Developing a On The Job training program within an organization

Introduction

On the job training, at times referred to as direct instruction, is among the earliest types of training (Observational learning). OJT is a one-on-one training situated at the job place, where an individual who understands how to perform a task explains to another person how to do it. In olden days, the type of job that individuals did was mostly unskilful or semi-skilled job which did not entail specialized skills. On-the-job training presently is still extensively in used. Indeed, it is perhaps the most accepted mode of training since it requires simply an individual who understands how to perform the job, and the means the individual uses to perform the duty. OJT may not be the most efficient or the most effective process sometimes, however, OJT is the simplest to organize and control. Since the OJT training is undertaken on the job, it is quite practical. OJT is regularly low-cost as no particular tools are required other than from what is usually applied on the job. (Gubman, 1998)

Wholesale industry

When consumers buy products, they generally purchase them from retail establishments, for example supermarkets, department stores, gas stations, or Internet sites. Thus wholesale and retail stores are very important in the market chain. Wholesale trade companies are crucial to an economy, as they make simpler flows of goods, information and payments through acting as the intermediaries connecting the producer and the end customer. Wholesalers may store up products which either manufacturers or retailers may not store awaiting consumers to want them. In doing so, they fill up numerous functions in the market. They offer consumers, businesses and establishments a suitable close supply of products prepared by various diverse producers which permits them to dedicate least time and resource to business deals. For the manufacturers, the wholesalers offer a nationwide system of a controllable figure of distributors of their products that permit their manufactured goods to reach a big number of consumers. Besides, wholesalers assist manufacturers through taking up several marketing duties including  creating new customer, technical support, order processing and customer service, duties that manufacturers if not, would have performed. (Letts, et al, 2004)

In addition to selling and transferring products to customers, various wholesalers might offer customers additional services. These includes financing of purchases, technical support, customer service and product marketing service for example advertising and  technical support or logistical information, and fitting and repairs services. After customers purchase equipment, for instance cash registers, computers, copiers or different kinds of industrial machines, they could require support to put together the machines into the consumer’s workplace. As such Wholesale trade companies regularly employ employees to call on customers, fit or repair machines, train consumers, troubleshoot any problems, or offer expertise or knowledge on the way to utilize the machines more efficiently. For these aspects a wholesale firm will require to formulate different training program to use for training the different employees who are employed without the necessary skills. (National Association of Wholesaler-Distributors, 2008)

The on job training development

The on job training development has four main phase which are very important for effective and success training for new recruits of the company, the phases are formulated for effective training, and these stages are:

1. Training design
2. Training implementation
3. Transfer and outcomes
4. Evaluation (Mitchell, 2001)

Training design: this of course will be on-the-job training, lectures, audio-visual, conferences, role playing and computer assisted instruction will be used.

For any training program to achieve its goals and objective and to be more effective, proper planning and implementation must be undertaken by the human resource department in conjunction with the selected coaches . Designing a training program will include; employees learning through observation of other trained workers (coaches); workers being coached by their seniors; and through attending their meetings. The major part of training design is the job and duty analysis. (Mitchell, 2001)

Job and duty Analysis

When developing the on job training program one needs to first to develop a job and task analysis (JDA) as a phase of the analysis of the task of the OJT design method to training. Because the final reason of the OJT method of training is to create an appropriately trained employee, the trainer employee has to understand the job in extensive details to develop and perform successful training. Several of the aspects one must note in relation to a job so as to develop sufficient OJT are outlined below:

1. What categories of workers will be performing this kind of job? How many workers will be performing the job, and where will the workers be positioned?
2. What key responsibilities does the job comprise?
3. What duties structure that job?
4. Precisely how is every duty achieved? What work aspects comprise the duty? In which order should these duties be done?
5. Under what situations each duty should be done? What instruments, equipment, or any other facilities are necessary to do each duty?
6. What skills and know-how is needed to do the duty?
7. To which level of proficiency should each one of the duty be done? (Taylor and Furnham, 2005)

The job and duty analysis is the basis for every successful training program. Supposing this phase is not prepared and prepared well, the training program will lack foundation for a development of efficient, effective instruction. Various outputs of a job and duty analysis include:

·             A validated listing of duties which comprise the specific job which is analyzed

·             Circumstances under which all duties ought to be done, and the standards to which each one of the duty have to be done

·             The skills and knowledge needed to perform the duty.

This output information outlines the base for decision-making in the designing stage. Knowledge information become the  learning objectives in training and the validated listing of duties and the aspects that comprise each duty form the foundation for on-the-job training. (Taylor and Furnham, 2005)

Sales

Many sales and allied employees come into the company with kind of post-secondary training, which can include bachelor’s degrees in marketing fields, though several have just a high school qualification. On job training program will have to be developed in relation to the nature of products being distributed or sold. (Kotler, 1988)

The OJT

Sales department is a sensitive department of the firm and require employees dealing in the department to be well conversant with sales operation. However, the training will be required for the new employees to effectively fit in the organization. The OJT for the sales staff will include the following main areas

• Training in the running of register management databases, electronic information interchange systems and online buying systems.
• New techniques of selling, management methods and information systems of the company
• Fresh technological advancement techniques and market forces in the industry
• How new technology affect sales skills in the industry
• The objectives goals, the organization culture which are the norms and values that the firm employees and groups share, which directs the manner they interact with one another and with organization’s stakeholders
• The way other related departments works and their connection to the sales departments  (Jacobs, 2003)

Delivery

Delivery and Transportation section do not essentially require education level beyond a high school qualification. For several occupations in the delivery section, for example truck drivers or driver/sales employees, holding a driver’s license may be necessary.

OJT program

These employees need to be trained in their department’s duties and other skills which can offer the room for advancement in their carrier at the firm.  For delivery works the on job training should include

• They should be trained for duties as company truck, motor cycle or tractor operators.
• Products mix and procedures of the company in the warehouse or the stock room
• Should be trained on how to install, maintenance, and repairs of electrical equipments and machines such as computers or copies
• The training program should also include some skills in customer care and communication techniques bearing in mind that the delivery staffs deals directly with the customers.  (Jacobs, 2003)

Marketing department

Marketing department is a core department for any organization as it entails ensuring that consumer are kept aware of the products and that the wholesale firm can achieve its objectives through improved sales. Marketing and sales department are closely connected and success of the company requires good working relation.

OJT Program

The marketing employees need to be familiarized with the marketing concepts in relation to the company marketing operations o. The trainees will need knowledge on the products the company is dealing in order to know how they can market them.

·             Training on marketing mix and promotion including advertisements

·             Training on the products mix of the wholesale firm, including details of main items of the firm

·             Information on current market trends and customer trends which keep on changing

·             Way of capturing new and retaining old clients

·             Effective Communication skills and professional etiquette when handling customers

·             Training on the way technical products such as computers, and other high technology machines or equipments works

·             Organizational culture and structure of the firm (Jacobs, 2003)

Merchandising department

This is another important department in the wholesale company which involves products and selling and thus equal important for the company as far as revenue collection is concerned.

OJT program

Jacobs (2003) states that, when formulating the training program for this department it is necessary that sales aspects and products information is incorporated, and retail information is also offered to the trainees so that they can successfully understand the way the department works. The main aspects in this department will involve:

·             Detailed information on retailing aspects and the nature of retail operations

·             Product information including the technical understanding of different technical products being sold by the company

·             Customer orientation and new trends on the market, in relation to products and technology

·             Sales and marketing skill and how to use them in the department successful

·             Organizational culture and structure and also creating a positive climate in the organization

·             Troubleshooting technical problems connected to equipment

Training implementation

Use of integrated approach where, lectures, observations and conference rooms will be all be used in the course of the training program. The training of all the department trainees will take duration of one week, within that period the trainees will be trained on the outlined subject matters fully. After the course the trainees will then alongside their respective coaches who supervised or observed how the new trainees work. After a week period the trainees will be left to work on their own with observation from their respective coaches. At the end of the second week there shall be an evaluation or an assessment meeting between the human resources personnel and the respective coach, and also the trainee. At these meeting problems arising need to be discussed and recommendations for any improvements offered. After this the trainee will have again to work closely with his/her respective coach for another one week after with the final assessment and evaluation will be done. This whole process OJT will take one month, and if well carried out will ensure that the new staffs the firm employees successful meet the needs and demands of the organization. (Taylor and Furnham, 2005)

Transfer and outcomes

Do the employees or trainees apply the skills and knowledge they have learnt; this includes the initiation; maintenance; generalization and outcomes. It is most definite that new OJT training will have certain impact on the new trainees or employees who have been trained. However the application of the acquired skills may be hard to measure in all the trainees.  In general the human resource is supposed to come up ways of ensuring that the desired outcomes are achieved. This will be through; tracking the trainees’ production after the training to enable the organization measure the outcome and assess if the outcomes are being sustained over the long run. If the outcome is not being sustained then more training will be required to improve the production and also skills of the trainee. The OJT can be termed as systematic enhancement of knowledge, skills and attitudes of the needed by trainees in order to perform a given task or duty. As such the OJT should create development is the growth of a trainee in terms of capability, understanding and awareness. This training thus should create the following on the trainee

1. Develop the trainee so that can he/she can perform higher-grade assignments
2. Increase efficiency, effectiveness and standards of performance by the trainee
3. Keep the trainee informed
4. Provide the trainee with required skills concepts and knowledge regarding the way the firm operates

Evaluation:

Evaluation entails assessing if the training has achieved organization’s goals in terms of the specific duties or tasks and in relation human resource aspect. We shall use the Kirkpatrick’s standards for success, which evaluates the, reactions; learning; behaviour; results. More so, the overall “training effectiveness” will be also used. On-the-job training directly effects employees’ satisfaction as conversation is increased and employees view managers having a personal attention in them through spending time in their job advancement. Besides, there is usually measurable enhancement in some other aspects: better employee retention; greater business outcome as employees utilize newly obtained skills; and better relations and synergies through numerous lines in the firm

Ruffini et al (2000) suggests that, it is important that the human resource management have a way of tracking employee performance based on objective of the organization and evaluate development of the employee competencies and skills. The management need use complete automated performance management system which will allows the managers to easily connect organization objectives to individual objectives, giving the human managers a complete outlook of how effective the a trainee is. Human resource management can then analyze the whole team in order to sport concerns across the department. (Dainty) Tracking the trainee production will enable the management and the coach to know where and which are need improvement, those trainees who do not perform to the levels of set standards can be told to improve on their abilities or given duties which they can perform best.

Importance of the OJT to the organisation

Each employee requires  more learning in order to improve his /her skills, no matter how best a candidate is, he/she can not be 100% percent qualified. (American Society, 2007) Thus, OJT is important both to the organization and the trainees who are being trained. OJT is beneficial to the organization in the manner that it offers cheap to carry out as the main resources required is time only. After which it offers the organizations with trained employees who understands well the organization culture objectives and goals. And thus able to achieve the much required high production and effective working. To the trainees, OJT offers them a practical and easy way of learning while they are working giving them a unique opportunity to practice what you have learnt. According to many scholars this is the best way of learning since offers the right tools and environment for learning. (Ruffini et al 2000)  

 

Conclusion

On the job training is a one-on-one training situated at the job place, where an individual who understands how to perform a task explains to another person how to do it. The training is cheap to carry out as basically it requires time and a few resources. When well carried out on job training creates employees who are well conversant with the requirements of the company. When developing the OJT program there are four main steps to follow which are, Training design, Training implementation, Transfer and outcomes and Evaluation. For any program to be successful it should follow these four main phases. Wholesale trading companies are vital to an economy, as they make simpler flows of goods, information and payments through acting as the intermediaries connecting the producer and the end customer.

Reference:

Books

Armstrong. M (2006) Handbook of Human Resource Management Practice, 10th edition, (Kogan Page) London,

Beardwell I. and Holden, L (1997) Human resource management; a contemporary perspective; London; Financial Times, 1997

Gubman, E.L (1998):The talent solution; New York, McGraw-Hill,

Jacobs, R.L. (2003): Structured on-the-job training: unleashing employee expertise in the workplace. 2nd ed. San Francisco, CA: Berrett-Koehler.

Kotler, P. (1988): Marketing Management: Analysis Planning and Control, Prentice-Hall

Krajewski, L.J., and Ritzman, L.P. (1993): Operations Management: Strategy and Analysis. Addison-Wesley Publishing,

Ruffini, F et al (2000): Organization Design in Operations Management; International Journal of Operations and Production Management.

Taylor, J. and Furnham, A. (2005): Learning at work: excellent practice from best theory’ Basingstoke; Palgrave Macmillan

 

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Green, P. (2007): The importance of being informal Human Capital Management. March/April; pp13-15

Human Resource Management (1999) Journal, Vol. 5, No. 3,

Kauser, S & Shaw, V (2004): The Influence of Behavioral and Organizational Characteristics on the Success of International Strategic Alliances. International Marketing Review 21, no. 1

Mitchell, P. (2001): On the job coaching; a changing world. Training Journal. December; pp16-19

Reynolds, J. (2004): Helping people learn; strategies for moving from training to learning; Research report, London: CIPD.

Van Zolingen, S.J et al (2000): Implementing on-the-job training: critical success factors. International Journal of Training and Development; Vol 4, No 3, September’

 

 Web site

 

American Society for Training and Development, 1640 King St., Box 1443, Alexandria, VA 22313-2043; Internet: http://www.astd.org

Chartered institute of personnel and development (2002): Who learns at work? Survey report. London: CIPD; Available at: http://www.cipd.co.uk/surveys 

National Association of Wholesaler-Distributors, 1725 K St. NW, Washington, DC 20006; Internet: http://www.naw.org

Sloman, M. (2005): Training to learning. Change Agenda. London: Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development. Available at http://www.cipd.co.uk/changeagendas

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Letts C, et al (2004): “Virtuous Capital,” Harvard Business Review, March-April.

The Wall Street Journal, October 23, 2003

The Wall Street Journal, November 6, 2001

Olson, L (2000): “Growing Pains,” Education Week, (Nov)

 

 

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