All about training

1. Set1
Komal Gangi, Faculty,TIAS
Training and Development – Systems & Practices
UNIT 1
Training
 For organisational productivity, training assumes great significance. Though it is a
type of education , it is job oriented. It is skill learning. Education is wider in scope
and general in purpose whereas training is organisation specific and practice based.
 Training has greater significance for the success of modern organisations.
 Core competencies and expertise give the organisations an edge over their
competitors and training plays a vital role in developing and strengthening these
competencies.
 Change of technology demands that employees update their knowledge, skills,
abilities and technical expertise. Jobs are becoming more interdependent demanding
high interpersonal and problem solving skills, which can be acquired only through
training.
Training- Role and Relevance
 Training is a continuous and perennial activity
 Even today, in the area of skill training we can see “apprenticeship” as a form of
training in vogue.
 When the “agency” system of getting things done through others became prevalent,
especially in post industrialization era, training assumed greater significance.
 The concepts of Frederick Winslow Taylor, Henry L. Gantt, Frank and Lillian
Gilberth etc. who invented a better method of ‘doing a thing’ concretised the need for
training
 As Alvin Tofler puts it ‘only change is permanent’. In our country the great issue
facing not only the industrially developed nations but also the fast developing nations
is the problem of change and adapting to change is the main concern of present day
management thinkers. Change that is induced in business and industry through
science and technology development demands rapid individual and social adjustment
and it renders products, processes, skills and attitudes obsolter and with them men,
machines and jobs. The above two challenges are met mainly by manpower training
and development programmes.
 To help managers acquire the required professional knowledge, skills , attitudes,
habits and other personality traits and to facilitate them to realise their potential to the
maximum possible extent, the organisation has to provide them the necessary training
and opportunities for growth and development. Thus, the need for training in the

2. Set1
Komal Gangi, Faculty,TIAS
organisation arises for unfolding the skills hidden in the managers and provides them
with new skills required for discharging their functions more effectively and
efficiently.
 Training is defined as the “use of specific means to specific learning. Often with the
use of techniques that can be identified and continually improved”. It is known as ‘ a
sequence of experiences or opportunities designed to modify behaviour in order to
attain a stated objective’.
 Thus, training is an intentional act, to guide the individual’s learning with a view to
bring about desired change in the behaviour. Training assumes greater importance in
improving the individual learning level and thereby their behaviour. Unguided
learning or experience is proved to be costly, slow, fumbling and likely to teach
individuals both bad and good. Such a trial and error learning can be completely
fruitlessa in improving skills and even harmful in sophisticated fields such as
engineering, medicine, banking and management.
 Training assists the individuals in choosing, utilising and evaluating their experiences.
It ensures that the learning is quick, sustained, right kind of inputs are acquired,
assembled and internalised in their personality.
Definitions of Training
 Hesseling (1971) defines training as a sequence of experiences or opportunities
designed to modify behaviour in order to attain a stated objective’
 Oatley (1970) defines it as any activity which deliberately attempts to improve a
person’s skill at a task. Both these definitions include’ education’ and
‘development’ as well as training.
 Hamblin(1974) defines training as ‘any activity which deliberately attempts to
improve a person’s skill on a job’ as opposed to education which Is mainly
concerned with personal development and not related directly to the job.
 Nadler(1971) has stressed the difference between training which is concerned
with present jobs, and development which is concerned with future jobs as
opposed to Hamblin who assumes development simply as training for future jobs.
Objectives of Training
Training objectives are formulated in line with the companies’ goals and objectives.
The major objectives of the training amy be enumerated as follows:
1. To train the employees in the companies’ culture and ethos.
2. To prepare the employees both newly recruited and already employed to meet the
present as well as the future requirement of the job and the organisation

3. Set1
Komal Gangi, Faculty,TIAS
3. To train the employees in order to improve the work methods and skills so as to
increase quality and quantity of output
4. To prevent obsolescence
5. To prepare employees for higher level responsibilities.
6. To increase the efficiency and effectiveness of employees by updating them on latest
concepts and techniques
7. To facilitate succession planning i.e. to build up a second line of competent
employees
8. To reduce supervision wastage and accidents
9. To ensure economical outout with high quality
10. To develop interpersonal relations
11. To foster individual and group moral with positive attitude and cordial relations
Future Trends in Training
The following future trends are observed with regard to training:
1. The necessity for a system that imparts the knowledge and skills required by an adult
for his life as well as the work
2. Change in orientation from academic to work place led programmes and qualification
3. Parity for academic and vocational qualification
4. Accreditation of prior learning both academic and vocational
5. Transfer of credit for training undergone
6. Assessment based on targets and outcomes
7. Usage of more technology in delivering training programmes
8. More skills based programmes than knowledge based programmes
Problems of Training
1. Training is not a panacea for all organizational ills. Sometimes trainers fall into the
trap that many problems can be solved by a training solution. If training is not the best
solution it will not address the cause of the problem and organization may loose time,
money, effort, image and credibility.
2. Mismatch between objectives and needs may make the training programme useless
3. If the intervention methodology is chosen properly, the training will be ineffective
and incomplete

4. Set1
Komal Gangi, Faculty,TIAS
4. While initiating training efforts, the difference between results based training (training
that makes an impact and leads to improved trainee performance) and activity based
training is to be recognised..
5. Sometimes training is conducted on what’s “nice to know”. Instead training should be
focused on what learners must learn and use on the job.
6. Sometimes programmes that no longer meet work related needs are conducted for the
sake of numbers. Such programmes are to be avoided.
7. Trainer’s competencies are not properly assessed while mounting a training
programme. This may defeat the very purpose of the training programme, as delivery
may not lead to learning.