GOALS OF ORGANIZATIONAL TRAINING PROGRAMS

The first step in ~blishing a formal training program is the precise formulation
of objectives. These objectives must be stated in terms of specific behavioral aite-
ria, the acts or operatio_ns employees must perform on the job and the way they
should perform them to maximize job efficiency. It is impossible to determiiie
what the training program should include· unless the organization knows what
the prngram is supposed to accomplish. In other words, what knowledge. skills,
and abUities are critical to learning to perform. the job successfully"?

Needs Assessment. The goals of the training program should be derived from
the needs of the organization and the employees. A needs assessment should
Needs assessment An
be conducted to determine corporate and ·individual goals· and how a· training ~lyss of corporate and lndl·
program would help to achieve them. Such assessments, more ideal than real in Yid~ pis undcnakcn ~-
lore cksigning a tninina
organizational life, are used to detennine specific.job components and the skills progral'li.
required to perfonn them.
Sil uations do arise in which the need for a training progran t is obvious. For
examplt:. a company that automates a manufacturing .proces-;. tliminating -a
numbc :- of jobs, may choose to retrain its employees for othn work. Rapid
 lo
·h=~
.expansion_that aeates new Jobs requires a program to train workers flll •the
po51t!ons. A hJgh acxident rate may call for.addidonal safety training Preq
~fnts from dissatisfied customers may ie~d to employee training ·in
relations skills. In the absence of a clear Indication that training is needed, how-
-ever, _it_is ~agemcnt's respon~ibflity to analyze its operations periodically to
determme U any aspect could benefit from additional training. ·

O~tional Analysis. A general organiz.ational analysis can suggiest broad

traiDmg needs that can then be translated into spec.ifkneeds of employees or work
groups. lbe next step is a task analysis to identify the specific tasks perfOimed on a
job and the knowledge, skills, -and abilities needed for those tasks. A pmnn analy-
sis is undcnaken to detennine which workers need retraining and what kind of
training is necessary. These evaluations be accomplished by job analysis meth-
ods, aitiall incidents, ~rformance appraisal techniques, and s e H ~ ~
Job analysis is. the most frequently used technique for ·determining training
needs and objectives. It yields a detailed -list of the characteristics needed to·per-
fonn a job successfully and the sequence of operations required. From a job
analysis, the oompany can_determine how new training proc-edures can improve
Job performance. · ·
. 1be aitkal-inddents technique, which focuses on specific desirable or unde-
.sirable job behaviors, provides information on how employees are equipped to
rope with significant workday events. For example, how do assembly-line work-
ers deal with jammed machinery? How do supervis~rs handle disputes among
subordinates? How do managers ·deal with charges of sexual harassment?
analysis of critical incidents can alert -the training director to areas in which addi-
tional training or instruction is needed. ·
Pcrforman« .appraisals _a.re an obvious source ._of information on training
needs~They can document employee weaknesses and lead to recommendations
for retraining to correct specific deficiencies. Self-assessment is based oo the as-
Sumption that the person who is performing a job well is a good source of infor•
mation about the skiJf s needed to do that job and the areas in which training
may be desirable.