HRM Chapter 9

as a manager, these are the kinds of questions you should be asking about any training program

"Does it motivate the trainees?" "Does it clearly illustrate desired skills," and so forth

traditionally, lower-level employees were ___, whereas higher-level employees were ____

"trained;" "developed;" -this distinction, focusing on the learning of hands-on skills versus interpersonal and decision-making skills, has become too blurry in practice to be useful

to be most effective, skill learning should include four essential ingredients:

(1) goal setting, (2) behavior modeling, (3) practice, and (4) feedback

when the focus is on learning facts, the sequence should change slightly:

(1) goal setting, (2) meaningfulness of material, (3) practice, and (4) feedback

a systematic approach to team training should include four steps:

1. conduct a team-training needs analysis, which has two objectives: (a) to identify interdependencies among team members and the skills required to coordinate team tasks and (b) to develop knowledge of team-member roles and responsibilities); 2. develop training objectives that address both task-work and teamwork skills- generally, effective teams demonstrate adaptability, shared awareness of situations, performance monitoring and feedback, leadership/team management, interpersonal skills, coordination, communication, and decision-making skills, effective teams also share beliefs about the importance of teamwork skills, placing the team's goals above those of individual members, mutual trust, and shared vision- sequence the training so that trainees can master task-work skills before learning teamwork skills; 3. design exercises and training events based on the objectives from step 2, opportunities for guided practice and constructive feedback are particularly important for team training- they may include, for example, team-coordination training (focusing on teamwork skills that facilitate information exchange, cooperation, and coordination of job-related behaviors), cross-training (providing exposure to and practice with other teammates' tasks, roles, and responsibilities in an effort to increase shared understanding and knowledge among team members), and guided team self-correction (providing guidance to team members in reviewing team events, identifying errors, exchanging feedback, and developing plans for the future); 4. design measures of team effectiveness based on the objectives from step 2, evaluate the effectiveness of the team training, and use this information to guide future team training

research has revealed two broad principles regarding the composition and management of teams

1. individual skills are a necessary, but not sufficient, condition for effective team performance- individual training and development are still important, but only a partial solution because interactions among team members must also be addressed, which is what makes team training unique—it always uses some form of simulation or real-life practice, and it always focuses on the interaction of team members, equipment, and work procedures; 2. managers of effective work groups tend to monitor the performance of their team members regularly, and they provide frequent feedback to them, which is as true of traditional teams as it is of virtual teams- as much as 35% of the variability in team performance can be explained by the frequency of the use of monitors and consequences, and incorporating these findings into the training of team members and their managers should lead to better overall team performance

to maximize positive transfer, do the following things before, during, and after training:

1. maximize the similarity between the training situation and the job situation- to encourage participation, use interactive activities; 2. provide trainees as much experience as possible with the tasks, concepts, or skills being taught, so that they can deal with situations that do not fit textbook examples exactly; 3. provide a strong link between training content and job content ("What you learn in training today, you'll use on the job tomorrow"); 4. in the context of team-based training, ensure that teams have open, unrestricted access to information, that the membership includes a variety of job functions and administrative backgrounds, and that the team can draw upon more members to accomplish its activities; 5. ensure that what is learned in training is used and rewarded on the job- supervisors and peers are key gatekeepers in this process, if immediate supervisors or peers, by their words or by their example, do not support what was learned in training, don't expect the training to have much of an impact on job performance

in the context of training (or coaching or teaching), we attempt to maximize trainees' identification with a model, and to do this well, research suggests the following:

1. portray the behaviors to be modeled clearly and in detail- provide the trainees a list of key behaviors to attend to when observing the model and allow them to express the behaviors in language that is most comfortable for them (eg, supervisors learning how to coach employees received the following list of key behaviors: (1) Focus on the problem, not on the person, (2) ask for employees' ideas on how to solve it, (3) listen openly, (4) agree on the steps that each of you will take to solve the problem, and (5) plan a follow-up date); 2. rank the behaviors to be modeled in a sequence from least to most difficult, and be sure the trainees observe lots of repetitions of the behaviors being modeled; 3. have several models portray the behaviors, not just one

to structure material to maximize its meaningfulness,

1. provide an overview of the material to be presented- seeing the overall picture helps trainees understand how program units fit together and how each unit contributes to the overall training objectives; 2. to clarify and reinforce key learning points, present the material by using examples, terms, and concepts that are familiar to the trainees- show them how to use the content of the training to do their jobs better; 3. as complex intellectual skills are invariably made up of simpler ones, teach the simpler skills before the complex ones- this is true whether teaching accounting, computer programming, or X-ray technology

four characteristics seem to distinguish companies with the most effective training practices:

1. top management is committed to training and development-training is part of the corporate culture (especially true of leading companies, such as Google, Disney, Marriott, Cisco); 2. training is tied to business strategy and objectives and is linked to bottom-line results; 3. managers at all levels are actively involved, they stress continuous improvement, promote risk taking, offer one-on-one coaching, and afford opportunities to learn from successes and failures; 4. there is commitment to invest the necessary resources, to provide sufficient time and money for training

on-boarding pays off because

60% of employees are more likely to stay with their companies for at least 3 years if they experienced great on-boarding

cold contempt

90% of workplace anger is this; gossip, back-stabbing, withdrawal, simmering resentment, and the desire to see others fail

team

a group of individuals who are working together, with shared responsibility, toward a common goal- which is what really defines a team, and if team members have opposite or conflicting goals, the efficiency of the total unit is likely to suffer (eg, consider the effects on a basketball team when one of the players always tries to score, regardless of the team's situation)

six accelerating trends in training and development

a growing demand for personal and professional development, the effects of digital technology on work, structural changes in labor markets, increased training opportunities for nonstandard workers, training as an important aspect of an employer's brand, teams

role motivation plays in training

a person who wants to develop herself or himself will do so, a person who wants to be developed rarely is illustrates this-to learn, you must want to learn; while cognitive ability predicts training success, so also does motivation

action learning

a process in which participants learn through experience and application; participants focus on real business problems in order to learn; an excellent vehicle for facilitating positive transfer from learning to doing; it's not just for executives

on-boarding

a process that helps a newcomer to transition from an outsider to an effective and integrated insider; a series of events (including orientation) that helps them understand how to be successful in their day-to-day job and how their work contributes to the overall business

Who profits most from e-learning?

a recent study found that employees who learned most from this type of learning environment were those who completed more of the practice opportunities made available and took more time to complete the experience

pilot program stats

about 700 of 7,000 employees completed a pilot program in 2012; by 2014, 50 had assumed team-lead roles, which is 50% more than had assumed those roles after traditional leadership training and coaching, and those 50 people generated 30 ideas that created $1 million in new revenue or cost savings for clients; organizationwide, employee referrals increased by 30%, reducing recruiting costs by $500,000 per year; this shows continual investments in training and learning are essential, as they have direct impacts on the productivity of organizations and on the quality of work-life of those who work in them

behavior modeling

acting as a role model; fundamental characteristic of modeling is that learning takes place by observation of the role model's behavior or by imagining his or her experience; tends to increase when the model is rewarded for behavior and when the rewards (e.g., influence, pay) are things the imitator would like to have; in the context of training (or coaching or teaching), we attempt to maximize trainees' identification with a model

cross-cultural training improves expatriate adjustment and performance

actual effectiveness of such training in any given situation, however, depends on several important variables: the timing of the training (predeparture, post-arrival, post-assignment), the spouse's adjustment, the attributes of the job (e.g., discretion), and the cultural "distance" between home and host countries

orientation programs in North America

among large employers, 77% of their orientation and on-boarding programs last 3 months or less and 38% last only a week, which is woefully inadequate, often little more than just a superficial indoctrination into company philosophy, policies, and rules, and sometimes includes the presentation of an employee handbook and a quick tour of the office or plant, and can be costly

a growing demand for personal and professional development (in training and development)

among young adults, the most important feature they look for in a new job is opportunity for continuous learning- 94% say they would stay at a company longer if it invested in their learning and development; as for employers, tight labor markets in recent years have put pressure on them to invest in training, and 66% of them now do; in addition to technical skills, employers are looking for people who can interact satisfactorily with customers and who demonstrate responsibility, flexibility, initiative, critical thinking, and a collaborative spirit, but to be most effective, training needs to be aligned with management's operating goals, which may include improved productivity, quality, or customer satisfaction

AI is

an evolving constellation of technologies that enable computers to simulate elements of human thinking, including learning and reasoning

anyone learning a new skill or acquiring factual knowledge must have

an opportunity to practice what he or she is learning

best coaching is aligned with

an organization's overall talent-management strategy- includes a clear understanding of talent and development needs, tools that might be used (including coaching), and a method for matching talent needs with appropriate solutions

individual development plan (IDP)

another fruitful approach to the identification of individual training needs; such a plan provides a blueprint for self-development and should include the following: statements of aims—desired changes in knowledge, skills, attitudes, values, or relationships with others, definitions—areas of study, search, reflection, or testing, including lists of activities, experiences, or questions that can help achieve these aims, ideas about priorities—what should be learned first; individuals often construct their own with assistance in career-planning workshops, as they develop objectives for their work, or in assessment centers

as the demands of the information age spread, companies are coming to regard training expenses _____, and organizations that provide superior opportunities for learning and growth ____

as a no-less-critical part of their capital costs than plants and equipment; have a distinct advantage when competing for talented employees- 94% say they would stay at a company longer if it invested in their learning and development

teams (in training and development)

as more firms move to employee involvement and teams in the workplace, team members need to learn behaviors such as asking for ideas, offering help without being asked, listening and providing feedback, and recognizing and considering the ideas of others

to have the greatest impact, provide feedback

as soon as possible after the trainee demonstrates good performance, especially to novices- it doesn't need to be instantaneous, but there should be no confusion regarding exactly what the trainee did and the trainer's reaction to it

when we examine the training enterprise as a whole, it is clear that training issues can be addressed from at least two perspectives:

at the macro level, we can examine issues such as the following, among others: aggregate expenditures by the various providers of training (e.g., federal, state, and local governments, educational institutions, private-sector businesses), the degree of cooperation among the providers, incentives (or lack of incentives) for providing training, who gets training, and the economic impact of training; while at the micro level, we may choose to examine issues such as what types of training seem to yield positive outcomes for organizations and trainees (i.e., what works), how to identify if training is needed and, if so, what type of training best fits the needs that have been identified, how to structure the delivery of training programs, and how to evaluate the outcomes of training efforts

one employees are hired, their personal growth and development over time

become a major concern- change is a fact of organizational life, and to cope with it effectively, planned programs of employee training and performance management are essential

some time will elapse between the acceptance of a job and the actual start date, and that is a good time to

begin the orientation and on-boarding process- send the new hire a pre-boarding packet that includes e-signature software and a customized portal to complete essential digital forms, to learn about teammates, and to begin developing short-term goals before the first day on the job, and AI-driven virtual agents can answer commonly asked questions- such a portal can customize workflows to match the organization's orientation needs and send automated reminders to ensure that on-boarding tasks are completed on time, and after an experience like that, the new employee probably feels extremely welcome and will be quite comfortable during the first day on the job

new employees are information rich

but experience poor, eager to apply their knowledge to new processes and problems

perhaps the most effective way to raise a trainee's motivation is

by setting goals- more than 500 studies have demonstrated goal setting's proven track record of success in improving employee performance in a variety of settings and cultures, on average, it leads to a 10% improvement in productivity and works best with tasks of low complexity

cognition in teamwork

clear roles and team norms

cooperation in teamwork

collective beliefs that they can succeed, strong team orientation

important determinants of motivation to learn

conscientiousness (striving for excellence, having high standards of performance, setting challenging personal goals) and internal locus of control (belief that one controls one's own fate) are important determinants of motivation to learn, as are the climate in which the trainee functions and the support he or she receives from supervisor and peers

although many different models of teamwork exist, effective teams share seven characteristics:

cooperation (collective beliefs that they can succeed, strong team orientation), coordination (members ask, "What can I do to help you?"), communication (information protocol and clarity), cognition (clear roles and team norms), coaching (team leaders promote and share ground rules), conflict (to resolve it, teams have psychological safety granted by leaders), and conditions (team members have ready access to resources and information)

trainees learned more when simulation games conveyed

course material actively rather than passively, trainees could access the simulation game as many times as they desired, and the simulation game was a supplement to other instructional methods rather than stand-alone instruction, but trainees learned less when the instruction the comparison group received as a substitute for the simulation game actively engaged them in the learning experience

the first year with an organization is the

critical period during which an employee will or will not learn to become a high performer, and careful matching of company and employee expectations during this period can result in positive job attitudes and high standards, which then can be reinforced in new and more demanding jobs

to choose the training method (or combination of methods) that best fits a given situation, first

define carefully what you wish to teach (the purpose of the needs-assessment phase), as it's only then that you can choose a method that best fits these requirements

to rule out rival explanations for the changes that occurred during training, it's essential to ____, to do this, ___

design a plan for evaluation that includes before and after measurement of the trained group's performance relative to that of one or more untrained control groups, although when it's relatively costly to bring participants to an evaluation and administration costs are particularly high, after-only measurement of trained and untrained groups is best; match members of the untrained control group as closely as possible to those in the trained group

performance standards, identified in the operations analysis phase, reflect ____, and to compare those ____

desired performance; to actual performance, consider using ratings of employees by their supervisors, peers, or customers, objective indicators of performance (if available), and interviews, or tests (job knowledge, work sample, or situational)

the purpose of needs assessment is to ___ and there are ____

determine if training is necessary; four levels of analysis for determining the needs that training can fulfill: organization analysis, demographic analysis, operations analysis, and individual analysis

today, nearly one in five Americans are employed in jobs that

did not exist in 1980- artificial intelligence builder, robot manager, mobile-app designer, 3-D printing engineer, drone pilot, social-media manager, genetic counselor, these are just a few of the jobs that have appeared in recent years

research indicates that once an individual accepts a goal and is committed to achieving it, ____; these findings have three important implications

difficult but attainable goals result in higher levels of performance than do easy goals or even a generalized goal such as "do your best"; for motivating trainees: 1. make the objectives of the training program clear at the outset, 2. set goals that are challenging and difficult enough that the trainees can derive personal satisfaction from achieving them, but not so difficult that they are perceived as impossible to reach, 3. supplement the ultimate goal of finishing the program with subgoals during training, such as trainer evaluations, work-sample tests, and periodic quizzes, as trainees clear each hurdle successfully, their confidence about attaining the ultimate goal increases

length of the practice session

distributed practice and massed practice: although there are exceptions, most of the research evidence indicates that for the same amount of practice, learning is better when practice is distributed rather than massed

to evaluate training, you must systematically

document the outcomes of the training in terms of how trainees actually behave back on their jobs and the relevance of that behavior to the objectives of the organization

classroom courses are not going away (54% of training hours were delivered in face-to-face classrooms in 2019) and TDI

does have its drawbacks, but it's changing corporate training forever

active practice

during the early stages of learning, the trainer should be available to oversee the trainee's practice directly; traditional approaches focus on teaching correct methods (and avoiding errors), but a newer approach, known as error-management training, encourages trainees to make errors, then to engage in reflection to understand why they made them, and to develop strategies to avoid repeating them

research shows that a number of factors affect training effectiveness

eg, training success is determined not only by the quality of training but also by an individual's readiness for it and the degree of organizational support- characteristics of the individual as well as the work environment are important influences before training (e.g., the motivation to participate), during training (by affecting learning), and after training (by influencing the transfer of learning and skills from the training situation to the job); some individual characteristics, such as trainability (i.e., the ability to learn the content of the training) and personality are difficult, if not impossible, for organizations to influence through policies and practices, but the organization clearly can influence others, such as job or career attitudes, a person's belief that he or she can learn the content of the training successfully, the attractiveness of outcomes, and the work environment

feedback

evaluative or corrective information transmitted to employees about their attempts to improve their job performance; essential both for learning and for trainee motivation

according to Boston Consulting Group, the pace of advanced robotics installation is

expected to rise from 2-3% annual growth today to 10% annual growth within a decade

change, growth, and sometimes displacement (e.g., through layoffs and restructuring) are

facts of modern organizational life-young people entering the workforce today typically change jobs at least seven times by their late 20s as they strive to figure out what they like, what they are good at, and where they can fit in and stand out, and each new employer represents a transition, which on-boarding can ease with positive results both for the new employee and for the company, and trends such as leased employees and free-agent workers will make it even more important in the future

team-coordination training

focusing on teamwork skills that facilitate information exchange, cooperation, and coordination of job-related behaviors

brand is shorthand

for the goods and services that a company provides (e.g., "Coca-Cola," "CNN," "Ford") and for the quality and distinctiveness of those goods and services

develop training objectives that address both task-work and teamwork skills

generally, effective teams demonstrate adaptability, shared awareness of situations, performance monitoring and feedback, leadership/team management, interpersonal skills, coordination, communication, and decision-making skills, effective teams also share beliefs about the importance of teamwork skills, placing the team's goals above those of individual members, mutual trust, and shared vision- sequence the training so that trainees can master task-work skills before learning teamwork skills

training can improve technical skills

generally, this occurs through improvements in declarative knowledge (facts, meaning of terms) as well as procedural knowledge (how to perform skilled behavior)

a new employee's experiences during the initial period with an organization can

have a major impact on his or her career- a new hire stands on the boundary of the organization, no longer an outsider but not yet embraced by those within, and there is great stress, which t new hire wants to reduce by becoming incorporated into the "interior" as quickly as possible, so during this period, an employee is more receptive to cues to proper behavior than she or he is ever likely to be again, which may come from a variety of sources such as official literature of the organization, examples set by senior people, formal instructions given by senior people, examples given by peers, rewards and punishments that flow from the employee's efforts, responses to the employee's ideas, degree of challenge in the assignments the employee receives

to assess the utility or value of training, we seek answers to questions such as the following:

have trainees achieved a specific level of skill, knowledge, or performance? did change occur? is the change due to training? is the change positively related to the achievement of organizational goals? will similar changes occur with new participants in the same training program?

coaching improves managers' use of 360-degree feedback by

helping them set specific goals for improvement and solicit ideas for improvement, and those actions lead to improved performance

Marion, Ohio-based RAMTEC (Robotic Advanced Manufacturing Technical Education Collaborative), offers an automation-certification program, it's a partnership among robotics companies, local manufacturers, and educators at Tri-Rivers Career Center; here's how it works:

high school students enrolled for free at RAMTEC continue earning their traditional diplomas while also developing skills that local businesses, such as automaker Honda and robotics-refurbishing firm Robot Works, are demanding, and companies are pitching in (Eg, robot manufacturer FANUC donated software training programs and sold cutting-edge robotics systems to RAMTEC at a steep discount- FANUC already trains about 9,000 people annually through its own network of paid courses but is running at 99% capacity, according to a company spokesperson, "We can't keep up, the only way to put a dent in the demand is to partner with education")

although technology is surely not the answer to all people-related business issues, it is critical to recognize

how prevalent it is and the high expectations that employees, job candidates, suppliers, customers, and other stakeholders have that it will operate well; also enables innovations in training design and delivery, such as technology-delivered instruction (TDI)

at least once a year, review the orientation/on-boarding process to determine ____, since ____

if it is meeting its objectives and to identify future improvements; to improve it, you need candid, comprehensive feedback from everyone involved, and there are several ways to provide this kind of feedback: through roundtable discussions with new employees after their first year on the job, through in-depth interviews with randomly selected employees and supervisors, and through questionnaires for mass coverage of all recent hires

training as an important aspect of an employer's brand (in training and development)

in general, the public is attracted to good-name brands and repelled by bad-name brands; websites like Glassdoor, Twitter, and Facebook make it very easy for employees to communicate the pros and cons of working at a company- why worry about that? because from the consumer's perspective, brands simplify choice, increase trust, reduce risk, and promise a particular level of value; employers compete in talent markets, and employer brands play a critical role in recruiting and retaining talent

a large body of research demonstrates the effectiveness of behavior modeling _____; it's particularly appropriate for ____

in learning facts and procedures and in changing behavior on the job; teaching interpersonal and computer skills- to a large extent, because behavior modeling overcomes one of the shortcomings of earlier approaches to training: telling instead of showing

demographic analysis

in the analysis of training needs, such analysis is helpful in determining the special needs of a particular group, such as older workers, women, or managers at different levels; those needs may be specified at the organizational level, the business-unit level, or the individual level; provides information that may transcend particular jobs, even divisions, of an organization (eg, with respect to managers- level, function, and attitudes toward the usefulness of training all affect their self-reported training needs, and taking this information into account lends additional perspective to the operations and person analyses to follow)

operations analysis

in the assessment of training needs, the level of analysis that attempts to identify the content of training—what an employee must do in order to perform competently; requires a careful examination of the work to be performed after training and involves (1) a systematic collection of information that describes how work is done, (2) a determination of standards of performance for that work, (3) a description of how tasks are to be performed to meet the standards, and (4) a description of the competencies necessary for effective task performance; validated competency models can be very helpful in driving training curricula; job analyses, performance reviews, interviews with subject-matter experts (jobholders, supervisors, higher-level managers, even knowledgeable customers and suppliers), and analyses of operating problems (quality control, downtime reports, and customer complaints) all provide important inputs to the analysis of training needs

individual analysis

in the assessment of training needs, the level of analysis that determines how well each employee is performing the tasks that make up his or her job; focuses on identifying employees who need training and the types of training they need; training needs often surface after comparing desired performance to an individual's actual performance and training may help close the gap between actual and desired performance

organization analysis

in the assessment of training needs, the level of analysis that focuses on identifying where within the organization training is needed-focuses on identifying whether training supports the company's strategic direction, whether managers, peers, and employees support training activity, and what training resources are available

communication in teamwork

information protocol and clarity

simulation games are one popular type of TDI.

instruction is typically delivered via a PC or tablet computer that immerses trainees in a decision-making exercise in an artificial environment in order to learn the consequences of their decisions; are intrinsically motivating and people report a loss of time when playing their favorite ones; when used for training, they seem to pay off nicely- meta-analysis results indicate that relative to a comparison group, post-training self-efficacy (belief that one can succeed) was 20% higher, knowledge of facts was 11% higher, skill-based knowledge was 14% higher, and retention was 9% higher for trainees taught with simulation games

one of the greatest fears of managers and lower-level employees

is obsolescence- perhaps the Paul principle expresses this phenomenon most aptly

training in team communication and team effectiveness has positive effects on team performance and, in the case of airplane cockpit crews, safety

it also seems to affect nontechnical skills (team building) as well as situation awareness and decision making

feedback need not always be positive, but

it will have the highest impact if provided by the trainee's immediate supervisor- if the supervisor does not reinforce what is learned in training, the training will be transferred ineffectively to the job, if at all

training can improve strategic knowledge

knowing when to apply a specific knowledge or skill

either type of anger can cost a company in terms of

lost productivity and higher health premiums

growth in advanced robotics provides

major opportunities in automation technology, a field that requires skills in programming and maintaining or fixing industrial robots, or automated software; Marion, Ohio-based RAMTEC (Robotic Advanced Manufacturing Technical Education Collaborative), offers an automation-certification program, it's a partnership among robotics companies, local manufacturers, and educators at Tri-Rivers Career Center

regardless of the measures used, our goal in training is to be able to ____, and to do so, ___

make meaningful inferences and to rule out alternative explanations for results (e.g., job experience, outside economic events, changes in supervision or performance incentives); it's important to administer the measures according to some logical plan or procedure (experimental design) (e.g., before and after training as well as to a comparable control group)

trends in training and development suggest a dual responsibility as ____, with payoffs of ____

managers at every level must encourage employee learning, and employees must take advantage of the learning opportunities provided; better attraction and retention for employers, improved skills, heightened self-worth, and opportunities for advancement for employees

workplace stress is high these days, given the fact that

many employers have reduced the size of their workforces, instituted pay cuts, or imposed furloughs, and the remaining employees are saddled with increased workloads

meaningfulness

material that is rich in associations for trainees and is therefore easily understood by them

coordination in teamwork

members ask, "What can I do to help you?"

benefits of training, most of which have been demonstrated at the individual and team levels of analysis

meta-analyses (quantitative summaries of accumulated results across many studies) have demonstrated repeatedly that training has an overall positive effect on job-related behaviors or performance; training can improve technical skills; training can improve strategic knowledge; training, and especially practice, helps to maintain consistency in performance; management development programs show positive effects; cross-cultural training improves expatriate adjustment and performance; leadership training seems to enhance the attitudes and performance of followers; training in team communication and team effectiveness has positive effects on team performance and, in the case of airplane cockpit crews, safety; training is a key enable or e-commerce; training improves the quality of the nation's labor force

the impact of training on organizational results is the most significant, but

most difficult, effect to demonstrate- measures of results are the bottom line of training success, and exciting developments in this area have come from research showing how utility analysis can be used to express the dollar value of improved job performance resulting from training, utility formulas are now available for evaluating the dollar value of a single training program compared to a control group, a training program re-administered periodically (e.g., annually), and a comparison between two or more different training programs

failure to provide on-boarding can be a very expensive mistake because

most turnover occurs during the first few months on the job (at Marriott, 40% of the new employees who leave do so during the first 3 months)

to be useful, the training method should meet the minimal conditions needed for effective learning to take place; that is it should

motivate the trainee to improve his or her performance, clearly illustrate desired skills, allow the trainee to participate actively, provide an opportunity to practice, provide timely feedback on the trainee's performance, provide reinforcement while the trainee learns (e.g., through automated, personalized conversations or chatbots that provide reminders, track goals, assess transfer, and support continued performance), be structured from simple to complex tasks, be adaptable to specific problems, encourage positive transfer from the training to the job

mobile computing

moving faster than anyone might have expected- today, more than 88% of all mobile devices are smartphones, and more than 6 billion of them are in use around the world; people check their phones as often as 150 times a day, and more business is now conducted via smartphone, which means there's a pressing need to ensure that all HR functions, from recruitment to training and development, work well on mobile and tablet devices and that your organization's IT function has adopted a "BYO" ("bring your own") technology strategy

executive coaching incorporates

multiple techniques already shown to be effective in learning, including goal setting, feedback, accountability, behavioral practice, communicating performance expectations, enhancing self-efficacy, reflection, and establishing a trusting, supportive relationship

problems in entering a group

new employee asks herself whether she will be acceptable to the other group members, liked, and safe (free from physical and psychological harm); these issues must be resolved before she can feel comfortable and productive in the new situation

much of what we learn is acquired by

observing others- we imitate other people's actions when they lead to desirable outcomes (e.g., promotions, increased sales, or more accurate tennis serves), as the models' actions serve as a cue as to what constitutes appropriate behavior

training is an important antidote to

obsolescence, but it is important to be realistic about what training can and cannot accomplish

increased training opportunities for nonstandard works (in training and development)

one approach to demonstrating competence—and therefore job readiness and greater marketability of one's skills—is to accumulate "stackable credentials"- CPA (certified public accountant) and CMA (certified management accountant) are well-known acronyms in the fields of accounting and finance, but other certifications, like digital badges and online course certificates, are appearing in many other fields; expect to see more focus on credentialing for virtual and classroom delivery; industry groups as well as schools currently grant such credentials, and each skill level of the stack builds on what came before

does training work

one investigation of 2,500 firms revealed that when the firms were ranked on per-employee training expenditures, those in the upper fourth of the distribution had 24% higher profit margins than those ranked in the lower fourth, and as for various types of training, consider the following reported returns on investment (ROI): 5:1 (behavior modification), 4.8:1 (customer service), 13.7:1 (team training), 15:1 (role of the manager), and 21:1 (sales training); at a more general level, although the potential returns from well-conducted training programs can be substantial, there is often considerable variability in the effectiveness with which any given training method or content area is implemented; as we have seen, in-depth planning (through needs analysis) and follow-up program-evaluation efforts are necessary in order to realize these returns

training is a key enabler or e-commerce

one reason why Amazon plans to spend $700 million by 2025 to retrain a third of its U.S. workforce as automation, machine learning and other technology upends the way many of its employees do their jobs

executive coaching has the following characteristics

one-on-one, relationship-based, methodology-based (draws on specific tools and techniques as part of a relatively structured overall process), provided by a professional coach, scheduled in multiple sessions over time, goal-oriented for both organizational and individual benefits, customized to the person, intended to enhance the person's ability to learn and develop independently

to be receptive to coaching, employees need to be

open-minded and interested, not defensive and closed-minded- both parties must be willing to take risks in the relationship

design exercises and training events based on the objectives from step 2

opportunities for guided practice and constructive feedback are particularly important for team training; they may include, for example, team-coordination training, cross-training, and guided team self-correction

training needs might surface in any one of the four broad areas, but to ask productive questions regarding training needs, managers often find that a comprehensive model such as this one is helpful

organization analysis is conducted to identify whether training supports the company's strategic direction, to check the availability of resources, and to ensure proper allocation of the resources- to conduct, the business environment should be favorable, which would depend on the unions, the economy, and the laws in place; based on this analysis, if a training need is identified, then a demographic analysis is done, which helps in determining the needs of different subgroups: age, gender, and management level; after this, if a training need is observed, then an operations analysis is conducted, which includes analyzing specific behavior of an employee (what he or she must do to perform the job effectively); if the employees require training after the operations analysis, then an individual analysis is conducted to identify training needs based on an individual's knowledge, skills, and attitudes and is identified by comparing the current level of performance with an optimal level of performance of an individual, and if a training need is identified, then the individual goes through a training cycle, and after training, an organizational analysis is performed again; if a training need is not there, then alternative solutions need to be found for any of the analyses mentioned above

naive expectations

organizations find it much easier to communicate factual information about pay and benefits, vacations, and company policies than information about employee norms (rules or guides to acceptable behavior), company attitudes, or "what it really takes to get ahead around here," but employees ought to be told about these intangibles; bonus is that being up front and honest with them produces positive results- research on realistic job previews (RJPs) indicates that job acceptance rates will likely be lower for those who receive an RJP, but job survival rates will be higher

in evaluating training programs, one could measure ____, but a more complete framework ____

outcomes such as the reaction of trainees, what they have learned, how their behavior on the job has changed, or organizational results, such as reductions in costs, increases in sales, or improvements in quality; matches targets of evaluation (training content and design, changes in learners, and organizational payoffs) with data-collection methods (e.g., to assess changes in learners, use written tests, work samples, interviews, surveys)

stackable credentials

over time, individuals can assemble, or stack, a series of traditional degree-based or non-traditional credentials, such as certificates, certifications, licenses, digital badges, or apprenticeships, that recognize achievements and provide an accurate assessment of knowledge, skills, and abilities

careers in advanced manufacturing automation

pay well-annual salaries for high school grads with certification from a center like RAMTEC range from $40,000 to $60,000 (compared to a median salary of $35,256 for those with only a high school diploma); for graduates with associate degrees from junior colleges with similar training, it's $50,000 to $70,000 (compared to $41,496 for those with only an associate's degree), so one way to keep the automation revolution from swallowing your job is to devise a role that turns the tables on tech

most existing jobs will be transformed as

people rework their old roles to include collaborating with digital technology in some form- while relatively few jobs now performed by humans will disappear completely as a result of full automation, almost everyone's job will change in meaningful ways as a result of advances in technology, so the larger challenge is not mass unemployment, but upskilling to transition people, structures, and processes to a workplace enabled by the cooperation between humans and technology

training

planned programs designed to improve performance at the individual, group, and/or organizational levels

at a broad level, new employees need specific information in the following areas:

policies and culture—benefits (including self-service portals), standards, expectations, goals, history, politics (information about formal and informal power structures), and language (knowledge of the organization's acronyms, slang, and jargon); social behavior, such as dress codes, approved conduct, the atmosphere at work, and getting to know fellow workers and supervisors; technical aspects of the job so that the employees can become proficient and perform well

transfer of training may be

positive (i.e., it enhances job performance), negative (i.e., it hampers job performance), or neutral- long-term training or retraining probably includes segments that contain all three of these conditions

massed practice

practice sessions that are crowded together

distributed practied

practice with rest intervals between sessions

typical before-after design for assessing training outcomes

pretest both trained and untrained, train training group, post-test both trained and untrained; if the outcomes of the training are positive, the untrained control group at time 1 may become the trained group at a later time; important to note that the post-training appraisal of performance should not be done sooner than 3 months (or more) following the training, so that the trainees have an opportunity to put into practice what they have learned

first 90 days formula

prior to start, a company can: create a welcome packet, tell new employees when their first day will start and where they should go, let them know about their upcoming orientation and inform them of any paperwork they need to bring (that is, W-4, driver's license, passport, etc.), create a workspace for the new employee, whether it's a new office or a cubicle, a new employee will need basics, like a computer, network access, email, a phone, and even pens; in the first week, the company can: make sure someone is available to greet and show the new employee around- no one wants to be kept waiting at the front door, provide an introductory information packet that includes a directory, handbook, and company calendar, arrange to have the employee's photo taken for their ID, assign a mentor for the new employee, arrange lunch- whether a group or just the boss takes the employee out to eat, don't let the new employee feel too lonely the first day, ask the new employee to write a brief "About Me" to share with the rest of the team; in the second week, the company can: discuss goals, schedule time for the employee to meet with people in other departments that they'll be working closely with, host a gathering for the employee to socialize with the rest of the team; in the third week, the company can: make sure a manager stops by regularly to check in with the employee to answer any questions, assess how the employee is doing in terms of adapting and picking up on the job; in the fourth week, the company can: have the employee complete a survey about their first month, revisit the goal and get the employee working on both short- and long-term projects; during the fifth and sixth weeks, the company can: keep having conversations with the employee, check whether they are happy, overwhelmed, or still transitioning; by the end of three months, the company can: organize a three-month review to discuss the employee's performance and discuss the next steps, discuss the employee's successes and initial failures, and ask the employee if there are any areas that they see the department or company needing to improve

three typical problems that face every new employee:

problems in entering a group; naive expectations First-job environment. Does it help or hinder the new employee trying to climb aboard? Can peers be counted on to support the new employee? How and why was the first job assignment chosen? Is it clear to the new employee what she or he can expect to get out of it?

orientation

process of becoming familiar with and adapting to a situation or environment

not all coaches are equally ____; the best coaches are ___

proficient in what they do, and not every executive is equally likely to change from coaching; empathetic, supportive, practical, and self-confident but do not appear to know all the answers or tell others what to do.

cross-training

providing exposure to and practice with other teammates' tasks, roles, and responsibilities in an effort to increase shared understanding and knowledge among team members

guided team self-correction

providing guidance to team members in reviewing team events, identifying errors, exchanging feedback, and developing plans for the future

competitive strategies

refer to the decisions, processes, and choices that organizations make to position themselves for sustainable success

HR strategy

refers to the decisions, processes, and choices organizations make about managing people

does executive coaching work

review of four studies revealed an average return on investment (ROI) of five-seven times its cost, but there is reason to be skeptical because it's extremely difficult to estimate accurately the future financial value of any capabilities acquired through coaching; another study found five main areas of improvement: people management, relationships with managers, goal setting and prioritization, personal productivity and engagement at work, and communications with colleagues

to promote efficient learning, long-term retention, and application of the skills or factual information learned in training to the job situation, training programs

should incorporate the principles of learning developed over the past century (which ones depends on whether the trainees are learning skills (e.g., drafting) or factual material (e.g., principles of life insurance))

if trainees are to understand what leads to good as well as poor performance, the specificity of the feedback

should vary-specific feedback benefits the learning of responses for good performance, but it may not help the learning of responses for poor performance (eg, in learning to operate a piece of equipment, less specific feedback may cause trainees to make errors that lead to problems, providing them with opportunities to learn which behaviors lead to problems, and how to fix them)

an integrative model of training evaluation

shows three targets of evaluation and the focus of each targets of evaluation with their respective data-collection methods; targets, focus, and methods are linked to the purpose of the evaluation—feedback (to trainers or learners), decision making, and marketing; three targets of evaluation are training content and design, changes in learners, and organizational payoffs; focus of training content and design is on design, delivery, and validity of training programs; possible data-collection methods used for this target of evaluation are advisory panel, established methodology, course ratings, and expert judgment; feedback is provided to the trainers regarding their training methods; focus of changes in learners is on cognitive, affective, or behavioral changes, and possible data-collection methods used for this target of evaluation are written tests, work samples, interviews, and surveys; feedback is provided to the learners regarding their performance; the evaluation of this target helps in decision making and marketing; focus of organizational payoffs is on transfer of training, results, and performance, and possible data-collection methods used for this target of evaluation are cost-benefit analysis, ratings, and surveys; feedback is provided to the learners regarding their performance; evaluation of this target helps in decision making and marketing

model

someone who is seen as competent, powerful, and friendly and has high status within an organization, with whom we try to identify because her/his behavior is seen as desirable and appropriate

although the potential returns from well-conducted training programs are hefty,

sound design and execution are necessary to realize these returns

leadership training seems to enhance the attitudes and performance of followers

specifically, it seems to have a positive effect on the motivation, values, and self-efficacy (belief that one can accomplish a task) of followers

because the turnover rate among new college hires can be as great as 50 percent during the first 12 months,

such costs can be considerable

coaching in teamwork

team leaders promote and share ground rules

conditions in teamwork

team members have ready access to resources and information

feedback affects

team, as well as individual, performance

the effects of digital technology on work (in training and development)

technology, (especially information and communication technology) is changing the manner in which businesses create and capture value, how and where we work, and how we interact and communicate; technologies such as cloud and mobile computing, big data and machine learning, sensors and intelligent manufacturing, advanced robotics and drones, and clean-energy technologies are transforming the very foundations of global business and the organizations that drive it; they've enabled workers to decide where they work, when they work, and in some cases even how they accomplish work; employees can take a course on nearly any subject online without leaving their desks, couch, or coffee shop- the trend toward consumer-centric learning puts employees, not training departments, in charge

suppose you are considering offering TDI to your employees-experts say that it is critical to

test drive each potential course from the vendor- experience the course, see how easy it is to navigate the site, how fast it loads, and if it provides quality take-home information, are all elements of the course integrated? is technical support available 24/7? an online course won't be of much use if employees can't access it or can't get help with it anytime they want

training improves the quality of a nation's labor force

that, in turn, enhances a country's economic growth, as it attracts foreign direct investment; has led many countries around the world (e.g., members of the European Union, Singapore) to adopt national policies to encourage wide delivery of training programs

practice

the active use of training content; has three aspects: active practice, overlearning, and the length of the practice session

three phases of the training and development process and their interaction

the assessment phase, the training and development phase, and the evaluation phase: the assessment phase serves as a foundation for the entire training effort, it begins with assessing the instructional needs and deriving the objectives, then training media and learning principles are selected based on the objectives that are derived, then the transfer of knowledge regarding training media and learning principles is then evaluated; based on the objectives that are derived from the assessment phase, evaluation process begins- the evaluation phase involves developing criteria, pretesting trainees, monitoring training, evaluating training, and evaluating transfer, at each stage of the evaluation phase, continuous feedback is provided; this process initiates a new cycle of assessment, training and development, and evaluation

meta-analyses (quantitative summaries of accumulated results across many studies) have demonstrated repeatedly that training has an overall positive effect on job-related behaviors or performance

the average effect size equals 0.62 (0.62 standard deviations better than performance without training), but the effectiveness of training varies, depending on the delivery method and the skill or task being trained

at a general level, it is important to analyze training needs against

the backdrop of an organization's objectives and competitive strategy, as unless you do this, you may waste time and money on training programs that do not advance the cause of the company; also essential to analyze the external environment- trends in strategic priorities, the economy, laws and judicial decisions, technology, productivity, accidents, turnover, and on-the-job employee behavior will provide relevant information at this level, and the important question then becomes "Will training produce changes in employee behavior that will contribute to our organization's goals?"

training that results in negative transfer is costly in two ways—

the cost of the training (which proved to be useless) and the cost of hampered performance

transfer of training

the extent to which competencies learned in training can be applied on the job

the worst mistake a company can make is to ignore the new employee after ___, instead, ____

the first week or so on the job; have one-on-one follow-up questions at 30-, 60-, and 90-day intervals, and here are just three questions at each interval- 30 days: What do you like about the job and organization so far? Have you faced any surprises since joining us? Is there anything you don't understand about your job or the organization now that you've had a month with us? At 60 days: Can you see how your job relates to the organization and its mission? Do you have all of the resources you need to do your job well? Does your supervisor offer constructive criticism? at 90 days: Have you had any uncomfortable situations with supervisors, coworkers, or customers? Are your ideas and suggestions valued? What can we do to make our on-boarding process stronger? Does on-boarding pay off?

targets and methods depend on

the focus of the evaluation (eg, with respect to changes in learners, the focus might be on cognitive, affective, or behavioral changes)

considerations to guide the process of orienting and on-boarding new employees that apply to any type of organization, large or small, and to any function or level of job

the impressions formed by new employees within their first 60-90 days on a job are lasting; day one is crucial—new employees remember it for years, so it must be managed well; new employees are interested in learning about the total organization and how they and their unit fit into the big picture, which is just as important as is specific information about their own jobs and departments; give new employees major responsibility for their own guided self-learning, with direction and support; avoid information overload—provide it in reasonable amounts; recognize that community, social, and family adjustment is a critical aspect of on-boarding for new employees; make the immediate supervisor ultimately responsible for the success of the entire process; thorough on-boarding is a "must" for productivity improvement- it is a vital part of the total management system—and therefore the foundation of any effort to improve employee productivity

assessment (planning) phase

the phase of training whose purpose is to define what the employee should learn in relation to desired job behaviors; training and development phase and evaluation phase depend on inputs from this; the purpose of this phase is to define what it is the employee should learn in relation to desired job behaviors; if this phase is not carefully done, the training program as a whole will have little chance of achieving what it is intended to do

training and development phase

the phase of training whose purpose is to design the environment in which to achieve the objectives defined in the assessment phase by choosing methods and techniques and by delivering them in a supportive environment based on sound principles of learning; choose methods and techniques carefully and deliver them in a supportive, encouraging environment, based on sound principles of learning

pygmalion effect

the phenomenon of the self-fulfilling prophecy; with regard to training, the fact that the higher the expectations of the trainer, the better the performance of the trainees; goal setting clearly affects trainees' motivation, but so do the expectations of the trainer; legend has it that Pygmalion, a king of Cyprus, sculpted an ivory statue of a maiden named Galatea, Pygmalion fell in love with the statue, and, at his prayer, Aphrodite, the goddess of love and beauty, gave it life, and thus Pygmalion's fondest wish—his expectation—came true

Paul principle

the phenomenon that over time, people become uneducated, and therefore incompetent, to perform at a level at which they once performed adequately

cloud computing

the practice of using a network of remote servers hosted on the Internet to store, manage, and process data, rather than a local server; exploding in popularity- gives consumers and enterprises, cheap, unlimited access to cutting-edge computing power and applications; on the consumer side (roughly 29% of cloud applications in use), sites such as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn, and Pinterest are most popular, while on the enterprise side (roughly 71% of such services), the top five sites are Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud, IBM Cloud, and Oracle Cloud

targets, focus, and methods are linked to

the purpose of the evaluation—feedback (to trainers or learners), decision making, and marketing

training paradox

the seemingly contradictory fact that training employees to develop their skills and improve their performance increases their employability outside the company while simultaneously increasing their job security and desire to stay with their current employer

unfortunately, organizations sometimes place too much emphasis on ____, and ______, although ______

the techniques and methods of training and not enough on first defining what the employee should learn in relation to desired job behaviors; fewer than half of all organizations even try to measure the value of training, and fewer still (just 8%) calculate the return in monetary term; this may be changing as "evaluating the effectiveness of learning programs" emerged as the top strategic focus in 2020 of learning and development professionals in 18 countries

simulation games or any other type of TDI should not be used in training simply because

the technology exists- rather, determine training needs carefully, and identify the kinds of features that should be included in order to maximize learning

goal theory

the theory that an individual's conscious goals or intentions regulate her or his behavior

if training is ill conceived, poorly planned, or inadequately executed,

then it is likely to be ineffective and waste precious resources (time and money)

improved performance implies that

there have been measurable changes in knowledge, skills, attitudes, and/or social behavior

management development programs show positive effects

they seem to affect two types of outcomes: knowledge—principles, facts, and skills (average effect sizes range from 0.96 to 1.37)—and changes in on-the-job behavior (average effect sizes range from 0.35 to 1.01)

training, and especially practice, helps to maintain consistency in performance

think of a chef who must cook various items on a menu over and over in a consistent manner, or a professional athlete who must perform at a consistently high level to be successful

external coaches are often used _____, unfortunately, ____

to help talented executives who are in trouble because of behavioral or style deficiencies or to help them lead critical transitions, such as having to lead a major change effort; practice is far ahead of theory and research in this area, and there is a lack of consensus about definitions, methods, and techniques, and there are no barriers to entry and no generally accepted standards for certification, and in terms of coaching's effectiveness, it is difficult to identify causal connections between specific actions and outcomes (like strategy execution and change management) because the coaching process unfolds over a relatively long period of time

two objectives of a team-training needs analysis

to identify interdependencies among team members and the skills required to coordinate team tasks and to develop knowledge of team-member roles and responsibilities)

conflict in teamwork

to resolve it, teams have psychological safety granted by leaders

once training needs have been identified, the next step is

to structure the training environment for maximum learning- careful attention to the fundamental principles of learning will enhance this process

the critical first step is to relate training needs

to the achievement of key strategic business objectives- if you cannot make that connection, the training is probably unnecessary, but if a training need does surface at the organizational level, a demographic analysis is the next step

structural changes in labor markets (in training and development)

today, many organizations employ workers from a variety of labor market sources, and some operate outside the traditional confines of regular, full-time employment- they may be "free agents" or "e-lancers" (i.e., freelancers in the digital world) who work for themselves, or they may be employees of an organization a firm is allied with, employees of an outsourcing or temporary-help firm, or even volunteers; on any given day, experts estimate as much as 36% of the American workforce may be nonstandard workers

what training can and cannot accomplish

training cannot solve all kinds of performance problems- in some cases, transfer, job redesign, changes in selection or reward systems, or discipline may be more appropriate; because productivity reflects a system of inputs, such capital, material, energy, and labor, changes in individual or team performance are only one possible cause of changes in productivity; as a manager, you need to ask yourself three key questions: Do we have an actual or a potential performance problem for which training is the answer? Have we defined what is to be learned and what the content of training should be before we choose a particular training method or technique? What kind of evaluation procedure will we use to determine if the benefits of the training outweigh its costs?

training as it relations to HR strategy and competitive strategy

training is an important aspect of HR strategy, and a key objective of any training program is to tie workplace training to the strategy of a business (eg, 3M is especially adept at this- it will set a goal to reduce product-development cycle time (i.e., to increase speed), then create a course on how to do it- not learning for its own sake, but linking all leadership-development courses to business objectives; so if a company's strategy is to provide high-quality customer service, it is likely to emphasize, for example, training in problem solving, conflict resolution, negotiation, and team building, while if its objective is innovation, then topics such as technical training, effective communications, and—for managers—training in feedback and communication are more typical)

evaluation phase

twofold training process that involves establishing indicators of success in training as well as on the job and determining exactly what job-related changes have occurred as a result of the training; if done well, provides a continuous stream of feedback that can be used to reassess training needs, thereby creating input for the next stage of employee development

going to work at a new company is not unlike ____, but ____

visiting a foreign country-either you are told about the local customs or you learn them on your own by a process of trial and error; an effective orientation and on-boarding program can help lessen the impact of this shock, resulting in higher levels of job satisfaction and commitment, along with reduced levels of employee turnover and a deeper understanding of a firm's goals, values, history, and people

hot contempt

what we traditionally think of as anger: red face and bulging veins

as a result of needs assessment, it should be possible to determine

what workers do, what knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs) are essential to do what they do effectively, and what type of learning and instructional content are necessary to acquire those KSAs, information that should guide all future choices about training methods and evaluation strategies

it's easier to learn and remember factual material

when it is meaningful

overlearning

when trainees are given the opportunity to practice far beyond the point where they have performed a task correctly several times, the task becomes second nature and is ____; is critical for tasks that must be performed infrequently and under great stress (eg, performing CPR on a patient who is not breathing), but is less important in types of work where an individual practices his or her skills on a daily basis (e.g., auto mechanics, electronics technicians)

technology-delivered instruction (TDI)

whether training is web-based, delivered on a single work station, a tablet, or on a mobile device, this is catching on; it is the presentation of text, graphics, video, audio, or animation in digitized form for the purpose of building job-relevant knowledge and skill; includes asynchronous (not delivered to every user at the same time) text-based courses, job aids, educational games, and video and audio segments, as well as synchronous media, such as video-conferencing and chat rooms; is booming because both demand and supply forces are operating- on the demand side, rapid obsolescence of knowledge and training makes learning and relearning essential if workers are to keep up with the latest developments in their fields, there is a growing demand for just-in-time training delivery coupled with demand for cost-effective ways to meet the learning needs of a globally distributed workforce, and there is demand for flexible access to lifelong learning, while on the supply side, Internet access is becoming standard at work and at home, advances in digital technologies now enable training designers to create interactive, media-rich content, increasing bandwidth and better delivery platforms make this particularly attractive, and there is a growing selection of high-quality products and services

people from all generations increasingly recognize that rapid technological change

while holding out the promise of valuable opportunities, also creates unforeseen impacts that can dramatically disrupt their careers and lead to major changes in the composition of the workforce- people become alarmed when they learn that by 2030, 3-14% of the global workforce worldwide could be forced out of their current occupations by robotics and artificial intelligence (AI)

today, there is an increasing emphasis on team performance,

with almost 90% of corporations worldwide using teams of one sort or another (eg, cross-functional teams, intact or virtual, are common features of many organizations)

to evaluate a prospective coach, consider asking questions such as the following:

with whom have you worked, in what types of organizations and jobs, and at what levels? what processes do you build in to ensure that you get results? what kind of assessment will we go through to focus on the right things for me? what is your approach to help me learn new things? how can we know we have achieved what we set out to achieve? whom would you turn down, and why?