Assess the role and purpose of training as a means of increasing the motivation and performance of staff along with an analysis of the relationship between the training and development programme and the management of performance.

Task E

Training includes all forms of planned learning experiences and activities designed to make positive changes to performance and other behaviour (including the acquisition of new knowledge, skills, beliefs, values and attitudes). Learning is generally defined as ‘a relatively permanent change in behaviour that occurs as a result of practice or experience’. In very broad terms, training can be considered as the process of learning how to perform the tasks needed in order for the organisation to function. This covers a variety of instructional and learning processes, ranging from formal, classroom training programs to on-the-job training and self-directed learning.

Training can be broken down into a number of elements:

Traditional training- training to promote learning of specific facts and content which enable improvements in job performance, such as technical skills training.
Education- the act or process of acquiring knowledge, skills and understanding, usually in a school, college or university.
Vocational education- somewhere between educational and traditional training (e.g. apprenticeship training).
Management training- activities designed to improve managerial competence.
Organisational development- activities designed to change the way in which individuals operate within an organisation (to help them to work better with the changing culture of the organisation, perhaps through teamwork developments).

At Asda the benefits of training would be:

Effective training improves the competitiveness of Asda, as well as improving its productivity and service to customers.
Surveys show that training costs less in the long run than recruiting fully trained workers from outside Asda. Recruited, fully trained employees tend to leave much sooner than employees Asda has trained itself.
Training creates the ‘right attitudes’ in employees, and ‘attitudes’ are often just as important as knowledge and skills.
The long-term benefits of training outweigh the short-run costs for all sorts of reasons, such as higher morale, higher skill and knowledge levels, lower labour turnover, reduced recruitment costs, etc.
Improved efficiency results from savings from material costs due to reduced wastage, improved delivery performance, improved quality, reliability and range of products or services to customers, a more flexible workforce, etc.
Employees are keen to engage in training because they see it as adding to their own motivation and enjoyment of work.
Helps introduction of new technology.
Reduces accidents and injuries of employees at Asda if trained in health and safety.
Improves Asda’s image and employees choice of promotion.

Aims of training:

Well trained workers lead to more production
To create a more flexible workforce
Helps with introduction of new technology
Increased job satisfaction for employees
Improve image of company
Improve employees choice of promotion again leading to employee satisfaction
To enable promoted employees to cope with new responsibilities, e.g. managerial or supervisory training
To improve efficiency, e.g. till training or telephone training for the sales staff

Methods of training:

Sitting next to Nellie (experienced worker)- worker shows trainee what to do
Coaching- this involves providing individuals with personal coaches
Mentoring- this involves a trainee being ‘paired’ with a more experienced employee
Job relations- when the trainee works in different departments for short periods
In-house and external training- I-house training is where an organisation has its own training departments. External training is where employees are sent on external courses, or are trained in other ways, away from the organisation
Self awareness training- this is when trainees complete questionnaires about personal values
Traditional apprenticeships- when an organisation takes on trainee workers
Graduate training- designed for degree holders to train for management positions
Vocational training- trainee works towards a vocational qualification
Self-paced/distant- when trainee is learning in their own time
Induction- this is the process of introducing new employees to their place of work, job, new surroundings and the people they will be working with. Induction also provides information to help new employees start work and generally ‘fit in’.

There are two types of training:

On-the job, with the worker learning as he or she goes along from an experienced fellow-worker, supervisor or trainer
Off-the-job, on courses at the company-training centre or local college.

Many training programmes use both methods, paying workers to attend courses on day or block-release.

Asda uses On-the-job training because workers can pick up skills by working alongside other workers. On the job training is cheap and often effective. However, it is unlikely to provide in depth training. It is unable to help whole groups of workers to change their skills.

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There are two types of training:

On-the job, with the worker learning as he or she goes along from an experienced fellow-worker, supervisor or trainer
Off-the-job, on courses at the company-training centre or local college.

Many training programmes use both methods, paying workers to attend courses on day or block-release.

The different methods of training at Asda are:

Coaching- this involves providing individuals with personal coaches in Asda. The person who is going to take on the coaching role will need, first, to develop coaching skills and will also need to have the time slots for the coaching to take place. The coach and the individual will need to identify development opportunities they can work on together- ways of tackling jobs, ways of improving performance, etc. the coach will provide continuous feedback on performance and how this is progressing.

Of course, coaching does not just benefit the person being coached; it also aids the coach’s own personal development. It is particularly important in a coaching system that:

The coach wants to coach the person and has the necessary coaching skills
The person being coached wants to be coached and has the necessary listening and learning skills
Sufficient time is given to the coaching process
The organisation places sufficient value on the coaching process

Sitting next to Nellie (experience worker)- this experienced worker shows the trainee what to do
Mentoring- this involves a trainee being ‘paired’ with a more experienced employee. The trainee carries out the job but uses the ‘mentor’ to discuss problems that may occur and how best to solve them
In-house courses- is where Asda has its own training departments. In-house training can take place on the job or off the job within the company. Employees at Asda are trained at Asda, even while carrying out an activity.
Graduate training- designed for degree holders to train for management positions.
Induction- As well as following naturally from recruitment and selection, induction should also consider the initial training and development anyone needs either on joining a new organisation or on taking on a new function within it. As well as dealing with the initial knowledge and skills needed to do the job, in case of a new organisation, it should also deal with the structure, culture and activities of Asda.

Regular training at Asda can increase the motivation of staff. It gives them confidence so that they can tackle existing and new tasks. It is a way for leaders to communicate their vision of change within Asda. Training makes workers feel that they are important to Asda, so that they feel more motivated.

Staff will be given training. This is where groups of workers are trained together. Perhaps they need to learn the skills associated with new technology (skill training). They might need to learn about new health and safety procedures. A buying team might need to learn about new products now available from suppliers.

Individual workers have training needs too. Staff development programmes help staff who wish to gain skills and qualifications needed for promotion.

A new employee at Asda will often need training for the job, particularly if he or she has little or no experience of the type of work. Training may be concerned with matters such as:

The business’s organisation and methods
Operating equipment
Handling accounts and other records
Dealing with customers and suppliers
Company products and services
Health and safety procedures
Training for the promotion to the next grade

Obviously, even existing employees may need training about items such as these to enable them to adapt to change in the company.

Training Incentives

Work based training for adults- aimed at adults employed for a period of time but no latest skills to deal with at the workplace
Modern apprenticeships- when a trainee goes to a company and gets trained. They also receive a salary and are guaranteed a job at the end. This is good for the company because they are funded by the government
New deal- a scheme which provides subsidies training and employment for unemployed 18-24 year olds. After assessment unemployed young people are given help to find a job. This may include offering employers a subsidy to take them on. If they don’t succeed they will be given two options: 52 weeks of full-time education or gain work experience on schemes designed to benefit the local community and the environment
National Training Organisations- this covers training in specific industries. A council may be setup to monitor schools and colleges
Learning and skills council- the Department for Education and Employment (DFEE) is the government department directly responsible for training. It supervises the work of Learning and Skills Council. This looks for certain areas that need improving. TEC’s (Training and Enterprise Council) then operates in these areas. So basically the DFEE finds areas in need of improving and the TEC operates in these areas.
National Trainee Ships- this is like on-the-job training but leads to modern apprenticeships. Unfortunately, you don’t get paid well
Investors in People- is an initiative designed to make businesses think about their training needs and encourage development skills. It is a quality standard as companies like Asda have to get certain standards to achieve this mark. To gain this, a business has to consider its performance, identify how that performance is not as good as it could be probably because of a lack of skills of workers, and commit itself to training staff to fill this skills gap. Asda must agree to review its training needs on a regular basis if it wants to achieve this status.

Asda is involved with all of these incentives. This is because it wants to be efficient in operating and so thinks of different methods of achieving this. As employment becomes less secure, individuals are being urged to develop new transferable skills. Government initiatives are now encouraging individuals to think of education and training as a lifelong process.

Management performance

Organisations such as Asda have always relied on the performance of the human resource. As the economy is built on intelligence and complex information and communications technology system, the result of these developments is that most modern employees at Asda have to face the interface directly with customers and decisions need to be taken by employees at every level within the organisation, rather than being told what to do. Then Asda will thus be one that has all its employees firing on all cylinders, working towards helping the organisation to meet its objectives. Asda therefore has to develop systems and methods for managing effectively the performance of its employees.

Development

Development approaches the individual and his or her motivation from a different angle from that of training. While training is typically concerned with enabling the individual to contribute to meeting the objectives of Asda better, personal development is more concerned with enabling individuals to develop themselves in the way that best suits individual needs. The two, it is hope, will come together. By helping individuals to develop themselves, they will be more inclined and better able to contribute to helping Asda meet its objectives.

Personal development

Relationship between training and development and performance management

Asda: annual results cycle

Feedback

With such a system in place, it becomes possible to establish for a period of time the key results that an individual will be judged against. The results the individual can be judged against expected standards; a reward system can then be tailored to the way in which the individual enables Asda to achieve its results.

Performance appraisal is a process of evaluating performance systematically and of providing feedback on which performance adjustments can be made. After a period of time working in a job, Asda may appraise the employee. This is an attempt by the business to find out the qualities, usefulness or worth of its employees. Asda can use appraisal to:

Measure past job performance accurately
Provide feedback
Increase motivation
Identify training needs
Identifying potential for promotion
Award salary increases
Define the experiences that an individual will need for their ongoing development. These development experiences should improve job performance and prepare the employee for future responsibilities
Provide information for HRP
Assess the effectiveness of the selection process

Many appraisal schemes have been linked to PERFORMANCE APPRAISAL. This involves observing, measuring and developing the performance of employees. Performance can be measured against criteria’s such as output, quality and speech.

Asda operates some form of staff appraisal or staff development scheme. Common stages of staff appraisal are as follows:

The line manager meets with the job-holder to discuss what is expected. The agreed expectations may be expressed in terms of targets, performance standards or required job behaviours- attributes, skills and attitudes
The outcome of the meeting is recorded and usually signed by both parties
The job-holder performs the job for a period of six months or a year
At the end of the period, the job-holder and line manager or team leader meet again to review and discuss progress made. They draw up new action plans to deal with identified problems such as more training and agree targets and standards for the next period.

Carrying out appraisal

Who carries out the appraisal?

Appraisers often referred to as raters: people who rate the performance of an individual:

Superiors i.e. supervisors- who usually has knowledge of tasks that worker is doing
People ‘above’ superior- they approve supervisors appraisal of employee. Managers also get involved if employee is suitable for promotion
Self-appraisal- once an employee becomes effective at managing their performance in an accurate way they become autonomous- they don’t need regulations
Peer appraisal- quite reliable, as they know all about the job. However this is seen as grassing
Subordinates- not greatly used as they only know certain aspects of job
360 degrees appraisal- this method gathers data from supervisors, peers and subordinates

It is important to stress that the process of appraisal and other forms of evaluation should be closely linked to training and development. This is a two way process. If Asda is to achieve its objectives, it is essential to train and develop its people so they are the best able to support the company in working towards objectives. at the same time the individual needs to have the opportunity to be able to communicate his or her own personal development needs to Asda through appraisal or personal development planning schemes.

Employees will learn on the job. Without a well-planned and managed training function, however, the learning that takes place can be easily incorrect, inefficient, and, in the long run, demoralising and counterproductive. For that reason, employee training and development is an essential tool for effective human resources management. Indeed, the view is increasingly voiced that strong training can provide an essential basis for achieving and sustaining competitive advantage in the marketplace. To be done effectively, the training function should be well-planned. This means applying for appropriate instructional methods to identifying learning needs. Further, the transfer of skills learned during training back on to the job should not be assumed but rather managed and encouraged. The program should be evaluated and actions taken accordingly. Career management and self-directed learning can also be promoted.

Employee performance appraisal is a natural and necessary part of Asda’s life, and forms the cornerstone to many basic human resources management practices. In spite of its central role in the HR drama, the reviews of performance appraisal have been mixed, at best. In particular, problems in rater accuracy and consistency, negative impacts on employee commitment and motivation, poor administrative choices for system design and operation, and faulty rating scales all work to compromise the potential value that appraisal can provide.

The large amount of research done at Asda in this area does point the way to how appraisal can be improved. Such practices as job analysis, aligning purpose with process, and more frequent feedback are all essential steps forward. In particular, rater training is yet another piece of the improvement puzzle. Training raters how to observe and evaluate behaviours reliably can be done by presenting descriptions of performance for common evaluation and discussion in a training setting. An emerging step in this same direction is self-assessment training. Here, employees learn how to rate themselves more accurately and adjust their experiences accordingly.

Performance evaluations are not perfect processes that produce only positive outcomes. Because appraisals are so critical to many of the other HR functions, finding and instituting ways to make the process work as effectively as possible is a major concern of the human resources management function.