MODULE 7.1 Foundations of Training and Learning Jackie slid into the driver's seat and checked the map one more time before backing out of the garage.It was Monday,and for the duration of the week she would be commuting not to her office but to an off-site center where she and other new managers from various departments and locations in her company would receive training to develop their supervi- sory skills.As she drove,Jackie realized that she was more nervous than she had anticipated. She didn't know what to expect from the training program,in terms of either what would be required of her or what she would be learning.She also wondered how her fellow engi- neers,who had become her subordinates when she was promoted,would react when she returned to work.Would they be on the lookout for her to "act like a manager"instead of like a colleague?She wasn't even sure how supportive her own boss was of this training program or of any changes in her supervisory style that might result from it.As we will describe in this chapter,Jackie's apprehension about the purpose and effects of the training program is legitimate.I-O psychologists have done a great deal of research on training rel. evant to Jackie's concerns and questions.Research on training has also provided guidelines for training practitioners about the best ways to identify training needs,design and imple- ment training programs,and evaluate the effectiveness of training. Training is big business,particularly in the United States,Japan,and western Europe. A survey by researchers at the American Society for Training and Development(2010) indicated that training expenditures as a percentage of payroll averaged about 3 percent in European companies,2 percent in U.S.organizations,and I percent in Japanese companies. Organizations in the United States spend approximately $162 billion annually on training and development(American Society for Training and Development,2013).Evidence indi. cates that training is effective and that these training expenditures are paying off in terms of higher net sales and gross profitability per employee(Arthur,Bennett,Edens,Bell,2003). Training can be beneficial for the organization and for employees in terms of increasing their value to their organization as well as their employability in the broader marketplace. Many organizations are using training and development as a way to attract and retain their most successful employees.In addition,web-based and computer-based training are increasingly being used to expand employees'access to training (Welsh.Wanberg.Brown, Simmering,2003). Given how expensive and important training is,it is important for I-O psychologists to use a systematic approach to training that includes an assessment of training needs,incor- poration of principles of learning,consideration of transfer of the training,and evaluation of training programs.In this chapter,we will discuss this systematic approach,which has resulted in great strides in our understanding of training and development. In an assessment of training research over the preceding decade,Salas and Cannon- Bowers (2001)expressed optimism about the fact that there are more theories,models. empirical studies,and meta-analyses on training than ever before.They concluded that Scanned by CamScannerScanned by CamScanner