Development method
As an employee, I would prefer the training and development motivational method in my place of work. The reason being that the training and development motivational method is a domain that is influencing all the other motivational methods, that is financial incentives, job flexibility among others. Training and development either in my area of specialty or in another area within the organization provide an avenue through which I would become better and more competent in what I do for the organization or gain more skills which will translate to job promotions with better pay. Through the acquisition of skills, I can manage to move from one area of specialization to another and therefore job flexibility (Deloitte Case Study).
Financial incentive
Financial incentives are always preferred by employees because they provide a direct motivation to them, that is, the employee(s) gets value for his/her work. However, in the absence of financial incentives, managers can also offer their employees non-financial incentives and still motivate them. In the case of Deloitte, the manager can offer employees flexible hours of work in times of recession so that the employee can either engage him/herself in a part-time job or spend more time with their families.
To top it all, with the recession, Deloitte can introduce telecommuting to employees so that they would save on bus fare during times of financial hardships. This would prevent employees from moving to other organizations where they would be offered flexible hours at work. Deloitte being an international organization with a diverse workforce, employing job rotation tactics as a way of motivating employees would be excellent. This would couple well with recession times.
To drive my point further home and taking an example of an employee(s) who is working as an auditor in the UK, the employee(s) can be allowed to move from the firm in the UK to a branch of Deloitte that is in a developing country as a financial advisor and where life would not be expensive as compared to the UK in times of recession. Deloitte can positively reinforce its employees through eustress by increasing their salaries when employees move up, down, or across the various careers in the organization. The organization can put more emphasis on the employees to perform better and at the same time reward them for their great efforts.
Customer service
During a customer service training program, employees are taught how to deal with questions and requests that a customer may have and therefore this requires dealing with different customers who have different needs. This can be closely associated with the learning theory that psychologists refer to as constructivism, where a holistic approach to dealing with different individuals varying needs, concerns, and questions at all times is embraced. Different customers have different needs and therefore in the case of American Express Company, an employee deals with different case(s) of the customer(s) at different times.
On the other hand, the use of goal setting theory that is clear in AELN’s customer service training program is the recognition that employees work toward a common target. Employees are upheld in the program and incorporated into the goals of the organization. For instance, the statement “We’re not looking for service—we’re looking for extraordinary service.” On top of being a customer service training program, there is an aspect of the overall objectives of the organization together with uplifting the spirits of the employee as the best.
Leadership Development Program
The application of learning theory and goal-setting theory that is evident in AELN’s leadership development program is that individuals in the program are motivated to learn and become better leaders of the organization. That is, whether the training groups in AELN’s leadership development program were learning through online materials, self-directed learning, or went through the usual classroom training, they all showed positive results though of varying degrees. Learning took place for all the training groups acquired knowledge, skills, and knowledge that depict organization leaders. The assessment of the employees’ performance is also a reflection that the employees in the program were working towards a certain goal.
A blended approach to leadership development
According to the American Express case study, a blended learning approach to leadership development turned out to be the superior training venue because various learning aspects are integrated to produce overall positive results. In the blended learning approach, the participants are in apposition to seek further clarification from the instructor and discussion among peers as opposed to learning by oneself or through online learning materials. Participants had the opportunity to learn from each other. The blended learning approach also allowed an exchange of ideas by participants and this translated to better results.
Communication skills
I fully concur with Jeanette Harrison’s learning philosophy for learning should produce all-around effects. When we learn a skill, behavior, or a different way of doing things, the outcome becomes an integral part of us and therefore we cannot separate what we have acquired in the learning process from us and this involves changing lives both within and outside the workplace. We do not only learn for the sole factor of interacting with people in the organization, we also take what we have learned to other people who are not in our workplaces.
Works Cited
America Express Case Study on; Learning Programs in the American Express Network. N.d.
Deloitte Case Study on; Deloitte: Focused on People, with Appreciation. N.d.