Deck 7: Training and Development

Question 1

Explaining the goals and objectives of the training program to trainees has little impact on the interest, understanding, and effort they direct toward the training.

Answer 1

False

Question 2

Performance appraisals are generally a good mechanism in determining why employees are not meeting the firm's expectations when conducting a person analysis.

Answer 2

False

Question 3

Instructional objectives are the formal statement of the desired outcomes of a training program.

Answer 3

True

Question 4

Several employees at Lako Systems have been identified as possible candidates for a training program. The training manager is meeting with them individually to find out if they have the knowledge and skills necessary to absorb the training. At this point, the manager is attempting to determine their trainee readiness.

Question 5

The systematic approach to training involves needs assessment, program design, implementation, and evaluation.

Question 6

When conducting a training-needs assessment, Lako Systems found that a more flexible set of competencies is needed for performance. This finding would have occurred in the task analysis step of the assessment.

Question 7

By far the greatest proportion of training is spent on rank-and-file employees and their supervisors.

Question 8

As part of its training-needs assessment, Lako Systems should conduct a person analysis in order to determine what the content of the training program should be by studying the tasks and duties involved in each job.

Question 9

Several employees at Lako Systems have been identified as possible candidates for a training program. The training manager is meeting with them individually to determine if they should participate in the program. The manager found that while Sue has the knowledge and skills necessary to absorb the training, she does not think it is important or necessary. Sue has trainee readiness, but is lacking the trainee motivation necessary for learning.

Question 10

Psychological principles of learning refer to the characteristics of training programs that help employees grasp new material, make sense of it in their own lives, and transfer it back to their jobs.

Question 11

Sam learns best through pictures, diagrams, and demonstrations. Sam is a visual learner.

Question 12

Management at Lako Systems has called for an overhaul of the training program. It has created a task force to study the environment, strategies, and resources the firm faces in order to determine what training should be emphasized. This task force is conducting an organization analysis.

Question 13

Practicing job tasks enables the trainee to forget about distinct behaviors and become proficient on the subtleties of how they are used.

Question 14

Training is oriented toward broadening employees' individual skills for future responsibilities.

Question 15

Melody is a verbal learner. This means that the most effective way to share information with her would be through spoken or written words.

Question 16

Trainees should not practice their job tasks until after the training program is complete.

Question 17

A trainer who uses rewards such as praise to positively reinforce trainee behaviors is using behavior modification.

Question 18

If employees consistently achieve their productivity objectives, it might be a signal that training is needed.

Question 19

The three different types of training needs assessment are organization analysis, task analysis, and person analysis.

Question 20

The goal of training is to contribute to an organization's overall strategic goals.

Question 21

E-learning encompasses two techniques: computer-assisted instruction, and computer-based program design.

Question 22

The success of any training effort depends more upon the content of the program than on the teaching skills and personal characteristics of those conducting the training.

Question 23

Encouragement is most effective when it is given after a long period of time after a trainee successfully accomplishes a certain task so that the employee knows that management has not forgotten his/her contributions.

Question 24

Effective trainers are often enthusiastic, humorous, have interest in the training itself, and demonstrate knowledge of the subject.

Question 25

Lako Systems has recently implemented a training program to prepare employees for skilled-trade positions at the company. The trainees receive on and off the job instructions and are paid somewhat reduced wages that increase over time as their skills increase. This program is known as apprenticeship training.

Question 26

Lako Systems has implemented an idea from behavior modification in which they reward employees who are "caught" doing something well during training. This is known as a spot rewards program.

Question 27

Providing individual assistance is an important aspect for successful trainers.

Question 28

Role-playing consists of playing the parts of others, often a supervisor and a subordinate who are facing a particular problem.

Question 29

If one were using the on-the-job training method of training, the first step would be to present the operations and knowledge to the learner.

Question 30

Behavior modeling is based on the principle that behavior which is rewarded will be exhibited more frequently in the future, whereas behavior which is unrewarded will decrease in frequency.

Question 31

Two criteria to evaluate training programs are costs and training materials.

Question 32

At Lako Systems, trainers observe trainees once they return to their positions. They do this to assess the transfer of training.

Question 33

Senior management at Lako Systems is evaluating its training program. In order to consider the program successful, they feel that employees who have gone through the program must demonstrate a level of skill above that of those who have not completed the program. This reflects an emphasis on the criterion of learning.

Question 34

The principle of distributed learning states that spacing out the training will result in faster learning and longer retention.

Question 35

E-learning tends to be efficient and cost effective because it allows a firm to bring the training to employees.

Question 36

The training manager at Lako Systems is measuring trainees' progress in the current program and plotting it on a learning curve. After steady progress, several trainees have reached a point where their progress has leveled off, showing a relatively flat line on the curve. These employees have reached a plateau. While the manager should keep an eye on it, chances are that these learners will experience a spontaneous recovery and learning will increase.

Question 37

Although on-the-job training is the most common means of facilitating learning at the workplace, it is sometimes poorly implemented.

Question 38

Reaction measures to evaluate training typically focus on the entertainment value of the training program.

Question 39

Because management is focused on the ROI of its training programs, it has a program in which managers and trainers feature identical elements and focus on general principles. These elements maximize the criterion of ROI.

Question 40

Participants in a training program at Lako Systems are examining the many variables at play in a situation. They are analyzing and synthesizing facts to better understand how decisions were made and thereby improve their own decision-making skills. These trainees are case-study participants.

Question 41

While the largest companies agree in principle with remedial training in basic skills, they are generally reluctant to allot funds to provide for that type of training.

Question 42

Some organizations fail to make the connection between training and

A)technology.
B)competition.
C)an organization's goals.
D)an organization's functional requirements.

Question 43

Orientation programs stress the "why" rather than the "what," including the philosophy behind the organization's rules.

Question 44

A study by the American Society for Training and Development found that organizations conduct need assessment less than __________ percent of the time.

A)50
B)40
C)30
D)20

Question 45

While cross-training can increase productivity, it can also increase employee turnover.

Question 46

The term "orientation" is often used to describe almost any effort initiated by an organization to foster learning among its members.

Question 47

A football coach has the team watch game tapes to see their errors, and then follows that up with instructions on how to correct them. This is an example of a case study.

Question 48

Reviewing the job description and specifications to identify the activities performed in a particular job and the KSAOs needed to perform them is known as

A)organization analysis.
B)individual analysis.
C)utility analysis.
D)task analysis.

Question 49

Awareness building in diversity training provides employees with the KSAOs necessary for working with people who are different from them with regard to race, gender, or age.

Question 50

Benchmarking is concerned with measuring employee retention of training materials at specific points in time.

Question 51

Utility refers to measuring one's own training services against the leaders in their industry.

Question 52

Return on investment is the amount of money a company saves by avoiding training programs.

Question 53

Supervisors play the most important role in the orientation of new employees.

Question 54

Return on investment = Benefits of training ÷ Training Costs

Question 55

Lako Systems has instituted a training program that helps employees improve their abilities in speaking, listening, problem-solving, working in teams, and leading other people. This would be considered training in basic skills that employees need for success.

Question 56

The terms "training" and "development"

A)mean the same thing.
B)both refer to short term skill development efforts.
C)refer to a short term performance orientation vs.a longer term broadening of skills, respectively.
D)refer to the skills developed in lower level vs.managerial employees, respectively.

Question 57

Lako Systems has its middle managers attend a two-day off-site training session in which they participate in a series of trust-building games. This is a type of

A)cross-training.
B)ethics training.
C)adventure-based learning.
D)just-in-time learning.

Question 58

Lako Systems wants to train its salespeople to anticipate the questions that customers will ask as well as to better understand their needs. One good training method for this would be

A)role-playing.
B)adventure-based learning.
C)cross-training.
D)coaching.

Question 59

The first step in a needs assessment is

A)task analysis.
B)organization analysis.
C)person analysis.
D)market analysis.

Question 60

Orientation is the formal process of familiarizing new employees with the organization, their jobs, and their work units.

Question 61

Which of the following is NOT an issue related to the design of a training program?

A)Instructional objectives
B)Trainee readiness and motivation
C)Principles of learning
D)Trainee ethnic characteristics

Question 62

Learning curves show

A)that plateaus in performance are regular and predictable.
B)that effective training programs eliminate plateaus.
C)that performance plateaus are natural and are usually overcome with behavior modification.
D)that performance plateaus are natural and are usually followed by a spontaneous recovery.

Question 63

Goal setting

A)provides a real life demonstration to get the message across.
B)provides learning through repetition.
C)sets a road map for the training program, its objectives, and its learning points.
D)sets a road map for breaking down tasks to facilitate modelling.

Question 64

Person analysis

A)helps organizations in reviewing the job description and specifications to identify the task performed.
B)helps organizations avoid the mistake of sending all employees into training when some do not need it.
C)involves self-improvement and self-directed training.
D)examines the external labor market for needed skills.

Question 65

Lako Systems is looking to increase performance of employees in decision-oriented and knowledge-intensive jobs within the firm. In order to determine the training required, they are performing an analysis of the skills and knowledge needed for those jobs, which is known as a

A)task analysis.
B)needs assessment.
C)competency assessment.
D)job analysis.

Question 66

In order to get the most out of its training budget, Lako Systems wants to determine which employees require training and which do not. They should perform a(n) __________ analysis to gather this information.

A)person
B)demographic
C)task
D)organization

Question 67

Which of the following is NOT a component of the PROPER method of performing on the job training?

A)Prepare
B)Perform
C)Explain
D)Reassure

Question 68

If an individual is responsible for developing a training program, his/her first step should be to

A)create a suitable training environment.
B)create a design for the training program.
C)perform the evaluation of behavior.
D)perform the needs assessment.

Question 69

Dan learned how to knit by watching Bernice knit and copying what she did. This is an example of

A)modeling.
B)distributed learning.
C)reinforcing behavior.
D)individual learning difference.

Question 70

Performance-centered objectives might include all of the following phrases EXCEPT

A)"to repair."
B)"to appreciate."
C)"to assemble."
D)"to calculate."

Question 71

Whole-versus-part learning

A)builds a bridge between employees and the organization.
B)provides learning through repetition.
C)sets a road map for the training course, objectives, and learning points.
D)breaks down tasks to facilitate learning.

Question 72

A manager requested that HR provide his team with training in __________ because he felt they needed help with behaviors necessary to function effectively as a team.

A)goal setting
B)decision making
C)conflict resolution
D)task evaluation

Question 73

Jackie participated in a six-month training program. Over the course of the training, there were periods of time when she did not progress. On one occasion this was clearly attributable to reduced motivation on her part. Another time she got discouraged by her low task performance. These periods of time within the program are called

A)learning blocks.
B)lapses.
C)plateaus.
D)learning gaps.

Question 74

By some estimates __________ of employee learning occurs via on the job training.

A)20-30 percent
B)40-50 percent
C)60-70 percent
D)80-90 percent

Question 75

Training given in one ten-hour period instead of five two-hour periods is an example of

A)part learning.
B)distributed learning.
C)mass learning.
D)active learning.

Question 76

Modeling

A)provides learning through repetition.
B)demonstrates the desired behavior or method to be learnt.
C)sets a road map for the training course, objectives, and learning points.
D)breaks down tasks to facilitate learning.

Question 77

Lako Systems is updating a number of its procedures. The new procedures require learning new information, but not developing any new skills. The most appropriate training method is

A)lecture.
B)simulation.
C)on-the-job training.
D)apprenticeship.

Question 78

A manager requested that HR provide his team with training in __________ because he felt they needed help with some of the processes necessary to function effectively as a team.

A)conflict resolution
B)building trust
C)diversity awareness
D)problem solving

Question 79

The objective of behavior modification is

A)to gradually shape behavior toward a desired profile.
B)to reward all task behavior.
C)to apply principles learned in the classroom to the job.
D)to bridge the needs of the employee with the needs of the organization.

Question 80

Lako Systems is taking a strategic approach to training and development. Currently, the firm is engaged in organization analysis, task analysis, and person analysis. Which phase of the model is Lako Systems in?

A)Design phase
B)Implementation phase
C)Needs assessment phase
D)Evaluation phase