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EMPLOYEE TRAINING.
Term Paper ID:24199
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Essay Subject:
Importance to organization, purposes, types, focuses on marketing function, evaluation & measurement, validity. Tables.... More...
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11 Pages / 2475 Words
9 sources, 15 Citations,
APA Format
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Paper Abstract:
Importance to organization, purposes, types, focuses on marketing function, evaluation & measurement, validity. Tables.
Paper Introduction:
Purpose and Scope
This research examines the issue of evaluating the effectiveness of employee training, particularly as it relates to the marketing environment. Included are an examination of the importance of training to organizations in general, the importance of training within the realm of marketing, and a discussion of the importance of being able to effectively evaluate the training process in light of several key objectives. In addition, key areas for measuring training are discussed, and various types of evaluation methodologies are presented and considered.
Need and Background and Methodology
The need for this type of research arises from the importance that training plays in today's modern organizations. Companies commit a signi
Text of the Paper:
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In thisway, a marketing team might go through a training program to learn whentelemarketing is appropriate, when advertising (and what types ofadvertising) is appropriate, and what types of sales promotion should beused. 33). |Type of Training |% of Companies ||Management Skills/Development |91 ||Fundamental Computer Skills |9 ||Communication Skills |87 ||Supervisory Skills |86 ||Technical Skills/Knowledge |82 ||New Methods/Procedures |8 ||Executive Development |77 ||Customer Relations/Services |76 ||Personal Growth |73 ||Clerical/Secretarial Skills |73 ||Employee/Labor Relations |67 ||Customer Education |65 ||Wellness |63 ||Sales Skills |56 | Since the primary goal of training is to contribute to theorganization's overall goals, programs are typically established with afocus on the organizational strategy. In this way, acompany that offers training in business presentations needs to ensure thatthe training is effective regardless of the department to which it ispresented. (1996, June). (1993, July). Journal of European Industrial Training, pp. 42). Telemarketingtechniques can also be used in catalog and order desk situations when thecustomer is the one placing the call. 29. Market research affects all aspects of a company's long-term strategicdirection so it is critical that a company be able to conduct researchwhich yields accurate and valid data. Or, the validity would be limited if the"wrong" employees were sent to the training; that is, employees who are notgoing to have a need to use a program such as this do not need to attendsuch training programs, regardless of how valid those programs are. 41). To some degree,individual attendees can provide some of this information through aquestionnaire distributed at the end of the training session, and ininformal discussions with their managers. 16-2 . 14-2 . Validity can be measured with control groupsand can be determined using tests given to trainees and non-trainees alike. Many companies train newemployees in order to bring their skills up to a particular level which thecompany deems necessary for minimum performance. Mann, S., & Roberts, I. New salesrepresentatives often receive training on product feature and benefits inorder to become knowledgeable about what customers of the product arelooking for and how the product is typically used in the field. 82). Companies use training in order to accomplish this. Instead, many companies use market research training as atool by which their employees are able to better select and use outsidemarket researchers in order to evaluate their environment. 21). Aneffective evaluation program can help companies find ways to improve theirtraining effort, enhancing the effectiveness of training programs in thefuture. The primarypurpose of a training program is to help the organization achieve itsoverall objectives while at the same time, an effective training programshould help employees meet their personal goals. |Type of Training |In-House |Outside |Combination ||Mgmt Skills/Development |12 |18 |61 ||Fundamental Computer Skills |21 |14 |9 ||Communication Skills |21 |12 |53 ||Supervisory Skills |18 |12 |56 ||Technical Skills/Knowledge |22 | 6 |54 ||New Methods/Procedures |38 | 5 |37 ||Executive Development | 8 |26 |44 ||Customer Relations/Services |25 | 9 |41 ||Personal Growth |14 |15 |45 ||Clerical/Secretarial Skills |23 |18 |32 ||Employee/Labor Relations |23 |12 |31 ||Customer Education |28 | 5 |31 ||Wellness |21 |15 |28 ||Sales Skills |15 |11 |3 | Regardless of whether training is done in-house or by an outsideconsultant, the objectives of evaluating the training do not change.Companies must determine whether the training meets the organization'sobjectives, whether the training was effective in communicating therequisite information, and whether the training program was cost-effective. Marketing managers might attend training sessions on how to motivatetheir staffs, and how to provide in-house training to their owndepartments. Training has become increasingly vital to the success of modernorganizations. Rapidly changing technology requires that employees possessthe knowledge, skills and abilities needed to cope with new processes andproduction techniques. (1996, March). (1996, September). Importance of Training within Marketing Training within the marketing function can take several differentforms; one of the most common of these is sales training. Training, pp. Purpose and Scope This research examines the issue of evaluating the effectiveness ofemployee training, particularly as it relates to the marketing environment. Who's learning what? 39-44. In some cases, this requires custom training programs forpresenting the same information so that employees can understand how itdirectly relates to their job functions; this might be the case whenpresenting workshops on using computer spreadsheets to marketing andaccounting staffs, for example. Asvarious groups move through a particular training program, the validitythat each group registers can be monitored against that of previous groups. Conclusion While many companies are recognizing the need to implement trainingprograms, far fewer have developed effective evaluation techniques forthose training programs. M. 21). Telemarketing training can be particularly important forcompanies that use telemarketers, and top performers are often used to helpdevelop training programs. In addition, keyareas for measuring training are discussed, and various types of evaluationmethodologies are presented and considered. In other cases, the same information mightbe presented to various groups (such as how to conduct effective meetings),but the evaluation would focus on ensuring that all departments receive thesame benefit from the training (Dixon, 1996, p. Long-term employeesreceive training in order to acquire new knowledge and skills. Importance of Evaluating Training Training needs to be evaluated to determine its effectiveness, but tothis point, many conclusions about training effectiveness are based on thesubjective reactions of trainers and trainees. However, the businessenvironment is a dynamic one, and it is critical that individual employeesbe kept up to date on developments within their industry and theirprofession in order to help give the company a competitive edge (Davis,1996, p. Does training pay off? In order to research this area, current literature management andprofessional literature was considered. The training validity needs to be determined asvarious groups from various organizations use the program; this is mosteasily accomplished when there is human interaction (such as with apersonal instructor). What should trainingevaluations evaluate? Marketing professionals are also increasingly interested in thequantitative issues of their jobs, including how to measure theeffectiveness of a marketing program, and how to conduct market research.Determining the effectiveness of a marketing program is important becausemarketing costs can be a significant part of a company's expenditures; ifthe marketing is not effective, the company faces the possibility of losingmarket share and profitability. Training programsshould be evaluated for their training validity, their transfer validity,the intraorganizational validity and their interorganizational validity.If these criteria are measured and evaluated, and used to build moreeffective training programs, companies can realize substantial benefit fromtheir training investment. 82-85. (1996, May). Davis, B. Included are an examination of the importance of training to organizationsin general, the importance of training within the realm of marketing, and adiscussion of the importance of being able to effectively evaluate thetraining process in light of several key objectives. (1996, June). Teamwork and training in a customer-drivenmarketplace. Training to think. In addition, information evaluations can be undertaken by managers andsupervisors in order to determine that over the long-term, the skill levelof the trainees has increased as a result of the program. Does 'lean' necessary equal 'mean'?Personnel Management, pp. In this way, training programs which maybe valid for one organization can be evaluated for their effectiveness toanother organization, and measures can be built into the training programto determine whether it will actually meet the criteria being proposed. Wibberley, M. Companies commit asignificant portion of their resources to recruiting employees, andadditional resources are invested in providing those employees with thetools necessary for them to perform their tasks. (1996, March). Companies who take a proactive approach to trainingand who focus their activities on effectively evaluating and modifyingtheir training programs can reap long-term benefits which include enhancedemployee morale, greater productivity, and an ability to achieve strategicobjectives which might otherwise elude the organization. The students can identifywhether they will use the training they have received in their actual jobperformance; subsequent evaluation (six months or a year later, forexample) can be used to determine whether the trainees are using thematerial they learned at that point, providing a more accurate indicationof the transfer validity. In some situations, trainees may not be learningthe material being presented, while in other situations, employees arelearning information which cannot directly help them be more productive intheir job performance. Given that companies are willing to invest in training, it is criticalthat they be able to determine whether training programs are achieving thedesired goals and objectives. Training in this area can include determining training onlearning when particular marketing techniques are appropriate so thatemployees can make better decisions as new products are developed. Evaluation from this standpoint is particularlyimportant for companies that perform outside consulting as they mustdevelop training programs that can be used in different organizations inorder to maintain their profitability. Because of this, companies must build in evaluation techniques fromthe earliest stages fo the training process. However, failing tocreate training programs which further the long-term growth of theorganization can result in programs which are valid on the four mainpoints, but which do not help the company succeed. Inaddition, the new hires may be given training on how to sell the product,including types of prospecting and how to arrange presentations anddemonstrations in order to close the most number of sales (Blickstein,1996, p. 42). The training might be valid from the point of view that thevarious students learn the material presented and are competent at usingthe new computer program. 82). Byunderstanding the techniques without mastering them, these employees becomebetter consumers of market research information and services (Osterman,1996, p. The following table identifies apercentage of large companies (those with 1 or more employees) whoprovide particular types of training ("Who's Learning," 1993, p. It is important that an evaluation be undertaken to provide data for aspecific decision, such as whether to adopt or continue a training course,or how to improve the course. 18-21. More difficult toascertain, but equally important, is whether the training effort willtranslate to improved behavior and job performance. However, marketing training moves well beyond sales training, andcompanies are investing in ways to learn how to market their products andservices better. Transfer validity is used to determine whether what has been learnedin training translates to enhanced performance in the organization. At the time that a newtraining program is being developed, it is important to consider thedesired effect on the organization. 41-42. 21-22. Training &Development, p. Key Areas for Measuring Training To help determine the effectiveness of training, evaluation shouldaddress the worth of the training program, particularly in terms of whetherthe training program meets one or more of four possible goals: trainingvalidity, transfer validity, intraorganizational validity, andinterorganizational validity (Blickstein, 1996, p. Thus a sales training program shouldbe viewed as enhancing the company's ability to increase its market share,not merely as a way to increase the job skills of the sales department, anda training program on conducting more productive meetings should be viewedas a way to increase the level of quality in an organization, perhaps aspart of a larger quality program. 18). Determining transfer validity can be more difficult. Osterman, P. When other types of training are used, such as videotraining or computer based training, the interorganizational validity maybe dependent on focus groups and secondary feedback received from themarket. Interorganizational validity is used to determine whether a trainingprogram which is effective in one organization can be used successfully inanother organization. Across theBoard, pp. Some companies even provide trainingfor employees they are laying off in order to help them acquire jobs atother companies (Allender, 1994, p. 29). In this way, it can be determined whether or not the training program ismaintaining a high level of effectiveness, or whether it needs to bemodified as the needs and composition of the organization changes. This can require amore rigorous evaluation technique which yields information about what the"students" have actually learned during the training session. (1994, September). Industrial Engineering, pp. The growth of organizations into large, complexoperations who structures are continually changing makes it necessary formanagers, as well as employees, to develop those skills that will enablethem to handle new and more demanding assignments. Need and Background and Methodology The need for this type of research arises from the importance thattraining plays in today's modern organizations. Marketing professionals can betrained in market research techniques, but the goal of these trainingprograms may not necessarily be to turn marketing professionals into marketresearchers. The transfer validity, however, may be limitedif, for example, not all of the employees who attend the training sessionshave access to the software. (1993, October). Part of this strategy includesrecognition of increasing pressure from government and society to attend tothe needs of workers who have been displaced by structural shifts in theeconomy, geographic relocation, international competition, technologicalchanges and industry deregulation. As a resultof this additional training, employees are likely to be more effective(enhancing their value to the company) and more satisfied (enhancing theirpersonal satisfaction and loyalty to the company) (Dixon, 1996, p. Phillips, J. While there are manyforces that determine the types of training required in an organization,automation and computerization will continue to have significant effects.Economic, social and political forces also have implications for trainingprograms (Wibberley, 1993, p. In this way, the evaluation process can determinewhether employees are learning as a result of the training, whether thetraining program needs to be modified, and whether the training program iscost effective (Dixon, 1996, p. 32-35. 17). 15). D. J. Types of Evaluations To determine training validity, trainees be tested before and aftertraining; these same evaluations should also be made of individuals in acontrol group. 22). This is a verydifficult evaluation to make since many companies have difficultyarticulating their long-term goals and objectives. Interorganizational validity is difficult to measure, as well, butsince many companies use "canned" training programs, determining itseffectiveness is critical. New routes to evaluation. Importance of Training to Organizations in General Training can be defined as any procedure initiated by an organizationto foster learning among employees (Osterman, 1996, p. T. 82). Although many companies engage in employee training, the scope of thetraining programs varies widely. Training validity is the most rudimentary type of evaluation andidentifies whether the employees learn the information being presentedduring the training program. In addition to evaluating the training programs for their content,companies must set up ways to determine whether the training program isactually helping the company achieve its strategic vision. Dixon, N. The control group contains employees who have not receivedthe training, but who match the trainees in such areas of experience, pasttraining and job level. However, many marketing professionals donot have the quantitative backgrounds which enable them to developeffective monitoring programs; this requires additional training (Mann andRobertson, 1996, p. Intraorganizational validity can be more difficult to determine inthat it requires long-term evaluation techniques to be in place. References Allender, H. Intraorganizational validity attempts to measure whether theperformance of a new group of trainees in an organization is consistentwith the performance of previous groups of trainees. Planning the evaluation around specificobjectives of the organization increases the likelihood that the findingswill produce meaningful changes. The following table illustrates the percentage of companies who use in-house training only, outside training, or a combination of the two ("Who'sLearning," 1993, p. Forexample, a marketing group might be sent to training on a customer contactcomputer program which helps them set up a database in order to track theirprospects. Across the Board,pp. To do this requires establishing effectivegoals at the outset of the training program, and structuring the program sothat those goals can be quantified and measured at the conclusion. A training course can be effective atteaching skills to individuals, but if those skills do not help employeesperform their jobs better, there is little point in an organizationinvesting in that particular course (Phillips, 1996, p. Marketing training may also involve using promotional ideas in orderto boost sales. Training &Development, pp. In these situations, thetelemarketers can learn how to be proactive in their selling so that acustomer can be "upsold" to better quality items, or told of complimentaryitems which might increase the amount of the sale (Osterman, 1996, p. 18). American Salesman, pp. Blickstein, S. Similarly, organizations that useoutside training companies must ensure that the vendor's program can meettheir needs even though the program might have originally been developedfor a different organization. Is reengineering compatible withtotal quality management? Was it the training? During these training sessions, employees canbe taught how to use a telemarketing script effectively, when to departfrom the script, and how to overcome customer resistance.
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