Let’s take a look at training basic skills. Basic skills refer to skills that are necessary for employees to perform on the job and learn the content of training programs successfully.
Basic skills include cognitive ability and reading and writing skills. Trainers need to evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of trainees before designing a training program. The skill weaknesses that are identified can be used to determine prerequisites that trainees need or must acquire before entering a training program.
How do trainers identify skills gaps? First, trainers collect general information through position-specific training materials and job descriptions. They also observe the job to become familiar with the necessary skills. Next, trainers meet with SMEs, including employees, managers, engineers, or others who are familiar with the job. With the help of these SMEs, trainers identify a list of regularly performed activities and prioritize the list according to importance. Finally, trainers identify the skills and skill levels that are needed to perform the activities or job tasks.
Research shows that cognitive ability influences learning and job performance. Cognitive ability includes three dimensions: verbal comprehension, quantitative ability, and reasoning ability. Verbal comprehension refers to the person’s capacity to understand and use written and spoken language. Quantitative ability refers to how fast and accurately a person can solve math problems. Reasoning ability refers to the person’s capacity to invent solutions to problems.
Self-efficacy is employees’ belief that they can perform their job or learn the content of the training program successfully. The job environment can be threatening to too many employees who may not have been successful performers in the past. Employees’ self-efficacy level can be increased by Letting employees know that the purpose of training is to try to improve performance rather than to identify areas in which employees are incompetent.
Norms refer to accepted standards of behavior for work-group members. Performance problems can result when employees do not receive feedback regarding the extent to which they are meeting performance standards.
Training may not be the best solution to this type of problem if employees know what they are supposed to do (output) but do not understand how close their performance is to the standard. Employees need to be given specific, detailed feedback of effective and ineffective performance. For employees to perform to standard, feedback needs to be given frequently, not just during a yearly performance evaluation.
