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Case Study Assignment 1: Chapters 1-5Group 5Stephanie Gambuzza, Cathy Guthrie, Lyndey Hlavaty, Jessica Saenz Texas A&M UniversityIntroduction to Human Resource DevelopmentDr. DooleySeptember 29, 2013Case Study #1 Kasikorn Bank is an innovative financial conglomerate established on June 8, 1945 in Thailand. Due to its groundbreaking customer service and employee development strategies, Kasikorn is now one of the most recognized financial groups in Thailand (Kasikorn, 2013a). ?This financial group has presented strong performance since their inauguration. ?After only being in business for six months, Kasikorn demonstrated a healthy track leading many to believe it was going to succeed, which it did (Kasikorn, 2013a). ?Kasikorn’s key to success was combining technology and human resources in order to better assist their customers. ?This combination is identified in their mission statement. ?Their practices mainly focus on how to provide the best quality of customer service for their customers. ?Customer service is imperative to any strategy Kasikorn implements. ?They have demonstrated their loyalty to the delivery of their company slogan, “Towards Service Excellence” (Kasikorn, 2013a). ?Kasikorn strives for service excellence; it is applied in every aspect of the company. ?Their success has also demonstrated they incorporate and develop their four company values: customer centricity, organization-wide teamwork, professionalism, and innovation (Kasikorn, 2013b). ?Kasikorn’s mission “aims to be a strong financial institution that provides a variety of financial services of world-class quality responsive to customers’ needs by harmoniously combining technology and human resources so as to achieve optimal benefits for customers, shareholders, employees and society” (Kasikorn, 2013b). ?Due to their continuous success in the banking industry, Kasikorn Bank presently operates 897 branches in Thailand (Kasikorn, 2013a). ?Kasikorn Bank also expanded overseas to Los Angeles, Cayman Islands, Hong Kong, Yangon, Tokyo, Kunming, Shanghai, and Beijeng. ?This expansion was conducted with the objective to facilitate international trade and financial service transactions (Kasikorn, 2013a).If we were a part of Kasikorn Bank’s leadership team, we would like to see more emphasis on the quality of life of employees, the relationship of organizational commitment and current development activities, and internal marketing. ?As discussed in the opening case, Kasikorn’s leadership team has been promoting their business strategy in combination with their human resources management strategy. We would like to know if there is a positive relationship between organizational commitment and Kasikorn’s current human resource strategies. ?Their current strategies include succession planning, career development, and training amongst others. ?Kasikorn is very successful in their industry because they have these programs as a competitive edge. ?By incorporating human resources management strategies with business strategies, they are setting themselves apart from all other banks. ?We have identified their focus on development, but we would like to see research conducted on how these employees respond to these implementations. ?Do they feel more commitment to the organization? ?Do they value these human resources strategies? ?What are some of the characteristics that commit employees to this company? These are some of the questions we would like to investigate regarding their human resource practices.Another related area of interest is looking at the relationship between organizational commitment and internal marketing. ?As we conducted research on organizational commitment,we came across a study conducted by Ali Shaemi Barzoki and Tohid Ghujali (2013). ?They are both faculty members at the University of Isfahan in Iran. ?Their study identified the correlation between improved implementation of internal marketing and a positive impact in organizational commitment (Barzoki & Ghujali, 2013). This study brought up an idea for us to explore ways in which Kasikorn can internally market itself. ?The study conducted by Barzoki and Ghujali could serve as a resource for future development in our curretn program and department. Quality of work life is an essential area in the life of an employee as employees spend most of their time at work. ?As a part of the leadership team, we would like to see employees have a high quality of work life. ?A high quality of work life will allow us to attract and retain employees (Mallika & Rajeswari, 2013). ?Kasikorn does an excellent job in incorporating strategies to develop employee’s careers, but we would like to explore more of the employee’s viewpoint on these methods. ?According to the Influence of Quality of work on Career development and Organizational effectiveness in Private Sectors Banks, “ Quality of work has become the important HR strategy for retention of the employee and it influences the career development of the employee which in then increases the organizational effectiveness” (Mallika & Rajeswari, 2013, p.4). ?Some of the questions we would like to expand on are:What are the employees opinions on their present quality of work life? Due to the banking industry expanding, how do they feel about the strategies already implemented? How do these strategies support and encourage a bank employees changes? As bank employees, we know much is expected of employees as they are presented with the responsibility to respond to the needs of the customers. ?This is can be a very stressful job at times. ?It is crucial to research the quality of work life of employees here at Kasikorn Bank, so we can receive feedback on ways to improve.???????Training employees and managers is a key aspect to maintain organizational effectiveness at Kasikorn. ?Kasikorn has demonstrated their interest in the development of their employees by providing developmental plans for them. ?The ?Training You Can Bank On article by Van Zwieten and Britton (1989), ?discussed various training techniques Kasikorn could find useful. ?Kasikorn Bank’s slogan, “Towards Service Excellence” describes Karsikorn’s mission to excel in serving their customers. ?Some of the training methods Van Zwieten and Britton describe have to do with providing well-rounded customer service. ?They mention customer-relations training, product-knowledge training, and sales-skills training (Van Zwieten & Britton, 1989). ?These authors touched base on some of the potential issues present at Kasikorn Bank. ?Training employees in areas such as customer relations, product knowledge, and sales skills can enhance the company’s effectiveness. ?It can also give the company a competitive edge and provide employees with more knowledge to be effective in their duties as bank employees. ?Product knowledge training is designed to educate the employee and provide them with detailed information of the various products or services Kasikorn Bank provides (Van Zwieten & Britton, 1989). ?This type of training will allow employees to have better knowledge of the products and will serve as a tool for product sales. ?Customer relations training is designed to educate the employee on how to handle certain situations and how to problem solve customers concerns (Van Zwieten & Britton, 1989). ?This is crucial because it informs the employee of how to pursue a certain issue a customer might have. ?This type of training serves as a tool for employees. The more tools an employee has in their toolbox, the better off an employee is at assisting a customer. ?The sales skills training which Van Zwieten and Britton mention provides employees with ways to sell or resell a product to a customer (1989). ?This training provides employees with the marketing skills and techniques to use during sales. ?Banks are evolving at a much more rapid pace than ever before. ?As they are constantly evolving, so are their products. ?It is vital for the trainers to keep the employees up to date with new products. ?Lastly, an employee should be as consistent as possible with their banks mission. ?Once an employee loses this vision, they will send the wrong message to the customer. ?This could potentially be a loss for Kasikorn Bank. ?It is important to train the employee to convey this mission to the best of their ability by minimizing error. ???????Managers can be trained in areas such as awareness of cultural issues, effective management, and communication strategies. ?Andrew Wahl wrote an article titled, Opening Doors, which discusses the importance of bank managers having cultural awareness. ?As Kasikorn is expanding globally, managers and executives should be encouraged to consider cultural awareness training. ?Cultural training will educate managers on the benefits of internal and external diversity in their company. ?We addressed effective management training because it is key factor for an efficient workplace environment. ?If there is good communication between employees and management, the workplace becomes a much more enjoyable and efficient environment. ?Effective management refers to educating managers on strategies they can incorporate into their current management styles. ?Sharpening these skills can only enhance our manager’s abilities to communicate successfully with employees. ???????An article titled Motives for training and Management Development in the Nigerian Banking Industry explores ways in which managers can develop off-the-job and on-the-job (Isiaka, 2011). ?Isiaka encourages coaching, mentoring, job rotation, and job technique instruction for the on-the-job development approach (2011). ?As leadership team members, we would like to see our manager’s incorporate these types of development strategies with the training’s previously mentioned. ?We realize Kasikorn already has developmental programs in place, but it does not mean we can not expand on or enhance them. ?Some of the off-the-job development plans include transactional analysis, lectures, and simulation exercises (Isiaka, 2011). ?Simulation exercises are a great way to enhance skills and accurately assess performance in a work environment. ?These exercises simulate work related tasks employees would see in their daily workplace. ?This can give the assessor a genuine idea of how the manager will react in a certain situation. ?The individual learns his or her strengths and weaknesses, and how he or she can develop the skills to succeed in the areas they were unsuccessful in. ?This is a possible developmental project for the managers at Kasikorn because it could be a great learning experience. ?????Case Study #2 United Technologies Corporation (UTC) is one of the most influential conglomerates in the United States (Mattera, 2009). ?It is one of the few still in existence today. ?UTC’s headquarters is located in Hartford, Connecticut. ?In 2009, the company experienced a series of layoffs, with most coming from the headquarters location in Connecticut. ?UTC oversees companies such as Pratt & Whitney, Carrier, Otis, Hamilton Sundstrand, and Sikorsky. ?UTC’s subsidiaries consist of some of the most popular suppliers in the market today. ?Their suppliers range from one of the most recognized air conditioning system company’s to the worlds largest elevator company (Mattera, 2009). ?Although UTC has demonstrated its success, it has also suffered severe low points in the past 20 years. ?In 2009, it felt the impact of Pratt & Whitney’s unstableness. Pratt & Whitney has struggled with the ups and downs in the aerospace market (Mattera, 2009). ?UTC and Pratt & Whitney have tried to restructure several times. ?As a conglomerate, United Technologies Corporation has an advantage. If one subsidiary has suffered a severe downturn for instance, it can be counterbalanced by the stability or growth of another subsidiary. ?It depends on how the subsidiaries products are doing in the market. ?One subsidiary’s product may be doing great in the market while another of UTC’s subsidies may be suffering from an increase or decrease in supply and demand. ?UTC is ?both a domestic and global competitor. ?Global competition has made UTC and Pratt & Whitney take high risks to compete worldwide. ?As a typical competitor, when UTC sees its competition succeed, it wants to succeed as well. ?UTC’s reconstructing strategy back in 2009 created tension amongst their unions and communities (Mattera, 2009). ?UTC wanted to expand their reach into the global economy as many other companies did as well. ?The community had the right to be discontent with these changes, as most of the employees were employed at the Hartford division. UTC’s Connecticut division was also concerned with the issue of transferring operations overseas. ?UTC believed this would end up being a positive change, but it ended up having the opposite effect on their company (Mattera, 2009). ?During this time period, many companies were seeking to move their operations to the global platform.The 2009 downfall has not been UTC’s first or last attempt to restructure or downsize. ?As mentioned August 13, 2013 in the Hartford Connecticut Courant, this year alone there will be 400 salaried employees who will be laid off due to a buyout offer (Dowling, 2013). ?It took only four years for UTC to end up in the same position it was in 2009. ?UTC’s company’s spokesman, Ray Hernandez, stated, “UTC’s future outlook is very bright; however, to secure this bright future we need to address some near term challenges” (Dowling, 2013). ?However, this calls into question whether the company will begin to make these “near-term challenges” in a more strategic manner. ?Hernandez did mention employees who were going to be laid off this year were going to receive severance packages, outplacement services, continuation of group insurance, and a one-year extension of the company’s Employee Scholar Program (Dowling, 2013). ?UTC is a firm believer in accelerated reconstructing as a means to fuel profitability (Dowling, 2013). ?This is how UTC functions, and they believe this is the most convenient route for them to take in order to increase their profits. ?We consider downsizing to be one of the easier routes to take in a situation like this. ?Downsizing human capital can be quick fix for a company in an emergency crisis. ?In Pratt & Whitney’s case, it appears as if it is more of a short-term strategy. ?In the long run, it will actually come out to be more expensive for the company. ?As you can see, UTC is currently going through the same changes it went through in 2009. ?The employees working in the Hartford division will have to deal with this headache once again. ?Being laid off is not an easy experience to go through and this location seems to easily fall victim to this downsizing operation. ?Changes of this sort create tension amongst the employees. ?Whether UTC sees it or not, these changes can bring a decrease in employee morale and motivation. ?Decreasing an employee’s morale and motivation may inadvertently decrease work production. ?It seems UTC is better at expressing interest in new strategies than actually wanting to implement them. ?It appears UTC sees downsizing as being the only solution to their problems. Even though Pratt & Whitney’s layoffs are more economically driven, they are more of a short-term solution. Pratt & Whitney may actually be setting themselves up for potential turnover and failure. ?This is an on-going cycle, which is only going to result with the same issue in the end.It is understandable for companies to go through rough patches, but UTC has gone through several in a short time period. ?If downsizing were not functioning as they would like it too, ?UTC should approach or create another strategy. ?Unless, United Technologies Corporation enhances or changes their current downsizing strategies, they are not going to see the results they are expecting. ???????Downsizing and reconstructing are becoming very common terms in the volatile business environment. The ongoing downsizing efforts of UTC will probably affect training and development. ?Although UTC is accustomed to reconstructing, they may not cut back on training and development as much as other companies in their industry would. ?UTC is different in how it has gone through two dramatic downsizing efforts since 2009. ?Due to UTC’s decrease in human capital, it is imperative to train the current employees in the areas the company has decreased employment. ?We are aware training and development at UTC will decrease and receive budget cuts; however, training will still be required for the employees taking over the tasks of the laid off employees. ?Following the reduction in force, the surviving employees will have to take on more work in order complete those tasks. ??It is also important for UTC to have a strategic plan for downsizing efforts focusing on present and future training needs. ?Training and development for most companies would decrease due to associated budget cuts and downsizing efforts. UTC’s philosophy of “right-sizing” the company’s human capital is focused on idea of “more with less” (Dobkowski-joy, 2009, p.1). ?This is one of UTC’s and Pratt & Whitney’s flaws; downsizing their company does not necessarily solve their problem, especially if UTC has seen this strategy fail several times in such a short period of time. ?UTC would like to have the best of both worlds: fewer, more qualified employees. ?As previously mentioned, employees who were fortunate ?enough to maintain their position will be given the tasks of those who were laid off. ?In 2008, UTC renewed its outsource training and development services contract with General Physics Corporation (“General Physics Corpo,” 2008). ?General Physics Corporation has worked with UTC since 2003. ???????UTC’s tuition reimbursement program was implemented in 1996. ?UTC’s employee scholar program is an initiative which UTC took in order to increase retention, education, and UTC’s internal culture (Schoeff, 2007). ?After UTC’s announcement on going through a major downsizing, we believe employees are still going to take advantage of their reimbursement program. ?It is a free program with no strings attached. ?It would actually benefit the employee in the event they are laid off. ?The employee scholar program, also known as the tuition reimbursement program, is a great resource for employees overall. ?This program does not limit or require the employee in regards to furthering their education. ?The employee is not required to stay with UTC even with the completion of the degree he or she pursued. ?The degree does not have to be in the area of their current profession at UTC (Schoeff, 2007). ?If the employee is to be laid off, he or she can enroll in the program.The concept behind this initiative is to encourage higher education. ?Continued education is not just about receiving a degree and using it as a resource to increase your salary. ?The education program gives the employee an opportunity to expand their areas of study. ?Continued education allows the individual to grow as an employee or as a future career-seeker. ?Education gives the employee the opportunity to explore different perspectives and allows the individual to gain a different mindset. ?This different mindset allows situations to be viewed from a different perspective and increases critical thinking skills. ?Having these skills enables employees to make more secure decisions. ?This program can be used as a recruitment and retention strategy for future and current employees at UTC. ??Even though the employee does not have to stay with this company after the completion of their degree, the employee may feel they have a particular commitment to UTC, even though they do not.UTC mentions how it is going to offer employees various benefits after being laid off but most importantly they will offer a twelve-month extension of their employee scholar benefits (French, 2009). ??This program grants employees benefits for an additional year, but it may need to change if their financials worsen. ?Though this was not addressed by UTC in any of the literature, it may be a problem they face in the future.If employees were to be laid off at the time they are taking college classes, they would be given an extension for a reimbursement; this is a strong commitment on UTC’s behalf. ?Their goal is to assist the employee as much as they can after being laid-off. ?Former CEO George David stated, “we cannot guarantee anyone a job, but we are nonetheless obliged to provide employees reasonable opportunities to re-establish themselves, ideally on more favorable conditions, in the event of job loss” (Werner & DeSimone, 2012, p. 35). ?In the event an employee is laid-off, they will have the opportunity to land on their feet with the training and education they receive on behalf of UTC’s generous program. ?This is obligation George David is referring too. ?UTC has been recognized for its efforts in trying to promote education. ?Pratt & Whitney and UTC can maintain their commitment to tuition reimbursements even through downsizing. ?Since UTC implemented this initiative, it has never eliminated these benefits to people who have been laid-off. ?After the employee is laid-off, they are given an extension on this program. ?This program can allow the employee to gain the sufficient skills to build another career after UTC. ?Education is one of the foundations of this company. This program represents UTC’s overall culture. Their culture is based on the importance of education and how education can open doors for employees. ?UTC has maintained this program, and this is due to the benefits this program brings to UTC in educated employees.Case Study # 3As stated in Chapter 3 of Human Resource Development, Caterpillar is an organization dedicated to creating a corporate strategy “aligned with the learning and development function” (Werner & DeSimone, 2012, p. 66), thus creating a distinctive corporate university named Cat U. ?This case study examines the actions which Caterpillar, like similar modern companies seeking to implement such a program, would need to take in order to make this corporate university a viable business initiative and ultimately have a competitive advantage. ??The case study opens with the question, “What should be the primary areas of learning, that is what skills, knowledge, or attitudes did employees need to develop further?” ?Before going directly to defining KSAs, Caterpillar needed to first understand the difference between more traditional training departments and corporate university (CU) programs. ?A Human Resource Development Quarterly 2012 study entitled Exploring the corporate university phenomenon: ?Development and Implementation of a comprehensive survey explains, “CU provides comprehensive skill building for all levels of employees guided by clear goals and long-term strategic plans” (Wang, ?Li, Qiao, & Sun, 2010, as cited in Abel & Li, 2012, p. 103). ?With this understanding serving as a platform, Cat U could go forward with a committed focus on creating a comprehensive, company-driven, and strategic approach by providing a program capable of reaching it’s employees at the individual, team, and corporate levels.??????To address question one of this case study, once Caterpillar defines the strategic vision for the program, they could move forward in identifying the appropriate knowledge, skills, and attitudes (KSA’s) required for the achievement and sustainability of their vision. ?For Caterpillar to understand the knowledge and skills needed to take their organization to the next level they needed to address the skills gap, which was defined as “the difference between the skill requirements of available jobs and the skills possessed by job applicants” (Werner & DeSimone., 2012, p. 289). ?To effectively address the gap, the organization would then need to conduct a needs assessment to understand the strategic/organizational question of where the training was needed. ?The needs assessment would also need to detail the various tasks involved to effectively perform the job. ?As Caterpillar’s employees would have various levels of expertise in their specific roles based on time in the job and previous trainings, the assessment would have to drill down into the individual level for Cat U to know who must be included for participation in each training and at what level.??????In addition to the evaluation of where the necessary knowledge and skills might be lacking, another important part of the strategic plan would need to center around understanding the attitude of the employee population to be trained. ?In Human Resource Development Quarterly’s 2011 journal article entitled, Meta-Analysis of the Impact of Positive Psychological Capital on Employee Attitudes, Behaviors and Performance, the study found a distinct correlation between positive employee attitudes and their respective performance (Avey, Reichard, Luthans & Mhatre, 2011). ??More specifically, they determined how desirable work attitudes such as satisfaction, commitment, and well-being directly relate to desirable work behaviors and the discretionary effort that positively impacts employee performance (Avey et al., 2011).??????According to the case study, the next question to be answered in Caterpillar’s process was: ?“What types of training media should be used to make these resources available to employees, for example, print, video, computer, and/or classroom training?” ?In the development of such a program, it would be important for the organization to address any basic skills training, such as basic literacy and/or interpersonal skills as Werner and DeSimone discussed (2012, p. 289). ?In a manufacturing organization such as Caterpillar, a skills based program would have some combination of task-based, instructor led on the job (OTJ) training and some hours of classroom training, depending on the type of training to be shared. ?Fundamental computer training may also be required as a prerequisite for computer based training (CBT), as we have seen the need for this type of preliminary training in our own manufacturing environments. ?This is especially true for those beyond the age demographics of the Millenials, Gen Xs, and Ys as many more senior employees may tend to be fearful of the change in technology if they have not been actively involved with it as they have grown in their careers.??????Donovan, Maritz, and McLellan were stated in Advanced Manufacturing Industry, Journal of Vocational Education & Training as “identifying that skills-based learning […] seem best suited to achieving improvement in innovation management, specifically a workshop method of delivery, experiential learning, trainers with relevant previous experience, and take away tools that participants could utilize in their workplace” (Donovan et al, 2013, p.256). ?Although we can agree to finding many employees preferring the types of training referenced above, travels costs, need for overtime expense, and the geographic distances prohibitive for in-class participation would encourage Caterpillar to include computer-based training (CBT) where possible. ?In addition to this format allowing for training to be accessed anyplace and anytime across the globe, the benefits are the potential use in a classroom setting as easily as with an individual employee who has a need for more of a need to take the training at his or her own pace.??????The third question in the case study asks, “What can be done to ensure the employees have the time and opportunity to take advantage of these learning opportunities (including those based outside the U.S?” ?An important part of this answer can be found in the text as we find Caterpillar’s CEO, Jim Owens, quoted as stating: “learning is essential to our aspiration to be a great company” (Werner & DeSimonel, 2012, p. 67). ?As a result of his executive leadership and top-down support of this program, Caterpillar has the opportunity to put their money where their mouth is. ?By making this a focused corporate goal, the organization can ensure its employees have the time and opportunity to take advantage of these programs regardless of where they may reside. ?Utilizing the company’s performance management tool, Mr. Owens can hold leaders throughout the organization accountable for ensuring their employees have the tools and time for continual learning. ?Additionally, he can encourage appropriate staffing through an effective budgeting process, thereby allowing for coverage during times of training. ?As the organization’s CEO, he can further ensure the appropriate participation through periodic review of training and evaluate metrics provided by job title, manager, region, division, etc.??????This type of executive review also serves to lead us toward answering the fourth question raised in the case study: ?“How can the value or effectiveness of these learning and development efforts be measured and used by managers and employees alike?” ?For these types of programs to be effective, there must be an element of evaluation to identify if the program is meeting the intended goals. ?Werner and DeSimone states how descriptive (providing a picture of what is happening or has happened) and judgmental (expresses an opinion about what has happened) information are needed for a full assessment of the effectiveness of a program (2012). ?Among several ideas, we agree encouraging Human Resource Development (HRD) programs such as Caterpillar’s to identify the strengths and weaknesses of the program, cost-benefit ratio, and who gained the most or least for having participated, as well as establish a database to assist management in making decisions (Werner & DeSimone, 2012).??????If we were a part of the leadership team at Caterpillar, we would recommend the organization continue the current practice of having a Chief Learning Officer, as this position sends a strong message to the company of the importance of learning and development as a strategic advantage. ?We would also encourage the executive team to cultivate a culture of openness and adaptability by offering a forum for sharing personal experiences and identifying the pros and cons of a particular program as reported by the participants and management. ?Finally, to drive a pay-for-performance environment by offering an incentive for each manager/leader to demonstrate the importance of such learning and development programs, we recommend tying our performance review process and subsequently a portion of the discretionary bonus (to be earned or lost by managers) as a way of ?holding us accountable for creating integration opportunities for subordinates. ?This accountability will include the degree in which we successfully motivate employees to not only participate in the training but also to utilize their training in daily work. ?An additional component of the discretionary bonus should address the individual success of the subordinates for demonstrating how they “own” the adoption of those new skills.Case Study #4???????Human Resource Development (HRD) professionals are often faced with the expectation to produce a quick fix for a company struggling with a particular issue. ?In many situations like this, the presenting problem is not the major problem the organization must address, but rather a symptom (McLean, 2006). ?All too often, however, HRD professionals succumb to the pressure placed on them by upper management to solve problems in the most immediate fashion. ?This approach to organizational problem solving ends up hurting the company in the end because time and resources have been devoted to addressing a surface level problem while the true issue remains untouched. ?Situations like these identify how crucial it is for HRD professionals to begin addressing an organizational need with a needs assessment (Werner & DeSimone, 2012). ?To better understand the process of conducting a needs assessment, the organization Cathay Pacific Airways will be analyzed. ???????Cathay Pacific Airways is an international airline located in Hong Kong. ?With an organization of over 27,000 employees, organization change is a large undertaking. ?In a survey conducted in the 1990s, the organization found they were not as well received by the public as they would like (Werner & DeSimone, 2012). ?The results revealed passengers believed the company could stand to do more to make passengers feel welcomed and comfortable (Werner & DeSimone, 2012). ?Cathay Pacific began reviewing how employees were recruited, trained, and managed to identify where the disconnect lied. ?The organization identified the in-flight training department to be the area of focus. ?Cathay Pacific realizes the need to alter their practices to better appeal to their customers, but more research must be done to identify the specific area and means of human resource intervention; this is where the needs assessment comes into play.???????If our group were the training managers charged with the task of improving Cathay Pacific’s customer service, we would begin with a thorough needs assessment of the strategic/organizational, task, and person levels of the organization. ?By evaluating all levels of the organization, we will gain a clear picture of where the disconnect between employees and customers is coming from and address the most critical elements. ?The collection and analysis of information from all levels of the company will help us create a training program addressing the company’s performance deficiencies, which for Cathay Pacific is their customer service (Barbazette, 2006). ???????Conducting a strategic/ organizational analysis will allow us to evaluate the state of the organization before we attempt to undergo any change (Werner & DeSimone, 2012). ?In this level of analysis, we will explore the company’s goals, available resources, culture, and potential environmental restrictions (Werner & DeSimone, 2012). ?These four topics of analysis are critical as they will let us know the company’s capability and readiness for change, which is extremely crucial to a change effort. ?By analyzing the organizational goals and objectives we will be able to identify the organization’s present and future focus. ?In order to get an accurate picture of the skill groups in existence and the amount of time spent on training at Cathay Pacific, we will conduct a skills inventory. ?We will need to know the training efforts the airline is already using to figure out if the company’s current training approach is appropriate. ?These two forms of analysis alongside an extensive cost analysis will be imperative to addressing the root problem ?????????Once the organizational analysis is complete and we are able to establish the feasibility of Cathay Pacific to undergo organizational change, we will focus on the task analysis. ?The task analysis will be the most critical portion of the needs assessment as it will help us identify where the current deficiencies lie with customer relations. ?The first step in the task analysis will be to review the current job description for the flight attendants to get an accurate depiction of the current expectations placed on them. ?For a further look into the job of a flight attendant we will observe their daily practices and evaluate the knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characterizes (KSAO’s) necessary to complete the job (Werner & DeSimone, 2012). ?Once this is complete, we will narrow in on the areas of the job in need of the most training (Werner & DeSimone, 2012). ?This step is critical as it will be the area presented to management as the focus of the change effort. ?We will identify the root issue and develop our training program based on the information attained during the task analysis.???????The final level of analysis we will conduct for our needs assessment is the person analysis. ?This portion of the assessment will need to be conducted once we have identified key issues through our organizational and task analyses. ?The mission and vision of the company along with the identification of important KSAO’s will give us an area of focus for the person analysis. ?Person analysis will allow us to find the people who are in need of training and how they need to be trained (Werner & DeSimone, 2012). ?As a training team, we will focus on performance data and appraisals, interviews, and attitude surveys. ?The performance data and appraisals will give us quantifiable results of performance discrepancies, while the interviews will give us qualitative data of what the flight attendants feel they need the most training in (Werner & DeSimone, 2012). ?The rich data collected from these two methods alongside the attitude survey will provide us with the necessary information for employee’s willingness and area of change.???????All of the areas of analysis will focus on Cathay Pacific’s flight attendants interaction with customers as this is the area in which the company feels a deficiency lies. ?Through the organizational, task, and person analysis conducted we will have an accurate idea of areas of focus for the training effort to improve customer relations. ?In a customer oriented industry it is imperative to train employees with the skills necessary to fulfill all procedural tasks while remaining friendly and helpful to customers. ?Our training team recommends implementing an interactive training program where flight attendants can collaborate with one another to develop exceptional customer service skills. ?In this training program, the flight attendants will be exposed to information attained from benchmarking airlines known for superior customer service. ?The information provided will cover customer service skills, communication skills, and interpersonal skills. ?In order to provide practical use of the information delivered in the training program, we will facilitate dialogue sessions among the trainees. ?One such dialogue session will be centered on a fishbowl intervention. ?Fishbowls allow members to see how their interactions affect others (McLean, 2006). ?For the training session with the flight attendants, the group will be split up into an inner circle and outer circle. ?The inner circle will conduct a simulation of normal in-flight activities while the outer circle observes the interactions. ?Once the simulation is complete, the outer circle provides feedback on what they observed. ?In our case, we would have them focus on the interpersonal nature of the interactions, such as:Did the flight attendants provide all necessary in-flight information?Was it done so in a warm and friendly manner?Are there any improvements to be made to the interactions? ?????????By providing both theoretical and interactive training, the flight attendants will gain a better knowledge of how to fulfill their job responsibilities while maintaining the highest level of customer service. ?As a training team, we will use formative evaluation to ensure we are reaching our goal of improved customer service performance by all flight attendants. ?The unique approach of the fishbowl will allow for the flight attendants to be creative with their approach to customer service in a secure environment. ?Flight attendants can be innovative and try different approaches and receive feedback from colleagues and the trainers. ?This will also add an element of collaboration between the flight attendants because they will be able to provide each other with feedback of whether their interactions were effective and provide suggestions to improve. ???????Cathay Pacific has already identified their in-flight training program for flight attendants to be too rigid and procedural, so modifying the training to include a collaborative and interactive approach will potentially improve customer service perceptions of the airline. ???????Our training team would like to implement periodic training exercises with all flight attendants to provide opportunity for development and adaptation with changing external environments. ?Keeping some aspects the same while modifying others will give Cathay Pacific the opportunity to remain a superior airline for years to come. ?Cathay Pacific will need to invest time and other resources to ensure all trainers and employees remain on top of their industry. ?This includes acknowledging the importance of conducting a thorough needs assessment. ?Without evaluating the root cause of the airlines problems, we will not know the training needs of the flight attendants to provide exemplary customer service. ?In a service based industry like Cathay Pacific’s airline, it is imperative to have employees who are trained accordingly. ???????Case Study #5Rockwell Collins is a major manufacturer of electronic controls and communication devices. ?Rockwell Collins employs over 20,000 people worldwide and thirty-five percent of employees work in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. ?Rockwell Collins highly values training and developing their employees, but until 1998 they predominately facilitated traditional classroom training programs. ?Since the majority of employees reside in Cedar Rapids, they have twelve instructors locally facilitate in house training. ?With a company this large and immediate work demands, it is difficult to inspire employees outside of Cedar Rapids to attend training programs.To improve the availability of training opportunities, we would implement a blended learning environment. ?Changing the way the training is designed will benefit the company by increasing involvement and minimally increasing costs. ?We would do so by implementing two changes. ?First, we would offer online versions of each of the training sessions. ?We would have each instructor videotape their lecture and provide the video through the internal online intranet for the employees along with supportive PowerPoints. ?Participants would be required to watch the videos and follow the PowerPoint materials instead of attending a physical, classroom style lecture. ?In efforts to increase participant’s interest, the online modules would have interactive sessions. ?For example, during each videotaped lecture there will be a few pop ups asking participants questions to monitor their engagement. ?The pop-ups would require the participant to answer a question or click on an icon for an animation with more information. ?There could also be short animations randomly scrolling along the sides and bottom of the screen to change the visual. ?These animations would be of relevant quotes or reiterating major topics from the lecture.Second, we would offer the physical training program in each country Rockwell Collins has a presence in. ?We would continue to offer the training in Cedar Rapids since the majority of employees reside there, but we would also offer it in each regional headquarters. ?This would allow the participants to still have some physical interaction with facilitators, but also attend most of the training sessions online. We recommend local senior employees assist two or three of the twelve trainers with facilitating the trainings at each regional headquarters. ?Only having two or three of the twelve trainers at each country would drastically decrease travel costs because all twelve trainers would not have to travel to each country. “Understanding of the company's culture is [also] critical to the success of many training programs” because employees would value hearing information from senior leaders they respect more than an outside vendor they have not heard of (Johnson, 2004). ?Not only would the participants value hearing from their local senior leaders, but this would also give management the opportunity to better connect with their staff. ?Employees would be interacting on a more informal level without the stress of workload in the office environment. ?This would cost Rockwell Collins more initially because they would have to pay for each of the trainers to fly to a different country’s headquarters, but the accessibility of the training would increase participation. ?Students will still have the option to do the training completely online if their workload does not permit them to attend the lecture-based training. ?The ultimate goal would be to give every employee the availability to attend the training, either virtually or in person.To improve the effectiveness of the training, we would directly reach out to each business unit. ?With 20,000 employees worldwide, it is nearly impossible to have a direct presence and emphasize the importance of training with each person. ?We would encourage the management in each office to support the supervisors with increasing positive communication about the training. ?Cathy Fyock stated employers should, “Reinforce learning by having leaders consistently model the skills that have been taught to their employees… ” (2013). ?If Rockwell Collins’ supervisors lead by example by reminding their employees about the upcoming training and encourage them to attend, there should be an increased attendance. ?Employees will value what their supervisor tells them more than a senior leader from across the world telling them to attend the training. ?If the office supervisor and manager get the employees excited about the training and tell them their workload can wait, employees will understand the importance of the increased education. ?They will then attend the training and attentively participate throughout the sessions. ?Rockwell Collins should implement two changes to improve their training’s design. ?Firstly, we will assign the participants homework in addition to having lecture-based training. ?The assigned homework will be submitted online through a share file one week before training to allow instructors adequate time to review and prepare questions. ?Instructors will then be able to access the website with all of the participant’s homework in one location. ?This will increase participation because the instructions can follow up on specific homework questions and note any red flags. ?Secondly, we can foster several short group breakout sessions. ?We might have one or two five-minute sessions for each training module. ?This will increase participation by allowing students to network and brainstorm ideas with their peers. ?Collaboration with other participants allows learners to create their own unique experience (Fyock, 2013). ?If we provide a group environment for the students to openly discuss their ideas with their peers, it will give them the opportunity to flourish. ?The group discussion with other participants should increase creativity as well as allow students to network. ?There will be no wrong answers and this will create a welcoming environment for the participants to brainstorm.In order to measure our effectiveness, we will also suggest providing an anonymous survey at the end of the training. ?For the physical training, we will distribute hard copies for participants to complete, and the online participants will complete the form electronically after they complete the sessions. ?The survey will consist of five general ranking questions assessing the training overall as well as a ranking question for each training module. ?There will also be an open-ended section for additional comments.At our next management committee meeting, we would sell the idea of fostering training programs in each of the regional headquarters. ?We would focus on two main points. ?First, we would emphasize hosting training programs in each region will drastically increase the number of trainers from twelve to around thirty. ?The more involved our senior employees are, the more likely they are to support the firm. ?If upper management feels valued and appreciated, they will take ownership of their role, office and region. ?This will also create a ripple effect within the company. ?Younger employees will see the leadership opportunities their superiors are taking and will strive to achieve the same role in the future. ?Secondly, the more educated and trained our employees are, the more they will produce quality work for longer periods of time. ?If our employees do not continue to grow, they will get frustrated and leave Rockwell Collins. ?Since few employees registered for training and of those, 28 percent did not attend, we can see a negative pattern forming. ?By implementing the blended training program in each regional headquarters worldwide, we will stop this negative pattern before it evolves. ?We want to increase our training participation which will increase employee morale overall. 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