ABSTRACT
This qualitative case study of an American manufacturing organization describes the barriers which limited its ability to receive maximum return on its investment for training and development resources invested in their human assets. Changing global economics have forced organizations to the realization that their competitive advantage lies in developing and tapping into their human assets or human capital. Professionals, managers, human resource development specialists, and academicians alike have developed theories supporting the systematic development of human assets to improve performance and achieve organizational business goals. This book examines how one organization, typically described as a High Performance Organization, attempted to put theory into application. Specifically, the book examines the concepts of needs assessment, systems theory, organization development, human capital theory, and performance improvement. The results find a systemic failure in human asset development initiatives rooted in the failure to view the organization as a whole, systematically assess performance, and involve the entire organization in designing and implementing a holistic approach to improving performance and developing the organizations human assets. Specifically, inefficient organizational structure and lack of clearly defined business goals were significant barriers to the systematic development of their human assets.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
part |44 pages
Understanding Organizations and Their Emphasis on Training
chapter |14 pages
The Half-Million Dollar Question
chapter |14 pages
Current Thoughts on Development of the Human Asset
chapter |2 pages
Summary
part |39 pages
The Study of an American Manufacturing Company
chapter |17 pages
The Design of the Study
chapter |18 pages
The Collection and Analysis of Data
chapter |1 pages
Summary
part |71 pages
The Results
chapter |10 pages
Training: Defined and Described
chapter |11 pages
Training: The Selection Process
chapter |11 pages
Assessment of Performance Needs
chapter |10 pages
Training: Evaluation
chapter |20 pages
Structure of the Organization
chapter |3 pages
Summary
part |15 pages
Conclusions