Implementing On-the-Job Learning (In Action Case Study Series)

Do You Want to Make Better Use of Your Organizational Resources and Create More Relevant, More Effective Training? The emergence of the knowledge economy has brought new challenges to most organizations. To succeed, organizations have to respond quickly to this continuum of change. Off-the-job training requires a sizeable investment in organizational resources with sometimes questionable outcomes. This book, Implementing On-the-Job Learning, will illustrate how other companies have used and implemented a particular approach to facilitating employee learning in organizations―structured on-the-job learning. Structured on-the-job learning programs have the potential to make better use of your organization’s resources and create training that is more relevant and effective. This casebook should interest anyone involved in human resource development, especially those who make decisions regarding the design and delivery of training programs. The primary audience is practitioners who want to implement on-the-job training programs but have been frustrated in their attempts to find solid, real-life examples. Instructors, students in university and seminar settings, and researchers will also find this book to be a useful reference. Another audience is organization managers who want to make sure that trainers are adequately informed about potential training options. No matter how you plan to use this book, you will find it a valuable tool as you decide how to best meet the training, development, and performance goals of your organization. ASTD is proud to present the 27th book in the IN ACTION Series offering 13 case studies from a variety of organizations. The case study authors are diligently pursuing accountability in their areas of expertise. Through their writing, they share experiences at the forefront of applying leading-edge principles of on-the-job learning.

Jack J. Phillips is a world-renowned expert on measurement and evaluation and developer of return-on-investment (ROI), a revolutionary process that provides bottom-line figures and accountability for all types of training, performance improvement, human resources, and technology programs. He is the author or editor of more then 30 books-12 focused on measurement and evaluation-and more than 100 articles. His expertise in measurement and evaluation is based on more than 27 years of corporate experience in five industries (aerospace, textiles, metals, construction materials, and banking). Phillips has served as training and development manager at two Fortune 500 firms, senior HR officer at two firms, president of a regional federal savings bank, and management professor at a major state university. In 1992, Phillips founded Performance Resources Organizations (PRO), an international consulting firm that provides comprehensive assessment, measurement, and evaluation services for organizations. In 1999, PRO was acquired by the Franklin Covey Company and is now known as The Jack Phillips Center for Research. Today the center is an independent, leading provider of measurement and evaluation services to the global business community. Phillips consults with clients in manufacturing, service, and government organizations in the United States, Canada, Sweden, England, Belgium, Germany, Italy, Holland, South Africa, Mexico, Venezuela, Malaysia, Indonesia, Hong Kong, Australia, New Zealand, and Singapore. He leads the Phillips Center in Research and publishing efforts that support the knowledge and development of assessment, measurement, and evaluation. Phillips's most recent books include The Human Resources Scorecard: Measuring the Return on Investment (Boston: Butterworth-Heinemann, 2001); The Consultant's Scorecard (New York: McGraw-Hill, 2000); HRD Trends Worldwide: Shared Solutions to Compete in a Global Economy (Boston: Butterworth-Heinemann, 1999); Return on Investment in Training and Performance Improvement Programs (Boston: Butterwoth-Heinemann, 1997); Handbook of Training Evaluation and Measurement Methods, 3rd edition (Boston: Butterworth-Heinemann, 1997); and Accountability in Human Resources Management (Boston: Butterworth-Heinemann, 1996). Phillips has undergraduate degrees in electrical engineering, physics, and mathematics from Southern Polytechnic State University and Oglethorpe University, a master's degree in decision sciences from Georgia State University, and a Ph.D. in human resource management form the University of Alabama. In 1987 he won the Yoder-Heneman Personnel Creative Application Award from the Society for Human Resource Management. Phillips can be reached at The Jack Phillips Center for Research, P.O. Box 380637, Birmingham, AL 35238-0637; phone: 205.678.8038; fax: 205.678.0177; email: serieseditor@aol.com.

Ronald L. Jacobs is professor of workforce development and education at the Ohio State University. He is a frequent contributor to the human resource development scholarly literature, having written nearly 100 journal articles, book chapters, and books on different areas of human resource development. Jacobs is particularly known for developing a systems view of the human resource development field and for introducing structured on-the-job training to the human resource development literature in 1987. He is the co-author of the book Structured On-the-Job Training: Unleashing Employee Expertise in the Workplace (Berrett-Koehler, 1995). In Addition, he edited the book Planned Training on the Job (Sage, 2001).

He has extensive consulting experience in both manufacturing and service organizations, having worked for numerous large organizations, including American Electric Power, General Motors, KLM Airlines, Abbott Laboratories, Seagate, and Rohm and Haas.