Sheet 73
ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS ON STAFF DEVELOPMENT
1-c
Study groups and individual work guidance are also part of OJT, but OJT has a wider meaning and should equip staff with skills for the future, and help them develop as successful and responsible members of society.
2-a
Managers should view staff development as an important assignment that must be accomplished in their position as a supervisor. They are responsible for the future of their organization, and human resource development is one of the duties they must undertake to protect this.
3-d
A very wide range of skills and abilities are needed for the work of an organization. It is impossible for bosses to have superior ability than their staff in every aspect of the job. While it is valuable if bosses strive to be better than their staff in every way, it should be recognized in the first place that bosses and their staff have very different roles and responsibilities. Bosses should concentrate at first on working towards improving themselves in areas of management, decision making, problem solving, exerting control and making adjustments, etc. It would indeed be a problem, if their staff were better than in these areas than they.
4-d
The pace of learning should be adjusted to the level of ability of each employee. To guide at a pace beyond their ability would only be a complete waste of effort. Not only will staff be unable to understand, it may also make them lose self-confidence.
5-c
While most types of ability may be developed through OJT, it is difficult to develop skills that are not directly connected with regular office tasks, as OJT is centered around the work of the office. It is particularly difficult to break through the structure of the organization itself. To achieve breakthroughs of this nature, special consideration is required, such as sending staff to external seminars for instance.
6-c
Although OJT should be conducted according to a pre-planned schedule, it should also have an element of flexibility. For new recruits and recently posted staff who lack the skills required to accomplish their work, it is effective to supervise and guide them according to an individually designed training program. It is important to carry out long term human resource development in a well-planned and organized manner. Depending on the employee's motivation and the job situation at hand, however, it is also important to give additional guidance at any time appropriate. OJT should combine both these factors if it is to be effective.
