Page 283 - Psychological Management of Individual Performance

268 enhancing performance through training
SUMMARY
This chapter addresses the process of training development from a practitioner’s point
of view and analyses the various steps essential to the development and implementation
of a successful training process. Taking the example of a successful management train-
ing programme for newly appointed managers at a large organisation, we illustrate
how best to combine training development theory with the practitioner’s first-hand
experience. We describe the advantages and disadvantages of various methods for as-
sessing training needs, the development of training content and objectives for the
target group, the right structure and methods for training, and the development of
a lesson plan. Furthermore, we consider the merits of internal/external trainers and
the role of management in achieving successful implementation. We examine the ap-
plication process itself and show how the first training sessions should be run. We
present methods for calculating costs and benefits in order to evaluate the results of
the training.

INTRODUCTION

In this chapter we will consider the process of training development from a practitioner’s
point of view and work through the various steps which are essential to the development
and implementation of a successful training process. The process which we will be
focusing on forms the underlying framework for a management training programme for
newly appointed managers which has been running successfully at a large organisation—
in the following called “the firm”—for almost 10 years. We will be drawing examples
from the firm’s training programme in order to enhance the theoretical aspects of training
development with some of the practitioner’s first-hand experience. These examples will
be presented at the end of each section. In the following paragraph a short summary of
the example used throughout the article is given.

DEVELOPMENT OF A MANAGEMENT TRAINING PROCESS FOR NEWLY
APPOINTED MANAGERS:INTRODUCTORY-LEVEL LEADERSHIP TRAINING

A large organisation with 28,000 employees has an ever-increasing demand for managers
who will be required to manage branches or supervise teams in all areas of the firm’s
business operations. There is a natural staff turnover incidence of 4% and on average
managers remain in any given position for a period of three to five years. Each year, no
less than 150 staff members are given the opportunity of assuming their first managerial
position, in which they will be responsible for a team consisting of anywhere from 4 to
20 staff. In order to improve their management skills and to provide them with support in
their new role as managers, the firm offers a management training programme designed to
meet their particular needs. The aim of this training programme is twofold: it should serve
to reinforce fundamental management skills such as delegating, conducting meetings and
appraisal discussions, etc. and it should help newly appointed managers in defining their
new roles and responsibilities.

There are several steps necessary to develop an effective training programme from the
needs analysis through to the evaluation process. Figure 13.1 shows the main elements