Effective training in the Airline industry

The learning organisation, as the name implies, is expected to grow each passing day facing the challenges fired at it from the corporate world. Despite all these challenges, the organisation and it’s employees need to step up to the game and continue the way forward to meet the company’s goals. In order to prepare the employees and the organisation be competent enough to emerge winners in the corporate world, they should be well trained and equipped with sufficient knowledge with respect to their job role. In the earlier posts, it was discussed on what are the training and development methods, how to identify the learning styles among the learners and the importance of training to an organisation.

However, having the best trainers to deliver the training or accurately identifying the learning styles of the learners alone will not make the training programme productive (Kim, Kim and Miner, 2009). There are other aspects of the training which need to be looked up in order to make maximum use of the resources invested for the said training. First, the organisation needs to analyse the target group and figure out the most prominent learning style among them and design the training programme accordingly. McLeod (2017) suggests that the training program needs to be designed and delivered in a manner where every learner will have a chance in absorbing the information in the style which suits him the best. Furthermore, he emphasis, the learner needs to be aware about his weakest styles of learning and strengthening it to make the maximum of any training program. Therefore, he will benefit from any learning opportunity becoming an all-round learner (Rosewell,2005). This ability can be used for the learner’s personal development and also the organisation can make use of his learning abilities and allocate him for outside training sessions which can bring added value to the organisation.

Argote and Miron-Spektor (2011) states that experience is the birth of learning. Hence, most of the organisational trainings base on experience since it can be absorbed fast and accurately. An engineering student will grasp the knowledge on a field visit to a production plant more than a mere power point presentation on the same matter. Likewise, the training programmes need to be designed to cater the target group’s competencies and strengths. Another aspect, which is important to look into is, the competencies and styles of learning of the trainers themselves. It is as much important for the trainers as the learners, to identify their preferred learning styles in order to improve them and foster more efficient training skills for the learners (Turesky and Gallagher, 2011). One important detail is that the trainers can be allocated for specific trainings catering to their own preferred training style and also to designate that training to a group who will share the same preferred style. A more “Theorist biased” trainer can be deployed for theoretical trainings where a more “Pragmatist biased” trainer can be deployed in carrying out practical aspect of a training. Hence, the trainer’s efficiency will be higher than what it could’ve been vice-versa, therefore, the organisation and the learners will be benefitted by a more productive program. The training arm of the organisation I’m employed in, utilises a “Train the Trainer” program which supports the trainers to identify more on their strengths and weaknesses and help them add value to their training skills (SLAC,2019).

In the earlier posts, it was discussed about the training methods an organisation can be utilised to deliver trainings. Kolb and Kolb (2013) emphasis the importance of selecting the correct and most relevant method on delivering the training. Similar to the earlier examples used, if the ideal training method is not identified and executed, both the trainer and the learner will have a difficulty in making the most of the session and organisation wise it would be a waste of time and valuable resources (Penger, Tekavčič and Dimovski, 2008). The organisation I’m employed in, which is the maintenance arm of a leading airline in the country, uses various methods to deliver trainings. The methods comprise of but not limited to classroom lectures, on the job trainings, simulations and mentoring. All these methods are at times used in the same training program during different sections in order to support the learner to absorb as much as possible. The Engineering type trainings comprise of classroom lectures for the theoretical part, simulations in the classroom practical trainings and on the job training during the off classroom practical training (SriLankan Airlines, 2019).

In organisation perspective, it is understood that the learner’s and trainer’s preferred learning styles and the method of training at different sessions need to be evaluated earlier and due attention needs to be given to select the most suitable combination. However, Bratianu (2015) highlights the fact that facilitating with the best trainers or the method or the combination of both only will not help learners grasp information to the level organisation expects them to. He states that, for the learners to effectively learn the new information or strategy there should be a part of unlearning as well. This unlearning can be of human nature and non human nature. Change of habits and beliefs can be identified as ways of human aspects of unlearning and non human entities can be described as amendments to rules and procedures which governs the learners within the organisation. It is important to note that the learner will shape himself in line with the changed rules and procedures faster than the change of habits and routines (Bratianu, 2015). If the organisation does not identify this fact, and react to the slow learning curve of the learner, there will be a chance of the learner being demotivated and affect the organisation productivity directly.

The organisation has the key responsibility in facilitating the employees with adequate infrastructure to carry out their job roles efficiently and also to have successful training sessions by providing the necessary facilities we discussed earlier in this post. Beer, Finnstrom and Schrader (2016) implies that no matter how strong is the infrastructure within the organisation, there should be a “psychologically safe” climate within the organisation to support the employees. Ability to speak up, mutual respect is of utmost importance to have an excellent learning culture within the organisation. They use the parable of a fertile soil and the seeds that, for the seeds to be planted and grow into a big tree which bears fruit, it is essential to have fertile soil. Hence, it is understood that having a safe work atmosphere is also a necessity for trainings to be productive within the organisation and to be able to bear fruit in time to come.

The following video will explain some steps to use effective training which can be used in any organisation.

Video 1: Seven steps for highly effective employee training

(Goldberg,2018)

References

Argote, L.,  Miron-Spektor, E. (2011) Organizational learning. From experience to knowledge. Organization Science, 22(5), pp.123-1137

Beer, M., Finnstrom, M., Schrader, D. (2016) The Great Training Robbery. Harvard Business School Working Paper, No. 16-121 [online]. Available at: http://www.hbs.edu/faculty/Publication%20Files/16-121_bc0f03ce-27de-4479-a90e-9d78b8da7b67.pdf [Accessed 02 September 2019].

Bratianu, C. (2015) Organizational Knowledge Dynamics: Managing Knowledge Creation, Acquisition, Sharing, and Transformation. 1st ed, Hershey, IGI Global.

Goldberg, S. (2018) The Seven Steps for Highly Effective Employee Training & Coaching [Online]. Available at https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=how+to+use+training+effectively+in+an+organisation . [Accessed on 04th September 2019).

Kolb, A., Y., Kolb, A., D. (2013) The Kolb Learning Style Inventory 4.0 [Online]. Available at: <https://learningfromexperience.com/downloads/research-library/the-kolb-learning-style-inventory-4-0.pdf>. [Accessed on 5th September 2019].

McLeod, S (2017) Kolb's Learning Styles and Experiential Learning Cycle. Simply Psychology [Online]. Available at: <https://www.simplypsychology.org/learning-kolb.html >. [Accessed on 04th September 2019].

Penger, S., Tekavčič, M., Dimovski, V. (2008) Comparison, Validation And Implications Of Learning Style Theories In Higher Education In Slovenia: An Experiential And Theoretical Case, Business & Economic Research Journal, 7(12), pp. 25-44.

Kim, J.-Y., J.-Y. Kim, A. S. Miner. 2009. Organizational learning from extreme performance experience: The impact of success and recovery experience. Organization Science, 20(6), pp. 958–978.

Rosewell, J. (2005) Learning Styles [Online]. Available at: <https://www.open.edu/openlearn/ocw/pluginfile.php/629607/mod_resource/content/1/t175_4_3.pdf>. [Accessed on 01st September 2019].

SriLankan Airlines (2019) EASA Approved Maintenance Organisation Exposition, Issue 04 Revision 03, Colombo: SriLankan Airlines.

SriLankan Aviation College (2019) EASA Approved Maintenance Training Organisation Exposition, Issue 03, Revision 02, Colombo: SriLankan Airlines.

Turesk, F., Gallagher, D. (2011) Know thyself: Coaching for leadership using Kolb’s Experiential Learning Theory, The Coaching Psychologist, 7(1), pp. 05-14.