University Reg. No: M-253 A GRAND PROJECT ON DESIGNING OF TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT MODEL: THE HRD APPROACH [In partial fulfillment of the requirement of Master of Business Administration (MBA) Programme (2005-07) of Gujarat University, Ahmedabad] Submitted to: Ms. Kajal Sharma Core Faculty MBA Programme NICM, Gandhinagar Submitted by: Tarun V. Patel
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University Reg. No: M-253
AGRAND PROJECT ON
DESIGNING OF TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT MODEL: THE HRD APPROACH
[In partial fulfillment of the requirement of Master of Business Administration (MBA) Programme (2005-07) of Gujarat
University, Ahmedabad]
Submitted to:Ms. Kajal Sharma
Core Faculty MBA ProgrammeNICM, Gandhinagar
Submitted by:Tarun V. Patel(Roll no. 37)
National Institute of Cooperative Management(Post Graduate Centre of Gujarat University)
Gandhinagar
1
Article I. PREFACE
A major purpose of training and development is to remove performance
deficiencies, whether current or anticipated, that are result of employee’s inability
to perform at the desired level, there by enabling employees to be much more
productive. Training for performance improvements is particularly important to
organization with segment or declining rates of productivity. It is too important to
organizations that are rapidly incorporating new technologies to consequently
increasing like hood of employee obsolescence. Training and Development can
also increase the level of commitment of employees to organization and increase
their perceptions that the organization is a good place to work. Increased
commitment can result in less turnover and absenteeism thus increasing
organizations productivity.
Training and development is the segment of human resource development. It
recognizes an organization’s manpower as a virtual resource contributing to
fulfillment of its goal and objectives. It involves the planning and implementation
of variety of activities and functions for optimum utilization of human resources
for the benefit of the individual to the organization.
Different resources manage industries, but mere existence of this resource is not
sufficient condition for the production and growth. They need human resource to
make them productive.
In the age of intensive competitive environment success depends on a little more
than achieving the laid down objectives of the organization. It is often this little
more in terms of intangibles, which qualify it to termed excellence.
2
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
I am pleased to acknowledge the guidance given by Ms. Kajal Sharma (Core faculty,
MBA NICM). It is support and guidance that I have been able to successfully finish my
project on time.
I feel great pleasure in expressing my gratitude to Dr. S.O.Junare our honorable
director, NICM for providing me a platform to present my research study.
I am grateful to Mr. Arjun B. Patel, honorable director of Shree Mahuva Pradesh
Sahakari Khand Udyog Mandli Ltd. for giving me an opportunity to work in such an
estimated organization and helping me whenever it was necessary. I also thankful to
Mr.Jitendrakumar Dhimar(Labor Welfare officer) And Mr.Vinodbhai Patel (Head of
Department - Time Office) who had guided me by providing knowledgeable and
useful information to Designing of Training and Development Model.
I would also like to thank to all the sugar staff for their accommodating nature and their
exposure and invaluable guidance thought my project. And with whom I discussed all
the various issues related to the project. They made numerous valuable suggestions and
correction which greatly improved quality of my work. In spite being busy with routine
work they spent quality time with me and never hesitated to cooperate and help me out
with my problem as and when required.
Last but not the list I would like to thank all these people who have directly or
indirectly helped me in the preparation of my project.
related how to provide the training and to which employees trainings should be
provided. The project “Designing of Training and Development Model: The HRD
Approach” provides the solution for the problem of the organization.
This project study is includes Assessment of training needs, Design, Implementation
and Evaluation off the program.
Assessments of training needs done through the training needs assessment form fill up
by head of departments and discussion with the identified employees for the training.
After that data had been prepared by Behavioral Training category wise and Functional
Training wise.
Design part contains objectives of the program, Develop lesson plan, Acquiring of
material, selection of the trainer and the schedule of the program. In design part first of
all objectives of the training programs are defined. Lesson plan guides the trainer about
the training, and which topics should be covered and time duration for that and the list
of activities listed in to the lesson plan
In Implementation part the delivery of the training programs takes place. Program
implementation will be done according to the schedule.
An Evaluation part the delivered program has been evaluated according to the selected
and designed criteria.
4
Certificate 1
Preface 2
Acknowledgement 3
Executive Summary 4
CONTENTS
Sr. No Particulars Page No
1. PROJECT ABSTRACT 71.1. Project Definition 71.2. Objective of the Project 71.3. Limitation of the Project 71.4. Target Audience 8
2. COMPANY PROFILE2.1. History of the Company 92.2. Area of Operation 102.3. Members and Membership Capital 112.4. Staff Welfare 132.5 Organization Structure 14
3. TRAINING AND HRD PROCESS MODEL 15
4. ASSESSMENT 164.1. Assess Needs 174.2. Training Needs Analysis Form 194.3. Analyzed Data 23
4.3.1 Behavioral Training Data 264.3.2 Functional Training Data 35
5. DESIGN 395.1. Define Objectives 405.2. Develop a Lesson Plan 405.3. Program Announcement 425.4. Program Outline 425.5. Acquire a Material 43
5.5.1 Highlights on acquired material 435.6 Select a Trainer 65
5.6.1 Analyzed Data from Trainer selection 675.7 Schedule the Program 70
5.7.1 Highlights on Scheduled Program 70
5
Sr. No Particulars Page No
6. IMPLEMENTATION 746.1. Deliver the HRD Program 756.2. Available methods and Techniques 75
6.2.1 On-the-job Training Methods 766.2.2 Classroom Training Approaches 78
7. EVELUATION 827.1. Purpose of HRD Evaluation 837.2. Available Models for HRD Evaluation 847.3. Evaluation Design 87
7.3.1 Lecture Rating Form 887.3.2 Program Evaluation Form 89
8. CONCLUSION 90
9. BIBILOGRAPHY 91
6
Project Abstract
Project Definition
Designing of Training and Development Model: The HRD Approach
Objectives of the Project
To develop an organizational personality among the supporting staff,
supervisory staff, office staff.
To sensitize them the importance of their work in organizational
efficiency
To make them aware the recent changes and new responsibilities of
Development, Stress Management, Team Building, Time Management, Work ethics
and Culture. I had categorised those training under Behavioral Training. And another
trainings which are recommended by the management of the organisation those
trainings are Basic awareness for computer, Effective negotiation skill, First Aid
training, Resource Management, Safety for site – staff, Six-Sigma awareness, I had
categorised these trainings under Functional Training. After identifying the trainings I
have approved these trainings from labour welfare officer and HOD of general
department by discussion with them.
I have observed that in the organisation there is not so good communication happened
during the work. And employees lacking in this skill so, training on communication and
presentation skill is required for the identified employees. By which an employees
could be able to present them self in well manner and they would improve in
communication skill. This will help in work
22
In some department there are of work stress for these departments the training session
on stress management is required. It will give some guidelines and some techniques to
reduce the stress level. To improve managerial skills the training on effective
managerial skill is required. By this training target audience – supervisors would make
their work effective. Training on leadership would help to improve leadership skills to
the identified employees. By this training potential leaders created for the future.
Training on Personality development would help to develop overall personality to the
employees. Training on Time management is also one of the required training for the
employees of this organisation because this is observed that they are not managing their
time properly and so they are not able to complete assigned work on time. So, this
training will help employees for proper time management. In some department this is
observed that team building is required for better performance. With team work the
performance would be improve. So, training on team building would be given to the
identified employees. Training on work ethics and culture has been recommended by
the management so training on this topic would be given to the employees who are
identified.
Functional trainings would be directly help to the employees during their work. In the
organisation the manual work has been computerized step-by-step. So, as a part of the
function the training on basic awareness for computer is required. Effective negotiation
skill is required because of the nature of work to the employees. In case of accident or
injury during the work the training on first aid is essential for the primary treatment.
Training on resource management is required to manage available resource
management on effective way. How to use the available resource in effective way and
how to obtain best result from that available resource has taught to the employees.
Training on six sigma has been recommended by the management of the organisation.
Safety for site staff is required because in engineering department and power house
safety for site staff is more important one. So, the training on safety for site staff would
be provided to the identified employees from those particular departments.
23
Analyzed Data
Number of Employees requires training are as follow. The Behavioral Training
requirement of Shree Mahuwa Pradesh Sahakari khand udyog mandli Ltd shown in
following chart training category wise.
62
10 12
4644 43
32
1715
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
No. of Trainees Identified
Com
mun
icat
ion
and
Pre
sent
atio
n S
kills
Effe
ctiv
e m
anag
eria
lS
kills
Em
otio
nal I
ntel
ligen
ce
Lead
ersh
ip S
kills
Per
sona
lity
Dev
elop
men
t
Stre
ss M
anag
emen
t
Team
Bui
ldin
g
Tim
e M
anag
emen
t
Wor
k et
hics
and
Cul
ture
Training Categories
No. of Employees required Behavioral Training
This chart shows the number of employees in Behavioral Training (category
wise). In communication and presentation skill 62 employees, in effective
managerial skill 10 employees, in emotional intelligence 12 employees, in
leadership skill 46 employees, in personality development 44 employees, in
stress management 43 employees, in team building 32 employees, in time
management 17 employees and in work ethics and culture 15 employees are
identified for the training.
24
1415
27
0
30
0
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
No of Trainees Identified
Basic Awarenessof Computers
EffectiveNegotiation Skills
First Aid Training ResourceManagement
Safety for sitestaff
Six SigmaAwareness
Training Categories
No. of Employees required Functional Training
Above chart shows the number of employees those required Functional
training (category wise). In basic awareness of computers 14 employees, in
effective negotiation skills 15 employees, in first aid training 27 employees,
in resource management 0, in safety for site staff 30 employees, and for six
sigma awareness 0 employees identified for the training.
25
After needs assessment it is decided that in which training how many
employees will take part. The numbers of employees from the particular
departments are identified for the trainings sessions. For each training
category, from the total employees of the departments how many
employees required particular training is shown by the Charts.
In behavioral training categories how many employees from the
particular department requires training and how many employees stay
without training is shown by the following charts.
26
Behavioral Training Category wise Analyzed Data
1. Communication and Presentation Skill
54
93
16
24
2
16
40
05
101520253035404550556065707580859095
100105110
No.
of E
mpl
oyee
s
Securtiy Engineering Power House Agriculture
Department Name
No. of employee requires No Training No. of employee requires Training
In Communication and presentation skills from security
department 4 employees, from engineering department 16
employees, from Power House 2 employees and from
Agriculture department 48 employees are identified for the
training.
Through this training security department will able to do good
communication in front of visitors as well as staff. And in
engineering and agriculture department there is observed that
there communication and presentation skills are not so good by
providing this training they will get improvement. And
employees from the power house also make improvement on
their routine work
27
Figure : Employees reqire Communication & Presentation training
6%
26%
3%65%
Securtiy
Engineering
Power House
Agriculture
28
For the Communication and presentation training, total 62 employees have
been selected from 4 departments as shown in the figure.
Among 14 employees, more employees are selected for the training from
the Agriculture Department i.e. 66%. Fewer employees who require
Communication and presentation training are from the Power House i.e.
3%.
2. Effective Managerial Skills
4
2
48
8
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
45
50
55
60
No
. of
Em
plo
yees
Time Office Agriculture
Department Name
No. of Employees requires No Training No. of Employees Requires Training
In Effective Managerial skills employees from the Agriculture
department 8 and Time Office 2 employees are identified for the
training.
Through this training employees from the time office are able to
do their work by an effective management. In time office the
routine work requires effective management. So, by this training
will help more to employee of tome office.
29
Figure : Employees Require Training for Effective Managerial Skill
20%
80%
Time Office
Agriculture
30
For the training of Effective Managerial Skill, total 10 employees have been
selected from the 2 departments as shown in the figure.
Among 10 employees, more employees are from the Agriculture Department
i.e. 80%. Other employees who require training for Effective Managerial Skill
are from Time Office Department i.e. 20%.ach.
3. Emotional Intelligence skills
25
347
9
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
45
50
55
60
No
. of
Em
plo
yees
General Agriculture
Department Name
No. of Employees requires No Training No. of Employees Requires Training
In emotional intelligence training the employees from the general
department 3 employees and agriculture department 9 employees are
identified.
By providing this training to the employees from the general and
agriculture department they can able to manage their emotions
intelligently. From that the organisation can get an advantage.
31
Figure : Employees Require Emotional Intelligence Training
25%
75%
General
Agriculture
32
For the Emotional Intelligence Training, total 12 employees have been selected
from 2 departments as shown in the figure.
Among 12 employees, more employees are from the Agriculture Department i.e.
75%. Other employees who require this training are from General Department i.e.
25%.
4. Leadership skills
5
1
9
4 25
1
45
11
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
45
50
55
60
No. o
f Em
ploy
ees
Time Office Civil Power House Agriculture
Department Name
No. of Employees requires No Training No. of Employees Requires Training
In Leadership training from time office 1 employee, from civil
department 1 employee, from power house 1 employee, from agriculture
department 11 employees are identified.
By providing this training to the employees from these departments, the
leadership skills could be developed. And with leadership skill the
department could get potential leader.
33
Figure: Employees Require Leadership Training
4%
13%
2%2%
79%
Security
Engineering
Civil
Power House
Agriculture
34
In the Leadership training total 46 employees have been selected from 5
departments.
As shown in figure, Among 46 employees, more employees are from the
Agriculture Department i.e. 79%. Fewer employees who require this
training are from the Power House and Civil Departments i.e. 23% each.
5. Personality Development
25
3
8
1
103
6
22
34
05
101520253035404550556065707580859095
100105110
No
. of
Em
plo
yees
General Security Engineering Agriculture
Department Name
No. of Employees requires No Training No. of Employees Requires Training
For the training of personality development from general department 3
employees, from security 1 employee, from engineering department 6
employees and from agriculture department 34 employees are identified.
Through this training employees are developed in their personality. By
this an organisation can get an improvement on staff. Overall
development in to the personality of employee’s should be done through
this training.
35
Figure : Employees Require Personality Development Training
7%2%
14%
77%
General
Security
Engineering
Agriculture
36
For the Personality Development training total 44 employees have been
selected from 4 departments.
As shown in figure, Among 44 employees, more employees are from the
Agriculture Department i.e. 77%. Fewer employees who require this
training are from the Security Department i.e. 2%.
6. Stress Management
26
2
81
91
18
24
2
24
1
37
19
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
No
. of
Em
plo
yees
General Security Engineering PowerHouse
WorkshopAgriculture
Department Name
No. of Employees requires No Training No. of Employees Requires Training
In Stress Management from general department 2 employees, from
security department 1 employee, from engineering department 18
employees, from power house 2 employees, and from workshop 1
employee, and from agriculture department 19 employees are identified
for the training.
Through this training the identified employees will be able to manage
their stress. By managing their stress that employee’s productivity could
be increased. And an organisation can get productive work from those
employees.
37
Figure:Employees Require Stress Management Training
5% 2%
42%
5%2%
44%
General
Security
Engineering
Power House
Workshop
Agriculture
38
For the Stress Management training total 43 employees have been
selected from 6 departments.
As shown in figure, Among 43 employees, more employees are from
the Agriculture Department i.e. 44% following Engineering
Department having 42%. Fewer employees who require this training
are from the Workshop and Security Departments i.e. 2% each.
7. Team Building
93
16
40
16
05
101520253035404550556065707580859095
100105110
No
. of
Em
plo
yees
Engineering Agriculture
Department Name
No. of Employees requires No Training No. of Employees Requires Training
For the training of team building from engineering department 16
employees and from agriculture department 16 employees are identified.
In engineering department this training is required because in these
departments some tasks should be performed in team. So, by this
training those employees could understand that which the benefits are
getting from the team work and that all. So, this training will help to the
employees as well as both of the departments.
39
Figure : Employees Require Training in Team building
50% 50%
Engineering
Agriculture
40
For the Team Building training total 32 employees have been selected from 2
departments.
As shown in figure, Among 32 employees, 16 employees from Agriculture
Department and 16 from Engineering Department requires this training.
8. Time Management
5
1
9
4 25
1
45
11
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
45
50
55
60
No
. of
Em
plo
yees
Time Office Civil Power House Agriculture
Department Name
No. of Employees requires No Training No. of Employees Requires Training
For the training of time management from time office 1, civil 4,
powerhouse 1, agriculture department11 employees are identified.
By this training employees could be aware from the advantages which
can get from the managing the time. Keys to managing time and other
things. By this the employees could be able to finish their allotted work
on or before time with quality.
41
Figure : Employees Require Time Management Training
6%
24%
6%64%
Time Office
Civil
Power House
Agriculture
42
For the Time Management training total 17 employees have been selected
from 4 departments.
As shown in figure, Among 17 employees, more employees have been
selected from the Agriculture Department i.e. 64%. Fewer employees for
this training are from Power House and Time Office i.e. 6% each.
Figure : Employees Require Training in Work ethics and culture
29%
21%
36%
14%
Engineering
Civil
Work Shop
Transport
9. Work Ethics and Culture
105
4
10
3
20
5
9
2
05
101520253035404550556065707580859095
100105110
No
. of
emp
loye
es
Engineering Civil Work Shop Transport
Department Name
No. of Employees requires No Training No. of Employees Requires Training
For the training of work ethics and culture the no. of employees are
identified from engineering 4, civil 3, work shop 5, and transport
department 5.
Through this training the employees can get awareness on work ethics
and culture.
43
For the training for Work Ethics and
Culture, total 14 employees have
been selected from 4 departments.
As shown in figure, Among 14
employees, more employees have
been selected from the Work Shop
i.e. 36%. Fewer employees for this
training are from Transport
Department i.e. 14 %.
Functional Training category wise Data
In Functional Training categories how many employees from the
particular department requires training and how many employees stay
without training is shown by the following charts.
1. Basic Awareness of Computers
25
3
42
104
5
53
3
12
1
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
110
No
. o
f E
mp
loye
es
Gen
era
l
Tim
e O
ffic
e
En
gin
ee
rin
g
Ag
ricu
ltu
re
Civ
il
Department Name
No. of Employees requires No Training No. of Employees Requires Training
For the training basic awareness of computers the no of employees are
identified from general department 3, engineering department 5, time
office 2, agriculture department 3, and civil department 1. As shown in
figure above.
The training basic awareness of computer is required to the employees
because of the requirement of their job profile. By these training
employees from the general, engineering, civil, agriculture and time
office could be aware from the basic awareness of computer.
44
Figure : Employees Require Training about Basic Awareness of Computer
21%
14%
37%
21%
7%
General
Time Office
Engineering
Agriculture
Civil
45
For the basic computer awareness training, total 14 employees have been
selected for the training from 5 departments.
As shown in Figure, Among 14 employees, more employees are selected
from the Engineering Department i.e. 37%. Fewer employees who require
Computer awareness training are from the Civil Department i.e. 7%.
2. Effective Negotiation Skill
47
9
42 27
1
12
1
107
2
05
101520253035404550556065707580859095
100105110
No
. of
Em
plo
yees
Ag
ricu
ltu
re
Tim
e O
ffic
e
Gen
eral
Civ
il
En
gin
eeri
ng
Department Name
No. of Employees requires No Training No. of Employees Requires Training
In effective negotiation skills the no of employees are identified from
agriculture department 9, general department 2, civil department 1,
engineering department 2 and time office 2 as shown in above figure.
Reason behind providing this training to the employees is requirement
of the job. This training will help employees to improve their
negotiation skills which require performing their job functions.
46
Figure : Employees Require Effective Negotiation Training
60%
13%
7%
7%
13%
Agriculture
Time Office
General
Civil
Engineering
47
For the Effective Negotiation training, total 15 employees have been selected
from the 5 departments as shown in the figure.
Among 15 employees, more employees are from the Agriculture Department i.e.
60%. Less employees who require Effective Negotiation training are from the
Civil and General Departments – 7% each.
3. First Aid Training
51
5
5
123
5
12
1
73
2
923
3
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
45
50
55
60
No
. o
f E
mp
loyees
Ag
ricu
ltu
re
Tim
e O
ffic
e
Gen
era
l
Civ
il
San
itati
on
Tra
nsp
ort
Po
wer
Ho
use
Department Name
No. of Employees requires No Training No. of Employees Requires Training
In first aid training no of employees are identified from the agriculture
department 5, time office 1, general department 5, civil department 1,
sanitation department 3, transport department 9 and power house 3.
As a part of the safety this training required to provide employees who
critically needed. By this training employees are able to do primary
treatment in case of injury or accident. In sanitation department, power
house, transport department, agriculture department, civil department
there are chances for accident are there so first aid training is required
for these departments.
48
Figure : Employees Require First Aid Training
19%
4%
19%
4%11%
32%
11%
Agriculture
Time Office
General
Civil
Sanitation
Transport
Power House
49
For the First Aid training, total 27 employees have been selected from 7
departments as shown in the figure.
Among 27 employees, more employees are from the Transport
Department i.e. 32%. Fewer employees who require First Aid training are
from Civil Department i.e. 4%.
4. Safety for site Staff.
99
10
23
3
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
No
. o
f E
mp
loyees
Engineering Power House
Department Name
No. of Employees requires No Training No. of Employees Requires Training
For the Site for safety training the no of employees are identified from
the engineering department 10 and power house 3. As shown in figure
above.
For the safety of the employees as well as workers this training required
for the engineering department as well as power house. Because in
engineering department and power house safety is require while
performing the job functions.
50
51
Figure : Employees Require Training in Site for Safety
77%
23%
Engineering
Power House
For the Site for Safety training, total 13 employees have been selected
from 2 departments.
As shown in figure, Among 13 employees, more employees are from the
Engineering Department i.e. 77%. Other employees who require Site for
Safety training are from the Power House i.e. 23%.
DESIGN
52
Objectives
To develop an organizational personality among the supporting staff,
supervisory staff, office staff.
To sensitize them the importance of their work in organizational efficiency
To make them aware the recent changes and new responsibilities of supporting
staff, supervisory staff, office staff.
Injecting self-motivation good manners, etiquette.
Positive attitude to develop harmony at work place and in family.
Develop good habits like honesty, integrity, commitment, team, and feeling
among them.
Develop a lesson plan
A lesson plan is a trainer’s guide for the actual delivery of the training content. Creating
a lesson plan requires the trainer to determine what is to be covered and how much time
to devote to each part of the session.
Lesson plan specify:
Content to be covered.
Sequencing of activities.
Selection of training media.
Timing of each activity.
Instructor activity.
Trainer activity
53
General Format of the lesson plan used in “Shree Mahuwa Pradedh Sahkari Khand
Udhyog Mandli Limited” is as follow.
Program Title :
Trainer :
Objectives of the Lesson Plan :
Trainees :
Methods of Training used:
Topics Duration Instructor’s
Activity
Trainee
Activity
Above form will provide actual delivery of the program content to the in-house trainer.
Program title is the title of the intervention which trainer has to teach. By the objectives
of the program trainer could prepare accordingly and deliver the program according to
that objectives. The numbers of trainees are indicated by the number so that the trainer
can prepare him / her self for the activities. Above form also contains the topics which
are going to be covered in to the program and duration for that topics, activities for the
instructor and activities for the trainees.
54
Program Announcement:
Used to inform the target audience about the training program. Announcement should
be indicating the purpose of program, when and where it held, sufficient lead time
should be given to the employees. So, they can adjust their schedule.
When training dates will be decided by the top management of the company, the
program announcement will be takes place.
Program Outlines:
Program outlines are the documents that communicate the content goals and
expectations for the program typically provided at the beginning of the program. These
include such things as course objectives, topics to be covered, materials and tools
needed and tentative schedule of the events.
Program outlines can also be to establish expectations, including punctuality,
attendance, work habits, class participation; such expectations should be clearly
explained.
For example: If the training content is sequenced, it will important for all trainees to be
present at all sessions.
55
Develop Acquire Material
Provide the trainings to the employees who critically needed trainings are identified
and for those trainings materials need to be develop / acquire.
Acquired Materials highlights are as follow.
Highlight of acquired material on Communication and presentation skills
Importance of communication skills
The purpose of communication is to get your message across to others clearly
and unambiguously.
Doing this involves effort from both the sender of the message and the receiver.
And it's a process that can be fraught with error, with messages often
misinterpreted by the recipient. When this isn't detected, it can cause
tremendous confusion, wasted effort and missed opportunity. In fact,
communication is only successful when both the sender and the receiver
understand the same information as a result of the communication
By successfully getting your message across, you convey your thoughts and
ideas effectively. When not successful, the thoughts and ideas that you send do
not necessarily reflect your own, causing a communications breakdown and
creating roadblocks that stand in the way of your goals – both personally and
professionally.
In a recent survey of recruiters from companies with more than 50,000
employees, communication skills were cited as the single more important
decisive factor in choosing managers. The survey, conducted by the University
of Pittsburgh’s Katz Business School, points out that communication skills,
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including written and oral presentations, as well as an ability to work with
others, are the main factor contributing to job success.
In spite of the increasing importance placed on communication skills, many
individuals continue to struggle, unable to communicate their thoughts and ideas
effectively – whether in verbal or written format. This inability makes it nearly
impossible for them to compete effectively in the workplace, and stands in the
way of career progression.
Getting your message across is paramount to progressing. To do this, you must
understand what your message is, what audience you are sending it to, and how
it will be perceived. You must also weigh-in the circumstances surrounding your
communications, such as situational and cultural context.
The Importance of Removing Barriers from Communications
Problems with communication can pop-up at every stage of the communication
process (which consists of sender, message, channel, receiver, feedback and
context - see the diagram below) and have the potential to create
misunderstanding and confusion.
(Fig: Communication Process)57
To be an effective communicator and to get your point across without
misunderstanding and confusion, your goal should be to lessen the frequency of
these problems at each stage of this process with clear, concise, accurate, well-
planned communications. We follow the process through below:
Sender...
To establish yourself as an effective communicator, you must first establish
credibility. In the business arena, this involves displaying knowledge of the
subject, the audience and the context in which the message is delivered.
You must also know your audience (individuals or groups to which you are
delivering your message). Failure to understand who you are communicating
with will result in delivering messages that are misunderstood.
Message...
Next, consider the message itself. Written, oral and nonverbal communications
are affected by the sender’s tone, method of organization, validity of the
argument, what is communicated and what is left out, as well as by the
individual style of communicating. Messages also have intellectual and
emotional components, with intellect allowing us the ability to reason and
emotion allowing us to present motivational appeals, ultimately changing minds
and actions.
Channel...
Messages are conveyed through channels, with verbal including face-to-face
meetings, telephone and videoconferencing; and written including letters,
emails, memos and reports.
Different channels have different strengths and weaknesses. For example, it's
not particularly effective to give a long list of directions verbally, while you'll
quickly cause problems if you criticize someone strongly by email.
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Receiver...
Your message is delivered to individual members of your audience. No doubt,
you have in mind the actions or reactions you hope your message will get from
this audience. Keep in mind, though, that each of these individuals enters into
the communication process with ideas and feelings that will undoubtedly
influence their understanding of your message, and their response. To be a
successful communicator, you should consider these before delivering your
message, and act appropriately.
Feedback...
Your audience will provide you with feedback, verbal and nonverbal reactions
to your communicated message. Pay close attention to this feedback as it is
crucial to ensuring the audience understood your message.
Context...
The situation in which your message is delivered is the context. This may
include the surrounding environment or broader culture (i.e. corporate culture,
international cultures, etc.).
Removing Barriers At All These Stages
To deliver your messages effectively, you must commit to breaking down the
barriers that exist in each of these stages of the communication process.
Let’s begin with the message itself. If your message is too lengthy,
disorganized, or contains errors, you can expect the message to be
misunderstood and misinterpreted. Use of poor verbal and body language can
also confuse the message.
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Barriers in context tend to stem from senders offering too much information too
fast. When in doubt here, less is oftentimes more. It is best to be mindful of the
demands on other people’s time, especially in today’s ultra-busy society.
Communication in Your Organization
To ensure successful communications within your organization, it is best to start
with the very basics: your knowledge of verbal and non-verbal communications.
In the workplace, these types of communications are continually exchanged,
oftentimes without much planning or even the thought that such
communications are taking place.
The Importance of Non-Verbal Communication
For instance, it’s not always just what you say. It’s also how you “say” it –
taking into account your eyes, your posture, your overall body language, even
your appearance at the time the communication is exchanged, and the voice in
which you offer the exchange.
In verbal communication, an active dialogue is engaged with the use of words.
At the same time, however, non-verbal communication takes place, relying on
nonverbal cues, such as gestures, eye contact, facial expressions, even clothing
and personal space.
Nonverbal cues are very powerful, making it crucial that you pay attention to
your actions, as well as the nonverbal cues of those around you. If, during your
meeting, participants begin to doodle or chat amongst themselves, they are no
longer paying attention to you: Your message has become boring or your
delivery is no longer engaging.
Once again, you need to be mindful of cultural differences when using or
interpreting nonverbal cues. For instance, the handshake that is so widely
accepted in Western cultures as a greeting or confirmation of a business deal is
not accepted in other cultures, and can cause confusion.
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While eye contact, facial expressions, posture, gestures, clothing and space are
obvious nonverbal communication cues, others strongly influence interpretation
of messages, including how the message is delivered. This means paying close
attention to your tone of voice, even your voice's overall loudness and its pitch.
Be mindful of your own nonverbal cues, as well as the nonverbal cues of those
around you. Keep your messages short and concise. This means preparing in
advance whenever possible. And for the impromptu meeting, it means thinking
before you speak.
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Enhancing your communications:
Because gestures can both compliment and contradict your
message, be mindful of these.
Eye contact is an important step in sending and receiving
messages. Eye contact can be a signal of interest, a signal of
recognition, even a sign of honesty and credibility.
Closely linked to eye contact are facial expressions, which can
reflect attitudes and emotions.
Posture can also be used to more effectively communicate your
message.
Clothing is important. By dressing for your job, you show respect
for the values and conventions of your organization.
Be mindful of people’s personal space when communicating. Do
not invade their personal space by getting too close and do not
confuse communications by trying to exchange messages from
too far away.
10 Tips for Communicating Change
While organizational change requires more than 10 tips, here are 10 key things to keep in mind when planning, announcing, implementing, and communicating a change initiative:
1. Remember that there's no one perfect way to communicate
change. Change is uncomfortable, and adapting to change is
messy. The perfect Gantt chart does not a painless change
experience make. Why? Because tasks are easy to list, but
behavior and long-held habits are not easy to change. Gather
outside information, solicit perspectives, and adapt the
approaches for your organization and group.
2. Start by asking yourself what exactly is changing and why.
Too many programs are heavy on the jargon and light on the
substance of what the buzz phrases mean in the day-to-day reality
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of the organization' s people. You have to make that link. For
example, what does it mean when you say the organization needs
to be more responsive? What behaviors characterize a so-called
flat organization? Go to the root of what you're trying to achieve
from an organizational behavior perspective, and give the jargon
life.
3. Know what results you want, ideally, from both the change
initiative and the communication program or tactic. What's
the call to action for the communication program? What's the call
to action for the specific communication tactic? What systemic or
operations changes are under way that provide the framework for
the desired results and behaviors?
4. Include communication strategists at the very beginning of
the discussions about the change, on the strategic team from
the start. Too often, qualified communicators are involved after
backlash is in full force, when the leaks and rumor mills are
rampant. The corporate lawyer or the MBA with one or two
classes in PowerPoint is not qualified to understand how the
people of the organization will respond to change and what
information they'll need. Their particular expertise is most likely
legal requirement and cost cutting, not communication.
5. Share information with employees as soon as possible. There's
a real dilemma in public companies, where investor
communication is a priority and employees hear about a merger
or reorganization on their car radio while commuting to work.
Once fear and insecurity are heightened, you waste a lot of time
getting back to a place of order, understanding, and productivity,
and many people head for their desks to update résumés and to
call employment recruiters.
6. Keep in mind that quantity is fine, but quality and
consistency are crucial. Most CEOs and managers are quoted as
saying, "You can't communicate too much," but you can
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communicate too much insignificant or insensitive information.
You can't communicate too much significant, substantial
information.
7. Longevity. Remember that a change effort starts with the
announcement or a merger or change initiative. Many leaders and
managers underestimate the length of time required by a change