Approaches to Training and Development

This celebrated book, newly revised and updated, is a comprehensive treatment of organizational training and development: its basic ideas, organizational goals, and practical techniques. Dugan Laird, noted trainer, consultant, and author, shares his considerable experience in the whole field of human resource development and job-related training. The key to this book's ongoing popularity is its practicality: Laird's concern with the real-life problems and needs of T&D professionals. When and how should training be used, and what methods and techniques have worked and will work? The author's answers are supplemented by simple-to-follow process charts that outline each step of an effective training system. For this Second Edition, Laird has added material on new training technologies such as video and computer assisted instruction, explaining how and when they should be used to supplement traditional instructional techniques. How do you find training needs? What do you do when you don't give training? Learning objectives: who needs them? How do people learn? How important is teaching technique?

Dugan Laird was a pioneer in the field of training and human resource development. One of the most distinguished authors and consultants in the field, he died in 1984.

Elwood F. Holton III is Professor of Human Resource Development at Louisiana State University. The author of twelve books, he lives in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

Sharon S. Naquin is the Executive Director of the Public Management Program and Director of the Office of HRD Research at Louisiana State University. The co-author of several books and numerous articles, she lives in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.