Customer Reviews

Training for Organizations (Office Systems Research Assoc. model curriculum series)

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How to get the "right training to the right people at the right time" is a complex question answered succinctly by the three authors of Training for Organizations. An excellent resource for students and HR staff, TfO does not, for instance, merely tell you how important it is to prepare return-on-investment oriented training proposals for organizations - (where ROI remains king), they give examples, as well as useful examples of charts, graphs, lists, catalogs that will inform your planning, proposing, administering and implementing of training initiatives. You want a thorough guide and rationale for your training proposal, and this book will give you the competitive edge tht makes sure YOUR proposal not only gets accepted but also succeeds. As an added bonus, several highly relevant, easy to read discussions with top training practitioners give you their most recent thinking on how to use technology most effectively in your training mission. A most useful blending of theory and practice.

Looking for an excellent resource for train-the-trainer? For me, the first edition of this book was is it, and now the new edition is even better:well organized into six parts, each with a prologue and a chapter-ending summary, followed by a set of key related questions. From udnerstanding needs analysis to writing a proposal, or doing an instructional design, and knowing trends, a trainer will find it here. The book gives case-specific guidance that goes beyond theory, and it's also loaded with graphs and charts and resources. It's user friendly for the novice as well as for the seasoned trainers who will find this book of value, especially as training is moving rapidly into mediated practices.

Training for Organizations is a one of the most up-to-date and comprehensive training resource overviews I've read in some time. The blend of distinguished backgrounds from the three authors in combination with the very insightful advice from individual successful training professionals provided through the "Voices from the Field" features makes this book a must have. I especially found the balance between the practical and the theoretical especially helpful in understanding e-learning strategies, technology challenges, needs assessment, and evaluation processes.

Training for Organizations is a resource no trainer should be without! O'Connor, Bronner, and Delaney cover the basics of training program design...and much more! The first section in this six-part text describes trends in training and development and the myriad of roles trainers play in organizational settings. Then, in Part Two, the authors detail how to identify the best assessment and evaluation methods and how to create appropriate data collection instruments. The third part overviews useful theories that guide instructional design and then offers a practical, unique, easy-to-follow approach for designing effective training interventions.

Part Four, delivery, includes tips on managing and evaluating both live and mediated learning. In these days of "e-everything," this chapter helps you make good, reasoned choices about delivery methods, as well as how to implement them. Part Five offers three chapters on topics seldom covered in training books--how to write and evaluate training proposals, tips on how to deal with the administration of a training department, and perspectives on the trainer as change agent and business partner.

In the final chapter, the authors present a scenario of life as a trainer in the year 2008, built on the trends identified in Part One. New features in this book are "Voices from the Field," end-of-section interviews with six practicing, well-known training professionals--Richard Chang, Mary Paul, Gloria Gery, Patricia Coglianese, Ron Zemke, and John Humphry. This book is also jam-packed with helpful Web addresses and resources, as well as perspectives on our field from the beginner to the seasoned training professional! I was a big fan of the first edition. This edition is a treasure!

Training for Organizations is a resource no trainer should be without! O'Connor, Bronner, and Delaney cover the basics of training program design...and much more! The first section in this six-part text describes trends in training and development and the myriad of roles trainers play in organizational settings. Then, in Part Two, the authors detail how to identify the best assessment and evaluation methods and how to create appropriate data collection instruments. The third part overviews useful theories that guide instructional design and then offers a practical, unique, easy-to-follow approach for designing effective training interventions. Part Four, delivery, includes tips on managing and evaluating both live and mediated learning. In these days of "e-everything," this chapter helps you make good, reasoned choices about delivery methods, as well as how to implement them. Part Five offers three chapters on topics seldom covered in training books--how to write and evaluate training proposals, tips on how to deal with the administration of a training department, and perspectives on the trainer as change agent and business partner. In the final chapter, the authors present a scenario of life as a trainer in the year 2008, built on the trends identified in Part one. New features in this book are "Voices from the Field," end-of-section interviews with six practicing, well-known training professionals--Richard Chang, Mary Paul, Gloria Gery, Patricia Coglianese, Ron Zemke, and John Humphry. This book is also jam-packed with helpful Web addresses and resources as well as perspectives on our field for the beginner as well as the seasoned training professional! I was a big fan of the first edition. This edition is a treasure!

This "train the trainer" new edition provides important information for the fledging trainer to the veteran. The Training Cycle (assessment, design, implementation, and evaluation) and ensuing chapters cover the principles of good training program design along with various roles trainers perform in their workplace. My favorite chapter is Chapter 5, especially the section on Adult Learning. Since most trainees are adult learners, it's important to understand that facilitating the trainee through a learning process is different than teaching a child -- something that trainers/instructors in this country don't seem to know much about. The authors have added some nice resources such as PowerPoint presentations for each chapter along with end-of-chapter web addresses providing links to additional material and/or organizations. And the interviews with six practicing experts bring the "real world" into the classroom. Bravo to the authors -- this new edition is a Must Have!

This book is loaded with out-of-date references from the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s and they are not there for presenting a historical perspective! And, only a handful of the references are citations of original research.

The book also suffers from many old and undisciplined ideas. Example-- who in 2001 would talk about Bloom's Taxonomy with what we know about human expertise? Example-- the research has made it clear that Kirkpatrick's 4-level evaluation model is defective on a number of fronts, yet, the authors run it up to the top of the flag pole without question.

Errors and typos undermine the integrity of the book. For example-- the authors direct the readers to professional associations and the list is inaccurate (ISPI has change its name to the International Society for Performance Improvement) and incomplete (where is the Academy of Human Resource Development?).

Superior books come to mind-- "Employee Training & Development" by Noe, "Performance-Based Instruction" by Brethower & Smalley, and "Managing Across Multiple Locations" by Kempl & Pace.