TABLE OF CONTENT
Ø COMPANY PROFILE
1. BUSINESS RESEARCH
3. OUR STRENGTH & COMPETENCY
4. QUALITY POLICY
5. SOME OF HIS SUCCESS STORIES
Chapter-1: INTRODUCTION
1.1 OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY
1.2 PURPOSE OF THE STUDY
1.3 SCOPE OF THE STUDY
1.4 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
1.5 LIMITATION OF THE RESEARCH
Chapter-2: THEORETICAL PERSPECTIVE
2.1 PLANNING AND TRAINING ACTIVITIES
2.2 TRAINING INPUTS
2.3 AREAS OF TRAINING
2.4 LEARNING AND TRAINING
2.5 TRAINING POLICY
2.6 POSITIVE OUTCOMES OF TRAINING
2.7 TRAINING METHODS
2.8 Objectives of Training Methods
2.9 CLASSIFICATION OF METHODS
2.10 TRAINING ORGANIZATION
2.11 EVALUATION OF TRAINING
2.12 Is training the best medicine?
2.13 New Trends in training
2.14 Train, don't tell
2.15 Training: mantra of the new millennium
Chapter-3: COMPANY PROFILE
Chapter-4: SURVEY ANALYSIS
4.1 TRAINING EVALUATION
Chapter-5: CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION
5.1 CONCLUSION
5.2 RECOMMENDATIONS
BIBLIOGRAPHY
ANNEXURE
COMPANY PROFILE
Vserve Global
We are a dynamic, multi- dimensional, transnational service consultancy organization. We have evolved a unique blend of service verticals which are structured to provide effective solutions to corporates. our primary strength is our ability tu capitalize on the untapped potential of India’s youth spread across the nation. And make this potential work or the corporate world.
With Web-based customer service and support, emerging as a factor that gives the needed edge to a company, we at Vserve introduce ourselves as a leading, high quality, IT Enabled service providers. With a customer-focused attitude, desire to understand customer business & identify the right partner for executing the job, we act as a one-stop shop for all your business process outsourcing requirements.
We offer Pre, Post, and Technical Sales Support. We provide service to huge magnitude of clients from simple one time keying requirements or complex multi entry and multi levels of quality checking entries.
The distinct advantages that we offer to our international clients are superior quality, low cost & timely solutions. We continue to give a range of data conversion & processing solutions to multiple industries the world over.
At present Vserve is one of the best outsourced customer service operations in this field. Our services are backed by a team of proficient personnel with profound expertise in customer care.
The distinct advantages that we offer to our international clients are superior quality, low cost & timely solutions. We continue to give a range of data conversion & processing solutions to multiple industries the world over.
At present Vserve is one of the best outsourced customer service operations in this field. Our services are backed by a team of proficient personnel with profound expertise in customer care.
Our actions are guided by our Vision and Mission, with a firm belief in our Core Values, which gets reflected in our interactions with all our customers, our investors, and our employees.
BUSINESS RESEARCH
In Web Research we essentially involve, extensive search of both off-line and online research sources such as databases using our unique methodology.
At Vserve we offer high quality, cost effective research and information services support to corporations and Institutions around the world.
Our expertise is in managing the paper and labor involved in moving large volumes of documents or images through an organized conversion process.
Our business researchers utilize advanced search techniques and carry out research on many search engines and other search tools on the World Wide Web. We undertake all kinds of custom research needs.
Our expertise is in managing the paper and labor involved in moving large volumes of documents or images through an organized conversion process.
Our business researchers utilize advanced search techniques and carry out research on many search engines and other search tools on the World Wide Web. We undertake all kinds of custom research needs.
We search for and compile information in the form of news, clippings, trends, industry intelligence, press releases, new products, new technology, articles, financial information, content management, newsletters or other relevant information for your business. You tell us about your business research needs and we could aid you in effective knowledge management. We will research and gather information available online and compile it in a database or spreadsheet or any other specified reporting format, for your use.
We do research tailor made to your requirements including but not limited to:
- Monitoring and Customized Newsletters
- Analysis of Customer Segments, Products, Channels, Technologies
- Updating of Existing Research
- Spreadsheet modeling and maintenance
We believe we would be in a position to execute orders of any size at a very economical price and at the quality level desired by you.
VServe can provide the data in a variety of ways. An FTP site or e-mail is currently the most popular choices but magnetic media such as CD-ROM or tape is also an option. Our outcome is a clean, accurate, uniform digital file, formatted to your specifications We aim to leverage the power of the web to offer quality research and value prices.
IT/ BPO SECTOR EYE ON 15% GROWTH
One can’t ask more than this, “The 
IT/ BPO sector is aiming at 15% growth rate in the fiscal year 2009-10,” said the National Association of Software and Service Companies. The NASSCOM BPO Summit held in 
on 9th and 10th of June 2009 has given as many as reasons to glee about the industry. The BPO industry is forecasted recover from the down trend by the later half of the running fiscal year. The growth rate of the outsourcing industry is expected to remain at 6.5% in the fiscal year. The profitability expected out of 15% growth rate of the outsourcing industry is US $60 Billion by end of the fiscal year. The pre-recession growth rate of outsourcing industry was about 30%. But then, this growth rate is remarkable during recession hit period. We know many manufacturing/ production based industries could not withstand the down trend and they went on to shut down. The IT/ BPO industry significantly has survived the recession and has now began to pull back things normal.
IT/ BPO sector is aiming at 15% growth rate in the fiscal year 2009-10,” said the National Association of Software and Service Companies. The NASSCOM BPO Summit held in on 9th and 10th of June 2009 has given as many as reasons to glee about the industry. The BPO industry is forecasted recover from the down trend by the later half of the running fiscal year. The growth rate of the outsourcing industry is expected to remain at 6.5% in the fiscal year. The profitability expected out of 15% growth rate of the outsourcing industry is US $60 Billion by end of the fiscal year. The pre-recession growth rate of outsourcing industry was about 30%. But then, this growth rate is remarkable during recession hit period. We know many manufacturing/ production based industries could not withstand the down trend and they went on to shut down. The IT/ BPO industry significantly has survived the recession and has now began to pull back things normal. The BPO industries, the industrial leaders and experts are quite optimistic about the scenario. The BPO market emerges persistently and the outsourcing service providers has to affront a number of confrontations like setting up new strategies to the evolving market with increased competition and unlimited customer needs. In past one year, an extreme transformation in customer demands and expectation was seen. The outsourcing companies faced a bigger challenge to fulfill their clients.
Pramod Bhasin, chairman, National Association of Software and Service Companies, said recession has affected the primary markets and has put forth multiple challenges to the outsourcing industry. The industry must overcome challenges like price reduction, foreign competitors, and protectionism by identifying fresh market for growth and to strategize their operations to improve efficiency. Pramod, also said the public sector will involve in providing large business contracts for companies. Knowing this the service providers has now widely shifted their focus on clinching opportunities in government, telecom and insurance sectors in the local market. The industry has transformed their strategies and approaches to fit the local market.
BPO industries, the industrial leaders and experts are quite optimistic about the scenario. The BPO market emerges persistently and the outsourcing service providers has to affront a number of confrontations like setting up new strategies to the evolving market with increased competition and unlimited customer needs. In past one year, an extreme transformation in customer demands and expectation was seen. The outsourcing companies faced a bigger challenge to fulfill their clients. Pramod Bhasin, chairman, National Association of Software and Service Companies, said recession has affected the primary markets and has put forth multiple challenges to the outsourcing industry. The industry must overcome challenges like price reduction, foreign competitors, and protectionism by identifying fresh market for growth and to strategize their operations to improve efficiency. Pramod, also said the public sector will involve in providing large business contracts for companies. Knowing this the service providers has now widely shifted their focus on clinching opportunities in government, telecom and insurance sectors in the local market. The industry has transformed their strategies and approaches to fit the local market.
Finally, Som Mittal, president, Nasscom said that the BPO industry is well supported by the government by extending the fiscal benefits. he support is very necessary and important for small-medium industries that facilitates consistent growth, has provided incentives under the Special Economic Zone scheme and encouraged the industries in smaller cities. The outsourcing providers have got exceptional scope for growth and increased profitability in the new segments. The results the development of new strategies, where the outsourcing providers can a dd value to their clients and helps to capture a large market.
OUR STRENGTH & COMPETENCY
- Reduced Costs - Economic forces and industry trends are leading executives to fully or partially outsource non-core competencies and leverage international resources to reduce costs. Through our global workforce, we help our customers increase ROI by providing services at lower than market costs–with no sacrifice in quality or time.
- Speed-to-Market - With access to a large skilled labor pool and 24 hour production we have the people and skill sets to meet your needs with rapid delivery – helping your company stay ahead of the competition.
- Superior Quality - Using our Global Solutions methodology, we guarantee superior quality and customer satisfaction.
- We have been granted membership of NASSCOM (National Association of Software and Service companies) which is the premier IT industry body. We are among the first few companies from our state to be granted membership in the prestigious body.
- We are an ISO 9002 Certified Company. Our process capabilities focus on defect prevention, technology absorption and productivity enhancement.
QUALITY POLICY
"We are committed to provide solutions conforming to international standards, through constant up gradation of technology and processes, in order to ensure consistent quality for our customers".
Quality ensuring reliability and Customer satisfaction Quality is a passion at Vserve and the aspects of high quality permeate every department here. The strong process orientation translates into real benefits like reduced cycle times, improved customer satisfaction scores and better cost efficiencies.
At Vserve, we offer customer care with emphasis on relationships, speed, expertise, and cost control. Vserve strives to ensure that our customers will get exceptional interactive customer care and enjoy quality assistance.
Vserve works with you throughout to ensure that your objectives and standards are met.
At Vserve, we offer customer care with emphasis on relationships, speed, expertise, and cost control. Vserve strives to ensure that our customers will get exceptional interactive customer care and enjoy quality assistance.
Vserve works with you throughout to ensure that your objectives and standards are met.
Our commitment to technology helps to offer our customers the most advanced solutions on the market. VServe offers a fully integrated service solution designed to meet the needs of businesses using the Internet to communicate with customers. For retailers, B2B marketplaces, companies selling services online, companies providing tier 1 tech support, or those simply communicating with customers online, VServe provides the customer care you need.
Our Mission
lb present the best of opportunities to the youth of India. he it metropolitans or small ton ‘us, cities for jobs, higher education, training and entrepreneurship, thus creating a win – win -u in situation for the youth, the corporate and the educational institutions.
The Promoters & Advisors
The promoters of this group have over 30 years of experience in the education and training industry and have been instrumental in launching several education initiatives and making them one of the best in India.
The founder of this group, Mr. Rajive Narain, has over 15 years of experience in the education industry especially in the Information technology stream.
SOME OF HIS SUCCESS STORIES ARE
· Worked as Vice President- Franchise,Software Technology Group Intl Ltd. (STG). lie started the franchising dwision of STG and in a short span of 5 years took it to over 300 cities in 9 countries.
· Worked as the Vice President,
Sales & Marketing with Mock Apollo for two years. He was instrumental in launching the first American University in India- Western International University through a joint venture between the Modi group and Apollo
international, USA.
Sales & Marketing with Mock Apollo for two years. He was instrumental in launching the first American University in India- Western International University through a joint venture between the Modi group and Apollo
international, USA.
· Worked as Vice President, Xansa Ltd.
Xansa is an IT and ITES organization with over 6000 employees in over 15 locations worldwide. in India, they have IT and BPO centers in Pune and Noida. ployees in over 15 locations worldwide. In India, they have IT and BPO centers in Pune and Noida.
Why these programmers
India is all poised to become a superpower by the year 2020. In fact, the government has embarked on itself the responsibility to gear itself to meet the challenges a superpower would have to face. The factors which would be instrumental are With the world population aging, India is the only country which has over 5O% of its population below the age of 25. With a work force of over half a billion, India not only becomes a destination to serve the serve the world but also is an attractive market for organizations to market their product. No wonder why MNC’s in Retail, Real Estate, Telecom, IT, Pharma are queuing up to tap the huge potential of the market.
Economists predict that one of the major sectors, which would take India to greater heights, would be the service sector alone, after Agriculture. This is linked to the young population of India, with more and more works being outsourced to India, and with newer job creation. We have seen a huge demand for IT and ITES services during the last decade. Today, while the demand is still high in these sectors, new frontiers like Retail, real Estate, tourism, Hospitality, Pharma, telecom has open several hundred thousands of openings.
Our Commitment: Vserve Global- the only service organization committed to provide the best to non- metro India.
At Vserve Global, we attempt to bridge the gap between the urban and Rural India by offering the best services to the youth of the Rural India.
We have evolved a unique blend of service verticals which are structured to provide effective solutions to corporate. The service verticals include
We have evolved a unique blend of service verticals which are structured to provide effective solutions to corporate. The service verticals include
· Training (our certificate and diploma courses,)
· Education (Indian and education abroad)
· Recruitment (IT, Non IT-BPO, Sales, Retail, Hospitality, Insurance,)
· Franchising
With our wide network of offices across the country we synch the needs of service organizations and the needs & aspirations of educated youth of the ‘other India’. By creating channels through which they can touch each other.
vserve through its Placement division has understood the requirements of the corporate and has hence developed these unique programs through which we feel we could minimize the mismatch between the corporate requirements and the Students skill sets Our training Programs have been developed after a lot of research done by our teams. The content development has been done by renowned Professionals who have over 15 years of hands on experience in the respective sectors.
vserve through its Placement division has understood the requirements of the corporate and has hence developed these unique programs through which we feel we could minimize the mismatch between the corporate requirements and the Students skill sets Our training Programs have been developed after a lot of research done by our teams. The content development has been done by renowned Professionals who have over 15 years of hands on experience in the respective sectors.
Demand for opportunities in the ‘other’ cities & towns
The educated youth in these ‘other’ cities and towns are well aware of the fact that opportunities exist in the metros. But they do not know how to proceed
” Which city should I go to?”
“which professional course can I join? in which university”
“Which organization will give me a job. How Will I prepare for the interview’?”
”Hon can I become an entrepreneur?”
“which professional course can I join? in which university”
“Which organization will give me a job. How Will I prepare for the interview’?”
”Hon can I become an entrepreneur?”
Vserve - Creating win-win for all
with our wide network of offices across the country we synch the needs of service organizations and the needs & aspirations of educated youth of the other India, by creating channels through which they can ‘touch’ each other.
Vserve network is equipped to offer a range of specialized services from recruitment, training, marketing to franchising All one aimed to create win-win for all.
Why Vserve?
Vserve is the only service organization committed to provide the best to non-metro India
Vserve is the only service organization committed to provide the best to non-metro India
· Vserve bridges the gap between the Urban and the Rural India with a unique blend of service verticals
· With our vide networks across the country we synch the needs of the organizations and the educated youth offering solutions in three critical verticals
· Training
· Education
· Recruitments
OUR MISSION
To present the best of opportunities to the youth of India, be it metropolitans or small towns, cities for jobs, higher education, raining and ntrepreneurship, thus creating a win- win-win situation for the youth, the corporate and the educational institutions.
OUR VISION
To create a network of Vserve Training Centers PAN India and become among the best training and recruitment organization committed to empower the Indian youth and in return earn profits for our associate’s and Vserve.
Our Services Include:
1. TRAINING
A. Training at our Centers
A. Training at our Centers
One of our major verticals is offering state of art training at our centers. Our constant relationships with the corporate give us insights to the skill requirements of the corporate which we inculcated into our Training program. Training programs are offered as certificate, Diploma and Advance Diploma in
· English Communication
· BPO
· Retail
· Hospitality
· Sales
· Recruitinents
· Capital Markets
· Information Technology
Life skill training in Retail, Sales and Hospitality comes with a month long internship in the Industry for hands on experience
Vserve offers IOO0/a Placements assistance through our Recruitment Solution Division
Vserve offers IOO0/a Placements assistance through our Recruitment Solution Division
B. Campus Training
While the institutes in India provide good functional knowledge be it in Engineering or Management, one thing that they miss out is the Finishing. Very little time is devoted to live skill training
Vserve has understood the gap and has developed special
training programs to empower the students with the following skill based training;
· GDPI (Group discussion and Personal Interview preparation skills)
· Corporate Communications’
· Summer training for Engineering Students
(IT/Mechcanical/Electrnoics/CS)
(IT/Mechcanical/Electrnoics/CS)
· Industrial Training for IT and CS students
· Skill based training in Retail, Sales and Hospitality
· Skill based training in Recruitments and Finance
C. Corporate Training
Corporate have today understood the importance of Human capital and continue investing in training them. We at Vserve understand the requirement of the corporate and offer customized training modules in
Corporate have today understood the importance of Human capital and continue investing in training them. We at Vserve understand the requirement of the corporate and offer customized training modules in
· Life skills
· Information Technology
· Management Skills
· Soft Skills
2. EDUCATION
A. Indian
Vserve has tie-up with several and reputed Indian nstitutes/Universities who offer admission to these students, be it undergraduate Programs of Graduate Programs in
· Management
· MBA
· Hotel management
· Engineering
· Medical
· Fashion Designing
· Mass communications
Our centers facilitate admission to these programs across India
B. International
internationally we have tie-ups with leading institutes/universities across the Globe. We offer admissions to students for undergraduate and graduate level programs in the countries like
internationally we have tie-ups with leading institutes/universities across the Globe. We offer admissions to students for undergraduate and graduate level programs in the countries like
· USA
· UK
· Australia
· Singapore
· Canada
3. RECRUITMENTS
With the job market booming, recruitments have become a major issue for all organizations. They have deadlines to meet while do not have the strength to head hunt. Vserve today has become one of the leading recruiters for some of the best MNC across India in various sectors as
A. Head Hunting - BPO
Vserve works with leading domestic and international call centers to fulfill their manpower requirements. Right from entry level Call centers executives, team leaders to senior levels we have done it all.
Vserve has placed thousands of candidates successfully in these organizations. We also offer on the spot offers to entry level candidates at our premises
B. Head Hunting - Non-BPO
in the non-BPO sector Vserve works with leading organizations for Middle and senior level in the following sectors
IT
Media
FMCG
Real Estate
Banking
Hospitality
Telecom To name a few
in the non-BPO sector Vserve works with leading organizations for Middle and senior level in the following sectors
IT
Media
FMCG
Real Estate
Banking
Hospitality
Telecom To name a few
C. HIRE & TRAIN
With attrition at all time high one of the major issues of Organization is Hiring &
Training Cost.
Training Cost.
Vserve introduce yet another revolutionary program for the corporate sector Hire & Train. We understand the requirement of corporate and only help them hunt and Hire the same but also Train them on the skills set required by the corporate.
D. Campus Placements
We undertake contracts with organizations to meet their requirements in large numbers through Campus Placements. These are done after we conduct a pre-placement workshop with our partner institutes wherein we help students come up to the expectations of the organizations, as we are well aware of them.
We also train the students on topics like interviewing skills, Group discussion, personality development, IT, Life skills etc before they get to meet the HR of the organizations.
Chapter-1
INTRODUCTION
William James of Harvard University estimated that employees could retain their jobs by working a mere 20-30 percent of their potential. His research led him to believe that if these same employees were properly motivated they could work at 80-90 percent of their capabilities. Behavioral sciences concepts like motivation and enhanced productivity could well be used for such improvements in employee output. Training could be one of the means to achieve such improvements through the effective and efficient use of learning resources.
Training is the process of assisting a person in enhancing his efficiency and effectiveness at work by improving and updating his professional knowledge developing his personal skills relevant to his work and cultivating in him appropriate behavior and attitude towards his work and people he is working with. Development takes place as a result of training and essentially implies growth plus change. Thus, training and development go hand in hand.
Training is a long-term investment in human resource using the equation given below:
Performance = ability x motivation
Training can have an impact on both these factors. It can heighten the skills and abilities of the employees and their motivation by increasing their sense of commitment and encouraging them to develop and use new skills. It is a powerful tool that can have a major impact on both employee productivity and morale, if properly used.
WHY IS THERE A NEED FOR TRAINING AND WHY HAVE WE CHOSEN TO STUDY THIS TOPIC?
Organization viability and the transformation process
The primary concern of an organization is its viability and hence its efficiency. There is continuous environmental pressure for efficiency, and if an organization does not respond to this pressure, it may find itself rapidly losing whatever share of the market it has. Employee training, therefore, imparts specific skills and knowledge to employees in order that they contribute to the organization’s efficiency, and be able to cope with the pressures of the changing environment.
Technological advances
There has been tremendous development in industrial technology. Mechanization and automation of the plant is necessary for the organization’s survival; hence, it has to train its employees for more skilled positions. New skills are required to operate new machinery, or familiarity with new processes and production techniques has to be introduced.
Organizational Complexity
With increasing mechanization, automation and development in technology, many organizations have emerged as complex organizations that produce a wide range of products or offer a wide range of services. This had led to complex problems of coordination and integration of activities. Eventually the need for training and retraining is felt at the all levels in such organizations, from shop floor to top executives.
Human Relations
The growing complexity of organizations has led to various human problems, like alienation, inter-personal and inter-group problems. Hence, training in human relations is becoming extremely important for tackling these problems.
Due to its great relevance in the current automated, mechanized and extremely competitive business environment, where skills are becoming obsolete faster than ever, we have chosen to study in detail the training and development needs of employees.
My endeavor will be to gain an in-depth insight into the process of discovering, harnessing and developing of the human capital to the benefit of both the individual and the organization into days highly dynamic and competitive business world through a comprehensive study and analysis of the latest training and development techniques used by VSERVE Technologies, Noida.
1.1 OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY
· To evaluate the effectiveness of Training And Development programs conducted at VSERVE Technologies
· To suggest measures for improvement for Training and Development programs at VSERVE Technologies
1.2 PURPOSE OF THE STUDY
Never before has the rapid increase in new knowledge and technology and in the base of change and itself demanded a learning response as great as what is now required to remain competitive. Today individuals and organizations must become continuous learners to survive and hence it is not surprising to find that most successful organisations operate in a continuous learning mode.
The challenge of globalization, technological innovation increasing competition and growth through expansion, diversification and acquisition has had a wide-ranging and far reaching impact on HRD. There is a need for a continuous process that aims at providing fresh knowledge and skill inputs to the employees so as to ensure the development of their competencies, dynamism, motivation and effectiveness in a systematic and planned way, thereby improving the productivity and overall organizational effectiveness. As a result, training and development activities have acquired great significance and are now firmly centre-stage in most of the organizations. Hence it can be said that with the advent of free market economy rapid change in the environment, training and development activities have assumed an importance never before witnessed in Indian corporate history.
1.3 SCOPE OF THE STUDY
The study will be limited to the Training and Development Programs for Team Leaders and Team Members at VSERVE Technologies Noida.
1.4 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
The base on which a study rests is the information that is embedded in it. The data for this study was obtained as a blend of both Secondary and Primary sources.
Sources and Methods of Data Collection
Primary Sources
A sample size of 100 employees of VSERVE Technologies was taken, which consisted of 30 Team Leaders and 70 Team members.
Primary
Questionnaire- A questionnaire was designed and administered to the Employees drawn from various levels and various departments in the organization.
Internal – Information regarding the training policies and procedures was obtained through personal discussions with Trainers, Team Leaders and Team Members.
Secondary Sources
Secondary data i.e. data which already existed was collected from two sources.
· Internal Sources
— Books
— Training / HRD Manuals, Company reports, House Journals records etc.
· External Sources
-This mainly refers to Internet.
Data Analysis:
The results of the survey have been tabulated and presented in the final report in form of bars and pie charts.
1.5 LIMITATION OF THE RESEARCH
For every research there are restrictions and limitations. The following are some limitations, which we faced in the making of this research.
· The study was restricted to VSERVE Technologies, Noida.
· Time will be the biggest constraint. It was difficult to get the questionnaires filled personally from the employees.
Chapter-2
THEORETICAL PERSPECTIVE
The effective functioning of any organization requires that employees learn to perform their jobs at a satisfactory level of proficiency. An effective organization wishes to have amongst its ranks individuals who are qualified to accept increasing responsibilities. So much so that organizations need to provide opportunities for the continuous development of employees not only in their present jobs, but also to develop their capabilities for other jobs for which they might later be considered.
Training refers to the teaching/learning activities carried on for the primary purpose of helping members of an organization to acquire and apply the knowledge, skills, abilities and attitudes needed by that organization. Broadly speaking, training is the act of increasing the knowledge and skill of an employee for doing a particular job.
Though it is true that unplanned learning through job experience helps development, the experience of most organizations is that it is advantageous to plan systematic training programmes of various types as a regular part of an adequate personnel development programme. Such programmes are definite assets in helping managers to learn correct job methods, to achieve a satisfactory level of job performance, and to acquire capabilities that would be valuable in possible future jobs.
2.1 PLANNING AND TRAINING ACTIVITIES
The following steps must form the basis of any training activity:
1. Determine the training needs and objectives.
2. Translate them into programmes that meet the needs of the selected trainees.
3. Evaluate the results.
2.2 TRAINING INPUTS
There are three basic types of inputs: skills, attitudes, and knowledge.
The primary purpose of training is to establish a sound relationship between the worker and his job- the optimum man-task relationship. Such a relationship is at its best when the worker’s attitude to the job is right, when the worker’s knowledge of the job is adequate, and he has developed the necessary skills.
Training activities in an industrial organization are aimed at making desired modifications in skills, attitudes and knowledge of employees so that they perform their jobs most efficiently and effectively.
SKILLS
Training activities nowadays encompass activities ranging from the acquisitions of a simple motor skill to a complex administrative one. Training an employee for a particular skill is undertaken to enable him to be more effective on the job. For instance, new workers can be trained to achieve levels of output attained by experienced older workers. Similarly existing workers whose levels of output are below par can be retrained.
ATTITUDE
Through orientation (induction) programmes, organization develops attitudes in new employees, which are favorable toward the achievement of organizational goals. Training programmes in industry are aimed at moulding employee attitudes to achieve support for company activities, and to obtain better cooperation and greater loyalty.
KNOWLEDGE
Training aimed at imparting knowledge to employees in the organizations provides for understanding of all the problems of modern industry. This knowledge for a worker is specific to his job, and related broadly to plant, machinery, material product, and quality and standard of product. Knowledge for managerial personnel may be related to complexity of problems in organizing, planning, staffing, directing and controlling.
In general, training initiated for imparting knowledge to employees should consider three aspects:
1. Knowledge in general about factory and work environment- job context
2. Specific knowledge related to job- job content
3. Knowledge related to quality and standards of product or quality of work.
2.3 AREAS OF TRAINING
Areas of training can be classified into the following categories:
1. Training in company policies and procedures (induction training)
2. Training in particular skills.
3. Training in human relations.
4. Managerial and supervisory training.
5. Apprentice training.
Training in company policies and procedures
This is a part of the induction of a new employee. The objective is to orient new employees with the set of rules, procedures, management, organization structure, environment and products, which the firm has and/or deals with.
Orientation is a continuous process aimed at the adjustment of all employees to new and changing situations. It aims to impart the facts of company rules and policy, to create attitudes of confidence in the company, prides in the products, respect for company personnel, and to provide information about needs and skills, development, quality of production and work organization.
It also enables employees to get the first impression of the “culture” of the firm and the kind of people he will have to deal with. At no time does it allow for questioning or change of system. It, therefore, in no way contributes to the organization’s growth, nor does it enhance an employee’s ability to contribute to the organization’s growth. Induction programs are also used for in-company promotees, who have to be oriented to the demands of their requirements.
Induction programs are based on the philosophy that the process of initial adjustment and entry to the organization is a difficult process. Unless a conducive and supportive atmosphere facilitates it, it would leave the new entrant with several uncertainties in his mind and make his assimilation in organizational life more complex and difficult. Many organizations are conscious of this and devote considerable effort to make the initial entry phase a pleasant and cordial one.
Training In Particular Skills
Training of employees for particular skills is undertaken to enable the employee to be more effective on the job. It is a here-and-now proposition, somewhat like induction training, which does not have a very significant development aspect to it. Its aim is narrow-to guarantee a certain contribution to the job, for instance sales training and machine skills.
Human Relation Training
This is a broad category embracing many different aspects.
Self-learning and inter-personnel competence can be included in this category-all concerned with generally the same theme. It stresses a concern for individual relationships, for feeling and treating people as “human beings”, rather than as machines. Not only is this concern and awareness in one’s attitudes and behavior conducive to better work-place relations, but also to enhanced productivity. This category of training is oriented towards the development of the individual and consequently the organization’s efficiency in terms of better teamwork.
Problems Solving Training
Many in-company programmes also revolve around organizational units, like divisions of branches, which generally handle a product line. The practice is to hold together all managerial personnel in a particular division/ branch from the both the headquarter and the field of offices and discuss common problems and solutions across the table. This not only helps solve problems, but also serves as a forum for the exchange of ideas and information, which could be utilized in other situations.
Managerial and Supervisory Training
The managerial job combines both techniques and conceptual knowledge. If it is that of a specialist, it would emphasize some techniques and knowledge like operations, research, finance, production, and personnel management. If on the other hand it is a general management job, then the emphasis would be on the principles of scientific management: organizing, planning, staffing, directing and controlling.
Apprentice Training
The apprentice act 1961 was based on the philosophy of providing some technical training for unskilled people in order that their employment opportunity is enhanced, or alternatively to help them be self-employed. Industrial organizations in specified industries are required to train apprentice in proportion to their workforce in designated trades. The duration of training is one to four years.
2.4 LEARNING AND TRAINING
Irrespective of the type or method of training, trainer has to keep in mind some of the principles of learning or motivation, which would enhance internalization of what is taught.
Motivation
A trainee needs to have a desire to learn and benefit from the programme. If he is not interested, or is demotivated, then the learning outcome is going to be insignificant and the company will have spent its money badly. On the other hand, being too intense about learning and outcome may result in setting over-ambitious goals for the individual.
Reinforcement
Following on the concept of motivation is that of reinforcement. For learning to take place and be internalized to the desired extent, a trainee is rewarded or given some encouragement. This reinforcement, or the acknowledgement that what has been acquired is desirable, can be either an extrinsic or intrinsic reward- external praise or some tangible reward, or the individual’s feeling of a sense of progress. Current stress is on positive support and helpful behavior, even when mistakes are made.
Feedback
During the training process, it is useful for the trainee to be told how he is progressing. The knowledge of results is, several researchers have confirmed, an effective motivator. Constant and periodic feedback has positive effects on the trainee’s learning. Unless the trainee knows how close his performance comes to the desired standard, he will not have an opportunity to improve. Feedback, therefore, provides a basis for correcting oneself. Secondly, feedback helps to sustain the trainee’s interest in the task, or in the learning that is taking place, by bringing greater involvement with the learning process. If feedback is to be meaningful, it should follow a learning segment as quickly as possible.
Transfer of Training
The maximum use of training can be made if the trainee is able to transfer his learning to his actual work role. This is possible if elements are incorporated in the training situation from the job role, either existing or proposed. The more similar the learning situation is to the job situation, the higher the degree of transfer the trainee can expect, and hence the greater the relevance of the training programme.
Repetition
Repetition etches a pattern into our memory, e.g., when one studies for an examination, it is necessary to repeatedly go over ideas so that they can be recalled later.
Relevance
Relevance relates to the meaningful use of material, which aids learning, e.g., trainers usually explain in the overall purpose of a job to trainees before assigning them a particular task.
2.5 TRAINING POLICY
A company's training policy represents the commitment of its top management to training, and is expressed in the rules and procedures that govern or influence the standard and scope of training the organization. Training policies are necessary for the following reasons.
1. To highlight the firm's approach to the training function, provide guidance for design and execution, and to provide information regarding programmes to all employees.
2. Formulation of policy helps in identification of priority areas in training, and since resources are scarce, they are prioritized according to felt needs.
3. A training policy document helps to communicate the firm's intent regarding an employee's career development, and also gives the employee the opportunity to better his prospects through training.
2.6 POSITIVE OUTCOMES OF TRAINING
The continued effectiveness and efficiency of an organization is to some extent dependent on the ability of its employees to produce at high levels of efficiency, and keep abreast with their changing job-role demands. Training will provide for an output in this direction. The several positive benefits of training are that:
- Training helps employees to learn their jobs and attain desired levels of performance speedily thus cutting costs and contributing to better utilization of machines and materials, for example in workers' categories.
- Training helps to reduce the cost of raw materials and products-reducing losses due to waste, poor quality products and damage to machinery-which would result if an untrained employee were to learn on his own.
- Employee motivation is enhanced when employees known that the firm would provide them training opportunities to increase their skills and knowledge, thus enabling them to develop and qualify for higher posts. Such practices create favorable attitudes towards the organization, which could result in better adjustment and commitment to one's work and the organization. Thus cooperation could help reduce employee turnover, absenteeism, accidents, dissatisfactions and grievances.
- Finally, training aids in the development of individual skills, better methods, new equipment, and sometimes new work place relationships. Such a process would also facilitate technological change by updating the versatility of employees.
2.7 TRAINING METHODS
Training methods are a means of attaining the desired objective in a learning situation. Given background work such as identification of training needs, a programme design and its duration (based on these needs), it then becomes pertinent to analyze and select the best method or combination of methods, given the several constraints, to attain the programme objective. The choice of a method several constraints, to attain the programme objective. The choice of a method would depend on a wide variety of factors, such as competence of instructors, relevance to the participants, the programme design, i.e., is a particular method the best vehicle to put across the contents, and finally its cost implications.
Numerous training methodologies and techniques have been developed over the years to meet certain specific needs. Each method has structured procedures for conduct that offer certain advantages in developing certain limited facets of a trainee, and suffer from some limitations.
In using a particular method, one should know its strengths and weaknesses, given the situation, and analyze its relevance, its purpose, and if it is useful, how to get the most out of it. This would provide the rationale of the various training methods. The trainer should know the rationale of each of the methods before attempting to use any of them.
2.8 Objectives of Training Methods
Training methods have a number of overlapping objectives. As stated earlier, they have to be chosen in relation to the programme design requirements. The main objectives of individual training methods could be: demonstration value, developing interest and finally, appeal to senses. However, more than one, or even all three objectives may be found in one method.
Demonstration value
Complete demonstration of job requirements is training of a kind that enables the trainee to grasp the meaning of ideas, concepts, or procedures visually. Such a method can be used effectively as an aid to overcome the "breakdown of communication". People remember things that they see and hear, much longer than they do information they receive through talks or reading, alone.
Developing interest
One of the factors to be kept in mind in choosing a method is its ability to hold and arouse the interest of the trainee in the learning situation. Much research has been done in the field to test the effectiveness of various methods. A trainer has to consider alternative methods of presenting training material to participants in order to stimulate their interest and facilitate retention of the matter. For instance, if traditionally the matter has been presented through lectures, perhaps audiovisual methods could be used, or instead project work be assigned which would mean learning by doing or researching the subject oneself.
Appeal to many senses
The statement that "to see a thing once is better than to hear it a hundred times emphasizes the inadequacy of words as a means of communication. Experience indicates that almost 75 per cent of what we imbibe is through the sense of sight and the rest is through the sense of hearing, touch, smell and taste. From the trainer's point of view it would be beneficial to utilize as many of the trainee's senses as possible, in order to improve retention of learning.
Application of these basic objectives or guidelines alone would not be enough. For the appropriate use of a method, problem analysis and needs identification are also necessary.
The trainer has to understand and identify the problem area; what is wrong, and where is the correction needed? He has to examine whether there is a problem with the manner in which the task is done, i.e., an operational problem, or whether there is a problem with an individual or individuals, i.e., a human-relations problem.
Secondly, selecting the appropriate method would be dependent on the level of the trainee in an organizations' hierarchy-is he a shop floor worker, supervisor or a manager?
Finally, before selecting a training method, the trainer should keep the mind cost effectiveness.
2.9 CLASSIFICATION OF METHODS
Depending on the learning outcome, and the process by which it is attained, it is possible to categorize the various methods into several groups.
On-the-job-oriented training methods
In this cluster are included methods whose main objective is centered around the job, more specifically, learning on the job itself by a variety of methods. They embrace development through performance on the job, where organizational strength and constraints, human behavior and technological systems have full and free play. Methods, which fall into this category, are:
1. On-the-job training.
2. Job rotation.
3. Guidance and counseling.
4. Brainstorming sessions.
5. Syndicate method (working in small groups).
As the name implies, on the job training involves employees training at their place or work The most common methods of no the job training are:Demonstration / instruction: showing the trainee how to do the job Coaching a more intensive method of training that involves a close working relationship between an experienced employee and the trainee
Job rotation - where the trainee is given several jobs in succession, to gain experience of a wide range of activities (e.g. a graduate management trainee might spend periods in several different departments)
Projects - employees join a project team - which gives them exposure to other parts of the business and allow them to take part in new activities. Most successful project teams
multi-disciplinary”
multi-disciplinary”
Advantages of on the job training
Generally more cost effective Less disruptive to the business employees are not away from work Training an employee in their own working environment, with equipment they are familiar with and people they know can help they gain direct experience to a standard approved by the employer
Generally more cost effective Less disruptive to the business employees are not away from work Training an employee in their own working environment, with equipment they are familiar with and people they know can help they gain direct experience to a standard approved by the employer
Employees may find that they have more confidence if they are supervised and guided a they feel they are doing the job right
Employees may feel more at ease being taught or supervised by people they know rather than complete strangers at an external training course
Managers or supervisors can assess improvement and progress over a period of time and this makes it easier to identify a problem intervene and resolve problems quickly
On the job training is also productive as the employee is still working as they are learning
As training progresses and the employee begins to feel more confident, this confidence would allow them to work at a higher standard and ultimately be more productive Training ‘on-the-job provides an opportunity to get to know staff they might not nor a lv talk to .
On the job training is also productive as the employee is still working as they are learning
As training progresses and the employee begins to feel more confident, this confidence would allow them to work at a higher standard and ultimately be more productive Training ‘on-the-job provides an opportunity to get to know staff they might not nor a lv talk to .
Disadvantages of on the job training
Teaching or coaching is a specialist skill in itself; unless the trainer has the skils and knowledge to train, this would mean that the training wilt not be done to a sufficient standard The trainer may not be given the time to spend with the employee to teach them properly, which would mean substandard training has been achieved and learning has only been half done.
Teaching or coaching is a specialist skill in itself; unless the trainer has the skils and knowledge to train, this would mean that the training wilt not be done to a sufficient standard The trainer may not be given the time to spend with the employee to teach them properly, which would mean substandard training has been achieved and learning has only been half done.
The trainer may posses bad habits and pass these on to the trainee.
TRAINING METHODS
I. Lectures
Among the training techniques employed at the Academy are classroom lecture and panel discussion by eminent jurists and Islamic Law scholars. These are supplemented by case studies of important judgments of the Federal Shariat Court and the Appellate Shariat Bench Court involving issues pertaining to the Shariah and its interpretation.
II. Syndicate and Term Papers
During his stay at the Academy, each participant is required to write a term “paper of 30 to 50 pages on a topic related to his Shariah studies, or any other aspect of law and judiciary in Pakistan. Ah adviser from the Faculty/Academy is assigned to coach participant for the supervision of his research.
Syndicate discussions are an important element of the training methodology at the Academy. The syndicate method aims al providing an opportunity to the participants to exchange their views, knowledge, and experience with each other. It also improves the ability of the participants to analyses certain issues and to articulate them before others. The syndicate method is also effective in analyzing applied issues that are relevant to the experience of the participants.
The participants are divided in to a number of groups. One of the participants is designated as a chairman. He prepares a syndicate report with the help group members and this report is presented in a plenary session held at the end of the Course.
III. Study tours
The training programme of the regular Shariah course also includes domestic as well as foreign study tours to broaden the outlook of the participants and enhance their knowledge. The countries usually visited are Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Sudan” Jordan, Malasia and Brunel. The Shariah Co1Hlcil of the Academy has decided that one group of participants should visit Saudi Arabia and Egypt and the second group. Sudan and Saudi Arabia. The visit is for fifteen days and it helps in exchange of views and sharing of knowledge on the prcess of Islamization of laws.
IV. Reading material
A substantial volume of reading material both in English and Urdu, relevant to the training programme,some photostated and some in the form of books, is distributed to the participants free of charge.
V. Library Resources
The library resources of the University and all its Academies are at the disposal of the participants. A reference library has also been established in the Academy. The collection includes laws reports and books of Islamic jurisprudence and law relevant to the training , programmers, research and publications.
JOB ROTAION
Job rotation, sometimes called cross training, is one of the many forms of on-the-job training and a formal effort at executive development (Zeira, 1974; Beatty, Schneier and McEvoy, 1987). Job rotation can be defined as lateral transfer of employees among a number of different positions and tasks within jobs where each requires different skills and responsibilities. Individuals learn several different skills and perform each task for a specified time period. Rotating job tasks helps worker understand the different steps that go into creating a product and/or service delivery, how their own effort affects the quality and efficiency of production and customer service, and how each member of the team contributes to the process. Hence, job rotation permits individuals to gain experience in various phases of the business and, thus, broaden their perspective. Job rotation is a developmental technique that has been widely used but, surprisingly, received little attention in human-resources studies. Empirical research in this regard is sorely needed (Beatty, Schneier & McEvoy, 1987).
Traditionally, job rotation is usually addressed at an organizational level.’ From the employers’ point of view, organizational theorists have advocated frequent rotation as a means of reducing fatigue and boredom on production jobs so as to maintain productivity (Miller, Dhaliwal, & Magas, 1973) and fairly frequent rotation after the initial hiring as a means of orientation and placement (Wexley & Latham, 1981). Job rotation enables the training of workers to be backups for other workers so that managers have a more flexible work force and a ready supply of trained workers (Rothwell & Kazanas, 1994). When rotation occurs at longer intervals, it has been thought as a practice of progressive human resource development or a means of enhancing the value of work experience for career development (Campion, Cheraskin, & Stevens, 1994).
Also from the employers’ standpoint, however, the practice of job rotation may be very costly. As pointed out by Yoder, Heneman, Turnbull, and Stone (1958), while job rotation may encourage generalization, it prevents job specialization so that the optimal level of performance can not be reached. Although this problem may be negligible for many jobs, it can be very serious for those jobs where high specialization is needed so that the costs in terms of training and supervision are prohibitive. One should not be surprised by the fact that only 42.5% of the companies in Taiwan are practicing job rotation and that they carry out their job-rotation policy selectively and cautiously (Huang, 1997). Thus, for a job-rotation study at individual level, the focused question is whether the individuals perceive
Commitment (Champion et al., 1994). Accordingly, the following hypothesis is proposed:
Hypothesis 1: Employees who perceive their companies as
practicing job rotation wilt have higher job satisfaction than
those who don’t.
Job Rotation and Training Evaluation
Training is giving new or present employees the skills they need to perform their jobs. On-the-job training (OJT) involves having a person learn a job by actually performing it on the job. In many companies, OJT is the only type of training available to employees (Dessler, 1994). One important form of OJT is job rotation in which the employee moves from job to job at planned intervals. The advantages of job rotation have been long recognized by organizational theorists. As summarized in Sargent (1952): a job rotation plan provides well-rounded training and a background of experience for the individuals; it streamlines the organization through periodic introduction of new managerial viewpoints; it stimulates the development of the individual because of the element of competition introduced; it eliminates the assumption by an individual of any “vested right” in a particular job; it tests the individual; it minimize friction caused by personality clashes or personal feuds; and it widens the trainee’s circle of acquaintances among company executives.
In sum, the trainee in the job rotation learns by doing. In each assignment, the employee is given responsibility and expected to fit in as a regular member. Hence, a training by job rotation is not perfectly substitutable by other kinds of training method. The following hypothesis can be proposed:
Hypothesis : Employees who perceive their companies as
practicing job rotation will evaluate the companies’ training
effectiveness more positively than those who don’t.
METHODS
Measurement
To measure the two dependent variables (i.e., job satisfaction and training evaluation), this study used scales similar to the questionnaire originally designed for a multinational research project of international human resource management practices (Von Glinow, 1993; Huo, Sakano, Tsai & Von Glinow, 1995). For the independent variable (i.e., job rotation), a Dichotomous variable was created to measure whether employees perceived their companies as practicing job rotation. Seven control variables were also used in this study: job interval, age, gender, education, seniority, position, and salary. Job satisfaction. Respondents indicated the degree to which they were satisfied with the following seven factors: the job itself, supervisor, organization, pay, promotion, job security, and career opportunities at their current job. A five point scale was used: i(not at all), 2(to a small extent), 3(to a moderate extent), 4(to a large extent) and 5(to a great extent). Item responses were added up for a composite satisfaction score. Actual scores ranged from 7 to 35. Cronbach alpha for these seven items was o.86.
Training Evaluation. There were ten items used to evaluate training; they were: “to provide a reward to employees,” “to improve technical job abilities,” “to improve employees’ interpersonal abilities,” “to remedy employees’ past poor performance,” “to prepare employees for future job assignments,” “to build teamwork within the company.” “to provide substantial training when employees first start working in the company,” “to help employees understand the business,” “to provide employees with the skills needed to do a number of different jobs,” “to teach employees about the company’s values and ways of doing things.” A five-point scale used: i(not at all), 2(to a small extent), 3(to a moderate extent), 4(to a large extent) and 5(to a great extent). Item responses were totaled for a composite training evaluation score. Actual scores ranged from 10 to 50. Cronbach alpha for these ten items was 0.92.
Job rotation. After given the definition of job rotation as the lateral transfer of employees among a number of different positions without changes in hierarchy and salary, respondents were asked: “Does your company practice job rotation?” A positive answer was coded as 1 and a negative answer was coded as O.
Job interval. Respondents were asked: “On average how long you would stay in one position before possibly transferred to another position in your company?” The answers were coded in terms of number of year.
Age. Coded as i(less than 30), 2(30-39), 3(40-49), 4(50-59), (over 60).
Age. Coded as i(less than 30), 2(30-39), 3(40-49), 4(50-59), (over 60).
Gender. Females were coded as o and males as 1.
Education. Coded in terms of the number of year the respondents had spent in school(s). Seniority. The number of year employees have worked for the companies. The answers ranged from 1 to 34.
Data Collection
From the list of the 1000 largest Taiwan companies (China Credit Information Service, 1996), twenty-one companies were selected for this study Those companies were selected based on not only the useful connection the author has with them so that someone can help distribute and collect the questionnaires, but also the balanced profile of the companies in terms of location and industry. A total of 920 anonymous questionnaires were randomly distributed within those organizations. Respondents were assured that their participation would be kept confidential .
Data Analysis
Multiple regression analyses were performed to assess the influences of job rotation practices on employees’ job satisfaction and training evaluation. Specifically, hierarchical regression was used to evaluate the extent to which job rotation adds in terms of variance explained. The results are shown in both job satisfaction and training evaluation models, all the control variables entered at step 1 and then the variable of job rotation was added in step 2. Cohen’s incremental F-tests were conducted to assess the significance of the change in r-square from step 1 to step 2.
RESULT
Descriptive Statistics and Co relational Analyses
It presents the means, standard deviations, and correlations between all the interval and ratio variables in the study. On average, study participants estimated their job interval to be about three years. shows that job interval was related positively and significantly to age, education, seniority, and salary. Specifically speaking, the employees who are younger, junior, with lower education, and with lower salary tend to change their jobs within a company more frequently.
It makes sense that job rotation perception has a significant and negative relation with job interval (i.e., the period an employee expected to stay in the same job). This result indicates that the respondents answered the questions consistently. As expected, job rotation perception had a positive and significant relationship to job satisfaction and training evaluation.
Multiple Regression Analyses
Results of the regression analysis, shown in Table 3 and Table 4, revealed that the seven control variables had a statistically significant joint effect on job satisfaction and training effectiveness. The extent to which job rotation adds in terms of explained variance indicated that job rotation had significant effects on job satisfaction and training evaluation respectively (Residual analyses showed that the normality assumption of error terms for the regression models appeared tenable). The statistical significance of the estimated coefficients, along with the model’s overall significance and explanatory power, support acceptance of all the two hypotheses. The findings also showed that some individual characteristics (e.g., education, position, salary, and seniority) used as control variables in the regression equations had significant effects on job satisfaction and/or training evaluation.
there is a job-rotation practice that they actually participate with, rather than whether the companies have allegedly adopted a policy of job rotation.
Interestingly, job rotation was rarely viewed from the perspective of the employees themselves. Through a nation-wide survey, this study addresses the following question: How seriously do employees regard job rotation? Specifically, the researcher wanted to measure the relationship between job rotation and job satisfaction and, secondly, wanted to know whether those employees with job rotation and those without job rotation would judge their companies differently in terms of training effectiveness.
THEORY AND HYPOTHESES
Job Rotation and Job Satisfaction
Job satisfaction refers to an individual’s general attitude toward his or her job. According to Locke (1976), job satisfaction is a pleasurable or positive emotional state resulting from the appraisal of one’s job and job experiences. As Robbins (1993) put it, when people speak of employee attitudes, they often mean job satisfaction. Job satisfaction, like any attitude, is generally acquired over a period of time as an employee gains more and more information about the workplace.
To measure job satisfaction, one usually identifies key elements in a job and asks for the employee’s feeling about each. For example, Job Descriptive Index (JDI) (Smith, Kendall, & Hulin, 1969) and Minnesota Satisfaction Questionnaire (MSQ) (Weiss, Dawis, England, & Lofquist, 1967) are two widely used instruments, which measure five important factors conducive to job satisfaction: mentally challenging work, equitable rewards, opportunities for promotion, supportive working conditions, and supportive colleagues. However, some other job facets such as job security and career opportunities may be important and should be also considered (Huo, Sakano, Tsai & Von Glinow, 1995).
Job satisfaction related to a number of variables including organization structural characteristics such as hierarchy, size, and centralization (Porter & Lawler, 1965; Berger & Cummings, 1990) and job characteristics such as skill variety, task significance, task identity, autonomy, and feedback (Hackman & Oldham, 1975 & 1976). Conceivably, the practice of job rotation contributes at least to skill variety and task identity. In addition, employees see job rotation as a way of acquiring the skills needed for promotions and as an investment by the employer in their development. Therefore, rotating employees to different positions is an excellent way to motivate employees, give them a sense of belonging, reduce boredom and fight off a lack of
CONCLUSION
The results provide strong support for the two hypotheses of this study. There is evidence that employees of large companies in Taiwan think highly of job rotation. Hence, the practicing of job rotation was associated with higher job satisfaction and higher training evaluation by the employees. Another variable that is worth our attention is education, which had negative and significant effects on both job satisfaction and training evaluation. That is, the more educated employees were more likely to be unhappy in the work context and that they became more critical about the training effectiveness of the companies. This is a problem the management of Taiwan’s enterprises must think hard to solve because the employees nowadays receive much more schooling than before. The findings of this study indicated that job rotation might be part of the solution.
Traditionally job rotation has been linked to some obvious advantages, as mentioned previously. As Olsen (1953) suggested: “Job rotation is certainly one of the most important learning methods, to my mind the most important single one.” To date, job rotation programs can help a company meet the challenges of a highly competitive environment and a flattening management structure:
Traditionally job rotation has been linked to some obvious advantages, as mentioned previously. As Olsen (1953) suggested: “Job rotation is certainly one of the most important learning methods, to my mind the most important single one.” To date, job rotation programs can help a company meet the challenges of a highly competitive environment and a flattening management structure:
At the organizational level, as empathy and understanding develop among the various positions, job rotation program helps to bring about a durable outcome of the commitment of each employee to the firm’s value base (Arogyaswamy & Simmons, 1993).
At the departmental level, management might use a developmental rotation to reward good performance by employees, especially the ‘plateaned employee,’ instead of a promotion or raise (Campion et al., 1994; Sahl, 1995).
At the group level, job rotation makes members of a work group interdependent and thus encourages teamwork. Everyone in the group is held responsible for carrying out essential job functions of the group or team (Rothwell and Kazanas, 1994).
At the individual level, most importantly, job rotation is a major enabler when employers and employees enter into what Waterman, Waterman, & Collard (1994) called ‘a new covenant’ under which employers give individuals the opportunity to develop greatly enhanced ‘employability’ in exchange for better productivity. In other words, what matters to employees is having the competitive skills required to find another job whenever it becomes necessary. The focus should be on employability instead of a traditional focus on employment.
Simulation methods
Real-life situations are simulated for imparting training. The methods falling in this category are:
1. Role-play.
2. Case method.
3. Management games.
4. In-basket exercise.
Role Play
The role-play method requires participants to enact roles on the basis of a written script or an oral description of a particular situation. The enactment process provides an insight and understanding of the demands and situations of the assigned role, thereby facilitating empathy with another's (actual) role. The main emphasis in management training is in facilitating better understanding of interpersonal problems, and attitude change. If not handled well, however, it could degenerate a childish exercise, where, instead of focusing on the problem to be understood, the situation might be over-dramatized.
Case method
The case is an actual situation, which is written for discussion purposes. Analysis would need problem identification, analysis of the situation and of its causes. There could be several solutions to the problem, and each of these alternatives and their implications needs to be examined. In the real world, on many occasions, a manager may not have all the relevant information with him before taking a decision. Similarly, the case method approximates this reality and in many situations decisions are taken with limited data, or what is termed decision-making under uncertainty. The managerial response in such a situation is explored and understood and learning consists of developing problem-solving skills.
Management games
The game is built around the model of a business situation and trainees are divided into teams representing the management of competing companies. They simulate the real-life process of taking operation decisions. Decisions taken are analyzed by a computer, or manually, and a series of the implications of these decisions are fed back. The game is played in several rounds to take the time dimensions into account.
In-basket exercise
This is a simulation training technique designed around the "incoming mail" of a manager. A variety of situations are presented which would usually be dealt with by an executive in his working day. His reactions and responses are taken down in writing and then analyzed. Feedback on his decisions forces him to re-consider not only his administrative actions but also his behavioral style.
Knowledge-based methods
In this method of training, an effort is made to expose participants to concepts and theories, basic principles, and pure and applied knowledge in any subject area. Basically, it is aimed at creating an awareness of the knowledge of fundamentals. The focus is essentially transmission of knowledge which has to be imbibed by the participants. The methods in this category are:
1. Lectures.
2. Seminars, workshops.
3. Educational training programmes at academic institutes.
4. Programmed instruction in which knowledge is disseminated in book form to be learnt at the individual's pace, and where feedback on the learning is a given aspect of the method.
5. Films and TV.
6. Group discussion, especially in combination with some of the above, for assimilation and integration.
2.10 TRAINING ORGANIZATION
There are several administrative aspects that have to be taken into account before launching in-house training programme, or nominating participants to external programmes.
In-Company/External Programmes
The company needs to formulate its thinking regarding participation in programmes offered by external agencies like educational management institutes, government institutions and consultant programmes, vis-à-vis conducting its own in-house programmes. Where employee numbers are small, it may not be worthwhile to set up a training establishment and conduct in-house programmes, but as the numbers increase, this options may offer a distinct possibility. There is the cost aspect to be considered: for the cost of sending a participant to an external programme, several employees could be trained within an organization. Yet, the advantage of an external programme would be a breath of fresh air through discussions with other participants and a fresh approach could be brought into the organization and its problems. The skills and techniques learnt might also be different from those offered by one's own in-house programmes.
Training Budgets
A training budget for each internal programme has to be prepared, which would include cost of facilities like training room, food, transport, guest faculty, if any, and cost of teaching materials. In fact, the cost to the organization should also include the wages and salaries of employee participants who would be temporarily pulled out of their regular jobs and sent for training. Yet, organizational requirements would necessitate their jobs being done by someone else. The reason for costing the trainee employee's salary would be that they would not be making any contribution to the company during the training period, and that this is an additional burden on the company's finances.
2.11 EVALUATION OF TRAINING
Evaluation of any activity is important, since in evaluating one tries to judge the "value or worth of the activity, using the information available".
What is the purpose of evaluation? Evaluation, by bringing to the fore "weaknesses and failures…strengths and successes," helps to improve training methods. Evaluation helps management to answer the following questions
The relevance of the programmes to the organization's needs-what changes if any should be made in existing programmes to realign to the organization's needs.Feedback on the choice of areas of training will also need to be examined in the context of its contributions to the organization's effectiveness.
Should the money continue to be spent on this activity, or another more relevant activity that will improve attainment of the organization's objectives?
Reactions from trainees about the training programme can help identify its strengths and weaknesses. These reactions can be used as a base for the improvement of programmes, but those evaluating must first be definite about the aspects they are interested in investigating.
An evaluation of a training method or system must also take into account the suitability of objectives. "If the objectives were inadequately formulated in the first place, even a 'good' training programme has really no chance to be effective."
Objectives have to be clear-cut, must relate to needs, and make way for changes. Objectives cannot be static and need to be re-appraised frequently so that training may result in improved overall organizational efficiency. Evaluation of objectives helps to bridge the gap between needs and objectives.
The Evaluation Process
The most useful means of evaluating training are observations, ratings, trainee surveys and trainee interviews. Observation is concerned with observing the behavior of people in a certain situation. To be useful, it must be specific, systematic, quantitative, recorded and expert. Needless to say, observers, must be trained and have specific ideas about what they are looking for. This is the most direct method of "assessing the quality of formal training and of identifying deficiencies".
The second method of evaluation is that of ratings. "Various elements of the training system should be rated independently by several qualified raters. These elements include trainees, instructors, equipment, materials, training aids and facilities." The use of rating scales requires supervised practice, as it is easy to commit errors.
The third method is trainee surveys where opinions of the trainees are used for evaluation. These opinions should not be used independently, since they cannot always be relied on to be objective.
The fourth method is trainee interviews, whereby ideas and views that trainees might not put down on paper can be determined by "skilful questioning". This method allows for more precise information and details to be obtained and prevents ambiguity, especially in interpretation.
The final method is that of collecting the observations and recommendations of instructors through surveys and interviews "to ensure that the system is consistent with the needs of the implementers of the training". Interviews with instructors will bring to the surface characteristics that instructors may feel reluctant to put down on paper.
2.12 Is training the best medicine?
Imagine this: A man is having chest pains. He rush as to his doctor, tells him he is having a heart attack, and demands that he perform open-heart surgery. He obligingly agrees. It is not until after a great deal of pain and expense that he discovers it was only in digestion.
When it comes to training, a similar situation happens all the time. If scrap rates are too high, productivity is too low, and employees neglect to follow standard quality procedures, they must need more training. Before rushing into the pain and expense of interrupting production to send them off to a seminar it is necessary to make sure that training is the proper solution.
Just as a doctor must understand the cause of a patient’s symptoms before he can attempt a cure, one needs to know why employees are not meeting the company’s expectations before taking action. That’s where a training-needs analysis will help. It tells how well employees are doing their jobs, where they could use some improvement and how that improvement can best he achieved. Done correctly, it can save the company from wasting a lot of time and money on inappropriate training programs.
Gathering the information
To do a valid training-needs analysis, one needs to gather as much objective data about employee performance as possible. There are many ways to collect this information, including:
· Casual conversations
· Formal interviews
· Direct observation
· Work samples
· Written records
· Surveys
· Tests
· Focus groups
A professional trainer can be hired to perform an analysis but it’s not just a technique for trainers. Everybody should be trained in this simple process. It’s a supervisor’s or a manager’s job to make sure people can do their jobs. To do training needs analysis the following steps should be followed:
Study current performance: Before tying to change anything, it’s essential to know what is already happening. What skills and knowledge do employees already have? What tasks are they performing on their daily jobs?
Define ideal performance: what standard of performance is necessary for the business and the employees to be a success? What tasks must they do? What level of accuracy or productivity should they achieve? What skills and knowledge must they have?
Find the gap: What is the difference between the definition of ideal performance and what the employees are currently doing? Are there any areas that aren’t functioning as well as they should? Where are there opportunities for improvement? This is the “performance gap” that the company is trying to fill. One must look for problems or opportunities that may occur in future as well as ones that already exist.
Identify the cause: Why are workers not working up to standard? Have they ever performed the job correctly? Where and when do the problems occur? Has anything changed recently that might have instigated the problem? Compare best and worst performers to find the differences in what they do.
When these steps have been completed one should be ready to make diagnosis, but it must be remembered that training is not the only medicine for ailing performance. Although it is often mistakenly applied as a cure- all, the only problem that training can solve is a lack of skills and knowledge. Do employees know how to do the job? Could they do it if their lives depended on it? If so, probably there is no training problem. There are many reasons why a worker might not be doing his job correctly, including unclear expectations, insufficient feedback, lack of incentive and adverse working conditions. These are all management problems that can only be improved by management changes.
Too often, people see the gap and they want to just leap right in and fix it. “The key is not to jump to the solution, which is assumed to be training. Understanding the situation is the first step. Then, once one understands the situation one can think about why (The problem exists). Only if it’s because (employees) lack skills and knowledge should training be considered as a solution.
2.13 New Trends in training
Self Directed Learning
Organizational support enhances self -directed learning programs. The term "self -directed learning" describes training in which the learners essentially guides himself through the learning process using workbooks, manuals, or computer based training programs. Many companies are switching to this type of training because it allows for more flexible scheduling, as well as reduced training time and expenses. If we look at the life cycle of classroom type training, 90% of that life cycle cost is in the delivery, not in the development. Plus, as people get up there and start to talk, it takes longer than it does to deliver the training in some other ways. Well-designed self-directed learning will probably take half the time of classroom instruction. But even well -designed programs won't achieve optimum results without proper support. "People [switch to self-directed learning programs] for cost issues, and a lot of them don't recognize that there are organizational issues that they have to deal with, "If they don't deal with them, the they’re not going to get as big a return on their training investment as they could. The following are tips for supporting set directed learning in a company.
1. Learning is work. Many organizations don't recognize training as real work. Unlike classroom training, which must have a scheduled time and place, self-directed learning is often just squeezed in here and there, or the employee may be forced to take it home.
2. Keep sessions short. All days are much more fragmented than they used to be "So when self directed modules are developed, there is no space for two hour or three hour modules. The training needs to be made into shorter chunks, so that it can fit into the shorter periods of time. "Training should be long enough to get a concept across, but not so long that it involves too many once.
3. People need people. Many managers forget about the learners need for contact with others. Seeing and being seen are very important in the political environments of today's companies and the classroom is where that often went on. If we take that away from the classroom, we have to provide some other way for it to happen, because they learn form each other as well as learning from the class. Meetings, e-mail, and electronic forums are some ways to compensate for the isolation that self-directed learners may feel.
4. Combine delivery methods. Self directed learning has many advantages-but it is not the best choice for every situation. Self directed learning is much better for knowledge based learning. It can work for some skill based learning, but there are times when one wants to have hands on. A lot of your best programs are a combination. For example, a well-rounded program might start with an introductory session delivered by satellite. Self directed, computer based training could then get everybody up to speed on the basic information. Classroom sessions could then build on that knowledge by teaching hands on skills. The most important thing is to plan ahead in the initial training needs analysis for ways to support the unique needs of your self directed learners. That is a very important part of the needs analysis that is often neglected. We look at what are the learning objectives, but we don't look at what has to be taken care of in the organization and culture in order to achieve to those learning objectives.
2.14 Train, don't tell
Many companies' so-called training programs are little more than one-way information dumps. Information is transmitted, but the trainees get little guidance on exactly what to do with it or why. As a result, the words float by in isolation, seemingly detached from the employees' real world of paperwork and production quotas. Because the information is never used, it is quickly forgotten.
This problem is compounded, because the human brain processes procedural knowledge differently from the way it process declarative (telling) knowledge. The people who are selected [to do training] are often people who have expertise in doing something. They usually got that expertise through trial and error, but they try to teach through telling. In other words, they use declarative methods to teach procedural knowledge. Afterward, they except trainees to perform the task and they become frustrated when it doesn't work that way.
Real training is a two way street. It helps the trainee process and practice new skills, rather than simply dumping information on him. By actively engaging the trainee's participation, real training converts lifeless information into meaningful knowledge. The employee understands why the new knowledge is relevant and has a clear idea of how to apply it. Transforming telling into training isn't hard, if one includes these six key elements:
· Incentives: Employees need to understand what's in it for them. Why should they do it this way? Demonstrate how the new knowledge or skill will solve a problem or make them better, faster, and more effective in their jobs.
· Objectives: Make sure trainees understand what the companies wants from them. One of the biggest inhibitors of employee performance is unclear expectations.
· Organization: Organize information to make it easier to remember. Show how it relates to things they already know. Use analogies, examples, and mnemonics. Don’t confuse beginners with a lot of unnecessary details. Instead, focus on the basic steps to gain performance.
· Participation: Encourage them to ask and answer questions. Get them to try the skills or apply the knowledge for themselves rather than just memorizing what you say or do. The more they participate, the more they will learn.
· Feedback: Let them know how they're doing. This allows them to correct mistakes before they become habits. It also helps them gain confidence, which will encourage them to feel comfortable applying new skills.
· Rewards: If they're right, tell them they did well. If they're wrong, praise them for trying.
Even if there techniques are applied in small, informal ways, employees will understand what the company wants a lot better, once one stops telling and starts training.
2.15 Training: mantra of the new millennium
In today's scenario, change is the order of the day and the only way to deal with it is to learn and grow. Knowledge is the potent symbol of the new millennium and the only way an organization can strive to excel is to realize that success today is not a function of financial muscle or physical assets but of competent workforce. It is the workforce with high caliber, knowledge and skills that is hard to duplicate. Employees have become central to the success or failure of an organization; they are the cornucopia of ideas.
Katz and Kahn (1978) have posited that organizations must have three behavioral features.
People must be attracted not only to join the Organization but also to remain in it.
People must perform tasks for which they are hired and must do so in a dependable manner. People must go beyond this dependable role performance and engage in some form of creative, spontaneous and innovative behavior at work.
The most important aspect that guides competitiveness in current turbulent markets in how companies gather, analyze and use information to their advantage. Thus IT capability that processes and manages information in a corporate will be the single most effective weapon in the era of information technology. As organizations shift from being product based to knowledge based there has been a shift, with accent on knowledge. Employees today need to adopt skill sets with ease. The knowledge worker of today is in a constant pressure to compete with redundancy, as knowledge and information is no longer a prerogative of a few. IT is affecting the people, process, structure and strategy of organizations. IT acts as an enabler to capture and disseminate information so that individuals can become knowledge workers. Keeping this in mind ,organizations need to realign their thought process and give training a fresh look. Things will never be the same in the e-era.
With the world becoming a global workforce, organizations today have to compete at the international level. This has redefined job requirements in terms of skills, competencies and qualifications. Today development of the employee is a prerequisite to make the employees work for the company rather than in the company.
Today it is not the aptitude that guarantees success but the attitude. Employees are being encouraged to learn that it is essential not to control one's emotions but to manage them and channelize them for their effective use. Workshops on emotional intelligence are quiet common in the corporate arena. One offshoot of EQ training is team building. Teamwork is highlighted in most companies and various outdoor training programs are conducted, even at the induction training stage, to nurture the team spirit. Other topics on which training is being encouraged in the new millennium are communications, computer skills, customer service, ethics and quality initiatives.
Training is everybody's business
Training is not the panacea for all the friction resulting due to change. Yet efforts in the right direction are definitely worth it, as organizations need to achieve their goals, maintain them internally and at the same time adapt to the ever changing environment.
Hay Group’s annual survey of the world's most admired companies identified training as one of the best ways to attract, motivate and retain talent. Innovation in training methods seems to be a result of that. Traditional methods of "chalk and talk" are giving way to virtual learning. Global giant Motorola is reaping benefits of virtual learning. Motorola University is the most widely benchmarked corporate university in the world. IBM also has a university for its employees and they are encouraged to learn under the guidance of "dispersed mentors". Usually companies are turned to the WIN FM-whats in it for me. Companies like GE, General Motors have their training department independent of HR. It operates as a separate business center contributing to the company's profit.
| | Company practice in training |
| VSERVE Comment | Every employee receives training for 8 days on an average. HR policy is built around Employee Development Growth & Empowerment (EDGE). It is a consciously developed program aimed at making Comnet a learning organization. An exhaustive training module is there to create global managers where freshly inducted employee follows a structured path going up with the certification levels from base line to advanced base line to silver club to finally become a gold club member -with global level expertise. |
| Hughes Software Service | New recruits go through 8 weeklong induction programs which consist of both technical & non-technical training. Skill inventories are maintained by line managers and not HR. Line managers are responsible for identifying training needs and ensuring attendance, role of HR is to facilitate choices. |
| IBM | Has virtual university. IBM Global Campus provides employees across the globe self-driven learning via the corporate intranet. Extensive Lotus Training modules complete with tutorials and multimedia courseware are available online. Employees are encouraged to develop relationships with dispersed mentors. |
| Infosys | Every Infoscion receives an average of 47 hours of training. 2.65% of turnover is spent on education and research. |
| Motorola | Every employee receives training for 40 hours annually. Motorola University is the most widely benchmarked university in the world. It is a $ 100 million global service business operating through 99 sites across 21 countries employing 400 staff members. University is run as an independent business operation, a profit center. |
| NIIT | 80% of the training is delivered in-house. No. of training days per employee is 13 days. "Back to School” is followed where partial course fee is reimbursed for completion of part time professional courses. In-house tutorials and training procedures are distributed on the network without having to print huge documents. |
| Sat yam | Training is conducted to familiarize employee with different cultures and business practices. |
| Tata Consultancy Services | It has a training center in Trivandrum where training for new entrants focuses on team building, presentation skills and grooming. It has a 72 days long training program. |
One way to minimize the danger of a company losing its financial investment in training is to share the cost with the employee. By asking an employee to invest partially, one does increase the intrinsic value of the training to the employee since it is instrumental in career planning and succession planning.
Benefits of training are expansive
Employees and organizations need to realize the importance of contribution and learning for mutual growth and development. An organization with a myopic view cannot realize the importance of training. Organizations that lack vision undergo stagnation, decline and crisis after success. Training is the answer to deal with the stagnation stage by constantly updating it in every field. Other benefits of training include.
· Hiring appeal: companies that provide training attract a better quality workforce.
· Assessing and addressing any performance deficiency.
· Increasing productivity.
· Enhancing workforce flexibility. For example, in the IT industry, employees are sent to different countries for diverse projects and assignments. Cross-cultural training is essential for them for better adjustment in the new environment.
· Increasing commitment: Training acts as a loyalty booster. Employee motivation is also enhanced when the employee knows that the organization would provide them opportunities to increase their skills and knowledge. Business is not just about transactions but is about relationships.
· It gives the organization a competitive edge by keeping abreast of the latest changes; it acts as a catalyst for change.
· Higher customer satisfaction and lower support cost result through improved service, increased productivity and greater sufficiency.
· Training acts as a benchmark for hiring, promoting and career planning.
· It acts as a retention tool by motivating employees to the vast opportunities for growth available in an organization.
· In certain cases training can also act as a tool for reward and recognition. Candidates showing high potential can be trained for advanced training in their field. Thus one can trace the link of training with performance appraisal and potential evaluation.
We have moved a long way from the Machine Age. Today what is required is strategic acumen and cross-functional expertise. Today the workflow is milestone led. Command and control have given way to facilitation. The employer- employee relationship in the networked age is a skill contract and the work is largely cerebral. The benefits resulting due to training prove that it is time for organizations to discard their parochial view and work towards developing their human assets. The people factor is the pivot for organizational growth. Aligning organizational vision to the development of employee is only possible way to become a success story in an environment which seems to be reverberating with two words: 'perform or perish'.
Chapter-3
SURVEY ANALYSIS
4.1 TRAINING EVALUATION
| How satisfied are you: | Excellent | Very Good | Good | Fair | Needs to Improve |
| Relevance of courses with respect to your needs? | 7 | 37 | 18 | 28 | 10 |
| | Excellent | Very Good | Good | Fair | Needs to Improve |
| How Satisfied are you with the training personnel knowledge and professionalism? | 6 | 7 | 83 | 3 | 1 |
| | Excellent | Very Good | Good | Fair | Needs to Improve |
| How do you rate the measurable change in knowledge or skills at the end of the training programme? | | | 68 | 32 | |
| | Excellent | Very Good | Good | Fair | Needs to Improve |
| What Is your ability To solve a “mock” problem at the end of training | 1 | 11 | 69 | 19 | |
To what extent has the training programme helped you to achieve growth in return on investment (ROI) for the organization?
All the respondents agreed that the training programmes have been effective in achieving overall growth of the organization.
i. Yearly budget allocation is decided by the head office
ii. Training program is made on the basis of
A: Training calendar as decided by the department heads
B: Projection of any training aids procurement id done on regular basis
C: Normal administrative expenditure are planned through departments.
iii. Past experience and bench marking with the current scenario
iv. Cost per participant x no. of participants to be trained is pre-planned
Where there any behavior changes experienced after the training programme .If Yes, please comment?
- For some people, training is merely a relief from regular monotony, so they want to relax during the training days instead of taking it seriously
- Sometimes, participants are sent not on the basis of their needs, but to satisfy the statistics
- If the batch is not homogeneous, it is a problem to maintain the flow in a training program
- Caliber of individuals is of different levels
- Mindset
- Participants sometimes don’t have the prerequisite background for training
Does the programme provides opportunity for personal development? Comment
| Yes | No |
| 89 | 11 |
What is the rate of Retention, of knowledge after the end of the training?
| Excellent | Very Good | Good | Fair | Needs to Improve |
| 2 | 17 | 58 | 21 | 2 |
Was there any change in motivational and leadership level after training? How?
| Yes | No |
| 69 | 31 |
Would you recommend [COMPANY] s training services to colleagues or contacts within your industry?
| Yes | No |
| 100 | 0 |
Chapter-4
CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION
CONCLUSION
At VSERVE Technologies, Shiv Nadar, the chief executive officer, gives his managers autonomy and challenges in order to develop the best talent.
Some executives believe challenging employees is the best way to develop talent. Shiv Nadar, 60, has prepared executives at his company, VSERVE Technologies, by gradually increasing their responsibilities through promotions and project work. India-based VSERVE Technologies is one of two companies that make up VSERVE Enterprise, which is also headquartered in India. VSERVE Technologies is a leading provider of software and technology services. The company has more than 28,000 workers in 15 countries. Mr Nadar, who is chairman and chief executive of VSERVE Technologies, founded VSERVE Enterprise, then known as Hindustan Computers Ltd, in 1976. He launched VSERVE Technologies in 1991.
Typical of many technology companies over the past three decades, the company possesses an entrepreneurial style in which managers are relatively autonomous. Each of VSERVE Technologies’ five division heads has profit-and-loss responsibility for their groups. Before VSERVE starts considering someone for a senior role, it wants evidence that the executive is ready. For example, Vineet Nayar was chief executive of VSERVE Technologies’ infrastructure business before assuming wider responsibilities as president of VSERVE Technologies. There is a fair amount of delegation and accountability, most very highly with responsibilities. Although it is difficult to measure precisely, Mr Nadar believes that VSERVE’s talent management has led to strong growth, largely by ensuring high employee and customer satisfaction. Revenue rose by 35% from US$568m in fiscal 2004 to US$764m in fiscal 2005 ending June 30th.
VSERVE judges individual performance mainly on a division’s financial success. Groups that are meeting goals and increasing revenue indicate that a leader is outstanding. But Mr Nadar says standards must be flexible. For example, VSERVE may not expect the same profitability for an early-stage initiative as it does of more established divisions.
The firm also considers how someone achieves results, including how an executive manages and develops subordinates. This is indicative of the awards that VSERVE Technologies consistently wins as one of India’s most employee-friendly companies, with strong customer service. The company uses annual 360-degree reviews, in which employees evaluate managers to measure leadership skills.
Separately, VSERVE conducts personality assessment tests every year or more frequently to help gauge potential. VSERVE seeks executives who are not only commanding but quick-thinking and innovative. The fast-moving technology sector requires as much. Based on performance evaluations, a human resources (HR) staff of 100-200 leaders prescribes development programmes. Many of the programmes centre on workshops, some of which are offsite. Mr Nadar participates in offsite planning but not the leadership workshops. He says that HR executes the talent management strategy and provides ideas regarding development activities. Mr Nadar spends about 30-40% of his time on talent management. He writes evaluations about his direct reports, including the chief financial officer and president, and a few executives one level below. He can pinpoint his best chief executives and chief operating officer candidates and identify immediate replacements for other key positions.
VSERVE also has succession plans that look three and five years into the future and further beyond. Mr Nadar is a strong advocate of mentoring and ad hoc coaching. Executives throughout the firm regularly stop by his office for a cup of coffee. Mr Nadar helps them “pick through a problem”. He believes that there is a level of bonding at his company that may not exist at firms outside the region. It is not unusual for Mr Nadar to work at weekends with his leading executives. He sees some of them socially, although that does not stop him from making a critical assessment of their work.
But retention is VSERVE’s main challenge, a reflection of the intense competition for executives in India. As some top managers have progressed, they have sought positions with greater responsibility outside VSERVE. A lot of employees have left and become CEOs of other companies. VSERVE has combated the exodus by increasing compensation, including stock options. VSERVE also has difficulty convincing executives to take foreign assignments, despite the fact that it would help their careers. Mr Nadar says that people resist moving aboard for cultural reasons. Executives in India feel strong ties to their home base. To fill management gaps overseas, VSERVE hires executives from the US, Japan and Europe.
VSERVE technologies is a top tier IT services firm which is placed in the top 5 Indian IT companies is rapidly scaling up its operations globally. The HR structure and processes are undergoing rapid changes and new HR opportunities are emerging. Companies have two major assets that are fundamental to their success. Firstly, it is a product or service that meets the needs of customers in a way that competitors find it very hard to match and secondly, it is the highly committed and customer-focussed staff.
VSERVE Technologies has recently launched a series of human resource initiatives to help it get 50% of its revenues from the uncontested markets by ’10. The IT major is finding out that this long-term goal could have short-term benefits, too.
The company has managed to bring down its attrition rate by 25%, its employees have contributed to significant cost savings for customers, and the initiatives have helped it win more business from the customers.
VSERVE Tech’s new HR initiatives included increasing HR support strength by 65% to 1 per 25 employees, introducing systems to solve HR problems faster, implementing 360 degree appraisal and discarding variable pay for 85% of employees. All these to prepare the employees for a revenue model that depends on output/impact based billing rather than hourly billing.
These initiatives come on the back of what Mr Nayar believes to be a fundamental change that’s taking place in the IT market. Indian IT market jumped from $2 billion in 1999 to 20 time that size now because of a change from total IT outsourcing to selective IT outsourcing. Even this has become commoditised now adding that the focus would shift to adding value - and sharing risks and rewards with the customers.
While these changes are aimed for future results, the tech major is already seeing the benefits of these initiatives. They have started measuring value our employees add in terms of cost savings or contribution to customers revenues. These would eventually be linked to employees’ financial rewards. Customers see benefits in these and are more willing to partner with VSERVE Tech.
Another immediate benefit was the reduction in attrition levels. Software engineers get more satisfaction from taking up challenges, adding value, and contributing something significant, than from merely giving efforts. Attrition rates have come down by 25% since the start of the programme. Going forward, it impact would be even higher. VSERVE expect their focus on value to attract and retain talent.
RECOMMENDATIONS
From the analysis done in the previous chapter, we can arrive at the following conclusions:
¨ Training needs analysis is done taking into consideration the views of not only the superiors, but also the trainees themselves. This was confirmed from the responses of both the trainees and the trainers. The trainees felt good that they were involved in the analysis of their own needs and also said that the management was very co-operative and tried to incorporate their views and suggestions to the extent possible. Thus, as far as this aspect is concerned, the trainees were satisfied with the procedures followed.
¨ Both the trainers and the trainees felt that the thrust in future should be on developing people skills and not only functional skills. They also said that IT would be a focus area.
¨ Many trainees felt that they were not being given adequate training to keep them abreast of the changing environment.
¨ Most of the times trainees were not involved in the training program planning.
¨ Both the trainees and the trainers were in agreement on the most essential elements that go into making a training program successful. The final ranking obtained is the same in both the cases. This only goes to show that VSERVE is aware of the needs of the participants and also understand what elements are most important for a trainee. For both, clear objective is the most important element that makes a training program successful.
¨ We can conclude that VSERVE’s efforts towards training and development have been quite successful. The employees are satisfied with the training activities, but they only feel that they should be involved in the planning of the Training Program. According to them, their views should be taken on all issues instead of just informing them that they have to attend a training program. They should have a say in deciding on the contents, physical arrangements, etc. This would involve them further in the exercise and they would be more open to learning.
¨ Training should be imparted on current issues like change management, because although the employees are quite satisfied with the training programs as a whole, they still feel that training should be imparted on issues that are relevant in the current business scenario.
¨ Training sessions should not be too long, long sessions should be split up into modules.
¨ Self-directed learning in some areas should be encouraged. This would save the company’s time and also reduce costs.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
1. “Personnel Management” by Arun Monappa and Mirza.S.Saiyadain
2. “Learning to Learn”, Sylvia Downs (Handbook on Training and development by Steve Truelove)
3. Quality Magazine, January 1998, Training Trends: “Is training the best medicine?”
Source: www.qualitymag.com
4. Quality Magazine, May 1998, Training Trends: “Train, don’t tell”.
Source: www.qualitymag.com
5. Quality Magazine, October 1998, Training Trends: “Every Manager is a mentor”.
Source: www.qualitymag.com
6. Quality Magazine, April 1999, Training Trends: “Supporting self-directed learning”.
Source: www.qualitymag.com
7. Quality Magazine, November 1999, Training Trends: “On the job training-Do it right!”
Source: www.qualitymag.com
8. “Never Stop Listening, Never Stop Learning, Never Stop Training”, Pramod Batra and Deepak Mahendru.
9. “HRD through training”, The Economic Times dated 11-2-94.
10. “Training: Mantra of the new millennium”, Sangam Garg, Human Capital, April 2001.
ANNEXURE
QUESTIONNAIRE
PROJECT: MEASURING TRAINING EFFECTIVENESS
Name of the Respondent: _____________________________________
Department: ________________________________________________
Contact No. _________________________________________________
Address: ___________________________________________________
Training Evaluation
| How satisfied are you: | Excellent | Very Good | Good | Fair | Needs to Improve |
| Relevance of courses with respect to your needs? | | | | | |
| How Satisfied are you with the training personnel knowledge and professionalism? | | | | | |
| How do you rate the measurable change in knowledge or skills at the end of the training programme? | | | | | |
| What Is your ability To solve a “mock” problem at the end of training | | | | | |
To what extent has the training programme helped you to achieve growth in return on investment (ROI) for the organization?
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Where there any behavior changes experienced after the training programme .If Yes, please comment?
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Does the programme provides opportunity for personal development? Comment
£ Yes £ No
What is the rate of Retention, of knowledge after the end of the training?
£ Excellent £ Very Good
£ Good £ Fair
£ Needs to Improve
Was there any change in motivational and leadership level after training? How?
£ Yes £ No
£ Yes £ No
Comments