Industrial-Organizational Psychology Learning Module

Training in Organizations

Prepared by the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology - SIOP © 2002

Learning Objectives

• At the conclusion of this module, you should: – Be able to 100% accurately describe the basic timeline of a training program – Be able to provide at least two examples of ways that training allows the use of psychological ideas from other areas – Be able to critically evaluate and accurately list at least three ways to know if a training program was successful

A Chronological Approach

• Pretraining environment • Needs assessment • Training Design • Training Implementation • Training Transfer and Outcomes • Training Evaluation

Pretraining Environment

• Individual Differences – What do learners bring to the training environment?

• Environmental Support – Is training valued?

• Framing of the Training – Is it basic or advanced?

Needs Assessment

• Key Question: What does the training need to accomplish...

– ...in terms of the organization’s goals?

– ...in terms of specific tasks?

– …in terms of the people involved?

• Should result in learning objectives – like the ones for this lesson!

Training Design

• On-site – On-the-job training – Vestibule training – Job rotation – Apprenticeship – DVD-ROM • Off-site – Lectures – Audio-visual – Conferences – Computer-assisted instruction – Simulation/role playing

An Integrative Opportunity

• Educational psychology – Goal orientation – Social interaction • Cognitive psychology – Information processing – Problem solving – Decision making

Training Transfer

• Does material from training actually get USED?

– Initiation – Maintenance – Generalization • Outcomes… – Knowledge, skills, attitudes, etc.

Training Evaluation

• Kirkpatrick’s standards for success – Reactions – Learning – Behavior – Results • Overall “training effectiveness”

Future Directions

• Increased automation • Diversity of the workforce • Continuous learning • Adaptation and flexibility • Training as a market all its own

For Discussion...

Divide into small groups, and discuss the following…

There are a lot of things that go into being a college professor. You’ve had some good ones, and some bad ones, I’m sure. How would you go about designing a training program to develop someone into a good college professor?