimedia applications: An overview. Research Papers in Education, 8(2), 251-271.

Winn, W., & Snyder, D. (1996). Cognitive perspectives in psychology. In D.H. Jonassen (Ed.), Handbook for research for educational communications and technology (pp. 112-142). New York: Simon & Schuster Macmillan.

Dick, W., Carey, L., & Carey, J. (2001). The systemic design of instruction (5th ed.). New York: Addison, Wesley, and Longman.

Pisha, B., & Coyne, P. (2001). Smart from the start: The promise of universal design for learning. Remedial and Special Education, 22(4), 197-203.

References: Blanchard, P. N., & Thacker, J. W. (2010), Effective training: Systems, strategies, and practices: 2010 custom edition (4th ed.), Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall – Pearson., 128–129 Phillips, J. & and Phillips, P. "Reasons Why Training & Development Fails...and What You Can Do About It." Training Magazine, September 2002 (pp. 78-85). Rossett, Allison & Sheldon, Kendra (2001) Rummler, G. & Brache, A., (1990). Improving Performance: How to Manage the White Space on the Organization Chart. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. Atkins, M.J Winn, W., & Snyder, D. (1996). Cognitive perspectives in psychology. In D.H. Jonassen (Ed.), Handbook for research for educational communications and technology (pp. 112-142). New York: Simon & Schuster Macmillan. Dick, W., Carey, L., & Carey, J. (2001). The systemic design of instruction (5th ed.). New York: Addison, Wesley, and Longman. Pisha, B., & Coyne, P. (2001). Smart from the start: The promise of universal design for learning. Remedial and Special Education, 22(4), 197-203.