TABLE OF CONTENTS When you have read this chapter and carried out the activities, you will be able to:
Explain a number of different approaches organisations take to training and development.
Understand the component parts of the learning cycle.
Analyse the various techniques of training.
Identify the importance of training arrangements such as action learning, induction and sales training.
Assess the role of government in initiating development in learning and training.
As we saw in Chapter 8, there is a strong argument that the most important role in human resources is to help employees to improve their performance and, by so doing, improve the performance of the organisation. To improve, employees need a combination of the will to improve (motivation) and the encouragement to acquire job-related knowledge, skills and attitudes (KSAs). We have dealt with motivation in Chapter 6 and this chapter will cover how the second part can be achieved, by looking firstly at the way people learn, followed by an examination of a selection of training and development techniques. Finally, we will look at the government initiatives that are intended to help the learning process, including Investors in People.
Storey and Sisson (1993) refer to the 'virtuous circle' of development, whereby a high investment can lead to a more effective utilisation of high technology, higher skill levels, higher wages and lower unit labour costs, leading ultimately to competitive advantage. On the other hand, a large swathe of business and industry relies on badly applied 'on-the-job' training,...
