Effective Training:

Strategies, Systems and

Practices, 3rd Edition
Chapter Two
P. Nick Blanchard and James W.
Thacker

Linkage between Strategy,

Tactics, and Objectives
Competitive
Strategy
Mission

Opportunities
Threats
Strengths
Weaknesses

Tactical Activities
Unit
Objectives

Unit
Strategies
and Tactics

Employee
Objective

Implementation, Evaluation, and Feedback

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Competitive Strategies

Market leader innovation,

development, move quickly to
market
Cost leader low cost, product
acceptable defender strategy

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Factors Influencing
Environmental Stability
Complexity
High

S
T High
A
B
I
L
I Low
T
Y

Low

Moderate
Uncertainty

Low
Uncertainty

High
Uncertainty

Moderate
Uncertainty

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Mission, Strategy, Technology,

Structure Relationship
ENVIRONMENT

EXTERNAL
STRATEGY

MISSION

INTERNAL
STRATEGY

TECHNOLOGY

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STRUCTURE

Conditions Increasing the

Importance of HR Issues
Part 1 of 2
High rate of change in
market demand

Requires employees who can develop or adapt

products and services quickly

High level of
uncertainty in market
demand

Requires employees who can forecast more

accurately and react more flexibly

Rising costs combined

with competitive
pressures on profit
margins

Requires employees with wider range of KSAs so

fewer people can do more things well

High rate of
technological change

Requires employees who are more

technologically literate and current

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Conditions Increasing the

Importance of HR Issues
Part 2 of 2
More complex
organizations
(number and type of
products, technologies,
locations, customers,etc.)

Requires employees who can process and

analyze complex information from a variety of
sources

More diverse labor

Requires employees who can interact effectively

in many cultural and ethnic contexts

Smaller labor pool

Requires more effective use of existing

employees and better recruiting of new
employees

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Relationship between
Competitive and Human
Resource Strategies
External Environment

COMPETITIVE
STRATEGY

Labor
Market

Core Technology

Legal
Environment

HUMAN RESOURCE
STRATEGY

Economic
Conditions

Chapter 2

Labor
Relations
Climate

Competition

Strategic Goals for HRD

HRD is in the business of

supporting the organizations
strategic goals and strategies
Provides key information, develops
HRD strategies and ensure
employees have competencies to
meet strategic performance
demands
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Steps in a Generic Planned

Change Model Part 1 of 2
1. A compelling need for change is established.
2. Goals are developed and agreed to by the concerned parties.
3. The cause of the need for change is determined
4. Alternative approaches for addressing the cause are identified
and evaluated.
5. An approach to addressing the cause is selected.
6. The approach is carried out.
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10

Steps in a Generic Planned

Change Model Part 2 of 2
7. The results of the approach are evaluated.
8. The results are fed back to the organization.
If results are favorable, go to step 9.
If results are unfavorable, go back to step 4.
9. The change becomes internalized. The changes that have been
made become routine and normal ways the organization
conducts its business.

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11

Change Process Theory

Unfreezing creating need for

change, guilt, anxiety, recognize
problem exists
Changing change behavior,
values, attitudes through change
process
Refreezing use goals and rewards
to establish new behaviors and
attitudesChapter
to replace
old ones
2
12

Force-field analysis model

Driving Forces

Current
Situation
Restraining Forces
1. Identify the current state of the situation.
2. Envision the desired state.
3. Identify the forces restraining change.
4. Identify the forces that support or encourage change.
5. Assess the strength of the forces.
6. Develop strategies to:
reduce the forces restraining change
increase the forces for change (or capitalize on existing drivers).
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13

Sources of Resistance to
Change

Fear tolerance for uncertainty

Vested interests
Misunderstandings
Assessments of impact of change
different viewpoints
Inter-organizational agreements
union contracts
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14

Reducing Resistance to
Change

Education and communication

Participation and involvement
Negotiations power of resisters
Cooptation
Top management support

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15

Process Interventions

Survey feedback

Organizational variables to measure

Design and implementation of survey
Presentation of results

Team building

Preliminary diagnosis for need

Change agent with wide range of knowledge
Change manager and agent should develop
general approach to sessionsChapter 2

16

Technostructural
Interventions

Job enlargement
Job enrichment Job
Characteristics Model

Greater effect on productivity

Alternative work schedules

Moderate effect on work output

Withdrawal
Effects on attitudes
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17

Growth Need Strength

Hackman & Oldham JobEnrichment Model

Five
Skill variety
Task identity
Task significance

Job Characteristics
Autonomy

Feedback

Three Critical Psychological States

Experienced
meaningfulness
of work

Experienced
responsibility for work
outcomes

Knowledge of
actual work
results

Personal and Work Outcomes

High internal
work
motivation

High quality
work
performance

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High
satisfaction
with the work

Low
absenteeism
and turnover

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Strategic Training
Alternatives

Internal provider larger numbers

of trainees, large training
department centralized vs.
decentralized
Outsourcing Manager/intermediary selection
and management of outside
providers
Mixed strategy
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Questions to Assess Training

Provider Capabilities Part 1 of
2
What is their background (education, experience, etc.)?
Have they ever provided these particular training programs or
services before?
Have they conducted formal evaluations of their results? If so,
what have been the results?
Can they give you the names of people in these companies who
could speak knowledgeably about the trainers products and
services?
Can they give you names of those who were recipients of the
service and those who brought the training provider into the
organization and oversaw the training or the service?
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Questions to Assess Training

Provider Capabilities Part 2 of
2
Can they provide an outline of their approach and/or process?
How do they go about developing a program, delivering
training, or providing a training service?
If they are providing training they have already developed, can
they show you materials, such as handouts, exercises, and
videos?
Since these are not specific to your organization, how will they
alter them to make them appropriate for your situation?

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Questions for the Strategic

Planning Process in a Small
Business
1. Why are we in business?
2. What are we trying to achieve?
3. Who is our competition and how can we beat them?
4. What sort of ground rules should we be following to get the job
done right?
5. How should we organize ourselves to reach our goals and beat
the competition?
6. How much detail do we need to provide so everyone knows
what to do?
7. What are the few key things that will determine if we make it?
How should we keep track of them?
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