Learning Systems

Dr. SteveTraining & Development

INP6325

Learning Organizations

Importance of learning to success of organizations

Kapp (1999): the only sustainable advantage an organization will have in the future is its ability to learn faster than its competitors

Rousseau (1997): To survive and thrive firms will need to learn at an increasingly rapid rate

Learning Environment Survey (Tannenbaum, 1997)

Is your organization a learning organization? My organization typically:

Provides people with opportunities to learn new things Assigns people to positions to stretch them Tolerates mistakes when someone is first learning a new task or

skill Views new problems and work challenges as opportunities to

develop people’s skills Monitors to see that people continue to develop and learn

throughout their career Expects everyone, not just mgt, to solve problems and offer

solutions Provides paid release time for employee development purposes Rewards employees for using what they have learned in training

on their job

What is the organizational climate conducive for training

In my organization: Supervisors and co-workers help reschedule work so that

employees can attend training Supervisors provide constructive feedback when someone

tries something new on the job Supervisors offer people opportunities to use new skills they

learned in training Training is considered an important part of career

development The successful people go to training It is acceptable to question others about why things are

done a certain way

Learning Environment Survey (Tannenbaum, 1997)

Learning Organizations

Models for becoming a learning organization1. Building internal capability

Training the trainer Pay for knowledge work system

2. Focus on total quality Providing a vision Decentralized decision making Continuous improvement

3. Corporate universities Train employees consistent with organizational values Train technical and interpersonal skills

Corporate Universities Corporate Universities – promote continuous learning in an organization by:

1. Building competency-based training curriculum2. Providing employees with shared vision and values of company3. Extending training to customers and suppliers4. Serving as a learning laboratory for experimenting with new approaches

McDonald’s Hamburger University• Oak Brook, Illinois• Founded in 1961• Avg class of 200

• 65,000 mgrs graduated• 30 professors

Training and Societal Concerns

How training impacts societal problems Increase readiness of individuals entering

workforce Ex: training at-risk youth, literacy programs, WAGES

Enhance fair employment practices once individuals enter the workforce Ex: training to comply with ADA, provide minority

opportunities for advancement Retrain individuals to maintain current

employment or prepare them for other jobs Ex: re-train displace factory workers, train computer

skills

Workforce Readiness

Problem 27 million functionally illiterate Americans 21% of adult population has only rudimentary reading/writing

skills Disproportionately large number of minorities are illiterate H.S. dropouts 28% unemployment rate, diploma still not

enough Training solutions

Programs aimed at developing not only technical job-specific skills, but also basic work skills (e.g., interpersonal skills, reliability, punctuality)

Ex: Worker Training and Assistance Program (WTAP): Orientation Workplace skills Transition skills Managerial skills

School-to-Work Transition

Secretary’s (of Labor) Commission on Achieving Necessary Skills (SCANS) identified 5 sets of competencies necessary to keep and hold a job

1. Resources: Identifies, organizes, plans, and allocates resources

2. Interpersonal: Works with others3. Information: Acquires and uses information4. Systems: Understands complex

interrelationships5. Technology: Works with a variety of

technologies

Training and Equal Opportunity

Relevant Laws Civil Rights Act of 1964, Title VII – It is illegal

for employers to discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, or national original.

Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990 – It is illegal to discriminate in employment against a qualified individual with a disability. Those with a disability must be provided a reasonable accommodation.

Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA) – Protects workers age 40 and over from discrimination in employment.

Equal Opportunity Legal Issues for Training Training as a job prerequisite Training performance as criterion for another job Receipt of training as basis for advancement or

raise

Training and Equal Opportunity

Glass ceiling – invisible barrier preventing women and minorities from ascending to top managerial positions Training must be equally available to women and

minorities so that they may succeed and advance

Training and Equal Opportunity

Disabled Workers – disabled workers must receive reasonable accommodations, which may include additional training may need to provide training to those who work

with the disabled

Training and Equal Opportunity

Retraining Older Workers – Older workers may become unemployed due obsolescence of job skills or layoffs. May need additional training to compete with

younger individuals who received recently updated training

Orgs may provide outplacement services including training, counseling, and other services to aid job search.

Training and Equal Opportunity

Other Societal Issues and Training

Terrorism How will training be used to fight terrorism?

Different type of military training Training civilians how to recognize warning signs Training for airline industry (e.g., baggage inspectors

to be more vigilant, flight attendants in self-defense) Training cultural diversity and tolerance to prevent

backlash of bigotry, harassment, and discrimination Training medical health specialists to identify

symptoms related to chemical/biological attacks Emergency crowd egress training