Training Design Plan for General Motors
Introduction
The main reason for training is usually to close the gap that exists between the real ability and the desired ability to perform a particular task by the organization. Through this process, the objectives are always to equip the staff with necessary knowledge and skills that would help them achieve the required level of expertise. Therefore, the data that is collected throughout the training process is fundamental when conducting a feasibility test for the program. Basically, this data will be the point of reference during the final evaluation. It therefore means that every participant will have to leave a clear record of the activity. This design plan will include the objectives of General Motors as an organization, and an appropriate training needs analysis. Recommendations touching on the specific design of the program and lastly the evaluation of the whole Training Design Plan (Creswell, 2013). Through this procedure, the company in coordination with the HR management, will realize a positive deviation in the quality of work input. Specifically, the customer care, professional and sales marketing department have to determine the size of the gap that exists the possible methods of training that would ensure efficiency.
The Training program for General Motors entails improving the workmanship of the human resource within the various departments of the organization. The training combines customer care, professional and sales marketing department. Employees of General Motors are required to give their best input when it comes to service delivery. This is why the organization has seen it fit that employees be trained. The training needs for General Motors relies on the Training Needs Assessment. The needs have to be performed and executed so that the company attain current standards in the industry. Data collection methods such as conducting surveys, interviews and informal question asking can provide the company with the necessary dimensions and the scope of the program. This ranges from the amount of the number of staff to be put under training and the amount of resources to be deployed to the training program.
Employees of General Motors need training in order to acquire extra skills that would place them at the current level of desired expertise. In some way, the training becomes necessary when the organization needs to be at the same level with up to date skills and knowledge that would allow them compete favorably with the other players in the same industry. Efficiency and competency therefore lies with question of, “Why Training is Needed”. It compels the business to treat the gap as a priority towards profit maximization. For instance, the customer care department requires new knowledge so as to determine the emerging customer needs and requirements. They have to learn new ways of interacting with customers (Wei, 2014). This is important since customer relations with the company indirectly determines the size of market share the organization can grab. A larger market share would reflect a positive profit margin while a smaller one would consequently register reduced profits.
The main reason for introduction of training is normally to bridge the gap between the level of performance the organization desires and the current level of performance. However, this problem doesn’t rely only on training activities. Other ways of bridging this gaps are in existence and can always be undertaken by the company based on their preferences. This therefore call for the dire need of finding out whether a training design program would solve this issue and actually bridge the gap that exists. The ability of an employee to perform a particular task can be influenced by the type of training program employed, the amount of time that the training takes and the physical setting of the program. This can be based on the inadequacy or lack of desired knowledge and skills and or level of experience, unavailability of the required equipment or resource that would be useful in executing a particular task, having no sources of encouragement both at workplace and at home, having a job that lacks standard set goals which are well communicated and lastly working in place where there is no morale and or unconducive conditions. All these have to be looked into keenly by the stakeholders concerned with the training holding at heart the set objectives.
In addition, the employees would be required to undergo a training needs assessment that would determine the performance gaps and the suitable solution method. This situational assessment is likely to look into the ways in which the current problem would be solved. The main aim of the program is to use resources economically and at the same time achieve the desired results. In this respect, the training becomes the sole remedy for the current performance levels that have been disregarded by the organization through the customer care, professional and sales marketing department. The training program will emphasize on the ways in which the current problem would be avoided. Skilled instructors coupled with a standard setting is likely to impart the correct skills into the participants in a such a way that the current problem is replaced by the desired performance skills.
Another important reason why training has become useful is that it can create and take advantage of the future opportunities that may be identified. For instance, the team of instructors may see an opportunity in the future that runs in line with the performance that is desired by the company but not included within the training manual. Training has the capability of fostering learning in different ways, development and growth. Employees require the right social environment so as to deliver quality services. Training would therefore inform all the players in such a way that respect and regards to everyone would prevail. Development through professional workmanship and or growth is one way that training benefits the trainees of General motors.
The Sales Marketing department is able to come up with a good sales coaching compass that would ensure that a good performance culture is orchestrated among the sale marketing employees. Necessary tools, processes and sales leadership competencies is likely to be one of the benefits that are realized by team of instructors. After the emphasis of all these then implementation becomes easier on the side of employees. They are likely to apply the skills they have learnt into work effectively. Several benefits from the training such as, clear indication of work territories between the sales department under the guidance of strategic sales planning that is likely to be achieved. Leadership has the tendency to inspire hard work and enforce order within an organization. General Motors, through training is able to employ strategic coaching through executive leadership (Walker, 2014). This would ensure that a purposeful leadership spirit I promoted among the managers of the three departments and that behavioral analysis programs are assessed with experts. Training is therefore an important remedy to performance gaps that exist in General Motors.
The Training Needs Analysis presents various objectives such as conducting training so as to level the performance deficiency to a position that would ensure that the needs and benefits are realized in the most profitable way. In a wider context, the program aims at having the margin of benefits of conducting training higher than the uncertainties caused by the performance gaps. In order to achieve this objective, training becomes a fundamental contributor. Various data collection tools have to be used in this area in order to ascertain the viability of this objective in particular. Through questionnaires and interviews, the organization is likely to come up with the best way in which the gap that exists between the departments in question is bridged. From extensive data analysis, the training program is able to differentiate between the actual needs and wants within the performance bracket.
Purposely, the training needs analysis is able to identify who should be involved in training. The program would run in as such a way that only qualified instructors would be involved. This would ensure that the intended goals are achieved at last. Learning requires that the instructor be qualified ad experienced. Otherwise, the whole process would have no meaning if the skills are not well inculcated to the participants within the program. Similarly, the program would conduct a target population analysis to determine the level and number of individuals who would undertake the training. Along these lines, only places that display deficiencies in terms of performance and output per work are considered. In a way, this would help the major stakeholders and other key people such as the instructors to tailor the method of training in order to capture the attention of the participants and more importantly to deliver the information to favor of their interests.
The training answers the question, “How well can performance gap be fixed?”. Through training, the departments can fill the performance gaps that have been identified through statistical analysis. Similarly, the training design plan is able to suggest several other remedies to the identified deficiencies that exist within the human resource. The Sales Marketing department, for instance, can get to know the new ways of advertisement putting into consideration the advancement in forms of communication the emergence of the internet as the global platform of creating product awareness. General Motors has therefore resorted to training as the only measure to bridge the gap between desired performance and desired performance. This goes hand in hand with the method that the training would assume. The participants have the liberty to suggest the best setting for them, the best way of relaying information and the time frame that would favor them in as far as flexibility and synthesis of the knowledge conveyed is concerned. This is normally emphasized in order to achieve the best results. However, getting to come up with the best possible method of conducting the training depends on job performance standards that have been set by the organization, government regulations that affect service delivery and production. General Motors has standard objectives that must be achieved and it is for this reason that training is preferred as the best method that would help employees adjust and be effective in their roles. This is informed by the organization’s vision of the future that depends on successful business outcomes. A task analysis is therefore necessary to determine the best way to perform the whole process of training (Wardale, 2014).
The last objective of the training design plan is to determine the timing of training with regard to when it will take place and the amount of time in terms of days it would take. In order to achieve this the team should look at work cycles and even holidays. This would help the instructors and the participants choose the best time that would not inconvenience either parties. Following this, a contextual analysis is able to provide the best possible time frame that would be enough to execute the training program. The overall objective is to equip the employees with the necessary skills and knowledge in order to meet the desired performance levels by General Motors.
Appropriate Training Needs Analysis
General Motors has used questionnaires, interviews, surveys and tests to determine what the trainees should know and what they already which should be identified using these information and data collection tools. To begin with, interviews and surveys were used to determine the problems and needs that the employees were facing. Most of them admitted that they were not aware that a performance gap existed. The study therefore confirmed that, “Training instructors were required urgently to perform training in order to reform and improve the workmanship within the customer care department because this program actually required informed and experienced individuals who could effectively and efficiently implement the required framework.”
Here, a survey consisted of the following methods. Structured interview, semi-structured interview, observation, questionnaire survey, focus group discussion and a workshop. First, quantitative research method, survey has been used to ensure that every interview has the same questions presented in the same order. This is basically to ensure that comparisons can be easily made when the data is forwarded to various sub-groups between varying survey periods. The answers that the interviewees gave were fixed with the exemption of open ended questions that gave way for varying kinds of responses. The main reason for this is because interviewers have to read the close-needed questions in order to make comparisons more easy and manageable. For the semi-structured interview, topics that have a wider range of answers and possible relationships are usually included. This is normally done in order to give for more related questions that were not drafted. Basically, this promotes flexibility which would render the specified training needs analysis valid. Therefore, a semi structured interview flows like a free conversation where the interviewer has the liberty to bring up more questions based on the answers given by the interviewee (Hays, 2012).
Through direct observation, General Motors is likely to identify performance gaps simply by looking at the means that employees are using to circulate information from one department to another, communication tool, office materials and IT system. This is relatively a cheaper method that would cut down operational costs on conducting analysis programs. On the other hand, a questionnaire survey is normally designed in such a way that the instrument consists of an array of logical questions and other additional prompts that would ensure efficient collection of data. This tool is normally used when there is need for a statistical analysis of the provided responses. General Motors, through the professional department, gave several questions touching on the possible sources of performance gaps: What are the communication tools that you use in the office? Are you familiar with electronic systems of information transfer amongst the departments? Is the current IT system able to effectively handle information and data analysis efficiently? From these questions, the organization, General Motors, identified several performance gaps that consequently called for a viable training design plan.
Using focus group discussion as a method of training needs assessment is one method that was employed by the General Motors to determine the gaps that existed with relation to employee performance. This is a qualitative research procedure that works in such a way that it seeks to obtain in-depth information on the equipment and the staff and how activities run. This is usually more that an interaction that involves question-answer technique. For General Motors, a small meeting that involved seven participants was held within the company’s premises where staff representatives from various departments talked freely and spontaneously with the aim of identifying performance gaps. Lastly, the organization had to involve staff members in a workshop. This however more of an educational seminar than a data collection tool. Here, participants from the various departments engaged in an interaction that focused on understanding and coming up with ideas and skills that would be used in training.
Recommended Design for the Program
The training program that was organized with the main aim of bridging the performance gaps within the company requires an experienced external instructor. The instructor was hired from an external company to come and help implement that laid down skills that would meet the desired performance levels. The program was therefore located away from the organization’s premises. It took place in a conference room. This was the case since the participants wanted a change of environment claiming that this would actually help break monotony. The program was set to talk place within three days. Active hours of the training were set to within morning hours from 9:00 AM to 12:00 Noon. This means that the training would be conducted in three sessions. The instructors used visual writing and practical representations to demonstrate the main concepts of the topic. They also gave instructional models to participants so they would see the concepts as they appear in the actual business world. At the end of the program, the instructors provided the trainees with paper sheets where they would write their feedback concerning whole process.
Evaluation Plan for the Program
In order for this training to be effective, the training itself must be in favor of the individual with relation to personality and situation. Therefore, the desired performance levels based on new skills and knowledge must go beyond company’s overall benefits and consider individual development and growth in relation to workmanship. These would include, potential abilities and hidden talents of the staff members. A good training program should therefore seek to exploit these opportunities. The program should be flexible such that individual learning styles are considered. Not everyone thrives under a rushed session. A good training program, should be one that actually seems to build an employee wholesomely rather than concentrate on a specific qualification or skill. Lastly, methods of delivery should be more flexible rather than being administered under an authoritarian system where methods of design, testing and delivery are dictated by individuals.
References
Creswell, J. W. (2013). Research design: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches. Sage publications.
Wei, Y., Zheng, Z., Wu, Y., & Yin, X. (2014). Talent cultivation of Excellent Engineer Training Plan in Henan Polytechnic University. Science, 2(4), 96-100.
Walker, C., & White, M. (2014). Police, design, plan and manage: developing a framework for integrating staff roles and institutional policies into a plagiarism prevention strategy. Journal of Higher Education Policy and Management, 36(6), 674-687.
Wardale, S., Davis, F., & Dalton, C. (2014). Positive behavioral support training in a secure forensic setting: the impact on staff knowledge and positive behavioral support plan quality. International Journal of Positive Behavioral Support, 4(2), 9-13.
Hays, R. T., & Singer, M. J. (2012). Simulation fidelity in training system design: Bridging the gap between reality and training. Springer Science & Business Media.