Chapter 1 : Training in Organization

Exercise 1: Training in Action

Assume that you were hired to develop a training program for these Customer Service
Representatives (CSRs). Write down what your believe are the four most important KSAs
your training design must address and your reasoning for selecting these.

HR deals with the day to day operations of the human resources department. This curriculum
would include business law, compensation, employee relations, benefits, and medical, etc. HR
focuses on whom you hire, whom you fire and remediation to employees who need discipline
and retooling to continue their employment.
Human Resource Development deals with the training, the developmental aspect of employees
and optimizing work performance. Most HRD curriculum includes classes like Training &
Development, organizational development, etc. HRD is more proactive; it copes with the
changing needs of the people as well as anticipates these needs and HRD is function more
independent with separate roles to play.
Unfortunately, small organizations lack the resources to establish training and development for
their staff on a large scale. Every business handles the HR function, however often of times the
funding/resources dictate the level of HRD a smaller organization can offer.
Technical skills. To be efficient and effect at your job, you must have a strong knowledge base of
your position. The CSRs are lacking in knowledge which intern results in a domino effect of
other problems. Learning and procedural guides should be constructed and a mentoring, buddy
system for the new staff. If the CSRs are presented with a reoccurring question, this may
indicate a program that can be solved before the student arrives at the university, or a registration
layout problem.
Communication Skills. In order to be able to relay the required information to the student the
employees must be able to communicate effective and clearly, to the student, what they are
asking. Without the proper ability to communicate the employee can have all the required
knowledge, however the student would still be asking questions. I would accomplish this task by
role playing exercises at seminars, also once communication skills have improved implementing
a mentoring program for new staff.
Personal Acknowledgement. We must remember that is the CSRs (registration office) who are
the front line people the backbone of the University. This is where most students obtain their first
impression of the university. Which as a result this is the location in which conflict arises, where
is my student loan? What time is registration? Where is registration? I should be exempt from
this course, who do I talk to? I need a credit memo? Etc. The staff must realize there importance
to the organization, this can be accomplished by acknowledgment and recognition of students
registered at meetings. Often of times at meetings I attend I hear about the great job the SDOs
are doing, bring in more students, however never a mention to any other group.

Program/Operational Review. New techniques, new programs, new information, more and more
information. Regular department meetings so the group can discuss problem areas and potential
solutions. The group meetings, acts as a bonding exercise, puts everyone on the same page, also
when a new procedure is developed and it generated from the staff rather than dictated by a
manager, the staff feel that they were a part of the solution and a team.