Assignment 3

Assignment 3

Insert name

Institutional affiliation

Assignment 3

Part I: Executive Summary

The project involves the training of the employees of Supermer Technologies, a company that was formed after the merger of Superior Technologies with Palmer Technologies. The merger necessitated the creation of a new organizational structure, systems, and operations. The training will focus on how the new systems that were introduced due to the merger. The company introduced new organizational systems, timesheet systems, and project management systems. The functionality of these systems is different from the systems that two companies used before the merger. In addition, the introduction of new systems would lead to different processes and operations. Therefore, Supermer Technologies needs to train its employees on how to use the systems as failure to do so would limit the efficiency of the operations of the company. The training will also strive to ensure the company creates an organizational culture that would facilitate the achievement of the goals and objectives of Supermer Technologies. Therefore, the training goals would be mapped to the organizational goals to ensure they do not contradict each other. There would be training for each of the three systems introduced by the company with each of the training being different from the other. After the completion of the training, the effectiveness of the training would be evaluated to determine its impact on the operations of the company. The main aims of the training programs were to improve the productivity, skills, and creativity of the employees and improve the brand of the company, which would provide it with a competitive advantage. Therefore, effective training would meet these goals. Kirkpatrick’s Four-Level Training Evaluation Model would be used in assessing the effectiveness of the training.

Part II: Revised Assignments

Description of the Organization

Supermer Technologies was formed after the merger of Superior Technologies with Palmer Technologies. Both companies are small technology startups. They merged their operations to combine their synergies in the face of stiff competition in the industry. The headquarters of the new entity, Supermer Technologies, would be in the San Francisco Bay Area. Being located at the heart of Silicon Valley would enable Supermer Technologies to have access to a pool of talented employees that would help in improving the competitiveness of the company (Noe et al., 2017). The merger would lead to changes in the organizational structure, systems, and operations of the companies.

New Systems Introduced due to the Merger

The merger necessitated Supermer Technologies to adopt new organizational systems, new timesheet systems, and a new project management system. The company will use Microsoft Dynamics 365 and Google Drive as the organizational management systems. Microsoft Dynamics 365 would be used for enterprise resource planning (ERP) and customer relationship management (CRM). It has various features that would improve the efficiency of the operations of the company. Microsoft Dynamics 365 supports apps for iOS, Android, and Windows Phone. Besides, the apps in Microsoft Dynamics 365 are available offline. Therefore, it would enable the employees of the company to work without data connectivity and the data would subsequently be synced automatically when internet connectivity is established. Supermer Technologies would use Google Drive in the storage of information. This would enable the employees of the company to access various documents remotely. They would only require having internet connectivity. These systems would enable Supermer Technologies to create a flexible work environment, which would improve employee satisfaction.

Supermer Technologies would use Hubstaff (hubststaff.com) as the new timesheet system. This system would be compatible with various systems. It can be used as a desktop time tracking app. It can also run on Windows, Linux, and Mac devices. Hubstaff also has an iOS app and an Android app that the company can use to track the locations and GPS of the employees using their mobile devices. Hubstaff facilitates both manual and automatic timesheet entries. The employees would record their time accurately and submit their time series by the end of the business week. The built-in approval process of the system would enable the managers to view each timesheet and approve it.

Supermer Technologies would use Workzone (workzone.com) in project management. This system would provide various benefits such as having personalized to-do lists and the ability to assign people more than one task. It can also develop Gantt charts on the status of projects quickly. One of the major benefits of the project management system is its capability of setting permissions for certain users to access projects, files, and tasks. This would be vital as it would ensure there is managerial control of projects.

Training

The training would target the employees of the new organization, Supermer Technologies and any new employees that Supermer Technologies may hire. It would train the employees of the Supermer Technologies regardless of where they are based. The training would have several stakeholders who include employees of Supermer Technologies, the owners of the company, and customers. The training will target the employees of the company. On the other hand, the owners of Supermer Technologies would have a vested interest in the success of the training program since it would affect the performance of the new company. Therefore, they would also be one of the stakeholders in the training program. The ultimate aim of any organization is to meet the needs of its customers. Without customers, the organization would cease to exist. Therefore, customers would be one of the main stakeholders of the program as all activities of Supermer Technologies are geared towards improving customer experience. The organizational goals of Supermer Technologies are to provide high-quality products that improve customer experience and create a good environment for its employees. The training would help in meeting these objectives.

Goals of Each Training Program

The goals of training on new organizational systems would be to ensure the employees know how to use the new systems to improve their efficiency. The adoption of the new organizational systems would be useless if the employees of the company do not use to undertake their daily activities. Therefore, the company would put more focus on ensuring all employees know how to use the new organizational systems effectively. The adoption of the new organization systems would be a major indication that it is not business as usual.

One of the goals of training on the new timesheet system would be to show the employees how they can manage their time. Supermer Technologies would use the Bring Your Own Devices (BYOD) policy. Therefore, the training would highlight the flexibility of the working conditions of the company. This would be a critical component of the organizational culture of the company.

As a technology company, the development of new innovative technological solutions would not only be vital in the profitability of the company but also its survival. Therefore, Supermer Technologies should use an effective project management system. Training on the new project management system would be thorough. The company would spend as much time as possible to ensure each employee understanding the functionalities of the project management system.

Mapping of Training Goals to Organizational Goals

The training goals would be mapped to the organization goals. These training goals would acknowledge the future as defined in the vision, mission, and goals of the organization. Therefore, the training would strive to ensure it helps the employees envision the future of the organization. The training would ensure it makes the future of the organization as interesting as possible. One of the major business goals of Supermer Technologies would be to improve customer experience using technology. Therefore, the training would strive to show how employees of the organization can use technology to improve not only their professional life but also their personal life. For instance, training on the technological solutions of the company would highlight the flexible work conditions of the company.

The training would strive to identify any gaps in knowledge among the employees of the company. It will seek to determine whether the employees have the right skills, abilities, and knowledge to achieve the vision of the goals. Identification of the gaps would help in aligning the training goals with the strategic goals of the company. The training will ensure it tries to create an organizational behavior that aligns with the vision and mission of Supermer Technologies.

Assessment Method of Each Training Program

Satisfaction and participation reaction would be one of assessment method that would be used after the training on the new organization systems. The trainers would hand out a survey after the end of the course to determine the reaction of the participants to the training. The survey would determine whether the materials provided in the training is relevant to their work (Kirkpatrick, 2009).

Knowledge acquisition would be used as the assessment method for training on the new project management system. After the end of the training, the participants would be provided with a valid and reliable examination to determine whether they learned the content of the training or not. The examination will flag the participants that did not acquire learning and determine the ones that learned. The participants that acquired what was learned would become mentors to those that did not (Travers et al., 2017). The success of the training would be vital in the success of Supermer Technologies since it would have to undertake various projects from time to time.

Both knowledge acquisition and satisfaction and participation reaction would be used as the assessment method after training on the new timesheet system. They would help in determining whether the participants have acquired the necessary knowledge and whether they are satisfied with the efforts of the company in creating a flexible working environment.

Training on the New Organization Systems

Instructor-led training would be used to teach employees on the new organization systems. This training would occur in the company’s headquarters in the San Francisco Bay Area with the instructor presenting the material to the group of employees. This training would be highly effective since the instructors would provide employees with answers to any questions they may have. In addition, Supermer Technologies would use highly skilled instructors from the vendors of the new organizational systems. The instructors would use a survey as the assessment method for training on new organizational systems.

The training program would be developed by software vendors. It would be included in the terms of the contract during the purchase of the organization systems. The vendors would conduct the training one week before the organization systems go live with the training taking five days. Therefore, the employees would know how to use the organization system when it goes live.

The cost of undertaking the training would be classified into several categories. This would include the cost of employee time in training, cost of assessment, and incidental costs. The cost of employee time in training would be approximately $100,000. On the other hand, the cost of assessment would be approximately $5,000. The incidental costs would comprise of the space used to undertake the training and the cost of transporting and offering accommodation to employees from other branch offices of the organization. The total incidental costs would be $75,000. Therefore, the total cost of training employees on the new organization system would be $ 180,000. It is vital to note that this cost does not include the cost of hiring the trainers since this cost would be included in the cost of purchasing the organization system from the vendor.

Training on the New Timesheet System

Virtual training would be used in training employees on the new timesheet system. Virtual training would enable the employees to receive high-quality training through a convenient and engaging online environment. They would only be required to have a PC that has a speakerphone, a web camera, or any handheld device that has high-speed internet access. This method of training would enable the employees to save valuable time in addition to being convenient.

Both knowledge acquisition and satisfaction and participation reaction would be the assessment methods for training on the new timesheet system. This would involve providing the employees who participate in the training with valid and reliable examinations at the end of the training to determine the knowledge they have acquired after the training. Satisfaction and participation reaction would involve determining the involvement of the trainees in the training and whether they are likely to use what they have learned in undertaking their activities (Wan, 2013).

Using asynchronous virtual training would be the most cost-effective means of delivering the training. It would reduce the need for the employees and trainers to travel to a certain location for the training. The employees would only need a PC or smart device and reliable internet connectivity. In addition, the means of delivering the training would highlight the flexibility of the working conditions of Supermer Technologies. The organization would use a commercial over the shelf (COTS) training product to train employees on the new timesheet system. Development of the COTS training product would take three weeks. The cost of implementing the COTS training product would be $50,000. The COTS training product would also have an assessment tool. The HR department of the company would task one of its employees with the responsibility of handling any issues related to the COTS training product. The employee would provide the employees with COTS training program orientation after which the employees would be free to take part in the virtual training at any allocated time. The company would allocate the employees four hours to take part in virtual learning. The cost of employee time in the training would be $ 50,000. Therefore, the total cost of training employees on the new timesheet system would be $ 100,000.

Training on the New Project Management System

Instructor-led training would be used in training on the new project management system. This training would occur at the San Francisco Bay Area and New York offices. The vendors of the project management system would provide the training. It would be vital for the employees to be physically present during the training since the training is vital in the ultimate success of the company. This is because from time to time, the employees would be required to use the principles of project management and the project management system since the development of new technological products would be vital in the ultimate success of the company.

Knowledge acquisition would be the assessment method used for the training. It would involve the provision of each employee with an examination to determine the knowledge they have acquired after the training (Wan, 2013). This assessment method would ensure the employees acquire the necessary knowledge and skills required to use the project management system.

The cost of training would be classified into several categories, which include the cost of hiring trainers, cost of assessment, cost of employee time in the training, and incidental costs. The cost of hiring trainers, cost of assessment, cost of employee time in the training, and incidental costs would be $40,000, $25,000, $150,000, and $75,000 respectively. This implies that the total cost of undertaking the training would be $ 290,000. Therefore, training employees on the new project management system would be the most expensive training. However, the importance of the training warrants Supermer Technologies to spend huge sums of money to ensure the effectiveness of the training.

Training Costs Summary

New organizational systems

$180,000

New Timesheet System

$100,000

New Project Management System

$290,000

Total

$570,000

Assessment of Training Effectiveness

Supermer Technologies should assess the effectiveness of each training program to determine its impact on the operations of the company. The main aims of the training programs were to improve the productivity, skills, and creativity of the employees and improve the brand of the company, which would provide it with a competitive advantage.

Supermer Technologies should assess the effectiveness of each training program using Kirkpatrick’s Four-Level Training Evaluation Model. It comprises of proven methods to determine the effectiveness of any training regime. It is the industry standard in evaluating the effectiveness of training programs. The model comprises of four levels – reaction, learning, behavior, and results (Kirkpatrick & Kirkpatrick, 2016).

Reaction is the first level of the training evaluation model. This involves understanding the reaction of the learners towards the training. It would be the first step in fully understanding the reception of the training among the employees of the company. It would require Supermer Technologies to evaluate if each training program was useful and relevant, whether it was enjoyable, and if it accommodated the pace and learning styles of the learners. This would help the company to get the bigger picture and know how it can make the most of what has been learned in the training. Feedback forms and bulkpost-training surveys can be used to measure the satisfaction of the learners after undertaking each training program (Kirkpatrick & Kirkpatrick, 2016).

Learning is the second level in the training evaluation model. It would involve measuring the skills that the employees are required to gain after undertaking the training. It can be undertaken by conducting bulkpost-tests or quizzes after the completion of each of the training programs. This process would help in verifying the knowledge or skills that the employees have acquired in real-time (Kirkpatrick & Kirkpatrick, 2016). Supermer Technologies can either use a written quiz or on-the-job practical evaluation to determine the knowledge and skills that the employees have acquired after undertaking the training programs.

Behavior is the third level of the training evaluation model. It would involve determining the level to which the employees have applied what they have learned from the training in their job-behaviors. It involves determining the application of the skills and knowledge gained from the training in the daily activities of the organization (Kirkpatrick & Kirkpatrick, 2016). This would be undertaken using feedback and report from supervisors, on-the-job observation, self-assessment questionnaires, and employee interviews.

Results is the fourth level of the training evaluation model. It involves measuring the impact of the training program in improving the performance of the organization. Supermer Technologies would measure the tangible results that have caused by the training program. This would require the company to use various metrics to determine the results of the training. It would measure the improved productivity and work quality, customer satisfaction, employee engagement, and reduced duration of undertaking various activities (El-Gohary, 2012). This would help in determining the return on investment (ROI) of the training programs.

In conclusion, it would be vital for Supermer Technologies to use all the steps in evaluating the effectiveness of each of the training programs. It should not simply use one of the levels of Kirkpatrick’s Four-Level Training Evaluation Model.

Part III: Conclusion and Lessons Learned

The project has highlighted the importance of training in managing change. The merger of Superior Technologies with Palmer Technologies led to the creation of an entity – Supermer Technologies – whose systems, processes, and operations were significantly different from those of each original company. Therefore, it was vital for the employees of the new entity to be trained on how to use the new systems and operations to ensure the change does not harm the operations and competitiveness of the new entity.

The project has also highlighted the challenges of implementing an effective training program. It is vital to ensure that the training goals align with the organizational goals. Failure to do so would make the training goals and organizational contradict each other, which would limit the effectiveness of the training. The project has also highlighted the importance of using training in the development of an effective organizational culture. Training on new systems, processes, and operations that cultivates an effective organizational goal ensures all employees align their operations towards the achievement of the organizational goals by cultivating certain behaviors in the workplace.

The project has also highlighted the importance of moderation in training. Internal moderation and external moderation can be used in the training team that I head. Internal moderation would ensure the assessments undertaken by one learning provider after are consistent, accurate, and well designed. On the other hand, external moderation would strive to ensure two or more providers that deliver the same training assess in a well-designed manner that is consistent with the goals of each training.

References

El-Gohary, H. (2012). Transdisciplinary marketing concepts and emergent methods for virtual environments. Hershey, PA: IGI Global.

Kirkpatrick, D. L. (2009). Evaluating Training Programs: The Four Levels. San Francisco, CA: Berrett-Koehler drafters.

Kirkpatrick, J. D., & Kirkpatrick, W. K. (2016). Kirkpatrick’s four levels of training evaluation. New York, NY: Association for Talent Development.

Noe, R. A., Hollenbeck, J. R., Gerhart, B., & Wright, P. M. (2017). Human resource management: Gaining a competitive advantage. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Education.

Omotayo, F. O. (2015). Knowledge Management as an important tool in Organisational Management: A Review of Literature. Library Philosophy and Practice, 1(2015), 1-23.

Travers, M., Rule, T., Syed, I., & Lawlor, D. R. (2017). Training and assessment: Theory & practice. South Melbourne, Vic: Cengage Australia.

Wan, M. (2013). Incidental Trainer: A Reference Guide for Training Design, Development, and Delivery. Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press.