CapraTek Training Program Design
Based on the long-term plans and targets of CapraTek, the company will have a diverse workforce. Therefore, managers and supervisors will require remarkable skills in interpersonal communication, ethics, leadership basics, and change management to handle their teams effectively.
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Thus, the training will be designed to enhance these core skills in executives that will enable efficient management of teams. The training program is also in line with CapraTek’s values, mission, and corporate goals. Therefore, the proposed leadership, communication, ethics, and change management training design should incorporate pre-training, on-training, and post-training strategies to ensure that it meets the organization’s objectives of performance improvement.
Objectives of the Training Program
The main objectives of the training program are the following.
- Trainees will advance their leadership skills.
- Trainees will develop their interpersonal communication skills.
- Trainees will increase their ethics proficiency.
- Trainees will enhance their proficiency in managing change and motivation.
- Trainees will upgrade their all-around skills to effectively fulfill their duties as managers and supervisors.
Training Needs Analysis
The training needs analysis is a process of defining training requirements in an organization for improving employee performance. The needs analysis involves the collection of data necessary to understand training needs. Information gathering is fundamental to determine that skills, abilities, and knowledge of the workforce can articulate varied kinds of performance. The ideal training needs analysis for this program is the use of surveys. The survey will be conducted with a sample pool of managers and supervisors. According to the HR Guide (2018), surveys can help to identify performance deficiencies in specific fields or work processes. Moreover, surveys are inexpensive and provide anonymity, thus, better responses. In addition, the employees will be monitored to define areas that may demand performance improvement. Therefore, the survey will ensure that all necessary pre-training information is gathered to develop a suitable design for the training.
In HR, pre-training information and learning readiness play a significant role in the outcome of the training program (HR Guide, 2018). As such, trainees should be aware of numerous issues before embarking on the training program to reach better outcomes at the end of the program. Staff members should be provided with the details including learning objectives of the training, in particular the contents and topics to be covered as well as their importance. According to Ford (2014), pre-training information helps with learning readiness where trainees can perceive the content of a program to be useful. Moreover, the trainees should know that they are in control of the training program and can alter their approach towards training. Lastly, the trainees should realize that the training program is fully supported by the organization and aligns with its culture and vision. This pre-training information will be critical in ensuring that trainees are ready to start the training knowing its significance as well as their roles, expectations, and overall benefits of the program.
To understand what trainees already know concerning the content and proposed training program the questionnaire will be provided. Some of the sample questions I will ask them to include:
- What is your understanding of change management?
- How do you motivate your team daily?
- How do you interact with your employees daily?
- Do they feel free with you or do they hesitate to communicate?
- How do you ensure that your actions are ethical and honest?
Recommended Training Program Design
- Resourcing for Instructor
Most organizations face a challenge when it comes to deciding whether to use in-house or external training resources. Nevertheless, each option has its pros and cons. For this program, an external trainer will be employed. The main reason is that the company may lack internal resources to facilitate the training program to achieve the desired outcomes. Moreover, external trainers are experienced in training and program development and tend to have sufficient resources (Farmer, Van Rooij, Riemersma, & Jorna, 2017). External vendors also bring industry-wide experience thus offering hands-on illustrations and examples that can inspire performance improvement. Thus, external trainers will secure effective evaluations and give constructive feedback. Their involvement will ensure that the firm has all the necessary resources to undertake the training with the view of providing the best results and attaining the set corporate goals.
- Location
The location of training is always considered important in determining the outcome and success of the program. Nevertheless, technology has evolved, and there are numerous locations where training can be offered. I will apply a blended approach to the location of training, which includes on-site training and online/virtual training. The trainees will undertake their learning within the organization. However, due to the nature of the venture, not all employees will be available at the same time or place. Therefore, those who cannot attend on-site classes will receive virtual lessons. The latter will encompass a recorded video of the instructor teaching the other trainees as well as supporting materials sent via email and other online platforms. Such trainees will also have access to the instructor through video conferencing. Hence, the combined teaching strategies will ensure that all trainees can learn effectively without inconvenience.
CapraTek is a technology company, and thus, most of its employees are technology-oriented which is why the blended approach will be appropriate in this case. Furthermore, on-site training provides role-playing opportunities among employees who can effectively apply the learned knowledge within the organizational setting. Moreover, virtual locations will help staff members to schedule their training time and locations easily. These options secure convenience and encourage the trainees to complete the program as per the schedule and in line with established objectives.
- Program Timeline
The program will be conducted over one month in partial sessions of about 120 minutes each. The whole program will cover four activity areas or lessons including leadership skills, ethics, interpersonal communication, as well as change and motivation management. Each session will involve 60 minutes of instruction. The instructor will ask trainees to be seated and use a PowerPoint presentation for the lessons. Trainees will then engage in role-playing for 30 minutes in the selected groups. The role-playing will incorporate two scenarios that will be provided to imitate real-life management and leadership issues. The timeline and lesson plans will be adequate and productive in transferring knowledge to the trainees thereby positively impacting their behavior and performance.
- Instructional Strategies
Numerous efficient methods of teaching knowledge and skills to trainees can be suggested. The proposed program seeks to employ a blended approach to training with on-site and online training options. Therefore, the primary instruction strategy will be using a PowerPoint presentation and recorded video on a computer. The instructor will lecture the on-site trainees just as in universities. The first slide will welcome the trainees highlighting the objectives and content of the training. The second slide will feature questions for the instructors to understand the compatibility between the trainees and the content. According to Farmer et al. (2017), each learner is unique in terms of attitudes, behavior, motivations, and experiences. Therefore, it will be important to comprehend the expectations of each individual.
Moreover, the content shall include a real-world scenario video for inspiring comprehension. Teaching hardcore theory or skills will not be efficient if the content does not relate to real life. Practical scenarios will encompass popular movie scenes and prepared scenarios. These videos will help to link the training content with reality. As such, trainees will leave each session with a clear understanding of how the obtained knowledge can be used to enhance their performance. Besides, the employees who cannot attend the lectures will receive a recorded video of each training session. They will also get materials for asking questions or discussing the content of training with the instructor via online platforms. Therefore, video resources will ensure a fun and interactive learning experience.
In addition, the instructor will provide opportunities for discussions and exchange of views. Trainees will be asked to give their suggestions on the plan of training for each session. This idea will allow the program to be adjusted to the needs of individual trainees. Furthermore, goal setting and self-management of the trainees have been proven to promote flexibility and motivation for completing the training successively (Saks & Hassoun, 2015). Therefore, each trainee will be encouraged to set his or her objectives and observe their self-management to allow for effective training.
Encouraging Active Participation and Practice
The success of any training program depends on its design as well as the motivation of employees to participate and practice their learned skills. To facilitate participation in the training, the program needs some ground rules. The main one maintains that everyone is equal regardless of their role or position in the organization. Again, all trainees will have equal regard for others’ thoughts (Saks & Hassoun, 2015). This idea will help to ensure that no trainee feels entitled or unrecognized in the training program. The second method of enhancing employee involvement is applying tactful communication techniques, namely observing shared air-time where everyone is encouraged to participate openly. The instructor should also inquire about the personal opinions of non-participative trainees during breaks or before the training commences. In the event of controversial discussions, the instructor can always ask trainees to write down their ideas concerning increased participation (Saks & Hassoun, 2015). Another approach to improving participation is through grouping. In this case, it is relevant to balance the trainees to have independent participants except for executives and their subordinates. As a result, such a strategy creates a comfortable environment for participation.
To enhance the practice of what the trainees have learned group role-playing will be applied. The trainees will be given different organizational scenarios that require them to review and suggest the best solutions to address each scenario. Role-playing is a significant method of turning learning knowledge into actionable skills for employees. One mock group will be working with the instructor while the others get the chance to practice their skills. Each group will express their ideas on how to respond to each situation based on what they have learned. Again, the trainees will receive a short evaluation of their performance at the end of the training. The assessment can contribute to the constructive feedback given to the trainees.
Feedback on Trainee’s Practice
According to Saks and Hassoun (2015), offering feedback at the workplace requires the development of trust as well as a balancing of positive and negative sides. Therefore, the program aims at enforcing the best practices in providing feedback to the trainees. For a training program to be successful, the feedback should be constructive. Firstly, the program will rate the performance of trainees on a scale of 1 to 10. The lowest point will mean that the trainee did not understand the training at all while the highest mark will imply the trainee comprehensively understood the training. Direct feedback will not be accompanied by additional feedback avenues. The first feedback will be given in the group setting. This practice pertains to the on-site trainees who were engaged in the training. The feedback will cover all areas including participation and practice. As a result, trainees will know how they operated in different scenarios and how this performance influences their training or skills development.
The second method of feedback will incorporate virtual or face-to-face interviews. Each trainee will be interviewed in a private and comfortable place to preserve the confidentiality with feedback contents. In this case, their participation in training, their evaluations of different lessons, and their role-playing experiences will be evaluated. According to Farmer et al. (2017), constructive feedback focuses on the situation rather than on individual trainees. Therefore, the program will concentrate on the need to enhance the performance of the company rather than separate employees. Trainees will also receive straightforward feedback as well as recommendations and resources on how to improve their performance. The feedback will not involve issues that cannot be acted upon such as one’s personal or cultural beliefs. Most importantly, the feedback will be collected consistently rather than all at once. Thus, direct feedback will be valuable in assisting employees and promoting their future development.
Evaluation Plan
The evaluation plan for the training program is meant to check whether all the objectives of the training have been achieved. Moreover, it helps in adjusting future training programs. This training program will be evaluated through various methods and at different levels. According to Kirkpatrick and Kirkpatrick (2009), a training program is evaluated at several stages including outcomes, Return on Investment (ROI), impact, learning, and satisfaction. To assess the results and the ROI, the evaluation plan will incorporate a survey among all employees to understand how the company has evolved after the training. This research could be conducted six or three months after the training. Hence, such an evaluation would identify significant changes in the attitude of supervisors and managers toward their subordinates. Besides, the levels of performance would disclose the changes as a consequence of the training. A scrutiny of the organization’s financial performance in terms of net profit and net worth will reveal the overall ROI (Kirkpatrick & Kirkpatrick, 2009). Even performance indicators such as consumer satisfaction and sales growth will help to determine the success of the training program.
The evaluation plan also embraces measuring the impact in the context of behavioral changes. This goal will be attained through observations and a survey among junior staff. The trainees will be monitored in the fulfillment of their everyday roles, and an evaluation will be done on what behaviors they have changed or what skills they have applied. Additionally, the employee will be asked to provide an insight into the attitude of their superiors and overall satisfaction. In this way, the assessment will consider surveying the trainees to determine if they contend with the training and the general changes observed due to the implemented program. The result of this evaluation plan will allow for new improvements as well as further recommendations. In its turn, the HR department will understand how the corporate culture can be modeled to embrace similar training and development programs for the entire organization.
Conclusion
In summary, the suggested training program focuses on leadership, ethics, interpersonal communication, and change management. The training program applies to supervisors and managers or employees leading a team. The main objectives are ensuring learning and comprehension of the indicated skills and knowledge. Firstly, pre-training measures will be taken to help with learning preparedness and the development of a suitable program. The program design will use an external instructor or consultant who will provide adequate resources and experience in the course of training. The latter will be designed as a blended program with on-site training and online training. The on-site training will be offered at the company’s locations while online lessons will involve email and video conferencing. Trainees will be lectured through PowerPoint presentations and video reviews. Moreover, the program will be completed in 4 sessions with each lasting for about 120 minutes for one month. Participation in the workforce will be encouraged through the imposition of ground rules and communication tactics. Trainees will also have an opportunity to role-play different scenarios involving realistic challenges relating to the content of the training. Feedback will be offered in a trusting and confidential manner. The trainees will be rated on a scale of 1 to 10. In addition, they will get face-to-face constructive feedback. The latter will be accompanied by recommendations for further improvement. Lastly, the whole program will be evaluated in terms of results, impact, ROI, and employee happiness. The behaviors of trainees will be observed while they provide feedback on the degree of their satisfaction after the training. An assessment of the overall performance of the organization will also be conducted to understand the general impact of the implemented program.