Homework answers / question archive / As you have seen through your readings for this unit, developing human resources is a full-time activity and one that should be an ongoing investment in every organization, whether via internal or outsourced HRM

As you have seen through your readings for this unit, developing human resources is a full-time activity and one that should be an ongoing investment in every organization, whether via internal or outsourced HRM

Psychology

Share With

As you have seen through your readings for this unit, developing human resources is a full-time activity and one that should be an ongoing investment in every organization, whether via internal or outsourced HRM. The return on investment an organization makes as a result of training might be realized quickly, through increased sales, reduced waste, and improved HR metrics, or through longer-term, ongoing measurement.

• What sort of training does your organization, or one with which you are familiar, provide? Soft skills or hard skills? Based on your search of applicable literature, do you think these two types of skills are mutually exclusive, are they interdependent, or would that depend on the type of job or position? Evaluate the relative importance of each type for both individual and organizational success.
• Evaluate whether your organization's training is evidence-based and valid, both in its design and in how outcomes of the training are measured.
• From an I/O psychology perspective, how would HRM ensure the training and development design was appropriate to deliver the information or learning it purported to deliver? After the training or development intervention, how would HRM measure outcomes to confirm the training or development intervention had accomplished what it was intended to accomplish?

In closing, imagine you are on an elevator when your CEO walks in. He knows you are a consultant working on improving the training and development initiatives. He asks you how the project is coming and you have 30 seconds (the written equivalent of 1 paragraph) to make your case and plant the seed of what you want him to consider about your upcoming proposal. Be concise and convince him to be open to your recommendations when you make your presentation next quarter. What will you say before he gets off the elevator? For more guidance on crafting an elevator speech, read the Gaffey and Chamberlin articles about the elements of an elevator pitch and why it is important. 

Keep in mind:

• Training and development activities might include not only traditional, classroom-type training methods, but also coaching, mentoring, career development assistance, and other ways an organization might provide ongoing education or enrichment for its employees.
• From a psychological perspective, all type of training design and measurement of outcomes need to be evidence-based and valid, just as with any type of organizational assessment, measurement, or intervention grounded in psychological theory or science.

Response Guidelines

Respond to two other learners. Your responses to other learners are expected to be (a) substantive in nature and to reference the assigned readings, as well as to (b) synthesize and cite peer-reviewed journal articles found in your search of the library's journal databases and other empirical and theoretical literature to support your views and writings.

Learning Components

This activity will help you achieve the following learning components:

• Consider how other technological changes have contributed to training design, delivery, and evaluation.
• Consider the implications virtual work has for leaders and workers.
• Analyze how training can be used to address performance gaps.
• Identify the priorities for performance improvement.