Proper corporate training requires a well designed and properly staffed Training organization. The key challenge facing Training organizations is training today’s diversified workforce to the needs/demands of the organization and the jobs themselves. The current approach is to create a learning organization and partnering knowledge management system.
A learning organization meets the needs of both the corporation/business unit and the learner. One way this is accomplished is a properly staffed learning organization will partner with leaders from other internal organizations and together they will focus on one goal. Additionally, a learning organization puts the onace on employees to learn and also share things like best practices, creating what is known as a community of practice.
Trainers in a learning organization will typically conduct training in one of three main areas. The first is strategic training which typically focuses on the goals and needs of the organization. Informational training is conducted when faced with a need to impart information about the organization. Finally, operational training relates directly to an employee’s actual everyday work for the corporation. Of course the lines do get blurred often so categorizing every training effort is typically not warranted.
Knowledge management systems then capture the information shared in a community of practice and the information delivered in training courses and attempts to make as much information available to as many people as possible.
When building (or rebuilding) a training organization, most leaders deem it necessary to craft both a training philosophy and mission. A training philosophy is simple - it is a system of values or corporate attitudes toward training. A training mission differs from a training philosophy because a mission includes an actual activity that should reflect or establish the value of training, to the organization.
Another key decision made during the formation of a training organization is how to model the team. The most common are the faculty model, the client model, the matrix model, and the corporate university model. Each has its ups/downs and much of the time the lines are blurred between each model.
Once the training organization is established with a foundation including:
then the focus should shift to the training cycle, that is, using instructional design to assess, develop (or define), implement, and then evaluate training programs. This is accomplished by starting with a Training Needs Assessment.
Next topic: The Training Needs Assessment
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28. October 2007 at 01:37
Lesson one: The training organization was a good start to this series. It covered chapter 1 of the book very well and helped me understand some of the things that I really didn’t understand while I was reading this chapter. The basic breakdown of the training models and the training cycle really helped put all my thoughts together into a senseable way for me to remember.
I am looking forward to the other podcasts as they are posted and I think these will be a great tool not only for learning the material but also as a great way to review for exams.
30. October 2007 at 15:19
<p>First of all I wanted to thank you (kevinmhuff) for this extra help in our course. I’ve never done or used a podcast or actually subscribed to a blog before so this is new to me, but so far it seems pretty easy, and very helpful. I like being able to read another “version” of the chapter; it helps clear a few things up for me.</p>
31. October 2007 at 00:44
<p>Lesson 1: The first lesson really was a great refresher. It helped me make more sense of what I read. The way that kevinmhuf explained the different models made it a little easier to comprehend how it was explained in the chapter.<br />
I’m really enjoying the podcasts; I think they will be of great help to me when I’m not quite understanding something in the text.</p>
4. November 2007 at 18:12
<p>The first lesson is really very informative. The explanation and clarity of the podcast was very helpful for me. Easy to understand and very clear and concise. I believe these are going to be very beneficial to me as we go on through the classes. Thanks kevinmhuff (Kevin Huff).</p>
17. January 2008 at 19:29
Chapter One: The Training Organization was a good read. It re-jogged my memory on some key terms that I used a long time ago as a store manager. The training cycle is truly one big circle; never ending. Our training continued as new employees were hired and the old employees remained. I was responsible for assessing, developing, training, evaluating, and ultimately hiring and firing. After each evaluation, another vital training assessment was added to assist our employees with doing their jobs more effectively and efficiently. The material that I am learning in this book, will definitely assist me in the position that I am currently in with a retail chain.
23. January 2008 at 22:26
After listening to this podcast I am reflecting on some of the training I have had for specific jobs. It’s interesting because I can’t remember anyone ever asking me three, four or five months later if I felt the training had been helpful. I think some employers are missing the boat when they don’t take the time to constantly assess their training programs.
17. February 2008 at 23:54
I can agree on the last comment I too do not remember anyone asking that big of a time gap about any training program. It would have been nice to give some feedback on the programs I had to endure. The company did not seem to want information.
HeatherMcCu
5. March 2008 at 11:59
I think I have a pretty good understanding of the material now. I do have a question though. During the Podcast you talked about the training cycle. Why is it that it only the first 4 steps of the cycle are included in the acronym? Why is Reassessment not included? I think it should be ADIER.
Assessment
Development
Implementation
Evaluation
Reassessment
That makes sense to me.