UNIT IV STUDY GUIDE
Employee Development and
Performance Management
Reading
Assignment
Chapter 8:
Training and Developing
Employees
Chapter 9:
Performance
Management and
Appraisal
Internet Reading
See information below.
Course Learning Outcomes for Unit IV
Upon completion of this unit, students should be able to:
2. Evaluate factors impacting the evolution of equal employment opportunity
programs.
2.1 Interpret the effects of training and performance management on
employment law.
5. Evaluate performance evaluation processes and techniques in human
resources management.
5.1 Explain performance management process and appraisal methods.
7. Evaluate training and development methods for various types and levels of
organizations.
7.1 Evaluate diverse and distinctive training and development
methodologies.
Suggested Reading
Unit Lesson
See information below.
Certain events seem to stick in our memories all of our lives; they usually occur when
we are experiencing high anxiety, like the first day of a new job. Who can ever forget
that first day? Whether it was a good experience or a bad one, we seem to remember
it. If you are fortunate, you are still employed by that same organization. Otherwise,
you have experienced a few more first days chock-full of positive hopes, a bit of
apprehension, and maybe a touch of angst as you walked through that door to your
new-employee orientation session.
Learning Activities
(Non-Graded)
See information below.
Some companies refer to this as on-boarding. The military calls it indoctrination.
Whatever name the process goes by, it must be acknowledged that no organization
accomplishes the purpose and objectives of this session better than the U.S. military.
Why? Because the person joining that organization needs to know and embrace the
values, mission, expectations, rules, procedures, and culture. They have to see where
the organization has been, where it is now, and what their role will be in its future. The
importance of this socialization cannot be understated.
Unit IV, Employee Development and Performance Management, appropriately starts
with the purpose and process of orientation and leads us into the rational steps
involved in the ADDIE training process model. As the author describes each step of
the model (analysis design, development, implementation, and evaluation), emphasis
is placed on the importance of linking the training process to the organizational
strategy as well as analyzing current needs. The first thing that must be determined is
if a problem that has been presented will be solved by providing training? All too often,
an executive or high level manager will make the comment that productivity has been
reduced in an area, sales are down in a certain department, or an individual is not
performing, so a training program is needed.
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The worst thing you can do is respond to that executive using training jargon like, “I
would like to do a TNA to get to the root cause of this issue.” The executive will think
you are going to delay getting results. Ask him or her to refer you to someone close to
the issue so you can get all of the details. Better still, remember this quote from Mager
and Pipe (1997), “Solutions are like keys in locks; they don’t work if they don’t fit. And
if the solutions are not the right ones, the problem doesn’t get solved” (p. v). Mager
and Pipe’s (1997) model suggests asking a series of specific questions about the
performance or the employee’s behavior. The answers you get will identify the cause
of the performance deficiency or employee behavior, and if you are lucky, you will
have the key to fixing the problem. It may turn out to be a non-training issue, and you
will be the hero who saves a lot of people’s time and the corporation’s money.
Using the ADDIE model as a framework, Dessler (2014) discusses training topics and
techniques in the appropriate areas. For example, under implementation, just about
every training method and technique is explored, including how to manage
organizational change. If you have had an undergraduate class in psychology, you
may remember Kurt Lewin’s Force Field Analysis, a decision making tool that has
become a standard change management tool in the workplace. Dessler (2014) takes
the reader through an example of the three step process (unfreeze, moving, and
refreeze) with Nokia on an organizational level.
On a personal level, unfreezing is when you are getting ready to change; you may
have just explored an idea, say going back to college to get your master’s degree. You
have listed the factors for and against the change, and the pros must outweigh the
cons for the change to be made. If someone tries to push you into the change, you
tend to hunker-down and stand your ground. Like most of us, you procrastinate, and
the deadline for registration is upon you. A sense of urgency is created, this motivates
you to make the decision that you really want this, and you register on time.
Once you decide in favor of the change, you begin the transition, or what the textbook
calls the moving. This stage can be a little scary at times; you persuaded yourself to
enroll in college and now find there is a lot to learn, such as how to navigate the
systems and where to find information you need before you can turn in the first
assignment. At this stage, you come to realize that you may make mistakes until you
get the system down and that it is all part of the learning curve. Your family and friends
are supportive, which is deeply appreciated. They help you keep the goal of
graduation in sight; you are solving your daily issues systematically and carving out
the time you need to get your studies done. After many courses and much TV
deprivation, the end goal of graduation is closer. The next thing you know, you are at
the third stage, refreezing. By now, you are confident in your daily routine, and before
the environment can freeze solid, a new change presents itself; as you are accepting
your diploma, you are weighing the pros and cons of applying for a doctoral program.
Hopefully, you see the value of learning Lewin’s process for managing change, not
just from the organizational change perspective, but also in your personal life.
The text continues within the framework of the ADDIE model to evaluating training.
The levels of evaluation are discussed, including the controlled experimental process,
measuring the impact of training, and return on investment (ROI).
As we enter Chapter 9, think about the quote from Bob Mager and the scenario of
when the result of asking questions turns out to be a non-training related problem. If
training is not the answer, what is? Well, on an employee level, if their production is
down and they know how to do the job because they have been doing the same job
for years, training is most likely not the problem.
Perhaps there is something affecting the employee’s motivation? A discussion with the
person’s manager may reveal he or she was passed-over for promotion or turned
down for a conference or seminar he or she was looking forward to attending. In any
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case, this employee does not need training, a transfer, or to be terminated. He or she
needs to be heard and managed. Performance management is a continuous process
of identifying, measuring, and developing employees and aligning their performance
with organizational goals (Dessler, 2014).
Other topics covered in Chapter 9 are techniques for appraising performance,
identifying rater errors, managing an effective appraisal interview, and talent
management.
References
Dessler, G., (2015). Human resource management (14th ed.). Upper Saddle River,
NJ: Pearson Education.
Mager, R. F., & Pipe, P. (1997). Analyzing performance problems: Or, you really
oughta wanna. Atlanta, GA: Center for Effective Performance.
Internet Reading
Chapter 8:
PearsonMyLab: Wilson Learning: Training
Pearson Link:
http://media.pearsoncmg.com/ph/bp/bp_video_links/2013/mgmt/hrm/hrm_0701_512.ht
ml
Suggested Reading
Click here to access a PowerPoint presentation of the Chapter 8 material. Click here
to access a PDF version of this presentation.
Click here to access a PowerPoint presentation of the Chapter 9 material. Click here
to access a PDF version of this presentation.
PearsonMyLab: The California Healthcare Foundation: Performance Management
Pearson Link:
http://media.pearsoncmg.com/ph/bp/bp_video_links/2013/mgmt/hrm/hrm_0302_512.ht
ml
Learning Activities (Non-Graded)
Chapter 8
Read “Improving Performance at the Hotel Paris: The New Training Program,” pp.252253 in your textbook, and answer questions 8-35 and 8-36.
Non-graded Learning Activities are provided to aid students in their course of study.
You do not have to submit them. If you have questions contact your instructor for
further guidance and information.
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