Smart Training and Development: A Learner‐Guided Approach

There is great support for the research that says that how one uses knowledge is linked to how and where that knowledge is acquired—especially, knowledge that is connected directly to performance. This how and where approach is rooted in time‐tested and research‐supported learning strategies. Key emphasis is placed on competency identification, maximum use of the work environment for learning, self‐directed learning activities along with a contracting structure that allows self‐pacing, mastery, individualization, and various feedback options. This article describes how to combine these learning strategies so that training and development (T&D) costs, time to train, and employee performance and retention are improved. This learning model is called learner‐guided training and development—a smart, highly leveraged design model.     

Driving performance improvements by integrating competencies with human resource practices

This study explores the issues in the development and application of a competency model and provides implications for more precise integration of competencies into human resource (HR) functions driving performance improvement. This research is based on a case study from a Korean consumer corporation. This study employed document reviews, observation, and interviews. Although competency modeling is time‐consuming work, this study's results found that it can be a helpful intervention tool for improving HR performance in several ways. Furthermore, the results identified critical issues for success in each aspect of competency modeling. This article offers practical and useful insights into the relationship between competency modeling and HR performance improvement.     

Performance Management Applied at the Performer Level

According to Kissler (1991), performance management begins by determining why it should take place at all. He believes that performance management helps organizations sustain or improve performance, promote greater consistency in performance evaluation, and provide high‐quality feedback. Performance management helps organizations link evaluations to employee development and to a merit‐based compensation plan. Moreover, it forms a basis for coaching and mentoring, permits individual input during the evaluation process, and allows for a blend of qualitative and quantitative evaluations. Performance management is a process that helps manage employee expectations of job demands and factors that reveal how well the job is done.     

The mystery of student selection: are there any selection criteria?

First‐year students are still failing at an alarming rate. This is an international issue that universities face and there is currently no clear indication of the cause of the problem as universities move from being elite to providing mass education. This article examines the possible correlation between students’ high school performance and first‐year performance. The focus is primarily on the students’ performance in mathematics and English. National Senior Certificate results as well as academic and mathematics competency results are used to determine any correlations and therefore any predictors. The research is done to determine whether these results are a true reflection of a student’s performance and can be used as selection criteria. The results were disappointing since no correlation was found between students’ high school performance and first‐year performance. There is an indication, however, that the competency results might be an indicator. The results imply that more research is needed and that the current selection criteria are either not valid or need to be adjusted.     

General Issues about Assessment of Competence

In simple terms, competency‐based assessment is the assessment of a person's competence against prescribed standards of performance. Thus, if an occupation has established a set of, say, entry‐level competency standards, then these prescribe the standards of performance required of all new entrants to that occupation. Competency‐based assessment is the process determining whether a candidate meets the prescribed standards of performance, i.e. whether they demonstrate competence.

It is probably a truism that there is no such thing as a process of assessment that is without its critics. Whatever efforts are made to improve an instance of assessment, someone is bound to be unhappy with the process. Competency‐based assessment is therefore at a particular disadvantage since it is both new and unfamiliar to many people. This has meant that competency‐based assessment has aroused numerous and varied worries and objections from many quarters. In the process of researching assessment methods of professions in Australia, as the prelude to writing a guide on competency‐based assessment (Gonczi et al., 1993) the authors identified a number of worries and objections. Competency‐based assessment: (a) only assesses what is trivial or superficial; (b) is inherently unreliable in that it involves inference; (c) is inherently invalid, (d) represents a departure from traditional proven methods of assessment; (e) neglects the importance of knowledge; (f) focuses on outcomes to the neglect of processes; (g) relies on professional judgement, and hence is too subjective; (h) vainly tries to assess attitudes. This paper discusses each of these worries and objections and shows that none of them is decisive. While each of them points to an important issue about competency‐based assessment, the discussion will show that in each case a well‐designed competency‐based assessment system can overcome the worry or objection.     

Building an evaluation framework for a competency‐based graduate program at the University of Southern Mississippi

This article describes an ongoing project to build an evaluation framework for a competency‐based graduate program at The University of Southern Mississippi. Many traditional methods of evaluating performance at academic institutions provide only a partial assessment of individual program performance. In an increasingly competitive global economy, program evaluations should also consider the perspectives of students, graduates, and employers in order to develop curricula that will address the critical skills sets needed for strategic and value‐added performance improvement work in the 21st century.     

Training Transfer: A Suggested Course of Action for Local Authorities to Leverage Performance

Maximization of training influence on individual performance through changes in employee knowledge, skills, and abilities is a paramount concern of organizations. However, training without implementation in a work setting cannot achieve its goals. In this article, the author maps the primary factors that influence transfer of what is learned in training to work settings and provides some evidence‐based recommendations and implications for improved performance.     

我国民营企业人力资源管理存在的问题及对策

人力资源管理是影响我国民营企业发展的决定性因素,具体表现在人力资源战略规划、人才的招聘和挑选、员工培训和开发机制、薪酬激励机制等方面缺乏合理性和科学性。建立科学合理的人力资源战略规划,科学的人才引进机制,合适的员工培训和开发机制,科学有效的薪酬激励机制,是民营企业提高其核心竞争力的重要对策。     

Performance Appraisal: Issues of Validity

Performance ratings are probably the most widely used criteria in personnel evaluation. To determine the psychometric quality of performance ratings, practitioners generally evaluate ratings in terms of reliability and validity. This article presents generalizability theory as a measurement procedure that can be used to assess and improve the reliability and validity of ratings of employee job performance.     

The Competent Use of Competency-Based Strategies for Selection and Development

Many organizations are getting into the competency act, selecting and developing employees against standards of performance needed for present and future business success. This article focuses on critical elements of successful competency-based performance strategies from the practical vantage points of two performance consultants with significant experience in a variety of business settings. Definitions and examples are provided for Key, Team, Functional, and Leadership competencies. The competency strategy process defined in the article outlines a four-step cycle including business alignment, project planning, competency model-building, and rollout and ongoing performance management. Tools and approaches for use with selection, training and development, coaching, multi-rater assessment, and performance review are discussed from the viewpoint of the hands-on practitioner. “Lessons learned” are noted in all phases of the process to emphasize the rationale for continuous involvement of stakeholders and for attention to project management. Also included are behavioral competency profiles for 1) the competency practitioner and 2) change management.     

Employee engagement and performance management in the federal sector

Much research has demonstrated that employee engagement is significantly correlated with positive organizational outcomes such as productivity, customer satisfaction, and reduced absenteeism. This article focuses on the importance of effective performance management in driving engagement. The results of a government‐wide survey of federal employees are reported. Every one of the 37 positive performance management practices reviewed was employed more widely in the agencies with the highest percentages of engaged employees.     

Exploring employee perception of the work environment along generational lines

The research reported in this article investigated the influence of generational similarities and differences on employee perception of the work environment and associated environmental variables. The values, beliefs, and historical and social experiences that generation‐defined employees bring to the workplace likely affect their interaction with work, thus influencing organizational and individual performance. By including a variable to gather generational cohort‐specific data, design of interventions may become easier in a multigenerational workplace.     

The effects of a competency‐oriented learning environment and tutor feedback on students’ reflection skills

This study investigates the effects of a competency‐oriented course and the effects of feedback training on students’ reflection skills. Thirty‐one nursing students enrolled in a conventional course with lectures and assignments following a traditional test. Subsequently, they enrolled in a competency‐oriented course, which included more performance‐oriented tasks based on competencies and a performance‐based assessment. In both courses, half of the students received feedback on their assignments from tutors who were trained in feedback skills (experimental group), while the other half of the students received feedback from non‐trained tutors (control group). After each course, all students wrote a reflection report. Results show that students’ reflection reports after the competency‐oriented course were of a higher quality than the reports after the conventional course. Contrary to our expectations, the quality of the reflection reports of the control group (students supervised by non‐trained tutors) was significantly higher than the quality of reflection reports of the experimental group (students supervised by trained tutors). This study shows that a competency‐oriented design of courses enhances students’ reflection skills, but that the training in feedback skills needs to be reconsidered.     

Antecedents and Consequences of Coaching Behavior

Proponents of the learning organization acknowledge that leaders and managers must assume roles as coaches in organizations that aspire to become learning organizations. The concept of the manager as coach is becoming increasingly popular as a way to facilitate learning and improve employee performance. Yet, despite the research that has been done on coaching, studies generally focus on characteristics of good coaches, requisite coaching skills, and employees' perceptions of the improvement in managers' coaching skills following such training programs. This article describes some of the findings from a larger qualitative critical incident study. Specifically, the triggers for coaching and the outcomes of coaching interventions for the individual employee, manager, and organization are examined and reported here. This study identifies gaps and discrepancies, political, and developmental issues as the primary triggers for coaching. Additionally, this study suggests that managers' commitment to coaching has the potential to impact performance at the individual employee, manager, and organizational level.     

An Evaluation of Oral Presentation Competency in Interior Design Education

As digital modelling programmes become increasingly prevalent in interior design education, there is concern that graduates are entering the workforce relying too much on strong graphic presentation skills while lacking the basic ability to speak about design. This study explores the gap between practitioners’ perceptions of importance regarding oral presentation competency and students’ perceptions of their oral presentation performances. Additionally, the study explores correlations between in‐class activities and students’ perceptions of their oral presentation competency. Mixed‐methods of investigation include a Delphi study with a panel of interior design practitioners and a survey questionnaire of both practitioners (n = 102) and currently active interior design students (n = 91) in the USA. An Importance‐Performance framework is employed for comparison. Results identify performance criteria for evaluating oral presentation competency and indicate variances between students’ perceptions of their performance and industry perceptions of importance. Furthermore, students’ in‐class activities including studio critiques and written peer assessments show significant correlation with student oral presentation performance indicating activities already frequently incorporated into a design curriculum may have a greater impact on improving performance than specific oral presentation instruction alone.     

Antecedents and Consequences of Coaching Behavior

Proponents of the learning organization acknowledge that leaders and managers must assume roles as coaches in organizations that aspire to become learning organizations. The concept of the manager as a coach is becoming increasingly popular as a way to facilitate learning and improve employee performance. Yet, despite the research that has been done on coaching, studies generally focus on characteristics of good coaches, requisite coaching skills, and employees' perceptions of the improvement in managers coaching skills following such training programs. This article describes some of the findings from a larger qualitative critical incident study. Specifically, the triggers for coaching and the outcomes of coaching interventions for the individual employee, manager, and organization are examined and reported here. This study identifies gaps and discrepancies, political, and developmental issues as the primary triggers for coaching. Additionally, this study suggests that managers' commitment to coaching has the potential to impact performance at the individual employee, manager, and organizational level.     

地方广播电视大学教师胜任力分析--以安徽广播电视大学为例

运用远程教育院校教师胜任力结构,从职业知识、职业技能、社会适应性、教学技能、职业性格角度,对安徽广播电视大学教师胜任力进行问卷调查,从而对地方广播电视大学教师胜任力表现进行分析并提出提升建议。     

Selecting job elements to rate in performance appraisals: The human factors approach

The human factors approach (HFA) is proposed as a valid, reliable, and cost‐effective method for generating and selecting job performance elements (JPEs) to be rated in employee performance appraisals. One basic set of JPEs can and should be used to appraise all employees' performance. The HFA is based principally on a simple question: What are the most critical or important things humans can produce/do at work that maximize employee and organizational performance?     

Object‐Oriented Performance Improvement

In this paper, a framework to support an object‐oriented approach to performance analysis is described. The framework includes the use of collaboration, automation, visual modeling, and reusable repositories of analysis knowledge. The need for a new framework is related to the increasing concern with the cost effectiveness of student and employee development. Efforts to improve the return‐on‐investment in such development have been hindered by a craft orientation to the design and construction of learning and performance support materials. One solution to this problem has been to enhance the reuse of such materials. Rather than build every new system from scratch in a craft‐oriented manner, it is envisioned that systems will be constructed largely of standardized, reusable objects shared through Web‐based repositories. Currently, the main focus is on the technological framework necessary for an object‐based approach to learning system development. There appears to be little consideration of the changes in analysis and design thinking required for the move towards object‐based systems. Such systems should still be required to be directly linked to performance problems and opportunities at both the organizational and individual system levels.     

A Quantitative Assessment of the Research Chefs Association Core Competencies for the Practicing Culinologist

ABSTRACT: Professional organizations have linked core competency to professional success and competitive strategy. The Research Chefs Assn. (RCA) recently released 43 core competencies for practicing culinologists. Culinology^® is a profession that links skills of culinary arts and food science and technology in the development of food products. An online survey was created asking RCA members from all 6 membership categories (Associate, Affiliate, Chef, Culinology, Food Science and Technology (FS&T), and Student) to rate their knowledge level based on a 7‐point scale and agreement to importance in job performance based on a 5‐point Likert scale for each competency statement. RCA participant's (N = 192) survey results were analyzed using SPSS for Windows version 13.0 at a significance level of P < 0.05. Statistical survey validation grouped all 43 competency statements into 8 factors (groupings) according to level of competency proficiency (opposed to the 7 groups each competency was originally designated by the RC A) and into 9 factors according to job success. Results suggest that Chef Members know “Culinary Arts” best and FS&T members know “Food Science” best. A gap analysis determined what competency factors were low in knowledge level yet important to job success for each membership category. Chef members have a lower level of knowledge in “Product Development,”“Food Science,” and “Quality Assurance” factors; however, the factors are important to job success. FS&T members have a lower level of knowledge in “Nutrition” yet identified the factor important to job success. An opportunity exists to improve educational efforts for specific membership categories.