Human Resource Issues in Training and Developing Employees - Research Proposal Example

UMАN RЕSОURСЕ ISSUЕS IN ТRАINING АND DЕVЕLОРMENT: INVOLVING THE MANAGEMENT AND PROGRAM`S SUCCESS Name Surname A Research Report November 2015 1. INTRODUCTION Involving the management to concentrate in the training and development process with their colleagues is important for the program`s success. Doing this ensures that company executives have a stake in training outcomes and lends credibility and importance to the training function, which has often been cut in times of financial distress. It also sends a message to the colleague to be trained that the management values learning in the organization (King, 2008). Communication with the management is the best place for a training manager to start to get a clear picture of organizational objectives, current challenges, and anticipated industry changes (Oliver & Kandadi, 2006). Business needs are often built around a company`s mission, vision, primary goals and objectives, long-range strategic plans, industry issues, and current critical concerns. Gaining management`s insight into the importance of each of these areas, as well as their feelings on where the training department can partner with them to meet organizational goals, is an essential part of the training process. Training managers must gain the support of management prior to initiating a training program. Hence, the main issue that I am investigating in this research study is: Issue: Involving the management to concentrate in the training and development process with their colleagues is important for the program`s success. 1.1 Strategic Importance: This research study may lead practitioners to one of two possible conclusions: 1. The involvement and concentration by the management in a training and development program will lead to colleagues/employees increased achievement. This outcome could lead the human resource development staff to consider more management involvement and concentration in training program development in the future. 2. The involvement and concentration by the management in a training and development program will not lead to colleagues/employees increased achievement. This outcome could lead the human resource development staff to minimize management involvement and concentration in future training programs. This study was also significant because it differs substantially from previous studies done on management involvement and concentration in program development. The unique factors associated with this study are: 1) a more structured method was used to involve the management, 2) the training was mandatory, and 3) the study was conducted in an industrial setting. 1.2 Research question: How significant is management involvement in the training and development with their colleagues and what postive difference can it make? 1.3. Research Hypotheses: The following hypotheses were evaluated for this research: 1. There will be no significant difference between the experimental group's mean gain score and the control group's mean gain score. 2. There will be no significant difference between the mean of the experimental group's pre-test scores and the mean of the experimental group's post-test scores. 2. METHODOLOGY The purpose of this study was to determine if colleagues/employees with management involvement in an OSHA mandatory industrial training program development achieve at a greater level than colleagues/employees who take the same training program but lack involvement by management in training program development. 2.1 Study Population and Sample The study population was from a manufacturing plant. This facility produces heaters and heating elements for industrial, commercial, and agricultural purposes. The population consisted of two hundred production employees who are required by Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to receive training. OSHA requires that companies conduct regular training sessions to enlighten employees on safety issues. Further, OSHA requires that employees pass proficiency tests before they are allowed to use hazardous equipment or be exposed to potentially hazardous situations (OSHA, 2004). The training issue used in this study was bloodborne pathogen training. OSHA's Bloodborne Pathogens Standard requires this training be interactive and at a minimum there be a question and answer period with the person conducting the training session. Further, that training without the opportunity for discussion is considered a violation of this section of the regulation (Bloodbome Pathogen Training Requires Interaction, 2007). OSHA's bloodbome pathogen training thus availed itself to this study which attempts to measure an aspect of interaction and its effect on achievement. Due to the size o f the training facility, both the experimental group and the control group were limited to twenty-two learners. Participants for each session were randomly assigned to experimental and control groups via a random numbers. 2.2 Research Design The design for this study was a pre-test/post-test control group design. The dependent and independent variables that were examined included: Dependent Variable = Employee Achievement (EA) Primary Independent Variable = Management Involvement (MI) in employee training and development program 2.3 Hypotheses Testing Rationale The following hypotheses were tested for this study. Demographic analysis was examined for exploratory purposes checking for any confounding variables. NH1 - A difference o f means test (t-test) was used to determine whether a significant difference between the pre-test and post-test mean gain score o f the experimental group and the control group existed. This test was used to determine whether the independent variable of management involvement in program development had a significant effect on the dependent variable of employee achievement. NH2- A difference o f means test (t-test) was used to determine the significance o f any difference between the mean o f the experimental group's pre-test scores and the mean of the experimental group's post-test scores existed This test was used to determine whether significant differences in competency was achieved after the experimental group completed their training. The following analysis was conducted to determine if there were any confounding variables which might influence the main hypotheses o f this study. A multiple regression analyses were used to determine whether a relationship existed between the pre-test and post-test gain scores o f the experimental group and the other independent variables. This test was used to determine whether a relationship existed between the other independent variables o f the experimental group and the pre-test and post-test gain scores. Training Program Design Considerations Several meetings were required between the company's training manager and the management. From these meetings the following conclusions were drawn: Due to the size of the training facility, the experimental and control groups were restricted to twenty-two members each. Randomization would be no problem and we would use a random numbers table, Timing between participation in program development and actual training would take place as soon as possible but for logistical reasons the actual training would likely be within a few weeks and it would be left up to the learners to decide; Scheduling (day and time of training) is to be left up to the learners to decide, Training topics were discussed in detail, OSHA training was a high priority for this company and it was decided that the learners could choose one of three topics for this study; The training department had previously allocated five hundred dollars to this training and it was believed that allocation was more than sufficient. Mode of training (lecture, discussion, video, self-instruction, demonstration, or other participation techniques) was to be left up to the learners. 2.4 Data Collection After assigning the population (200) into two sample groups (22 each), the experimental group was assembled (with no prior knowledge o f why) in the training room. The training manager explained to the group that there are several OSHA training programs that needed to be run in the near future and that she wanted some input from some of the employees. The training manager then introduced this researcher, telling the group a study would be taking. The training manager explained that there were three OSHA training topics which needed to be covered in the next few months and that the order that they were to be presented were not important to her, just as long as they were covered. The experimental group was then instructed to pull the OSHA Training Topic Form from their folder and read the brief description of the three OSHA training topics. The group was then given a few minutes to ask questions about the topics (3 questions asked). The group was then instructed to pull the Training Topic Voting Form from their folder and indicate their preference. These forms were collected. Next came choosing a day that this training would take place. The group was instructed to pull the calendar from their folder. It was explained that the first OSHA training program needed to be ran before the end o f the calendar year. The participants were then instructed to choose two dates they believed would be best for them. Using the Nominal Group Technique, in round-robin fashion each participant revealed their first choice, again in round-robin fashion each participant revealed their second choice. Each of the dates were discussed in terms of pros and cons. Things such as, holidays, inventory. 2.5 Data Processing The statistical software used for data analysis was MiniTab. A feature o f the MiniTab program is it calculates the P-value. The P-value is the probability that the test statistic would take a value as extreme or more extreme than that actually observed. "Extreme" means, "far from what one would expect if the null hypothesis were true" The direction (s) that counts as "far from what one would expect" is determined by the alternative hypothesis. The lower the P-value the stronger the evidence against the null hypothesis. If the P-value is as small or smaller than a specified level o f significance the data are then stated as statistically significant and the null hypothesis is rejected (Moore, 2005). 3. ANALYTICAL FINDINGS The research question for this investigation was: How significant is it for management involvement in training and development with their colleagues and what postive difference can it make? 3.1 Hypotheses Testing NH1 - There will be no significant difference between the experimental group's mean gain score and the control group's mean gain score. A two-sample t-test was used to determine whether the independent variable of Involving management participation in program development had a significant effect on the dependent variable of learners` achievement. The null hypothesis was tested at .05 level of significance and a 95% confident interval was used. NH2 - There will be no significant difference between the mean of the experimental group’s pre-test scores and the mean o f the experimental group's post-tests scores. A t-test was used to determine whether significant differences in competency were achieved after the experimental group completed their training. The null hypothesis stated there was no change between the experimental group's pre-test and post-test mean scores. The alternative hypothesis stated the pre-test mean score was less than the post-test mean score. The null hypothesis was tested at .05 level of significance and a 95% confidence interval was used. As depicted in Table 1, the mean gain score of the experimental group was compared to the mean gain score o f the control group. Table 1. Two sample t-test for experimental gain vs control gain scores _____________________________________________________________________ Group n mean sd experimental 21 3.76 2.96 control 21 2.29 2 53 t = 1.73 p = 0.045 d f = 39 The P-value 0.045 was less than the 0.05 level o f significance, thus the null hypothesis was rejected. This suggests that management involvement in training program development leads to increased employee achievement. NH2 - There will be no significant difference between the mean o f the experimental group’s pre-test scores and the mean o f the experimental group's post-tests scores. A t-test was used to determine whether significant differences in competency were achieved after the experimental group completed their training. The null hypothesis stated there was no change between the experimental group's pre-test and post-test mean scores. The alternative hypothesis stated the pre-test mean score was less than the post-test mean score. The null hypothesis was tested at .05 level o f significance and a 95% confidence interval was used. As depicted in Table 2 on the following page, experimental group's mean gain score were analyzed to determine if increased competency was achieved. Table 2. T-test for experimental group's mean gain score _____________________________________________________________________ Group n mean sd experimental 21 3 762 2.965 t=5.81 p=0.0000 _____________________________________________________________________ The P value 0.0000 was less than the 0.05 level o f significance, thus the null hypothesis was rejected. This suggests that improvement took place between the experimental group's pre and post-test. As depicted in Table 3, the p-values in the regression analyses were well above the 0.05 level o f significance. This suggests that learner participation in training program development was effective regardless of the other independent variables. An informal group session was held with the learners in the experimental group after this study was completed. Eleven of the original twenty members of the experimental group were present. They were asked why they thought they had achieved at a higher level than the control group. After thirty minutes of very active discussion, they concluded that they had a better understanding and appreciation of what when into the pre-training process due to their participation. But they were unsure if participating in topic, time, date, and style of training lead to increased achievement. They suggested that because the group had met the management one time before the actual training session (at the time of intervention), the group was more relaxed and at ease with the training and development sessions and this might have lead to increased achievement. The researcher who oversaw the entire process spoke of an interesting observation which might collaborate what the learners were expressing. She had noticed that the experimental group asked more questions at the end of their training session than did the control group. This might be an indication that the experimental group was more confidently at ease after the meeting with the management than the other group members. This conjecture might serve as the basis for future research. 4. CONCLUSION Based on the above analyses, it is concluded that employees who felt the management involvement in their training program development achieved at a greater level than learners who took the same training program but did not feel the management involvement in their program development. The first hypothesis stated that there would be no difference between the experimental group's mean gain score and the control group's mean gain score. The achievement data indicated that scores of the experimental group were significantly higher than the control group's scores who did not participate in training program development. The second hypothesis stated that there would be no significant difference between the mean of the experimental group's pre-test and the mean of the experimental group's post-test scores. The achievement data indicated that there was a significant difference in competency after the experimental group completed their training. These results directly addressed the research question: How significant is management involvement in the training and development with their colleagues and what postive difference can it make? This research empirically supports that management participation in the training and development program does lead to increased employee achievement. This research study is only one of a few empirical studies which indicates a positive association between management involvement in training program development and employee achievement. Each study done up to this point had different settings and methods for involving the management in program development. More research is needed in industrial settings and in other settings not yet studied. Further, learners in previous studies were taking training on a voluntary basis; more study in the area of mandatory training might prove fruitful. The cost effectiveness of involving the management in training program development is another area which needs further research. 5. BIBLIOGRAPHY King, W.R. 2008. An integrated architecture for the effective knowledge organization. Journal of Knowledge Management 12(2): 1367–1380. Oliver, S., and K.R. Kandadi. 2006. How to develop knowledge culture in organizations? A multiple case study of large distributed organizations. Journal of Knowledge Management 10(4): 6–24. Read More