ASSIGNMENT IN INDUSTRIAL PSYCHOLOGY

SUBMITTED BY: NORMA E. AGUSTIN

LLB-MBA II

1. What is the significance of training in an industry? Training and development is an essential element of every business if the value and potential of its people is to be harnessed and grown. Employee training is essential as it is one of the main ways of raising the skill level of the workforce. Training increases an employees commitment. Training is a human resource practice that employees may view as a gift. The result of this gift is that employees exert more effort, become more productive, and have a greater sense of debt to the organization. The gift also has the potential to make employees feel like insiders into the organization. An insider is likely to be more committed and devoted to an industry. Training is a tool that can assist organizations in building a more committed and productive workforce. An effective training program is one such organizational practice that can lead to greater employee commitment and a more stable workforce. In order to remain competitive and to ensure excellent staff are attracted to and remain within the organization, companies need to ensure that the training and development of all employees is an issue which is taken seriously. By investing in the development of the people who are the face of the business, companies can get ahead of the competition and excel in what they do. One of the most important aspects of managing people lies in helping employees become more effective at their jobs and being able to adapt to that job or another job as he/she matures within the organization. This requires a high level of co-ordination between employee training and development and the range of other personnel functions, such as recruitment and selection, performance appraisal, reward systems and employee relations. Identification of a companys training needs, designing a relevant training plan, selecting and implementing the resulting training program and evaluating its success are therefore integral elements of the overall Human Resource process. However, for any of these functions to be effective, the Training plans and policies must be in line with the organizations strategic objectives. The Training function is increasingly considered to be a key player in helping the organization to achieve its goals through its people as it is becoming more generally accepted that there is a strong correlation between organizational success and investment in training and development. Training and development is about making a difference to the bottom line, both in terms of how people feel about their jobs as well as in the area of performance and productivity. Ultimately, it is about adding real value to the organisation and those who comprise it.
2. How can we evaluate training effectiveness?

Training design and delivery is definitely a process that is crying out for improvement. There is also a pressing need for this improvement to occur. We can evaluate training effectiveness by the use of AURA. AURA is an acronym for Awareness-Understanding-Retention-Application. To evaluate training effectiveness, we need to find ways to be successful in helping the employees actually retain and apply the skills and make them more aware of such skills and help them to better understand the importance of these skills. Most of the skills employee need to learn cannot be effectively retained and applied without repetition and practice. To ensure that the right skills are being retained and applied correctly, the leaders of an organization must provide performance feedback on a regular basis. To significantly decrease the amount of waste that is occurring in the world of training, there must be times that bosses get out of their offices and meeting rooms and spend a lot more time actually helping people learn, instead of listening to themselves talk. Evaluation methods should be determined based on the goals of the training process and should meet the demands of the various stakeholders involved. Kirkpatrick's Four Levels of Evaluation - Level 1 Evaluation Reactions - every program should at least be evaluated at this level to provide for the improvement of a training program. In

addition, the participants' reactions have important consequences for learning; Level 2 Evaluation Learning - Assessing at this level moves the evaluation beyond learner satisfaction and attempts to assess the extent students have advanced in skills, knowledge, or attitude; Level 3 Evaluation Transfer - This level measures the transfer that has occurred in learners' behavior due to the training program.; and Level 4 Evaluation- Results - this level measures the success of the program in terms that managers and executives can understand -increased production, improved quality, decreased costs, reduced frequency of accidents, increased sales, and even higher profits or return on investment. 3. Give three (3) important objectives of performance appraisal. Performance Appraisal is the systematic evaluation of the performance of employees and to understand the abilities of a person for further growth and development. The three important objectives of performance appraisal are: To identify the strengths and weaknesses of employees to place right men on right job; To maintain and assess the potential present in a person for further growth and development; and To have a basis in influencing working habits of the employees. One of the best ways to appreciate the purposes of performance appraisal is to look at it from the different viewpoints of the main stakeholders: the employee and the organization. From the employee viewpoint, the purpose of performance appraisal is four-fold: (1) Tell me what you want me to do; (2) Tell me how well I have done it; (3) Help me improve my performance; and (4) Reward me for doing well. From the organization's viewpoint, one of the most important reasons for having a system of performance appraisal is to establish and uphold the principle of accountability. 4. How can I do a 360 degrees performance appraisal? 360 degree feedback, also known as multi-rater feedback', is the most comprehensive appraisal where the feedback about the employees performance comes from all the sources that come in contact with the employee on his job. In 360-degree performance reviews, many different types of people are consulted about an employees performance. This includes customers, suppliers, peers and direct reports. In the case of a manager, employees are often asked to give upward feedback on how well they are being managed. If 360-degree performance reviews are performed, a Human Resources manager should coordinate the process, so that subordinate reviewers are assured that their performance reviews are kept anonymous. The 360-degree appraisal significantly differs from the traditional supervisor-subordinate performance evaluation. Rather than having a single person play judge, a 360-degree appraisal acts more like a jury. The people who actually deal with the employee each day create a pool of information and perspectives on which the supervisor may act. This group of individuals is made up of both internal and external customers. Using 360-degree appraisals provides a broader view of the employees performance. The most obvious benefit of the 360-degree appraisal is its ability to corral a range of customer feedback. Because each customer offers a new, unique view, it produces a more complete picture of an employees performance. Unlike with supervisors, employees cant hide as easily in 360-degree appraisals because peers know their behaviors best and insist on giving more valid ratings. In addition to providing broader perspectives, the 360-degree appraisal facilitates greater employee self-development. It enables an employee to compare his or her own perceptions with the perception of others on the employees skills, styles, and performance.