CHAPTER 6 STAFFING AND HU MAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT 169

To inc rease job satisfaction a mon g e mployees and reduce turnover, you should
consider providing a realistic job preview (RJP). t6 An RJP includes both positi ve a nd realistic job preview (RJP)
negati ve informa tion about the j ob and the co mpa ny. For example, in additi on to the Providing both pos1tive and
positive c omme nts typically expressed in the interview, the candidate would be told of the negat1ve mformation about
less attractive aspects of the job. For instance, he or she mig ht be told that there are limited the job and the company dunng
the job interview.
opport uni ties to ta lk to coworke r~ during work ho urs, th at promo ti o na l advanceme nt
i!-> slim, or that work hours fluctuate so e rratically that em ployees may be required to work
during what arc usually o ff hours (nights a nd weekends) . Research indicates that appli-
cants who have been given a realistic job preview ho ld lower and more realistic j ob expec-
tati ons for the jobs they will be performing and are better able to cope with the f rustrating
clements o f the job than are applica nts who have bee n g iven only inflated information. The
result is fewer unexpected res ignations by new empl oyees.
For ma nagers. realistic job previews offer a maj or insight into the HRM proce ss. T hat
is, re taining good people is as importa nt as hi ring the m in the first place. Presentin g
onl y the positive aspects of a job to an applica nt may in itially entice him or her to join the
organ i~:at ion, but it may be an a ffiliation that both parties will quickly regret.

Orientation, Training, and Development

If we have done our recruiting and selecting properly. we should have hired competent
individua l<; who can perform successfu ll y. but successful performance requires more than
the possession o f certa in ski lls. New hires must be ac climated to the organit ation 's c ulture
a nd be tra ined to do the joh in a manner wnsistcnt with the organiallion's objectives. To
achieve these ends, HRM e mbarks on orie ntation and traini ng.

How Do We lntrod ce New Hires to the Org n--..on?

O nce a job cand idate has been selected , he or she needs to be introduced to the job and orga-
ni n tti on. This introduction is called orientation. 17 T he major objectives of orie ntat ion orientation
are to reduce the in itial a nxiety a ll new e mpl oyees feel as they begin a new job; to The mtroductiOn of a new
familiari;e new e mployees with the j ob, the work unit, a nd the organiLation as a whole; and employee to the JOb and
to facilitate the outsider- insider transition. Job orientati on expands on the information the the organization
e mployee obta ined during the recruitme nt and selection stages. The new e mpl oyee's
specific duties and responsibilities arc clarified as well as how his or her perlormance will
be evaluated. Orie ntat ion is al so the time to recti fy any unrealistic expectations new
employees might hold about the job. Work unit 01ientation familiarizes the employee with
the goals of the work unit, makes clear how his or her j ob contri butes to the unit's goals, and
provides an introduction to his or her coworkers. Organization orientation informs the new
employee about the organization 's objecti ves, histo ry. phil osophy, procedures, and mles.
This informati o n ~ h ou l d inc lude re levant pe rsonne l polic ies such as work hours, pay
procedures, overtime require me nts, a nd bene fi ts. A tour of the organi tatio n's p hysical
facilities is often part of the orie ntati on.
Ma nagement has an obligation to make the integration of the new employee into the orga-
ni n tion as smooth a nd as free of anxiety as possible. Successfu l orientation, whether formal
or informal, results in an outsider- insider transition that makes the new member feel comfo1-
able a nd fairly well-adjusted , lowers the likelihood of poor work performance, and reduces the
probability of a surprise resignation by the new employee only a week or two into the job. 18

What Is Employee Training'

On the who le, planes don' t cause airl ine accidents, people do. Most coll isio ns, crashes, and
other airl ine mishaps -nearly three-quarters o f them- result from eJTors by the pilot or a ir
tra ffic controller, or inadequate maintenance . Weather and struc tural failures typicall y
account for the remaining accidents. 19 We c ite these statistics to illusuate the importa nce
of tra ining in the airli ne indu stry. These ma inte nance and human errors could be prevented
or significantly reduced by better employee tra ining.
Employee training is a learning experie nce tha t seeks a relatively permanent c hange
in employees by improving their ability to perform on the job. Thus, training involves
170 PA RT Ill ORGA NIZ ING
As a learning experience,
t raining helps improve
employees' on-the-job
performance. Learnmg the skills
of self-defense is an important
part of the training program
of these newly hired corrections
officers at the Washington
(state) Department
of Corrections.
Source: AP Photo/The News Tribune,
Bruce Kellman.
EXHIBIT 6-6
Determining Whether
Tra ining Is Needed
changing skills, knowledge, a ttitudes, or beha-
vior.20 This c hange may involve what e mployees
know, how they work, or their altitudes toward
their jobs, coworkers, managers, and the organiza-
tion. It has been estimated, for instance, that U.S.
business firms alone spend bill ions each a year on
formal courses and training programs to develop
workers' ski lls. 21 Manageme nt, of course, is
responsible for decid ing when employees are in
need of training and what form that training
should take.
Determining training needs typically invol-
ves generating answers to several q uestions. If
some of these questions sound familiar, you have
been paying close attent ion. It is precisely the
type of analys is that took place when managers
developed an organization structure to achieve thei r strategic goals-only now the focus is
on the people. 22
The leading questions in Ex hibit 6-6 suggest the ki nds of signa l that can warn a
manager when trai ning may be necessary. The more obv ious ones are related di rectly to
productiVIty. Indications that job performance is declining include decreases in produc-
tion numbers, lower quality, more accidents, and higher scrap or rejection rates. Any of
these outcomes might suggest that worker skills need to be fine-t uned . Of course, we are
assuming that the employee's performance decline is in no way related to lack of effort.
Managers, too, must also recognite that training may be required because the workplace
is constantly evolving. Changes imposed on employees as a resul t of job redesign or a
technological breakthrough also require train ing.
1< Most traini ng takes place on the job. The prevalence
of on-the-job training can be attributed to its simpl icity and its usual ly lower cost.
However, on-the-job training can disrupt the workplace and result in an increase in enors
while learning takes place. Also. some skill training is too complex to learn o n the job and
should take place outside the work setting.
~ T Many different types of training
methods arc available. For the most part, however, we can classify them as on-the-job or
off-the-job training. We have summarized the more popular training methods in Exhibit 6-7.
What deficiencies, if any,
do job holders have in terms
of skills, knowledge, or
abilities reqUired to What are the
exhibit the essential and organization's
necessary job behaviors? strategic
goals?
What tasks
must be
completed
to achieve
organizational
goals?
What behaviors are
necessary for each job holder
to complete his or her
job duties?
 CHAPTER 6 STAFFING A ND HUM AN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT 171

EXHIBIT 6-7

SAMPLE ON-THE-JOB TRAINING METHODS Typical Trai n ing

M ethods
Job rotat1on Liiteral transfers allowing employees to work at different jobs
Prov1des good exposure to a vanety of tasks.
Understudy Work1ng w1th a seasoned veteran, coach, or mt>ntor Prov1des
assgnments support and encouragement from an expenenced worker.
In the trades industry, th1s may also be an apprentiCeship.

SAMPLE OFF-THE-JOB TRAINING METHODS

Classroom lectures Lectures designed to convey speof1c technical, interpersonal,

or problem-solv1ng skills.
Films and vdeos Using the media to exphotly demonstrate technical sk1lls that arE>
not eas1ly presented by other tranng methods.
S1mulat1on exeroses Learnmg a JOb by actually performing the work (or 1ts S1mulat1on).
May include cast> analyses, t>xperiential exercises, role-play1ng,
and group mteracllon
Vestibule training Learn1ng tasks on the same eq u1pment that one actually
w1ll use on the 10b but1n a Simulated work env1ronment.

C It is easy to generate a
new tra ining program. but if the trai ning effort is not evaluated, any employee trai ning
e ffom ca n be rati onali 1ed. It would be nice if all companies could boast the retu rn!'> on
im e-.tments in tra ining that Nei l Huffma n A uto Group executives do; they claim they
rece ive $230 in inc reased prod uct ivity fo r eve ry dolla r spe nt on training.:B But such a
claim cannot be made unless training is proper!) evaluated.
Can we dete rmine how training programs are typica ll y e\ al uated ? The following
approach is probably gene rali ,ablc acros-. orga ni1ati ons: Several managers. re presenta-
ti ves from HRM . and a gro up of worl,ers who have recently completed a training program
are asked for their opinions. If the comme nts a re generall y positive. the progra m may get a
favorable evaluation a nd the o rgan i~.:at i on will continue it until someone decides, fo r what-
ever reason. tha t it should be eliminated or replaced.
The reactions of pa rticipants or managers, while easy to acqui re, a rc the least valid;
their opin ions a re heavil y infl uenced by fac to r-. that may have little to do with the training\
effcctivene s-diffi culty, entertainment \ alue. or the personality characteristics of the
instructor. However, trainees' reactions to the training may, in fac t, provide feedbac k on
how worth while the pa rticipants viewed the tra ini ng to be. Beyond general reacti ons,
however, trai ning must also be evaluated in terms of how muc h the pa rticipants learned;
how well they arc usi ng the ir new skill s on the j ob (did their behavior c hange'!); a nd
whe the r the training program ac hieved it<; desired resul ts (reduced turnover. increased
c ustomer service, etc.).24

Performance Management
It is important fo r managers to get their e mp loyees to reach pe rfo rma nce levels that the
o rganii'ation co nsiders desirable. How do ma nager<; e nsure that employees arc performing performance management
a-; well as they are supposed to? ln organi1ations, the formal means of assc!-.sing the work system
A process of establish111g
of e mployees is through a syste matic performance appraisal proces.,.
performance standards and
evaluat1ng performance 1n order
sa Per" c Manage - .. S s..e to amve at obJective human
A performa nce m a nagement syst em is a process of establishing performance standards resource decis1ons and to prov1de
and evaluating pe rformance in order to arrive at objective human resource decisions-such documentation to support
as pay inc reases a nd training needs-as well as to provide documentation to support any personnel adions