SUBJECT: Effective HR Training & Development

CASE 1 Toyota Motor Companys Toyota Technical Training Institute in India In August 2007, one of the worlds leading automobile manufacturers, Toyota Motor Corporation TMC!, announced that its "oint #enture in India, Toyota $irlos%ar Motor &ri#ate 'imited T$M! had set up a technical school called Toyota Technical Training Institute TTTI!, on the outs%irts of (angalore, India) The company said that TTTI was meant for those who had passed out of middle school Class *0! but could not continue their education due to financial or other constraints) TMC pro"ected the setting up of this institute as a corporate social responsibility initiati#e that was aimed at benefiting a disad#antaged section of Indian society by increasing their employability) At the institutes opening ceremony held on August *, 2007, TMCs +,ecuti#e -ice &resident, Mitsuo $inoshita, said, .I am confident that the establishment of TTTI will contribute to the betterment of Indian society by culti#ating the power of the nations youth)/ The seeds of this institution were reportedly sown in the year 2000, when Atsushi Toyoshima Toyoshima!, Managing 1irector, T$M, #isited a number of technical institutes in India) 2e felt that the curriculum in these institutions was outdated and not in sync with the re3uirements of the industry) Analyst noted that despite the 4,0005odd technical institutes in the country, the %ind of products they were churning out were not of much use to the manufacturing companies) 6or a company li%e Toyota, which had aggressi#e growth plans in the rapidly growing Indian automobile mar%et, this was a ma"or hindrance as the company had little talent to choose from) This prompted Toyoshima to as% the management at 7apan to set up a technical institute in India on the lines of Toyota Technical 8%ills Academy TT8A!) The companys decision to start the TTTI in India was first announced in March 2007) .In addition to ma%ing automobiles, we belie#e in proacti#ely contributing to society by consolidating the %nowledge and %now5how within Toyota to de#elop capable human resources and thus contribute to the de#elopment of a prosperous society,/ said Toyoshima) The company placed ad#ertisements for a three5year technical s%ills program in the local newspapers and started accepting applications from the ne,t month for the selection of the first batch of 90 students) The institute would pro#ide the courses, boarding, and lodging free5of5cost, and also pay each trainee a stipend in the range of :s) *,;0052,200 per month) &romising trainees would also be pro#ided with fellowships <8=*;0 A>1 <8=2?0! and a chance to "oin the company after successfully completing the course) Around 0,000 applicants applied for the program) 8ubse3uently in 7une 2007, an admission test was held and 94 trainees were selected for the first batch) The TTTI was established at a cost of :s) 220 million <8=0)9 million!) The institute was spread across a 4;,729 s3uare meter area within the premises of the T$M facility at (idadi, (angalore) It initially started its operations with a total staff strength of 20, including *7 teaching staff, headed by :amamurthy and T 8omanath 8omanath! as 1ean and &rincipal respecti#ely) Through the three5year residential program, the company sought to pro#ide the trainees with the s%ills of Mono@u%uri) The institute offered four practical5oriented courses in painting, welding, automobile assembly, and mechatronics) The courseware was similar to that of TT8A, but was adapted %eeping the Indian mar%et in mind) The students were also pro#ided lessons in sub"ects such as +nglish, and 2istory, self5 impro#ement courses such as Aoga and 2ome 8cience, and lessons in cleanliness, grooming and discipline) In addition to academic sessions, the trainees would gain significant e,posure to the companys famous Toyota &roduction 8ystem and the Toyota Bay) Toyoshima said, .Be hope the students will *

SUBJECT: Effective HR Training & Development

be able to appreciate #arious aspects of Mono@u%uri or s%illed manufacturing in the Toyota Bay) They will not "ust learn but also practice Mono@u%uri) Though the company hoped to employ all the trainees once they had completed the program, the trainees were not under any compulsion to "oin the company) 8omanath said, .It is a corporate social responsibility initiati#e for us) Analysts too agreed that the company was indeed ma%ing a positi#e difference in the life of the trainees) They were not only getting a taste of a better life and had a better future to loo% forward to, but were also in a position to send home a part of their stipend) According to the company, TTTI was still in the testing phase and the first batch would be li%e a test case for the future) The institute would train appro,imately *;0 trainees across three academic years) The management at the company felt that %eeping the future growth of the Indian mar%et in mind, setting up the TTTI in India made good business sense) India was one of the worlds fastest growing car mar%ets and was poised to grow at an astounding *4)C percent through 20*0, according to 6rost D 8ulli#an) According to some estimates, by 20*0, the number of cars sold in India annually would double to ? million, compared to 2007) In such a scenario, T$M had to 3uic%ly ramp up its presence in the mar%et) As of 2007, T$M had a mere 4 percent mar%et share in India) Analyst noted the company was lagging far behind its competitors and felt that this initiati#e would T$M become more competiti#e in the future) They e,pected TTTI to play a %ey role in the de#elopment of human resources at the company and to help bolster the companys production operations in India in the future) 8ome industry watchers also pointed out that between 2002 and ; Mono@u%uri is a 7apanese word consisting of two words mono products! and @u%uri process of ma%ing!) (ut the meaning of the word goes beyond the combined meaning of the two words to encompass Ee,cellence, s%ill, spirit, @est, and pride in the ability to ma%e things #ery well) 8ourceF $o@o 8aito, .1e#elopment of the <ni#ersity of $entuc%y G Toyota :esearch &artnershipF Mono@u%uriF &A:T I,/ +nergia, -ol)*7)>o)4, 2009)! 2007, T$M had suffered due to labor unrest in its facilities in India, and #iewed this initiati#e as an attempt by the company to breed loyalty on the shop floor) (usiness Bee% noted, .Another, ulterior moti#e was ensuring labor loyalty) 6or the past fi#e years, Toyota India has suffered a series of stri%es and a loc%out, with labor unions protesting in support of better wages and against the dismissal of two of their members) Training youth in5house helps build loyalty for Toyota on the assembly line) Questions: *) 2) ?) 1escribe the probable reasons for the setting up of the TTTI in India) 1escribe the direct and indirect benefits accruing to T$M by running the TTTI) Bhat, according to you, are the short5 term and long5term benefits to the companyH The TTTI trainees were not under any compulsion to "oin the company T$M! once they had completed the training program) Bhat are the possible ad#antage s! and disad#antage s! of such a policyH In your opinion, will similar training initiati#e be successful in the ser#ice sectorH +,plain in the conte,t of a few ser#ice industries that you are familiar with) ealer Training !rograms A "e# Trend 2

CASE 2

SUBJECT: Effective HR Training & Development

In India, the corporate training mar%et was pegged at :s 20 billion by the end of 2004! and was growing at a rate of ?0I annually) Though sales training was not new concept in Indian industry, the trend of e,tending sales training initiati#es to business partners was slowly catching up) The automobile companies were among the first to implement dealership training programs) 6or e,ample, when Maruti <dyog 'imited Maruti! got the highest ran% in customer satisfaction in the 71 &ower Asia &acific India customer satisfaction inde, C8I! study in 2000, it launched E&ro"ect 2at Tric% in consultation with >I8 8parta, a leading training and consulting organi@ation) The pro"ect aimed at creating e,citement among the ser#ice staff of the dealers! and also imparting the %nowledge and %now5how re3uired to satisfy the customer) As part of the pro"ect, the ser#ice super#isors were trained on the aspect of customer delight and managers were trained on leadership and business planning aspects) The ser#ice mechanics were gi#en training in the areas of self5empowerment and beha#ioral inter#entions) This also helped to bring about attitudinal changes in the dealer segment to meet the demands of customers) Conse3uently, Maruti recei#ed the award for the ne,t two consecuti#e years) In 2002, it topped in four out of fi#e factors of the customer satisfaction inde, C8I! and recei#ed the highest score of *24 as against the industry of **;) 8pea%ing on the issue of training in the automobile sector, -i"ay $ohli, -ice5&resident, >I8 8parta, said, .Training in this sector is also 3uite different from others as here the customer e,pects sales e,ecuti#es to %now the features, ad#antages, and benefits of each and e#ery part of your #ehicle) >ot only that, the customer also e,pects the e,ecuti#es to %now the technical side and the product ad#antages o#er others to ma%e hisJher decision) Consumer appliances manufacturers were also focusing on these areas in light of cut5throat competition, increased customer e,pectations, and the increased comple,ity of the product line) 6or e,ample, &hilips India 'td) &hilips! a leading consumer appliances company, launched a dealer training program in 2000 called E<ni3ue 8elling &rogram <8&! aimed at creating awareness about its products among the dealer sales personnel as well as to enhance their softselling s%ills) The training program consisted of the following elements G role play, presentations, hands5on5demos, and group wor%ing) The role plays enabled the participants to comprehend the features of the products thoroughly) The hands5on demos trained the participants on conducting product demonstrations to the customers) In the group wor%ing module, participants were allowed to team up with other members and conduct demos without the help of the trainers) Through this program, &hilips aspired to enhance the salespersons selling s%ills, communication s%ills, and sales closing techni3ues) The company conducted 40 such training programs co#ering 20 cities across India) The program was a success as it helped the company to impro#e its mar%et share in big stream audios and C15-C:s segment by ;0I and in the Bal%man mar%et by 20I) 8pea%ing about the success of the program, :a"ee# $arwal, &hilips India senior #ice5president consumer electronics!, said, .The company has benefited from this e,ercise as the <8&s ha#e helped in reinforcing the superiority and product differentiation of &hilips products in the dealer salesmans mind, resulting in increased confidence in the &hilips brand)/ (uoyed by the success of the program, &hilips decided to ma%e <8& a regular feature and conduct the program twice e#ery year) 1ealer training programs were also being increasingly adopted by 6MCK product companies) 8ensing the need for training its business partners, 2'', the leading 6MCK company in the country, launched an ambitious sales training initiati#e aimed at distributors salesforce called E&ro"ect 1ronacharya in 200?) <nder this program, 2'' planned to train nearly *0,000 retail stoc%ists salespeople spread across 70 cities in a phased manner) The training program co#ered #arious aspects of the sales process including merchandising, route planning, cross5selling, and upselling) The training ?

SUBJECT: Effective HR Training & Development

"ob was entrusted to leading training organi@ation >I8 8parta) The training program in#ol#ed *?C trainers called E1ronacharyas accompanying the retail sales stoc%ists men :88M! on the field and e,plaining what their shortcomings were and how they could impro#e their s%ills) Bithin eights months of the launch of the program, 2'' saw good results) The total lines sold per day T'81! and sales target impro#ed by *0I) 8ome distributors achie#ed sales abo#e :s *0 million) Another prominent e,ample in the 6MCK sector was the Ku"arat Cooperati#e Mil% Mar%eting 6ederation KCMM6! the brand owner of Amul!, Indias largest food products mar%eting organi@ation) KCMM6 also undertoo% a similar initiati#e called EAmul Aatra) <nder this program, the company trained all its ?,000 distributors and their sales force on #arious aspects such as the 6ederations philosophy and culture, procedures, and operational systems) The training program also aimed at impro#ing their selling s%ills) Commodity product manufacturers li%e Tata Chemicals too focused on training their business partners) In 2002, the company conducted a training program for its business associates aimed at strengthening the brand e3uity of Tata salt, the largest selling iodi@ed salt brand in India) Tata Chemicals initiated these training programs as a part to its strategy to de#elop a long5term relationship with mar%eting and distribution partners, to impro#e the synergy between the company and the channel members, as well as to le#erage on the resources effecti#ely and efficiently) 1uring the first phase of this initiati#e, the company conducted a fi#e5day training program called Eowner management program, wherein the channel members and distributors were pro#ided training in mar%eting and strategy s%ills) The ob"ecti#es of this program were to F +3uip participants with mar%eting concepts, techni3ues, and functional inputs) 2elp them comprehend organi@ational decisions and responses in the face of e#ol#ing mar%ets and consumers) 2elp identify opportunities and successfully manage an enterprise) +nhance #alue propositions in transitional mar%ets) Ma%e informed and progressi#e decisions based on the mar%eting mi,) In the ne,t phase, the company conducted an intensi#e sales training program for the sales force of Tata 8alt channel members and distributors) In this program, participants were trained to get a better focus of the mar%et with a suitable sales strategy) It also helped the participants in managing mar%ets for profits and growth) Questions *) Indian companies, which used to focus mainly on sales training programs for their own sales force, are now e,tending these initiati#es to their business partners) Bhat are the ma"or reasons behind the increasing prominence of such initiati#es among Indian companiesH Also throw light on the ad#antages and disad#antages of outsourcing the training acti#ities to third parties) (ehind e#ery successful dealer is a smiling and efficient dealer salesperson) +,plain the relati#e importance of dealers in the consumer durables industry o#er and abo#e those in the 6MCK industry) 2ow ha#e consumer durable players impro#ed the performance of their dealers through trainingH

2)

SUBJECT: Effective HR Training & Development

CASE $ Enhancing the Credi%ility o& the Training 'unction: In(ol(ing )ine Managers in Sales Training .:a%esh let me ma%e it clear to you that I cant allocate any more money for training) I can understand why you want to conduct a training program on coaching s%ills for the line managers, but I cant help you in this regard) >ot for another year at the #ery least) In fact, I may ha#e to curtail your training budget for ne,t year as we are going through a lean phase,/ said 8an"ay 8hah 8hah!, the C+L of 1irc2<, a direct sales company that dealt in a range of consumer appliances) 6rom his tone, it was clear that he would not entertain any further discussion on this topic) :a%esh 8harma 8harma! had been wor%ing as the training manager TM! in 1irc2< for the past three years) 1uring this period he had single5handedly ta%en care of all the training and de#elopment TD1! acti#ities of the company) Lf late, he felt that despite a contemporary training program, the sales force was unable to internali@e the training due to lac% of support from the line managers in the field) 8harma, who had ample e,perience in sales and sales force management before getting into the training function, understood the significance of the role of line managers in reinforcing the class room training) 2is repeated proposals to conduct a training program on coaching for the line managers had fallen on deaf ears) (ut 8harma %new that he could not let the situation drift any longer) The company had failed to achie#e its re#enue targets in the pre#ious year) This year too, it was struggling to reach 70 percent of the pro"ections) 8ince it was difficult to measure the return on in#estment :LI! of training, the training budget tended to get the chop during tough times) In such a situation, 8harma could e,pect some cuts in his budget for the ne,t year) Aet he %new that in tough times there was a greater need for TD1 inter#entions) 2e also %new that if things got e#en tougher, and the company decided to cut costs e#en more, the "ob of the TM would be one of the first to go) 8harma was almost certain that he would con#ince 8hah regarding the importance of this specific TD1 plan for the line managers) (ut no amount of persuasion could budge 8hah) 8harmas hope of in#ol#ing the line managers in ma%ing sales training more effecti#e seemed unli%ely, at least in the short term) >ow he had to find dome other way to ma%e the sales training more effecti#e) 2e also decided to loo% at ways to pro"ect the importance of training to the top management) (efore "oining as the TM in 1irc2<, 8harma had wor%ed in another direct sales company for ten years in #arious capacities G sales representati#e 8:!, area manager AM!, and then regional manager :M!) 1uring his tenure there, he had de#eloped an interest in TD1) Three years ago, when he saw the ad#ertisement for the post of training manager in 1irc2<, he immediately applied for the post) Though he did not ha#e any formal 3ualifications for the "ob, his ten years of e,perience in the sales function saw him through the inter#iew process) 8harma was in the habit of regularly updating himself on issues related to this "ob and his other interests) In addition to his e,perience of pro#iding on5the5"ob training L7T!, the inter#iew panel headed by 8hah was impressed by his understanding of different issues related to the training function) A lot had changed since then) 8harma had conducted about 00 training programs in three years) 2e had conducted basic sales training courses for new entrants as well as refresher courses for all sales people on an annual basis) 2is long stint in the industry helped him to design #ery contemporary and, at times, inno#ating training courses) 1uring implementation of the training programs, 8harma generally a#oided the o#er5used lecture method as much as he could) 2is training programs had lots of scope for interaction, e,perience5sharing, feedbac% and practice) 2e facilitated understanding of %ey issues through the use of real life stories and anecdotes) This made his sessions informati#e as well as interesting) Many of the trainees were attracted towards his personality due to his cheerful countenance 0

SUBJECT: Effective HR Training & Development

and as he was #ery approachable) 2e used a lot of role5plays to reinforce the learning points and s%ills, and assess the transfer of learningJs%ills) 2e also made it a point to #isit %ey customers with the 8:s whene#er there were no training programs) This helped him to understand important operational issues and be in sync with the changing re3uirements of the industry, and unco#er training needs) 8harma belie#ed that the training programs were 3uite contemporary and the 3uality was better than the industry a#erage) (ut despite this, 8harma was left with the feeling that the organi@ation was not getting the best results out of the training programs) 1uring his field #isits with some of the 8:s he had trained, 8harma obser#ed that the 8:s were not practicing what they were taught in the classroom) Lne of the 8:s who had done #ery well in the training program e,plained, .The training was #ery informati#e and I learnt a lot from the program) 2owe#er, real world situation re3uire us to adapt our %nowledge according to the situation) My boss told me that we ha#e to be more practical in our dealings with the customers)/ 8harma was aware that most line managers had this attitude) 2e %new how important line managers were for reinforcing initial training, but it was often these people who could also un%nowingly do a lot of harm) It was not uncommon for a line manager to comment, .CongratulationM Aou ha#e done e,ceptionally well in the training program) >ow, let me show you how things are done in the real world)/ Comments li%e this could pre#ent the trainees from obtaining the optimal benefits from the training program) 8harma made a mental note to discuss the issue with 8hah) .I get your point) 8uch things happen in e#ery organi@ation) (ut, you ha#e to find out the best way to sol#e your problem,/ said 8hah) 8harma had come prepared for the meeting) 6or the last si, months, he had been wor%ing on a pro"ect to prepare some training modules for the line managers) The course was on coaching s%ills for line managers) 8harma contended that though coaching was a #ital part of a line managers responsibility, many of them didnt actually %now how to do it) 2e argued that if a formal coaching system was put in place, the line managers could reinforce the classroom trainingN this would lead to the o#erall de#elopment of the sales force) After 8harmas presentation of the detailed training proposal, 8hah said, .I am impressed) (ut to tell you the truth, we wont be able to implement such a program for another one or two years) Be ha#e to really ramp up our presence in the mar%et and I cant afford to bring the managers out of the mar%et for a training program at this "uncture) Moreo#er, we are in the process of cutting costs to meet the profit budget, as we are struggling to meet the re#enue budget) Be ha#e to wait till things get better before we can do this)/ .(ut all our e,penditure on training is being wasted, without the support of the line manager) Bhat so you suggest we do about that in the mean timeH/ 8harma as%ed) 8hah retorted, .Bell, you are the training manager) Aou ha#e to ma%e the most of the resources you ha#e) 8pea% to the line managers, persuade them to see things your way)/ .1ont you thin% they should be the ones to approach me with their problemsH/ as%ed 8harma) 8hah replied, .If they are not doing so, you should gi#e them a reason to approach you) 7ust because you are a training manager does not mean that they will approach you) They ha#e to see that you are a useful resource for them) They ha#e to see results)/ 9

SUBJECT: Effective HR Training & Development

.Be are not getting the optimum results out of our training programs due to the non5in#ol#ement of the managers) Aou are saying they ha#e to see results before getting in#ol#edOits a chic%en5and5 egg storyOlet us initiate some thing from our sideOthis training program could be the first step,/ said 8harma) 8hah replied, .Aou can forget about this training program for the time beingOIf you as% me, the answer would be to conduct fewer training programs and focus more on ensuring that the programs are effecti#e in increasing the salesOand belie#e me, there will be fewer training programs now, as the training budget is going to be cut)/ 8harma was #ery disappointed) 2e said, .8ir, I understand we are going through a lean phase) (ut, dont you thin% there is a greater need for training in such a situationH/ .I will be happy to allocate you the money) 8how me some results) I should %now what is the :LI from training,/ said 8hah) 8harma could detect a hint of sarcasm in 8hahs words) (oth the men %new how hard it was to ascertain the :LI from training) The discussion went on for a few more minutes, but no amount of persuasion could change 8hahs position) 6rom the time he "oined 1irc2<, 8harma had dreamed of putting a training organi@ation in place about fi#e years, with a team of at least three more training managers) The meeting with 8hah had made him reali@e that the #ery credibility of the training function in the company was at sta%e now) Bith his "ob on the line, 8harma, personally, had e#en more at sta%e) 8harma now had to figure out how to get the line managers more in#ol#ed in sales training) 2e also had to wor% towards earning more credibility for the training function in the eyes of the #arious sta%eholders) 8harma understood that getting the in#ol#ement of the line managers was easier said than done) There wee many conflicts of interest) 2e recalled that the line managers had not been #ery responsi#e to the o#ertures made by him on earlier occasions) Many did not feel that training was helpful to them) 2e had e#en heard some line managers complaining about how man5days were lost due to training) They felt that their team members were better off in the field doing some wor% rather than attending a training program on a .#acation paid for by the company)/ 8ome managers e#en felt that a person who was not born with the s%ills to be a salesman could not be trained to become one) 'ine managers were also heard saying that on5the5"ob training L7T! was the best form of training a person can get) In fact, during the lunch brea% at an earlier training program, a newly appointed AM had told 8harma, .My ta%e on training is Epush them off the cliff, and they will learn how to fly) I feel that classroom training is a waste of time and moneyOon5the5"ob training is sufficient)/ 8harma wouldnt ha#e had any issue with such an attitude if the line managers were indeed concerned about training their team members) In his earlier company, he had trained many 8:s in the field as he percei#ed that the 3uality of formal classroom training was poor) (ut often, L7T was merely teaching the 8:s some thumb rules and shortcuts that did more harm than good in the long run) To ma%e his case that training was useful, 8harma began by collecting the pre5training and post5 training sales data of the 8:s) Although he had to follow up a number of times with some :Ms before 7

SUBJECT: Effective HR Training & Development

he recei#ed the data, once the data was tabulated and analy@ed, 8harma felt that the effort had been well worth it) Ln analy@ing the pre5training sales figures and comparing them with sales figures after three months and si, months of training, some patterns began to appear) 8harma found that in most cases indi#iduals or teams who had recei#ed training along with their first line managers were more li%ely to ha#e performed better than those indi#iduals or teams whose managers did not attend the training program) 2e also found that 8:s whose managers were more enthusiastic about training were doing better than 8:s whose managers were s%eptical) 2e also found that some of the teams who were doing e,ceptionally well had line managers who were true champions of training) They used to consult him regarding sales training5related 3uite regularly) They were also the ones who regularly pro#ided feedbac% and suggestions to him on how to ma%e the training program more effecti#e) The problem was that such managers were few and according to 8harma this was, in part, responsible for the poor sales performance of the company) Though this information was significant, 8harma %new that it would not be enough to con#ince 8hah) 2e had #ery little data to support the conclusion he had reached and 8hah would probably dismiss his findings as flawed) It was difficult to attribute the sales to training alone, as there are so many other factors that impacted sales) Moreo#er, he felt that it would be too early to go bac% to 8hah) 2e decided to do some further groundwor% before approaching the C+L) 2e decided to go with these findings to the national sales manager >8M!, 8an"ee# :ao :ao!, instead) :ao had been heading the sales function at 1irc2< e#er since the inception of the company fi#e years ago) Though he was not a big champion of training, :ao understood the importance of training) After going through the report, :ao said, .-ery interestingOManagers do ha#e a role in helping reinforce classroom training) 8o, how can I help youH/ .I wish we had greater in#ol#ement of the line managers in sales training,/ said 8harma) :ao said, .If the line managers feel that their ob"ecti#es are in alignment with your ob"ecti#es, they will definitely wor% with you) Bhy dont you tal% to them, and show them this reportH/ .I will do that right away) (ut I also e,pect you to spea% up for this initiati#e with your team,/ said 8harma) .Aou can count on me)/ It was si, months since 8harma had that interaction with :ao) In addition to setting up open lines of communication with the :Ms and AMs, 8harma, had also started in#ol#ing them in designing the training programs) Trainees came to programs with an assessment of their strengths, wea%nesses, etc), from the line managersN after training they went to the field with assessment of the training manager and indi#idual de#elopment plans to be followed up by line managers) That :ao championed the cause also helped attain this brea%through) >ow, more line managers ha#e started approaching 8harma with their problems or suggestions) .They the line managers! are so in#ol#ed because you ha#e in#ol#ed them in training process) Most of all, as they ha#e understood that your ob"ecti#es are no different from their ob"ecti#es and that ;

SUBJECT: Effective HR Training & Development

training helps them in achie#ing their ob"ecti#es) 8ome line managers ha#e witnessed a positi#e change in their sales figures that they attribute to training) The stature of training has grown in the eyes of the line managers,/ said :ao) .Than%s to you) 1o you thin% we can ta%e this partnership to the ne,t le#el with a formal training program on coaching s%ills for the line managersH/ as%ed 8harma) .8uits me,/ :ao replied) 1uring the period, 8harma had also accumulated data to pro"ect the direct such as new s%ills learnt!, indirect such as before and after analyses of impro#ement in closing sales calls! and long5term benefits of training such as impro#ed customer relationship!) 2e felt that this data would be helpful in lin%ing training to the bottomline results) 2e had also started networ%ing with other TD1 professionals in the industry) Insights gained from such networ%ing helped him forge better partnerships with the sales force as well as e,plore ways to pro"ect the benefits of training to the top management) Bith more line managers approaching him with their problems, it had become necessary for him to continuously upgrade his %nowledge) 8harma belie#ed that after another three months he would be in a position to put forward a strong case for a training program for managers in front of 8hah) Questions *) 1iscuss the importance of line managers in reinforcing initial classroom training) Bhat are the issues and challenges faced by training managers in partnering with the line managersH 2ow can these be o#ercomeH In your opinion, how did 8harma succeed in forging a partnership with the line managersH Training is #iewed as a cost) Although e,perts opine that training is needed the most when a company is going through tough times, it is in such situations that training budgets are most li%ely to be slashed) Bhat are the problems in ascertaining the :LI of trainingH 2ow can training lin% training to bottom5line resultsH

2)

SECTI*" II: Sol(e any + ,uestionsC

SUBJECT: Effective HR Training & Development

1- I& you #ere going to use online technology to identi&y training needs &or customer ser(ice representati(es &or a #e%.%ased clothing company/ #hat steps #ould you ta0e to ensure that the technology #as not threatening to employees1 2- 2hat could %e done to increase the li0elihood o& trans&er o& training i& the #or0 en(ironment conditions are un&a(ora%le and cannot %e changed1 $- 2hy #ould a company use a com%ination o& &ace.to.&ace instruction and 2e%.%ased training1 +- 2hat does 3managing di(ersity4 mean to you1 Assume you are in charge o& de(eloping a di(ersity training program- 2ho #ould %e in(ol(ed1 2hat #ould you include as the content o& the program1 5- 2hy should companies %e interested in helping employees plan their careers1 2hat %ene&its can companies gain1 2hat are the ris0s1 6iscuss ho# ne# technologies are li0ely to impact training in the &uture

*0