Training for Excellence at Wegman's Food Markets Essay

Training for Excellence at Wegman's Food Markets - Essay Example It has consistently appeared in Fortune’s list of 100 Best Companies to Work for, since Fortune started compiling it. The question now is how Wegmans can improve its training system better, so that it does not only measure store sales, but also evaluate changes in employee reaction, learning, and behaviour, as well as changes in results that pertain to customer satisfaction and customer loyalty. Problem Statements Challenge 1: The inclusion of new measures in assessing training effectiveness: â€Å"Wegmans measures the success of its training based on whether a store’s sales are growing.† Challenge 2: Changing the training process to include approaches that will be effective in influencing the new measures of training effectiveness: â€Å"Wegmans uses a blended approach to training, combining classroom sessions with on-the-job learning.† Challenge 3: Understanding the connection between employee satisfaction and delivery of services that result to customer satisfaction and customer loyalty, because customer satisfaction and customer loyalty can also impact organisational succcess: â€Å"This vision of training assumes that people who understand what they are selling and who care about customers will naturally be able to sell by providing value to the customers...† Solutions Solution 1: It would be useful for Wegmans to expand the results it measures. At present, it only measures training effectiveness through store sales. In order to remain competitive, it must have a human resource (HR) strategy that fits its organisational strategy, and it can do so by doing its training differently from other supermarket chains and competitors (i.e. substitutes that do not directly compete with Wegmans, such as farmers that directly sell their goods at residential subdivisions). A different kind of training will need a different set of measures, so that the training process can improve the connection between positive reaction and learning t o behavioural changes, and results. In Ibrahim’s 2004 study on training effectiveness for 94 trainees, findings showed that the training program resulted to positive reactions and improvement in trainee’s knowledge and skills. This study has not established a direct link between positive reactions and employee and organisational performance, but it does suggest a potential relationship between training reaction and knowledge and skills development. Giangreco, Sebastiano, and Peccei (2009) suggest the importance of training reaction to training usefulness. Thus, it will also be fruitful for Wegmans to measure training reaction and learning, aside from its usual focus on the effect of training on store sales, so that it can enhance its training effectiveness. Solution 2: Changing the training process to include approaches that will be effective in influencing new measures of training effectiveness can also improve training strategy at Wegmans. At present, â€Å"Wegmans uses a blended approach to training, combining classroom sessions with on-the-job learning.† This means that Wegmans predominantly uses apprenticeship training. In order to identity additional training methods, it is important to conduct training needs analysis for both shop-level employees and management. The two main ways that can be used to analyse training needs are task analysis and performance analysis. Task analysis will focus on the kind and frequency of tasks performed, as well as where and how they can best be learned. Performance analysis will be conducted