A Critical Review and Summary of

Breakthrough in On-the-Job
Training"

Assignment:HRM
HRM
Assignment:

(For
Submission
Professor
Patturaja
Selvaraja)
(For
Submission
to:to:
Professor
Patturaja
Selvaraja)

Submitted by,
Group No 6. Sec: C
1. Akansha Singh (2014PGP019)
2. Devanshi Laddha (2011IPM020)
3. Karunakar Keesari Reddy (2014PGP161)
4. Kodeswaran (2014PGP167)
5. Ragavendar R (2014PGP279)
6. Shubham Goel (2014PGP359)
7. Sushant Besra (2014PGP389)

SUMMARY

A study at Texas Instruments (TI) revealed that a lack of minimal job competence
and the resultant debilitating anxieties caused failures in problem solving. To reduce the
anxiety of new employees so as to speed the achievement of a competence level,
manufacturing managers at TI designed a special orientation program. The results were
significant gains in learning time, quality production, and job attendance.
Setting of Study at TI:
The effect of anxiety on learning time and attitudes among new employees was
studied through the experiment conducted at Texas Instruments. Before interviews with
assembly workers and their supervisors the experiment identified the importance of
anxiety in inhibiting job effectiveness for both operators and supervisors. New women
assembly workers were divided into a control group and an experimental group. The
controls received the usual two hour, first day orientation. The experimental group
received this plus a special one day anxiety reduction session in which they were
encouraged to think of success and to communicate with their supervisors. The
difference between the groups in learning time and attitude was apparent at once and
at the end of one month the experimental group was significantly outperforming the
controls. By reducing anxiety, the following gains were accomplished--training time was
cut in half, costs were lowered to one third of previous levels, absenteeism and
tardiness dropped to one half, waste and rejects to one fifth, and costs were cut as
much as 15 to 30 %. New and transferred supervisors were trained by the employees,
increasing communication, supervisor knowledge of operations, and confidence in
supervisors.
Control Group:
The control group went through the usual first-day orientation, which consisted of
a two-hour briefing on hours of work, insurance, parking, work rules, and employee
services. This session included warnings of the consequences of failure to conform to
organization expectations and, though not intended as a threat, tended to raise rather
than reduce anxieties.
Experimental Group:
The experimental group participated in a one-day program especially designed to
overcome anxieties not eliminated by the usual process of job orientation. Following the
two-hour orientation by Personnel, they were isolated in a conference room before they
could be initiated by their peers. They were told there would be no work the first day,
that they should relax, sit back, and have a coke or cigarette, and use this time to get
acquainted with the organization and each other and to ask questions. Throughout this
one-day anxiety-reduction session, questions were encouraged and answered. This
orientation emphasized four points:
Your opportunity to succeed is very good

 Disregard hall talk

Take the initiative in communication
Get to know your supervisor

Implication of Training:
Based on the observations and results obtained on the control and experiment
group, the experts have figured out the improvement in various parameters of the
workers. The level anxiety still pertained among both the groups, but the rate of ease
encouraged them to focus on their level of competency. The improvement various
parameters among the two groups were discussed in the below table.
Parameters

Control Group

Competence level

Lacked in production rate

and level of competency

Excelled in production, Job

attendance and learning rate

Time lag in adapting to new

methods and technologies

Easy and quick adaptation

towards new methodologies

Hasnt been able to come up

with innovative products or
design

Room for innovation is quite high

of

Took around 6-7 weeks to

get used to the work practice
and reach the required level
of expertise.

Experiment group settled in 3

weeks and their rate of
improvement is on the rising
scale

Still hesitant to communicate

to their supervisors.

Easy and comfortable working

ambience among the superiors
and peers.

Rate of rejection was around

30% with the time taken for
job completion is around 2
min

They
can
produce
with
practically 0 defects and reduced
the rejection rate to around 10%
with zero time lags.

Net savings in the old group

was around $50000

Net savings were around $85000

Supervisors were branded

as strict and unfriendly
companions

Superiors just considered to be

part of their work cycle and they
approached them for their
requirements.

Spread
Confidence

Quality
Improvement

Communication

Experiment Group

Absenteeism

Couldnt communicate to
other department workers

High (2.5%)

Versatile work nature

Low (0.5%)

A CRITIQUE: Reviewing Training Methods:

The article was dated around 1966 and many of the work practices were
changed since that time. The manufacturing industry has faced so many improvements
which significantly reduced all the ill effects of traditional manufacturing. Since the
introduction of Japanese automobile companies, the method of training adopted by
these industries concentrated more on quick output rate with zero defects.
New hires still face the problem of settling down to the organization culture which
led to framing of new methods to ease them and come up with their full potential. The
orientation program starts right from the point of recruitment and they get enough
breathing space to settle down to the new environment. Some of the methodologies
followed by these organizations seem to bear more cost but the net output is a
desirable one. Here we analyse on the article Breakthrough in On-the-Job Training and
shared our views.

Points of agreement:

1 Anxiety does affect the level of performance of the new employees. The reverse
may or may not be true i.e. good performance level may or may not affect
anxiety as it has various sources of origin like threatening new environment,
personal issues, self-expression in the organization..
2 On the job training did improve the efficiency and quality of work of the new
employees. An experimental group and a control group were formed which
illustrated the above idea. For similar efficiency and quality the employees who
werent given on the job training took long time to achieve those levels.
3 On the job training also enhanced the confidence level of the new employees.
They understood their job role in a better way, they knew what was expected of
them. They had better motivation and satisfaction than their peers. On the job
training improved the focus of the new employees.
4 Organizational defects like absenteeism and subordinate-supervisor relationship
gap have been effectively reduced to lower levels. The interaction between the
seniors and juniors heavily reduced anxiety among both. The supervisors found

this technique equally useful for themselves in interacting with the new
employees.

Points of disagreements:

1 On the job training, requires trainees to open up to their peers and their
supervisors without that it becomes just another training session and produces
results slower than otherwise. If the supervisor or the new employee, are
introvert in nature, then this idea may be difficult to implement. So the personality
distorts the idea of effective on the job training.
2 With the dynamic environment it may not be possible for line managers to
continuously look after their subordinates. This poses a challenge for on the job
training methodology. The industry environment may fluctuate with fluctuating
government, economies which might lead to change in manufacturing practices.
The line managers themselves might find it difficult to adjust with the dynamism.
Therefore in such cases on the job training may be a time consuming idea.
3 On the job training may reduce costs and wastage in the long run but in the short
run this statement is debatable. The ideal significance of on the job training, i.e.
reducing costs and wastages and increasing efficiency is also subject to current
stature of the company. If your companys financial conditions are not healthy
then on the job training may go for a toss.
4 On the job training lays emphasis on job role understanding and catching the
processes as fast as possible. This channels the focus of the employees to a
single approach of doing a job. This might not be desired where innovation in
doing a job or the job itself should vary.