Exam 7: Training and Development

What is the primary reason why organizations train new employees?

Contrary to common thought, progressive organizations allow the supervisor to play a minor role in the new employee orientation process, since orientation is primarily the responsibility of the HR department.

Scenario 7.1 Accounting Power Inc. is a Canadian employment agency that provides professional accounting services to various businesses across the country. In the last couple of years, the firm has been slowly losing clients, which is impacting its bottom line. Interviews done with some clients revealed that Accounting Power Inc. employees are not as sharp as they used to be and, lately, there have been too many inconsistencies and errors with their work. In the last recession, managers could not justify how the training was adding value to the agency. These programs were not viewed as strategic imperatives and most of them were cut. -Refer to Scenario 7.1. The combination of these four criteria can give a total picture of the training program to help managers decide all of the following EXCEPT?

The absence of well-defined performance criteria is a particular problem for which training method?

Person analysis involves determining what the content of the training program should be, based on a study of the tasks or duties involved in the job.

Which term refers to determining what the content of a training program should be, based on a study of the job duties?

What term is used for grooming an employee to take over the supervisor's job through gaining experience in handling important functions of the job?

Conducting an organizational needs analysis is likely to yield which of the following types of training-relevant information?

"Transfer of training" relates to the training evaluation criterion "behaviour."

Team building is a relatively simple process.

Scenario 7.2 Blake Windows & Doors Inc. installs and repairs doors and windows for Green Park Homes. When the firm started back in the 1980s, its operations were based only in Vancouver. Today, Blake is the main contractor for Green Park Homes across British Columbia. Employees with Blake work long hours, especially when new subdivisions are being built. The company now wants to increase its staff complement to help deal with increasing demands while maintaining some work-life balance. Blake found that employees from agencies tend to need too much hands-on training, which is costly, and if they do have some experience it is very costly to hire them due to the specific set of skills required. -Refer to Scenario 7.2. If Blake adopts an apprenticeship program, which of the following is NOT true about how trainees are developed?

Orientation is an ongoing process.

Organization A is grouping its employees before beginning a training program. The company will group them according to capability. What is this process called?

Scenario 7.1 Accounting Power Inc. is a Canadian employment agency that provides professional accounting services to various businesses across the country. In the last couple of years, the firm has been slowly losing clients, which is impacting its bottom line. Interviews done with some clients revealed that Accounting Power Inc. employees are not as sharp as they used to be and, lately, there have been too many inconsistencies and errors with their work. In the last recession, managers could not justify how the training was adding value to the agency. These programs were not viewed as strategic imperatives and most of them were cut. -Refer to Scenario 7.1. If Accounting Power Inc. wanted to evaluate its training programs, what are the four basic criteria for such an evaluation?

Internship programs benefit students, but rarely benefit employers.

Do most organizations evaluate their training programs?

Omega Organization is going through a very detailed process of looking at all the tasks or duties included in a job. It will then list all the steps performed by the employee to complete each task, and then look to examine the skills and knowledge necessary for the job. Which process is Omega Organization performing?

Which term refers to assessing the sets of skills and knowledge employees need to be successful, particularly for decision-oriented and knowledge-intensive jobs?

Scenario 7.2 Blake Windows & Doors Inc. installs and repairs doors and windows for Green Park Homes. When the firm started back in the 1980s, its operations were based only in Vancouver. Today, Blake is the main contractor for Green Park Homes across British Columbia. Employees with Blake work long hours, especially when new subdivisions are being built. The company now wants to increase its staff complement to help deal with increasing demands while maintaining some work-life balance. Blake found that employees from agencies tend to need too much hands-on training, which is costly, and if they do have some experience it is very costly to hire them due to the specific set of skills required. -Refer to Scenario 7.2. Which of the following is the most appropriate method for developing workers who can effectively help Blake Windows & Doors deal with its increasing commitments while keeping payroll and training costs down?

What are the steps in behaviour modelling?