How to Make Smart Decisions About Training
Book

How to Make Smart Decisions About Training

Save Money, Time & Frustration

Paul G. Whitmore
CEP Press, 2000

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Editorial Rating

6

Qualities

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Recommendation

Author Paul G. Whitmore elucidates the advantages of a criterion-referenced instruction program based on having employees practice new skills and tasks. This differs from traditional or academic training programs in that skills are evaluated through performance rather than tests. As he explains it, you can feel how much he believes in teaching job competence through practice. However, while this approach might work well for certain skills that lend themselves to being taught readily through repetitive practice, it may not work as well for tasks that involve creativity and non-routine thoughtful activity. Thus, he may overstate the advantages of his one-size-fits-all approach. The book provides voluminous detail about creating systems to organize and deliver skill-based training, so getAbstract.com believes it will have specific appeal to its target audience: learning officers, training managers and human resource directors.

Summary

Training: the Competitive Edge

Technology no longer provides your company with a competitive edge, since nearly all corporations now use extensive technology. Instead, although many upper-level executives don’t realize it yet, today’s competitive edge comes from human performance. Thus, training is critical.

The right kind of training optimizes performance. It can be management’s most powerful tool in honing corporate capabilities and achieving organizational goals. Since human capital is rarely completely developed, corporations must build it with on the job training, performance and mentoring programs.

The most effective training for this purpose is "criterion-referenced instruction" (CRI). This program is based on research by Dr. Robert E. Mager and Peter Pipe that provides a new way of adapting the instructional process to the needs of contemporary business. This approach has three central elements:

  • Define and measure the outcomes you want from a process so you can establish the criteria for designing a training program.
  • Apply the ideas and practices of modern production to develop the skills of each employee.
  • Focus on what the ...

About the Author

Paul G. Whitmore, Ph.D., is an independent performance consultant who has helped create improved workforce performance in both public and private sector organizations worldwide. He is the author of numerous articles and chapters in such publications as the Training and Development Yearbook and Performance and Instruction.

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