Learning and Performance: A Systemic Model for Analysing Needs and Evaluating Training

✍ Scribed by Bryan Hopkins

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 2016
• Tongue: English
• Leaves: 258
• Edition: 1
• Category: Library

✦ Synopsis

Changing work roles, greater emphasis on individual autonomy, the growing importance of relationships, the complexity of many businesses; all these things call into question the prevailing approach to training needs analysis and evaluation, which still tends to be based on a simple gap analysis between job requirements and an employee's knowledge and skills.

Bryan Hopkins's Learning and Performance takes a systemic approach to workplace performance, training needs and the basis on which we can analyse them and evaluate the subsequent training.

The author's approach offers a model for HR and training departments that is relevant and sufficiently sophisticated for today's workplaces. As with all his books, Bryan Hopkins combines a complete understanding of learning and organisational theory with pragmatic examples, ensuring a book that will be read and applied in equal measure.

✦ Table of Contents

Cover
Title
Copyright
Dedication
Contents
List of figures
List of tables
Cover illustration
Preface
Acknowledgements
List of abbreviations
1 What is this book about?
Why is the approach within this book different?
How can a systems approach lead to better training?
How is this book organised?
Notes
2 What is systems thinking?
Systems thinking – just what we do
Cartesian thinking in management
The trap of Cartesian thinking
Modern ideas of systems thinking
What is a ‘system’?
The key characteristics of a system
Summary
Notes
3 Analysing training needs
What is a training needs analysis?
Why do a needs analysis?
Challenges to the needs analysis process
Levels of analysis
Processes for carrying out a needs analysis
Summary
Notes
4 Evaluating training
Why evaluate?
How often is training evaluation done?
What are the barriers to evaluating training?
The Kirkpatrick framework
The return-on-investment model
The organisational elements model
The Success Case Method
Summary
Notes
5 Key concepts in systems thinking
Do systems exist?
Classifying systems approaches
Open and closed systems
Feedback
Emergence
Causality
Linearity and non-linearity
Appreciation and the dynamics of time
Requisite variety
Single- and double-loop learning
Complexity theory
Wicked problems
Summary
Notes
6 Tools to help systems thinking
Diagramming
System Dynamics
The Viable System Model
Social Network Analysis
Soft Systems Methodology
Critical Systems Heuristics
Summary
Notes
7 How do people learn?
Ideas about learning
Formal and informal learning
How can formal learning be delivered?
Limitations of formal learning programmes
How does informal learning happen?
The limitations of informal learning
Integrating formal and informal learning
Summary
Notes
8 Systemic approaches to analysing training needs
How a systemic needs analysis works
Case study 1: Weknow Consulting
Case study 2: the Advanced Technology Procurement Agency
Summary
Notes
9 Specifying learning activities
Improving the likelihood of learning transfer
Auditing the learning transfer system
Encouraging informal learning
Integrating formal and informal learning
Summary
Notes
10 Systemic approaches for evaluating training
Why use systemic approaches to evaluate training?
A systemic model for training evaluation
Establishing a learning evaluation policy
Carrying out formative evaluations
Carrying out summative evaluations
An evaluation case study: what happened at ATPA?
Summary
Notes
11 Bringing it all together
Index