Intro to HRM Lecture 3 - Learning in Organizations

Learning in Organizations

Learning: A change in behavior, cognition, or affect that occurs

as a result of one’s interaction with the environment

Key points:

• Change

• Acquiring something new or modifying something that already exists

• Long-lasting

• Relatively permanent change in behavior, cognitions, or affect

• Results from interaction with the environment

Learning - Outline

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Allen Grabo – VU University Amsterdam

Basic Principles

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Contiguity

• Objects experienced together are associated with each other.

The Law of Effect

• A behavior followed by a pleasurable consequence is likely to

be repeated.

Practice

• Repeating the events in an association will increase the

strength of the connection.


Learning & HRD

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Kolb’s Learning Styles are most widely used

• Focus is on experiential exercises and simulations

• Useful for the kinds of behaviors that HRD program

designers focus on

• E.g. Learning regulations or procedures

But first let’s go through some alternatives…

• Gestalt Psychology

• Gagnés’ Learning Principles


Gestalt

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Insight is seen as a sudden reconceptualization of one’s

experiences that results in a new idea or in discovering

the solution to a problem. – “Aha!”


Gestalt

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Once you see it, you can’t un-see it


Gestalt

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How and when the 2014 FIFA World Cup logo was invented

10 mins

Robinho scores

BRA 1 – NED 0

53 mins

NL Equalizes

BRA 1 – NED 1

68 mins

Sneijder’s second

BRA 1 – NED 2

73 mins

Melo stomps on

Robben – red card

BRA 1 – NED 0

Gagnés’ Learning Principles

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Practice and reinforcement failed to improve training

effectiveness in military training

• Gunnery (motor skill)

• Turning on a radar set (procedural)

• Diagnosing electronic malfunctions (troubleshooting)

Proposed alternative principles

• Task analysis: break it down to components

• Component Task Achievement: do one piece at a time

• Task Sequencing: do them in the right order


Gagnés’ Theory of Instruction

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Performance can be divided into 5 categories

• Verbal Information

• Intellectual Skills

• Cognitive Strategies

• Attitudes

• Motor Skills

He breaks these down into a very complicated chart.

This will not be on the exam.


Kolb’s Learning Style Inventory

Learning style: individual choices made during the learning

process affect what information is selected and how it is

processed

Modes of learning:

• Individual’s orientation toward gathering and processing

information during learning

Kolb’s Learning Style Inventory (LSI)

• Assesses an individual’s orientation toward four modes of the

learning process

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Experiential Learning

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Concrete Experience (CE)

• Preference for learning

through direct experience

• Emphasizing interpersonal

relations and feeling (as

opposed to thinking)


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Active Experimentation (AE)

• Preference for learning

something by actually doing

it and judging its practical

value


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Reflective Observation (RO)

• Preference to learn by

watching and examining

different points of view to

achieve an understanding


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Abstract Conceptualization

(AC)

• Preference for learning by

thinking about an issue in

theoretical terms

Kolb’s Basic Modes

Concrete Experience (CE)

• Preference for learning through direct experience, emphasizing

interpersonal relations and feeling as opposed to thinking

Abstract Conceptualization (AC)

• Preference for learning by thinking about an issue in theoretical terms

Reflective Observation (RO)

• Preference to learn by watching and examining different points of view

to achieve an understanding

Active Experimentation (AE)

• Preference for learning something by actually doing it and judging its

practical value

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Kolb’s Four Styles

Diverging

• A combination of concrete experience and reflective

observation (feeling and watching), emphasizing

imagination, an awareness of values, and the ability to

generate alternative courses of action

Assimilating

• A combination of abstract conceptualization and reflective

observation (thinking and watching) that stresses

inductive reasoning, the integration of disparate

observations into an explanation, and the creation of

theoretical models

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Kolb’s Four Styles

Converging

• A combination of abstract conceptualization and active

experimentation (thinking and doing), with a focus on problem

solving, decision making, and the practical application of ideas

Accommodating

• A combination of concrete experience and active

experimentation (feeling and doing), this style is usually

demonstrated by accomplishment, executing plans, and

involvement in new experiences

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Maximizing Learning in HRD

Three Primary Areas

• Trainee characteristics

• Training design

• Transfer of training

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Trainee Characteristics

Learning =

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Motivation

Ability

Environment

Trainee Characteristics

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Tesia Marshik_Learning Styles

Individual Differences in Learning

Rate of progress

• People learn at different rates (learning curves)

Attribute-Treatment Interaction:

• Some methods of training may be better suited to certain

types of people

Two core variables in Attribute Treatment Interaction:

• Cognitive ability

• Motivation

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Pre-Training Motivation

How trainees perceive training

• Affects levels of learning, perceptions of efficacy, anxiety, and

perceptions of fairness

How individuals view their own ability

• Affects anxiety level, efficacy perceptions and the learning of

factual knowledge

Experiencing negative events on the job

• Can increase trainee’s motivation to learn and can promote their

performance

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Pre-Training Motivation

Major influences on motivation to participate in training:

• Perception that training will result in benefits

• Way in which trainee views own abilities

• Negative events on the job prior to training

• Perceptions of support for training

• Lack of obstacles in applying training on the job

• Characteristics of the organization

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Training Design

Adapting the environment to maximize learning

Key issues related to effective training

• Active practice

• Massed versus spaced practice sessions

• Whole versus part learning

• Over-learning

• Knowledge of results (feedback)

• Task sequencing

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Transfer of Training

Positive transfer

• Job performance improves as a result of training.

Zero transfer

• No change in job performance as a result of training.

Negative transfer

• Job performance worsens as a result of training.

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Factors that promote training transfer:

• Identical elements

• Physical vs Psychological Fidelity

• General principles

• Stimulus variability

• Support in the work environment

• Transfer-of-training climate / continuous-learning environment

• Opportunity to perform

• Transfer-of-training climate

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1. Develop (and follow) clearly stated learning objectives for the training

2. Use an instructor or trainer recognized for providing high quality instruction

3. Maximize the similarity between the training situation and the job situation

4. Provide ample opportunity during training to practice the task

5. Use a variety of situations and examples, including both positive and negative models

of the intended behavior

6. Identify and label important features of a task

7. Make sure trainees understand general principles

8. Provide support back in the work environment, including clear goals, checklists,

measurement, feedback, accountability, and rewards for using the new behaviors on the

job

9. Provide ample opportunity to perform what is learned back on the job

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Retention

Issues that influence retention (remembering what was learned):

Meaningfulness of the training material

• More meaningful easier to learn and remember

Degree of original learning

• More effectively learned, more is retained

Interference

• Knowledge gained before training can inhibit retention

• Knowledge gained after training may inhibit retention

• Both require learner to respond differently in the same general

situation due to changed equipment, changed procedures, etc

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Adult Learning Theory

Pedagogy:

• One-way, downward communication

• Rules, subject matter, rigid format

• Evaluations made by instructor

Andragogy:

• Two-way communication

• Flexible, open, developmental

• Criterion-based evaluation

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Adult Learning Theory

Compared to children, adults are typically:

• Self-directed

• Able to bring own knowledge and experience

• Ready to learn relevant tasks

• Motivated to learn

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Summary

Learning = change in behavior or cognitions that occurs as a

result of an individual’s interaction with the environment

Factors that affect the learning process:

• Trainee characteristics

• Trainability, Personality, Attitudes

• Training design issues

• Active practice, massed vs. spaced practice, task

sequencing…

• Transfer to the job factors

• Identical elements, stimulus variability, support in the work

environment, opportunity to perform…

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Review Questions – Chapter 1

• What qualities do you think an HRD professional must

possess to be effective in an organization of approximately

1,000 employees? How might your answer be different for

an organization with 10,000 employees? Support your

answers.

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Review Questions – Chapter 1

• Competing with an international economy: To compete with an international economy, an organization must

equip with an educated and trained workforce. It requires training and development of the existing as well as new

employees for better productivity. Moreover, continuous assessment should be done by line managers to improve

work effectiveness. Cultural sensitivity training should be provided to employees for better communication and

conduct business differently in different countries.

• Removing the skills gap: Many companies have started internships, apprenticeship and vocational trainings for the

young college and school graduates. This will help them to understand the companies working environment and

accustomed with the practical aspect of the job. Moreover, this helps in gaining the practical knowledge with the

theoretical concepts. This helps to remove the skill gap between the required skill by the employer and what the

recruited employees possess.

• Diverse workforce: Today organizations are facing the problem of diversity of the employees, in terms of racial,

cultural and gender lines. These diversities affect the efficiency of an individual and a team. An HRD professional

should introduce sessions, which cover diversity issues and act as a catalyst of unity.

• Long term learning: HRD professionals may face problem of rapid advancement of technology and knowledge. The

manager should act as a continuing learning system for the employees. He/she should provide updated information

to new as well as existing employees in order to survive in the market.

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Review Questions

• What is the link between HRD and employee behavior?

• What influences employee behavior?

• How can you figure out the training needs of an individual

employee?

• What kinds of decisions do you need to make when

designing and implementing training?

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Intro to HRM Lecture 3 - Learning in Organizations

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Transcript of Intro to HRM Lecture 3 - Learning in Organizations