Submitted By: Charanpreet Singh

Student ID: A00139558

Summary:
The Houghton Refrigeration Company is a small-town manufacturing company that builds refrigerators
for large appliance companies. The company hires mostly assembly line workers, and during summer
months, additional employees are hired to handle heavy workloads. However, the new employees receive
no orientation, and their training is typically completed within 10 minutes. The first-line supervisors
usually show the employees how to do a job once, then watch while the employee performs the job once.
In addition, the company had experienced a rash of injuries to its employees, which prompted the
president to conduct a series of short training programs on safe material-handling techniques. The
president was at a loss as to who should conduct the training, and out of desperation, he chose Bill
Young, the first-line supervisor of the "lid-line," who was recently trained on safety and was active in the
Red Cross. Bill Young nervously conducted the training on a departmental basis with small groups of
employees attending each session. However, Bill's presentation was ineffective, and the employees
returned to work immediately after the training, laughing about the training fiasco.
Case Study Question 1:
Comment on the president's choice to have Bill Young conduct the training. Was it a good idea for Bill to
be the trainer? How else might the president have chosen a trainer?
The president's choice to have Bill Young conduct the training was not a good idea. Bill Young did not
have any experience as a trainer, and his monotone voice and lack of engagement made the training
ineffective. Additionally, Bill's reluctance to conduct the training suggests that he did not feel confident in
his ability to deliver the material effectively.
The president could have chosen a more qualified trainer, such as an experienced safety professional or a
human resource employee with training experience. The trainer should have a strong understanding of the
material and be able to engage the audience effectively. Additionally, the trainer should be able to adapt
to the needs of the audience and adjust the training as necessary to ensure maximum effectiveness.
If the president wanted to utilize an internal employee as a trainer, he could have offered training or
development opportunities to the employees to build their skills and confidence. This would have allowed
the company to develop a pool of internal trainers with the necessary skills to conduct effective training
sessions in the future. (Nkomo, Fottler, & McAfee, 2005)

Case Study Question 2:

How effective was Bill Young as a trainer? What characteristics of an effective trainer did he display, and
which did he not display? What could he have done to make the training more effective?

Bill Young was not an effective trainer in this scenario. He lacked engagement and did not display any
enthusiasm for the material. He read the training script in a monotone voice, and there was no opportunity
for interaction or discussion with the employees.
An effective trainer should be able to engage the audience and create a learning environment that
encourages participation and interaction. They should be knowledgeable about the material and be able to
convey it clearly and effectively. Additionally, an effective trainer should be able to adapt the training to
the needs of the audience and be able to answer questions or address concerns that arise during the
training.
To make the training more effective, Bill could have utilized a more interactive approach. This could
have included role-playing exercises, group discussions, or demonstrations to help employees understand
the material better. He could also have shared personal experiences or examples of how to apply the
training material in real-world situations to make it more relevant and engaging for the employees.
Furthermore, Bill could have utilized visual aids such as PowerPoint slides, videos or posters to illustrate
the key points of the training. This would have helped to reinforce the material and make it more
memorable for the employees. He could also have given feedback or positive reinforcement to employees
who demonstrated good lifting techniques during the training, as this would have encouraged them to
continue to apply the material in their work. (Nkomo, Fottler, & McAfee, 2005)
Conclusion:
The case study of the Houghton Refrigeration Company highlights the importance of effective training in
the workplace. The president's decision to choose an inexperienced trainer resulted in a failed training
session that was ineffective and provided no value to the employees. The president should have chosen a
more experienced and skilled trainer to conduct the training or outsourced the training to a professional
training company. An effective trainer should possess certain characteristics such as being an engaging
speaker, having excellent communication skills, and making the training session interactive. By following
these guidelines, companies can ensure that their training sessions are effective and result in a positive
impact on employee performance and job satisfaction. Effective training not only improves employee
productivity and performance but also contributes to a safe working environment, which is crucial in
industries like manufacturing, where employees are exposed to various risks and hazards. Therefore,
investing in effective training programs is essential for the success and sustainability of any organization.
In conclusion, the Houghton Refrigeration Company's case study highlights the importance of effective
training and the potential consequences of ineffective training.
References:
Nkomo, S. M., Fottler, M. D., & McAfee, R. B. (2005). Applications in Human Resource Management
(5th ed.). South-Western/Cengage Learning.