Training and Development
Introduction
As the dawn of the new millennium, a prominent and important movement in the business had been considered as the huge resurrection of the interest both in the training and development. Organizations are tired and do not have the money in order to waste on their ineffective and unproductive development. Furthermore, individuals are considered as less equipped to take time out from the work for a jolly. Everyone is in great need of detectable change (Landale 1999, p. xxix).
On the other hand, T&D programs some years ago, and unluckily, up until now, more often than not, it is consists of a trainer and/or other expert standing in front of the group of students or the trainees and lecturing and teaching them. The choice of words students and trainees shows that T&D programs relies on the educative type of approach, meaning, the students or the trainees are being taught, whether they liked it or needed to be there (Rae 1999, p. 3).
Reaction to Training and Development
Con is somewhat nervous due to the fact that he is going to face a new type of learning. The said feeling is normal for those people who will be facing new experience as well as learning new knowledge and skills.
Furthermore the reaction of Con and his co-trainee towards the teaching style of the trainer can be considered as natural. This is due to the fact that the overall teaching and mentoring skills and abilities of the trainer is not enough in order to catch and get the attention their attention. Furthermore, it is somewhat related to the adage that says that “you can take a horse to the water, but you can’t make it drink” (Rae 1999, p. 3). It means that although the students or the trainees had already decided to attend or already had attended the course or the program, it doesn’t mean that they will get their motivation to learn or their interest to learn in an instant. It will greatly dependent on the ability of the trainer.
In addition, the lecture-style approach drives minimal learning for the trainees. The trainer ignored and disregarded the process of enforcing the attendance, conducting the sessions as lectures in the traditional and customary sense of the word. The said approach is usually characterized by straight talks where in the speakers give the trainees the benefit and assistance of their knowledge on the assumption that the students would listen in intent manner, appreciate and recognize each and every information that is being teach and accordingly, learn it (Rae 1999, p. 4).
Another important thing is that, due to the fact that the session had allocated a time for the trainees to listen and ask questions, it can cause the lapse of the interests of the trainees. The reason behind it is that there are some individuals who prefer and well motivated to ask questions at the time, those questions had arise, and they cannot wait until the end of the talk, where in they might be invited to ask questions (Rae 1999, p. 4).
Efficient and Effective Training Session
Learning does not just happen; something else has to be involved in order to ensure that it does. The said something is the act of learning, with the help of training and development events from a different forms and format of the said activities in different situations. Learning can be defined as the act of the person who has already developed some aspects of knowledge, skills as well as attitude. On the other hand, training is the action that had been taken in order to help the said learning to be achieved (Rae 1998, p. vii).
As of the situation of the training and development program that was attended by Con, the primary problem is their approach or their teaching and learning method towards the trainees. That is the reason why it will be better if the trainee will apply different training aids in order to awaken the interests of the trainees.
There are different factors that might affect the level of interests of the trainees. Primarily, the internal or the psychological aspects such as pressure, mood, forced assistance, fear as well as shyness. All of the said psychological factors can affect and can cause minimal learning if the session will not be planned effectively. In order to handle all of the said factors, there are different activities that can be used in order to make the trainees relax and open up in order to absorb the information that is being taught by the trainers. One of the negative aspects of the session with the trainer is that he or she had been able to introduce his self or herself to his trainees but he or she never gives his or her trainees to introduce themselves. It will be a great help, if all of the trainees will get to know more details about each other. It will be able to create a familiar environment; where in the trainees can crack professional jokes with the trainer and the other way around, that will eventually promotes calm and relax learning environment.
Another important factor that must be considered is the length of the listeners’ effective attention time (p. 16). Any group has a natural limited attention span that can be reduced even further with the presence of different barriers. Furthermore, in any presentation, there is what we call the 20 minutes rule; where in the attention of an individual lasted only for 20 minutes. In the case of Con and his co-trainees, the said rule was violated, because the first session had lasted for an hour. It would be better, if the session will have a break after 20 minutes in order to regain the interest of the trainees. Furthermore, it will also be helpful if the trainer will use some of the training aids such as the help of several presentation software and applications that will help to awaken and maintain the interest of the trainees.
Relationship between Workplace Environment and Learning
There are different factors that might affect the learning process of an individual, in connection with the learning process. The culture of the organization can influence as well as change the learning process of an individual. Formal learning in the workplace is considered as a must in order to contribute to the development of the company’s knowledge, expertise as well as the transferable quality of an individual. Furthermore, there has been an increasing awareness over the last ten years of the value and importance of the informal learning (Gray & Cundell 2004, p. 165).
The first factor is the culture of the company. Learning at the work is commonly shaped as well as characterized by the culture as well as the environment of the organization (Gray & Cundell 2004, p. 165). It means that Con’s relationship with his co-worker as well as his supervisor or manager will serve as a great help to his learning process. The nature of learning that takes place will greatly dependent on how the employees relate to one another as well as how they are supported in the whole process of development (Gray & Cundell 2004, p. 166).
The said relationship with the managers and other employees who had been working in the company for several years will be a great help for Con in order to familiarize as well as to learn his roles and responsibilities inside the company. Furthermore, it can also help him to make himself comfortable with his new work. The said relationship will become an advantage, both for Con and the company if they will be able to create a good communication system between Con and his managers as well as the company. It will be able to support and create confidence between the employees as well as create a desire to see others in developing their full potential (Gray & Cundell 2004, p. 166).
Furthermore, the said communication system will be able to help Con to continue his informal learning process, where in he can acquire the skills and learned knowledge and information via talking and observing others, trial-and-error as well as working with his subordinates and bosses (Cross n.d.).
The workplace structure as well as everyday learning experiences as part of the work and activities and the guidance of other workers will be able to help Con to learn more about his position. Furthermore, the participation in the workplace tasks can assists new leaning as well as reinforces those information and knowledge that had been learnt through further practice. The workplace environment contributes to the learning can be considered as consistent with the different contemporary learning theories, that stated that workplace helps the process of learning by becoming a legitimate and effective learning environment (Billet 2001, p. 14).
Lesson Plan: Introduction to Teamwork
Lesson Focus: Importance of Teamwork
Lesson Synopsis: This program will focus on the importance of teamwork to any organization and how it can be applied in order to maintain the camaraderie of every employee that will eventually result in competitive advantage of the human resource management of the company.
Objectives:
- To be able to demonstrate the core meaning of teamwork;
- To be able to illustrate the importance of teamwork in an organization;
- To be able to present the processes and activities that will be able to help to drive teamwork inside organization;
- To be able to show the process of building a teamwork culture inside the organization;
- To be able to show the impact of technology in teamwork.
Instructional Aids, Materials or Tools Needed and References:
- Presentation (PowerPoint)
- Avery, C, Walker, M A & Murphy, E O 2001, Teamwork is an Individual Skill: Getting Your Work Done when Sharing, Berrett-Koehler
§ Larson, C & LaFasto, F M J 1989, Teamwork: What Must Go Right, What Can go Wrong, SAGE
§ Maxwell, J 2001, The 17 Indisputable Laws of Teamwork: Embrace Them and Empower Your Team, T. Nelson
§ Oliva, L 1991, Partners Not Competitors: The Age of Teamwork and Technology, Idea Group Publication
§ Pritchett, P 1992, The Team Member Handbook for Teamwork, Pritchett, LP
§ West, M 2004, Effective Teamwork: Practical Lessons from Organizational Research, Blackwell Publishing
Lesson Outline
A team must have:
Conclusion
There is no doubt that Training and Development is considered as one of the most important aspect of human resource management as well as the overall processes of any companies and organization. It help many employees to have their confidence about there work that will further help the company, in terms of productivity. Nowadays, informal learning can be considered as importance as the formal learning. This is due to the fact that informal learning enables the employees or the trainees to become more familiar with the physical or the actual working environment. Furthermore, all of the information, skills as well as knowledge that had been learnt from the previous formal learning will be able to apply, this will enable the employees to be able to know which of the theories that he or she had learned is applicable to his or her current situation.
References
Arthur, D 1995, Managing Human Resources in Small & Mid-Sized Companies, AMACOM Div American Mgmt Assn
Billet, S 2001, Learning in the Workplace: Strategies for Effective Practice, Allen & Unwin, Crows Nest, N.S.W.
Cross, J, Informal Learning: Rediscovering the Natural Pathways That Inspire Innovation and Performance, viewed 5 May 2008, <http://informl.com/the-informal-learning-page/>
Gray, D, Sue, C, Hay, D & O’Neill, J 2004, Learning Through the Workplace: A Guide to Work-based Learning, Nelson Thornes
Landale, A (ed.) 1999, Gower Handbook of Training and Development, Gower Publishing Ltd.
Rae, L 1998, Using Training Aids in Training and Development: A Practical Guide, Kogan Page
Rae, L 1999, Using Activities in Training and Development, Kogan Page
Rae, L 2000, Effective Planning in Training and Development, Kogan Page
Sims, R 2002, Organizational Success Through Effective Human Resources, Quorum Books, Westport
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