Page 265 - Psychological Management of Individual Performance

Chapter 12

Enhancing Performance

through Training

Beryl Hesketh and Karolina Ivancic
The University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia

INTRODUCTION 250 SIMULATION TRAINING 257
IDENTIFYING TRAINING NEEDS 250 ACTIVE LEARNING 258
TRAINING DESIGN PRINCIPLES 252 ORGANIZATIONAL FACTORS INFLUENCING
SEQUENCING OF COURSE CONTENT 252 TRANSFER 258
ENCOURAGE APPROPRIATE OPPORTUNITY TO PERFORM 259
INFORMATION-PROCESSING 253 ORGANIZATIONAL CULTURE AND CLIMATE 259
PRACTICE SCHEDULES 254 RELAPSE PREVENTION INTERVENTIONS 260
FEEDBACK 254 EVALUATION AS AN INTEGRAL PART
TRAINING METHODS 255 OF TRAINING 260
RULES AND EXAMPLES 255 CONCLUSIONS 261
INSTRUCTION VERSUS PRACTICE 256 REFERENCES 262
BEHAVIOR MODELING AND ROLE PLAYING 256

SUMMARY
Organizations will increasingly need to select and train “expert” employees who can
perform at the highest level if they are to maintain their competitive edge in the
expanding global business environment. We argue that in demanding workplaces that
are characterized by constant change, training for adaptive expertise provides a basis
for developing the cognitive and metacognitive skills needed to deal with variable job
requirements. Several approaches to training (instruction in rules and examples; be-
havioral modeling and role playing; simulation training; active learning) are discussed
in relation to how well they accord with fundamental training principles that promote
adaptability. Factors in the organizational environment that can influence transfer of
training are also discussed. The complexity of the transfer process and the impact of
moderating variables on training outcomes highlight the need for accurate assessment
of training needs and ongoing evaluation of training effectiveness.

Psychological Management of Individual Performance. Edited by Sabine Sonnentag.
C 2002 John Wiley& Sons, Ltd. ISBN: 0-471-87726-3