Article 6. Types and Methods of Training and Development Programs in HRM
Types & Methods
of
Training & Development Programs
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Training and development is one of the main function of the human resource management. Training refers to a systematic setup where employees are instructed and taught matters of technical knowledge related to their jobs.it focuses on teaching employees how to use particular machines or how to do specific tasks to increase efficiency. Whereas, development refers to the overall holistic and educational growth and maturity of people in managerial positions .the process of development is in relation to insights, attitudes, and adaptability, leadership and human relations. Thus, Training and development is any attempt to improve current or future performance of employee by increasing an employee’s ability to perform through learning, usually by changing the employee’s attitude or increasing his or her skills and knowledge.
Following are the various methods of training and development programs.
Types of Training & Development Programs
(1) Induction or orientation training
Induction is concerned with introducing or orienting a new employees to the organization and its procedures, rules and regulations. When a new employee reports to work, he must be helped to get acquainted with the work environment and fellow employees.it is very short informative training given after recruitment. It creates a feeling of involvement in the minds of newly appointed employees.
(2) Job training
Job training relates to specific job which the worker has to handle. It gives information about machines, process of production, instructions to be followed, methods to be used and so on. It develops skills and confidence among the workers and enables them to perform the job efficiently. Job training is the most common of formal in plant training programs. It is necessary for the new employees to acquaint them with the jobs they are expected to perform.
(3) Refresher training or retraining
The refresher training is meant for the old employees of the organisation. The basic purpose of refresher training is to acquaint the existing workforce with the latest methods of performing their jobs and improve their efficiency further. Retraining programs are designed to avoid personnel obsolescence.
(4) Internship training
Under this method, the educational or vocational institute enters into arrangement with an industrial enterprise for providing practical knowledge ,to its students. Internship training is usually meant for such vocations where advanced theoretical knowledge is to be backed up by practical experience on the job. Students of different institutions are engaged to the organisation as a part of internship training as For example. Engineering students are sent to big industrial enterprise for gaining practical work experience and medical students are sent to big hospitals to get practical knowledge.
Methods of Training & Development Programs
On the Job Training Methods
On the job training (OJT) methods are by far the most commonly used in training for all levels of personnel. The object of on the job training is to bring the employees to at least a minimum acceptable standard of performance in the shortest possible lime. The worker by these methods learns to master the operations involved on the actual job situation under the supervision of his immediate loss that has to carry the primary burden of conducting this training.
Following are various methods of the on the job training.
(1) On specific Job
The most common or formal on the job training programme is training for specific job. Current practice in job training has been strongly influenced by the war time training within industry which was first designed to improve the job performance through job instruction training. There are following methods of training:
(A) Experience
This is the oldest method of on-the- job training. But as a sole approach, it is wasteful, time consuming and inefficient. It has been observed that it should be followed by other training methods to make it more effective. In a survey, it was found that they kept up to date through a variety of activities which were largely unrelated to formal continuing education courses.
(B) Coaching On-the-job
Coaching by a superior is an important and potentially effective approach if superior is properly trained and oriented. The technique involves direct personnel instruction and guidance, usually, with extensive demonstration and continuous critical evaluation and correction. The advantage is increased motivation for the trainee and the minimisation of the problem of learning transfer from theory to practice. The danger in this method lies in the possible neglect of coaching by superior.
(C) Understudy
The understudy method is considered a somewhat different approach from those described above, that a certain person is specifically designated as the heir-apparent. The understudy method makes the trainee an assistant to the current job holder. The trainee learns by experience, observation and imitation. If decisions are discussed with the under study, he can become informed the policies and theories involved. The advantage of this method is that training is conducted in a practical and realistic situation. However disadvantages are many. The method tends to perpetuate mistakes and deficiencies of existing managerial practices. Moreover, the understudies are frequently neglected by those they assist.
(2) Position Rotation
The major objective of job rotation training is the broadening of the background of trainee in the organisation. If trainee is rotated periodically from one job to another job, he acquires a general background. The main advantages are: it provides a general background to the trainee, training takes place in actual situation, competition can be stimulated among the rotating trainees, and it stimulates a more co-operative attitude by exposing a man to other fellow's problems and viewpoints. There are certain disadvantages of this method. The productive work can suffer because of the obvious disruption caused by such changes. Rotations become less useful as specialisation proceeds, for few people have the breadth of technical knowledge and skills to move from one functional area to another.
(3) Special Projects
This is a very flexible training device. Such special project assignments grow ordinarily out of an individual analysis of weaknesses. The trainee may be asked to perform special assignment; thereby he learns the work procedure. Sometime a task force is created consisting of a number of trainees representing different functions in the organisation. Trainees not only acquire knowledge about the assigned activities, but also learn how to work with others.
(4) Selective Reading
Individuals in the organisation can gather and advance their knowledge and background through selective reading. The reading may include professional journals and books. Various business organisations maintain libraries for their own executives. Many executives become members of professional associations and they exchange their ideas with others. This is a good method for assimilating knowledge; however, some executives claim that it is very difficult to find time to do much reading other than absolutely required in the performance of their jobs.
(5) Apprenticeship
Apprentice training can be traced back to medieval times when those intended on learning trade skill bound themselves to a master craftsman to learn by doing the work under his guidance. In earlier periods, apprenticeship was not restricted to artisans, but was used in training for the professions, including medicine, law, dentistry, and teaching. Today's industrial organisations require large number of skilled craftsmen who can be trained by this system. Such training is either provided by the organisations or it is also impacted by governmental agencies. Most States now have apprenticeship laws with supervised plans for such training. Arrangements usually provide a mixed program of classroom and job experience.
(6) Vestibule Schools
Large organisations frequently provided what are described as vestibule schools, a preliminary to actual shop experience. As far as possible, shop conditions are duplicated, but instructive, not output, and are major objective, with special instructors provided. Vestibule schools are widely used in training for clerical and office jobs as well as for factory production jobs. Such training is usually shorter and less complex than that adaptable to the apprenticeship system. Vestibule training is relatively expensive, but these costs are justified if the volume of training is large, or if uniform, high-standard results are important.
Off the Job Training Methods
In these methods, trainees have to leave their workplace and devote their entire time to the development objective. In these methods development of trainees is primary and any usable work produced during training is secondary.
Following training techniques are used off-the-job.
(1) Special course and lectures
Lecturing is the most traditional form of formal training method. Special courses and lectures can be established by business organisations in numerous ways as a part of their development programs. First, there are courses which the organisations themselves establish to be taught by members of the organisation. Some organisations have regular instructors assigned to their training and development departments.
The second approach to special courses and lectures is for organisations to work with universities or institutes in establishing a course or series of % courses to be taught by instructors of these institutes. A third approach is for the organisations to send personnel to programs established by the universities, institutes and other bodies, Such courses are organised for a short period ranging from 2-3 days to a few weeks.
(2) Conferences
This is also an old method, but still a favorite training method. In order to escape the limitations of straight lecturing many organisations have adopted guided-discussion type of conferences in their training programs In this method, the participants pool their ideas and experience in attempting to arrive at improved methods of dealing with the problems which are common subject of discussion) Conferences may include buzz sessions that divide conferences into small groups of four or five for intensive discussion. These small groups then report back to the whole conference with their conclusions or questions. Conference method allows the trainees to look at the problem from a broader angle. These conferences, however, have certain limitations. Unless the discussion is directed to the fell needs of the participants that may well feel that the whole session is useless
(3) Case studies
This technique, which has been developed and popularized by the Harvard Business School, U.S.A., is one of the most common forms of training. A case is a written account of a trained reporter or analyst seeking to describe an actual situation. Some cases are merely illustrative; others are detailed and comprehensive demanding extensive and intensive analytical ability. Cases are widely used in a variety of programs) This method increases the trainee's power of observation, helping him to ask better questions and to look for a broader range of problems. A well chosen case may promote objective discussion, but the lack of emotional involvement may make it difficult to effect any basic change in the behavior and attitude of trainees.
(4) Brainstorming
This is the method of stimulating trainees to creative thinking. This approach developed by Alex Osborn (father of brainstorming) seeks to reduce inhibiting forces by providing for a maximum of group participation and a minimum of criticism, A problem is posed and ideas are invited. Quantity rather than quality is the primary objective; Ideas are encouraged and criticism of any idea is discouraged. Chain reactions from idea to idea often develop. Later, these ideas are critically examined. There is no trainer in brainstorming and it has been found that the introduction of known experts into it will reduce the originality and practicability of the group contributions. Brainstorming frankly favors divergence, and this fact may be sufficient to explain why brainstorming is so little used as yet in developing countries where new solutions ought to carry the highest premium. It is virtually untried even though its immediate use is limited to new ideas only, not change in behavior.
Russell A. Wheeler, MS (1999-2022), Alex F. Osborn: The Father of Brainstorming available at
https://www.russellawheeler.com/alex-osborn
Accessed on 23rd August 2023
This article gives a thorough review of the many training techniques used at work, highlighting their value in advancing workers' abilities and knowledge. The breakdown of the many training programs, from on-the-job training and induction for new hires to refresher developments for new employees are highly informative. It underlines how important it is to retain team members knowledgeable and skillful in their jobs.
ReplyDeleteon-the-job training techniques describes different strategies, including experience, coaching, and vocational training, each of which has advantages specific to skill development. The various methods of off-the-job training, such as meetings, research projects, special courses, and discussions about ideas, highlight the variety of possibilities accessible to companies for skill development.
The information provided in this article is a fantastic starting point for understanding the different training methods that may be used to encourage employee development and improve the productivity of an organization. Appreciate this informative article.
Good read. In HRM, training and development programs come in various forms. They include on-the-job training, workshops, e-learning, mentoring, and more. Tailoring the method to the specific learning objectives and employee needs is crucial. Diverse training approaches ensure employees acquire the skills and knowledge required to excel in their roles.
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely, you've concisely defined the crucial distinction between training and development in the context of human resource management. Training focuses on enhancing specific technical skills, while development takes a broader approach, nurturing qualities like leadership and adaptability. Both are essential for improving employee performance and fostering growth. I'm looking forward to learning more about the various methods you'll discuss in your post!
ReplyDeleteThis blog post gives a thorough explanation of human resource management's approach to training and development. It makes a distinction between development, which covers a wider range of management and personal progress, and training, which concentrates on certain technical abilities. Induction, on-the-job training, refresher training, internships, and other programs are among the training and development initiatives that are categorized in the post. The article goes on to describe off-the-job training techniques including specialized courses, conferences, case studies, and brainstorming as well as on-the-job training techniques like mentoring, position rotation, special projects, and special projects. The piece provides a thorough examination of these techniques, but in order to increase reader engagement, it should use a more interesting and succinct presentation.
ReplyDelete