1.

Introduction
This coursework is divided into four sections. In the first section is given a brief literature review of the major training and development theories. The second section contains the descriptions of two case studies based on Keyo Agricultural Services and Bosch factory. Then a critical evaluation is presented to assess the relative merits and deficiencies of both companies training and development strategies in section 3. The final section is a conclusion of this work.

2. Literature review
Given the growing importance of knowledge to contemporary economies, the growth of importance in training and development of knowledgeable workforce can be explained to some extent by the fact that knowledge worker are playing a particularly important role in the current business environment (Redman, et al., 2009). Thus, with the belief in increasing competitiveness through developing a highly qualified and motivated workforce, many firms view training and development as key parts of their corporate strategies.

2.2 Problems of training and development

However, many empirical evidences seem not to back up this belief. That workers are deskilled or reluctant to take training is not a rare phenomenon in current business environment. On the on hand, some firms, putting extremely strong emphasis put on workers appropriate quality, simply use soft skills to develop workers selfefficiency, but with so little concerns for what workers really need that they a sense of resentment is developed among them. On the other hand, it seems that human capital theory is still casting a shadow over many low-paid, part-time jobs where employers are simply used to make money, without any discretion under managers tight control and rigid hierarchy. Perhaps these problems can be explained by different nature of jobs, high training costs and different organizational culture. Yet, it does not mean training and development are totally worthless. As Megginson et al. (1999) argued, the pressure to change, to improve, to be flexible

and adaptive, all assume the need to learn, without which people will be impossible to achieve the level of performance increasingly required for organizations. Form the knowledge management perspective, it is essential for workers to appreciate the tacit knowledge of skills through instrumental practices. Given these importances, perhaps more emphasis should be put on the question of how to motivate people who have successful learnt something useful to actively and continuously improve performance (ibid), rather than overstating workers appropriate attribute. 2.3 Motivation and problems Outlined below are a series of variables which can be changed to improve the effectiveness of training and development (ibid). Individual employees
1. 2.

potentials willingness feel

3.

Companies
4. 5. 6.

work environment reputation job designed

Besides potentials, individual employees willingness and feel are closely bound up with the work environment, challenges of the job and companys reputation. In terms of the workers potentials, it is true that new entrants appropriate potentials are of vital importance for their long-term development (Megginson et al).Yet, the problem is many companies have overstated peoples potentials, by simply neglecting the other two employees elements. This is a serious problem since having clear vision of what is going to be better and feeling valued or respected are equally important to training and development (ibid). In other words, the precondition of successful training and development is to deliver training programs for those employees who are not only incapable of taking but also are willing to take the training. Thus, to get incapable employees feel willing to take training entails the support of appropriate work

environment and job design as well as a good reputation of which the first two are the most important.

2.3.2 Work environment and job design In order to secure employees commitment to training and development, managers need to create an appropriate organizational climate (Megginson et al). Here appropriate means that workers are given enough trust and respect so that they feel confident to excise enhanced skills to do jobs. Also, attribution of workers job should be designed in relation to what they have learned in training; otherwise, workers may feel it worthless to take training (ibid). Yet, the strict hierarchy often results in managers tightly control over workers who are simply required to follow instructions (Grugulis, 2007), and many low-paid workers jobs are so simple and unchallenging that they tend to view training as nothing 2009). 2.3.3 Support of different performance enhancing strategies Besides, these changeable variables must be based on a synergistic relationship between different performance enhancing strategies to achieve continuous development of people and company (Megginson et al., 1999). This is important because the old demarcation lines between training and work are no longer sustainable. Rather, training and development are regarded as integral parts of the mainstream corporate strategies. In order words, workers performance development requires training and development system and other managerial mechanisms to become more closely integrated and mutually supportive (ibid).
but waste of time and money

(Redman et al.,

3. Case study
3.1 Case 1(Megginson, el at., 1993)
This case is based on a small business, a company named Keyo Agricultural Services, which is personally owned and ran by Nicky Keogh. The job of this company, to transport the chickens from farms to factories, requires highly skilled labors and

equipments to avoid frightening and injuring the chickens in delivering process; otherwise, the chickens value will be reduced. With only 70 people employed, this company had been running for 25 years until some problems arose. In 1989, with the growing sense of resentment among its workforce, Nicky found it really hard to develop the company. There were two major problems imperative for change:
1.

Rigid organizational hierarchyNickys manipulative control over the workforce gave them low level of autonomy and trust.

2.

No trainingthe companys development was simply dependent upon using lowpaid workers by giving them poor equipments with little concern for, and communication with, employees.

To address these problems, at first, Nicky tried to create an open work environment through discussing with his managers to know what they really needed. Therefore, a plan came out in which the management team suggested a series of imperatives of which perhaps education for all the management team is of vital importance. Having implement this plan, the company, especially the workers attitude towards Nicky, had changed a lot. First, The management staff began to develop their own intended skills at the companys expenses. For examples, Kenny took advanced driver training and then took a business course. In addition, Martin was allowed to do some part-time job at one day off a week. Secondly, Staffs commitment and enthusiasm was aroused by the companys open work environment where delegations and staffs, with enough discretion and trust, were willing to be actively involved within the company, doing jobs more effectively than the past. In order to achieve long-term development, Nicky and his managers decided to extend the companys business to take over the driving of fork-lift trucks. However, this change led to a big blow to the companys original business. After losing half its first customer, the company announced massive redundancies but the managers did their best to provide extensive support for anyone unfortunate to be made redundant

in order to minimize rancor.

3.2 Case 2 (Megginson, et al., 1999)

This case study is based on Bosch factory in south Wales. The Cardiff plant, since opened as a manufacturer of alternators in 1991, had been developing rapidly in the European motor vehicle market. While a companys objective is often thought as its workers common goal Bosch workers contributions to the companys objective are never taken for granted. In fact, by taking advantage of its systematic approach to managing and developing workforce, Bosch corporate has generated a sense of shared involvement among workers. Outlined below are the companys two core values which highlight the companys belief in consistently satisfying both customers and its employees expectations. 1. 2. To deliver of all things the best Excellence comes as standard

Perhaps more associated with the effectiveness of the Bosch training and development system is the companys integral HRD function as a part of the mainstream management responsibilities. 3.2.1 Recruitment and selection First, Bosch HRM and HRD departments are put together to improve the quality of newly recruited workforce. In this way, employment of people is not considered as an isolated activity; instead, the initial employment of people is seen as a vital starting point of training and development, ensuring that the newly recruited workers possess potential for and willingness to, developing job performance in the future. 3.2.2 Diagnosis Process Second, together with their line managers, the companys workers are required to attend a diagnostic process to indentify their accurate needs in training. This process of diagnosis is based on three criteria to decide the most suitable training programs for workers. Outlined below are the three criteria. 1. Workers willingness

2. 3.

Workers learning ability Companys needs

Bosch diagnostic mechanisms are underpinned by the following twin diagnostic training processes. 1. 2. Performance and Salary review process (PSRP) Training and development review process (TDRP)

While the overall purpose of both PSRP and TDRP is equally to facilitate peoples performance improvement these two diagnostic processes focus on different aspects to change peoples behaviour. PSRP is used to recommend the appropriate salary changes to fit with workers expectations while TDRP is used to suggest any changes or potential training needs by reviewing workers achievements in work and the efficiency with which workers performed in the previous years training programs. Besides, when generating future training plans, the training specialists are playing the most influential role in the decision-making process, with the significant responsibility to ensure that the company will be able to input resources and budget necessary for implementing the plan. 3.2.3 Open work environment To maintain its highly qualified workforce, Bosch corporate focus on fostering an open work environment in which the often found organizational hierarchy has been minimized in order to encourage employees to be actively involved in the mainstream management and development of the company, giving them a sense of shared objective with the company.

3.3 Compare and contrast

At first, It would be worth to point out that training, when used to develop workforce, is a time-consuming product at the expense of workers individual endeavors and opportunities; hence, as Megginson said, it must be based on reciprocal principle by satisfying workers compatible requirements, and offsetting their costs of taking training. As far as these two cases are concerned, it is clearly that both Keyo Agricultural

Services and Bosch factory have been aware of the importance of satisfying individual employees training needs. Also, both companies do create appropriate organizational climate, which is of vital importance of letting their workers to feel respected and trusted to excise what they have learnt in training. Yet, compared with Bosch corporate systematic training and development management, Keyo Agricultural Services still has some problems of HRD management styles. 3.3.1 Similar open environment and workers-oriented training In Kayo Company, although the company is run under a tightly-regulated organizational hierarchy, the manager Nicky has focused on eliminating the root cause problems. Likewise, the company creates a new open work environment by minimizing the companys hierarchy when dealing with the companys low morale. For example, the staffs of management team are now free to suggest any necessary changes and individual training needs at expense of the company, and Gary and Kenny, who have no autonomy in the past, have been allowed to make their own decision in deals. However, there seems not to have any control over the companys budgets to invest on staffs training, which may risk failing to maintaining adequate training service. This would become a serious [problem since the lack of managing training may increase operational risk, even ending up with loss of staff Loader (2006). By contrast, Bosch employees are encouraged to make their own suggests on what is going to learn by participating the diagnosis process while the training specialists will make the final decisions by forecasting whether the company will be providing enough training sources. Thus, it could be said that Bosch Companys training process is much more sustainable than that of Kayo Company due to its effective risk management. In addition to giving individual employee a definite vision of what is going to achieve in training, Bosch company also features an open organizational climate of which the employer take advantage to creates a knowledge-sharing community in which respect and trust are highlighted among staff and line mangers, which would maximize the positive impact of training on developing knowledgeable

workforce. Thus, workers would be spontaneously willing to learn something new, share experience and develop performance for better. Thus, it is clearly that employees contribution to performance development comes from not simply doing their job differently and better but also from having their individual wishes to improve, from appropriate workers jobs which allow them to use developed skills or performance to solve problems and make decision, rather than being tightly controlled by their mangers without any trust and respect. 3.3.2 Regulatory standard for recruitment and selection The most fundamental determinant of the success of training and development is the trainers themselves (Megginson, et al., 1999). That is to say, workers improvement through training is heavily dependent upon the extent to which their attitude and potential competence are compatible with the companys existing value and further requirements. Thus, as the 2.3.1 section explained, training and development necessitate a regulatory standard to ensure that newly recruited employees fit with companys development and value requirements. To use a common expression heard around Toyota, the wise farmer selects only the best seeds (Rudman et al., 2000). In Bosch corporate, the process of selection and recruitment is regarded as an integral part within the mainstream of training and development management, and the managers of HRD departments do have responsibilities to guarantee new entrants possession of appropriate attitude and potential competence. In contrast, however, there is no guarantee that the newly recruited employees possess appropriate attitude and potential for further development in Kayo company, which could post a threat to the companys failure in training in the future since the manager may find that some employees are incapable of improving performance for the companys requirements, or basically not willing to improve their performance.
3.3.3

the support of different performance enhancing strategies

Taking this point further, training, when used as a solution for sustainable performance improvement, entails the support of other performance enahning strategies to ensure that training programs are based on mutual interests between

workers needs and companys developments. At more strategic level, the HRD manager might have to focus on the issues of whether learning is appropriately and effectively delivered to trainers and the trainers are willing to take the training and will be capable of completing it. This is important because the process of training is the starting point of improving employees performance rather than the end of that (ibid). Thus, the HRD staff may have to establish a more close linkage with other managerial departments in order to pre-empt any changes in skills sets, headcount and job design, in order to sustainably manage training and development in line with mutual requirements. However, there is little support of different performance enhancing strategies underpinning Kayo Companys training processesno diagnostic mechanisms, no appraisal systems and no training specialists or supervisors, which, again, risk losing control over the whole managerial system. 3.3.4 Diagnosis Process As Egan points out, managers may have to select different solutions to improve workers performance since to improve peoples performance depends on the cause and nature of the performance problem (Verster et al., 2008). Therefore, it could be said that workers continuous development cannot be sustained without constant diagnosis processes to identify the underlying the accurate root cause of problems of workers performance deficiencies. In Kayo company, however, despite the fact that Nicky knows that Lynn is taking a two-year business course, the manager seems not to have any idea about whether Lynn is capable of learning this causes. This uncertainty may lead to Nickys disappointment in future if Lynn cannot finish this course. In contrast, with the support of TDRP, Bosch HRD staff can have a full picture of workers training conditions. The most important function of this diagnosis process is to help the HRD specialists indentify the nature of underlying performance problems. Also, individuals potential strengths and weakness can be indentified so that specialists can decide any necessary changes in advance.

For example, by evaluating the trainers ability, the specialists would suggest cancelling some training which is beyond workers potential competence, or providing some training for those employees who have potential for completing. 3.3.5 Appraisal process Some critics suggest that rewarding system will undermine peoples sense of team and community, and thus it might be detrimental to the training and development of highly motivated workforce. Yet, Loader argues that since todays employees is more independent-minded and professional, many employees in more junior roles have more pressing short-term objectives related to earnings rather than career plan. Given this, it is essential for managers to take workers remuneration into account when training, though based on mutual interest, does not arise any interests of workers. In terms of Bosch Corporate, not only are workforces underlying performance problems can be indentified by TDRP process, but also their financial disadvantages are reflected by PSRP process so that the accurate approach can always be used to improve and motivate employees to develop for the better. However, the fact that there is no appraisal mechanisms within Kayo Companys training system would lead to the companys uncertainty about which part is wrong if training fails to improve workers performance. This deficiency would become more serious to this company given its big redundancy. This is because that redundancy can be a big blow to companys morale, which undermines workers loyalty and confidence to the company. In this sense, with the fear that a false training would end up with having nothing to do, the companys workers would be very likely not to be committed to any training unless the company secure their economic support.

4. Conclusion
Based on the two sections above, perhaps training and development can be compared to a fair deal between employees and their company. Here, fair means the process must be based on reciprocal principle to meet both trainers and trainees training needs. In other words, the employees are willing to learn some worthwhile skills, which in turn, enable the company to meet short-term goals, or to achieve long-term

development. Thus, to start a training deal entails two catalysts, that is, an open work environment and appropriate job design. Besides, mutual protection is normally an essential part in dealing. That is to say, the trainer may have to ensure that trainees are capable of taking the training and, equally important, that they will be capable of supplying the trainees with adequate sources and budgets. Therefore, a effective training process may also need to a mature diagnosis mechanism to access both peoples capabilities and a companys available budgets. Also, having a regulatory standard of selection will reduce the risk of failing training and development. In terms of these two cases, it is clearly that, although Kayo company does provide training for its staffs wishes it is hard to say its training and development system is sustainable for continuous development given the lack of both diagnosis and appraisal process. Also, there is no guarantee for the quality of new entrants in Kayo company. In contrast, the highly qualified Bosch workforce represents the companys managerial professionalism to which contributions are made partly by its high standard of selection and recruitment and partly because of the its systematic training and development system.