Recognizing Training Needs and Assessing the Implementation of Training Methods in Acquiring Relevant Skills

 Effective managers possess a multidimensional set of skills that enable them to build teams and enhance individual and organizational performance (Gilley et al 2010). 

Recognizing Skills Gaps 

Katz (1974) placed the skills required by effective managers into three categories: technical, human, and conceptual. 

Sandwith (1993) identified five competency domains for management training: 

• Conceptual/ Creative, 
• Leadership, 
• Interpersonal, 
• Administrative, 
• Technical. 

 Technical skills are detail-oriented skills that are required of entry-level managers. Human skills are those interpersonal skills needed to be able to manage a group of people or interact in a one-on-one format. Team building and communication skills are examples of human skills. Conceptual skills are the planning and visioning skills needed by managers. Decision-making and forecasting are examples of conceptual skills (Katz 1974). Which makes a connection between the two concepts drawn by Katz (1974) and Sandwith (1993). 

 The terms “hard skills” and “soft skills” are based on these categories. Hard skills correlate to the skills in the technical and administrative categories, and soft skills correspond to the skills in the human, conceptual, leadership, and interpersonal categories (Weber et al 2013) . 

 As summarized by Gilchrist,K. (2019) Using the speech Feon Ang, vice president for Talent and Learning Solutions, Asia Pacific, LinkedIn, speaking at LinkedIn’s Talent Intelligence Experience (TIE) Singapore. There are five categories of soft skills can be identified: 

• Leadership 
• Critical thinking or problem-solving 
• Adaptability and flexibility 
• Communication 
• Innovation and creativity 

 Using the studies by Boyatzis (1982) and Stevens and Campion (1994), the above categories can be put in to four categories as below: 

 1. Leadership/people/relationship skills 

 These skills are those needed to negotiate with others, to participate in a team environment, to provide service to clients/customers/peers, and to resolve conflict. These skills are important because they aid in helping individuals and organizations accomplish their goals (Kantrowitz, 2005). 

 2. Communication 

 These skills are associated with listening, presenting, verbalizing, and nonverbal communications (Weber et al 2013). Riggio (1986) used the Social Skills Indicator (SSI) to assess social and communication skills. He found that higher scores on the SSI related to better job performance. Riggio, Riggio, Salinas, and Cole (2003) found that groups chose leaders who had higher levels of communication skills (as measured by the SSI). 

 3. Management/organization 

These skills included articulating goals, organizing people and resources, monitoring progress, and resolving problems (Kantrowitz, 2005). Mintzberg (1975) sought to determine how managers spend their time. He used structured observation methods. The roles he developed were categorized as decisional roles (resource allocation, resolving conflict, negotiation, and entrepreneurs), information roles (monitoring, disseminating, and speaking), and interpersonal roles (leader, figurehead, and liaison). 

 4. Cognitive skills and knowledge 

 These skills are related to creative thinking, making sound decisions, and solving problems within the workplace (Conrad, 1999). Kesselman, Lopez, and Lopez (1982) found that problem solving, decision-making, and planning scores (as assessed by an in-basket exercise) were positively related to overall job performance. Spector, Schneider, Vance, and Hezlett (2000) also found that in-basket performance significantly and positively correlated with management potential scores. 

 Singh and Jaykumar (2019) investigated the perceptions and opinions of faculty, students and employers on the nature of soft skills as relevant employability skills that students or entry level graduates of a hospitality institute need to possess to secure employment. The results of their survey are given below. 

 “From the survey, the key employability skills identified by employers were communication, work ethics and team-work followed by interpersonal and customer service skills Professionalism and self-management were additional graduate attributes that were recognized as important from the employer’s perspective. Another interesting skill that was rated as somewhat important was critical and analytic thinking. The importance of critical thinking increases in tandem with the career graph and so it is valued by the hospitality industry. Apart from technical knowledge, employers also attributed importance to communication and interpersonal skills. 

 From the survey, the key employability skills identified by faculty members were communication, work ethics, team work and interpersonal and customer service skills. Faculty members rated critical thinking a little differently. According to them, performance should either be judged in relation to organisational goals or customer service excellence. In both cases, communication skills (effective listening, skills to pass on information effectively verbally or in written form) were considered to be the most important skills, followed by information and knowledge application and customer service. 

 From the survey, the key employability skills identified by students were communication, work ethics and teamwork, interpersonal and customer service skills and professionalism and self-management. Information and knowledge application was also identified as an important skill by the students. Further, students showed more inclination towards critical thinking as compared to employers and faculty members. Respondents stressed the importance of open communications, adaptability to new technology, working as a single unit and ability manage your personal and professional life as significant factors affecting career growth. The respondents also recognized the value of work ethic and critical thinking as skills/attributes that play a major role over a longer term and get noticed by employers.” 

We could consider communication, work ethics and teamwork, interpersonal and customer service skills and professionalism and self-management as the skills that defines the employability in the hospitality industry for this review of literature. 

 According to Kyriakidou, O. and Maroudas, L., (2010) following approaches of training have been used and been effective in Small and medium-sized enterprises in tourism industry. 

 • Informal approach to training 

• Multi-skilling and empowerment 

 Let’s look at effective methods in acquiring communication skills. 

 Maguire and Pitceathly (2002) suggests the following Effective training methods in acquiring communication skills. 

 · Provide evidence of current deficiencies in communication, reasons for them, and the consequences for consumers and employees 

· Offer an evidence base for the skills needed to overcome these deficiencies · Demonstrate the skills to be learned and elicit reactions to these 

· Provide an opportunity to practise the skills under controlled and safe conditions 

· Give constructive feedback on performance and reflect on the reasons for any blocking behaviour 

 Cognitive input 

Courses should provide detailed handouts or short lectures, or both, that provide evidence of current deficiencies in communication with consumers and co-workers, reasons for these deficiencies, and the adverse consequences for service users and employees. Participants should be told about the communication skills and changes in attitude that remedy defects and be given evidence of their functionality in employment and career as a whole. (Maguire and Pitceathly, 2002) 

 Modelling the learning

Trainers should demonstrate key skills in action with audiotapes or videotapes of real consultations. The trainees should discuss the impact of these skills on the employee and the consumers towards the quality of service (Greenberg and Goldman, 1988). 

 Alternatively, an “interactive demonstration” can be used. A facilitator conducts multiple scenarios of conversations that happens in the organization as he or she does in real life but using a simulated customer or/and co-worker. The interviewer asks the group to suggest strategies that he or she should use to begin the consultation. Competing strategies are tried out for a few minutes then the interviewer asks for people's views and feelings about the strategies used. They are asked to predict the impact on the customers and/ or co-workers. Unlike audiotaped or videotaped feedback of real consultations, the “customer and/ or co-worker” can also give feedback. This validates or invalidates the group's suggestions. This process is repeated to work through multiple scenarios of conversations in the organization so that the group learns about the utility of key skills. . (Maguire and Pitceathly, 2002) 

Practising key skills that are learnt

 If employees are to acquire communication skills, they must have an opportunity to practise and to receive feedback about performance. However, the risk of distressing and deskilling the employee must be minimised. Practising with simulated actors has the advantage that the nature and complexity of the task can be controlled. “Time out” can be called when the interviewer/trainee gets stuck. The group can then suggest how the interviewer might best proceed. This helps to minimise deskilling. 

 In the contrary, asking the Employee to perform a complete interview or a conversation may cause the employee to lose confidence because “errors” are repeated. According to Maguire et al (1974), clear ground rules should be followed, to minimise deskilling as follows, 

 • Positive comments should be offered about what strategies (oral and non-oral) were liked and why 

• Constructive criticism should be allowed only after all positive comments have been exhausted 

• Participants offering constructive criticisms should be asked to suggest alternative strategies and give reasons for their suggestions 

• Any blocking behaviour should be highlighted, and the interviewer asked to consider why it was used (including underlying attitudes and fears) 

• The group should be asked to acknowledge if they have used similar blocking behaviour and why 

• To reinforce learning, the employee should be asked to reflect on what he has learned, what went well, and what might have been done differently. 

 Context of Learning 

Limiting the size of the group to four to six participants creates the sense of personal safety required for participants to disclose and explore relevant attitudes and feelings. It also allows more opportunity to practise key communication tasks (Parle. Maguire and Heaven, 1997). Facilitators who have had similar training are more effective in promoting learning than those who have not (Naji et al 1986). Residential workshops lasting three days are as effective as day workshops lasting five days (Maguire 1996). 

 Conclusion :

Skill gaps are important to look at and assess prior going to training processes. Above discussed literature suggested that communication, work ethics and teamwork, interpersonal and customer service skills and professionalism and self-management as the skills that defines the employability in the hospitality industry. Hence, we looked upon the effective methods in acquiring communication skills. 

 Current evidence suggests that the employee who attends short workshops or courses to improve his or her skills and then has an opportunity to receive feedback about how he or she communicates in real situations will learn most. Employees will find that both theirs’ and others’ benefit. Customers and co-workers will disclose more concerns, perceptions, and feelings about their predicament, will feel less distressed, and be more satisfied. Employees will feel more confident about how they are communicating and obtain more validation from customers and co-workers. 

 References: 

Boyatzis, R. E. (1982). The competent manager. New York, NY: Wiley. 

Gilchrist,K. (2019) LinkedIn says these 5 traits pose the biggest skills gap — and it’s a global problem. Available at: https://www.cnbc.com/2019/06/21/future-of-work-these-5-traits-pose-the-biggest-skills-gap-linkedin.html (Accessed: 26th April 2022). 

Gilley, A., Gilley, J.W., McConnell, C.W. and Veliquette, A., (2010). The competencies used by effective managers to build teams: An empirical study. Advances in Developing Human Resources, 12(1), pp.29-45. 

Greenberg, L.S. and Goldman, R.L., (1988). Training in experiential therapy. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 56(5), p.696. 

Heaven, C.M., (2001). The role of clinical supervision in communication skills training (Doctoral dissertation, The University of Manchester). 

Kantrowitz, T. (2005). Development and construct validation of a measure of soft skills performance. (Unpublished doctoral dissertation). Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia. 

Katz, D., and Khan, R. L, (1978) The Social Psychology of Organizations. New York: Wiley, 1978. 

Katz, R. (1974). Skills of an effective administrator. Harvard Business Review, 52(5), 90–102. 

Kyriakidou, O. and Maroudas, L., (2010). Training and development in British hospitality, tourism and leisure SMEs. Managing Leisure, 15(1-2), pp.32-47. 

Maguire, P., Booth, K., Elliott, C. and Jones, B., (1996). Helping health professionals involved in cancer care acquire key interviewing skills—the impact of workshops. European Journal of Cancer, 32(9), pp.1486-1489. 

Maguire, P. and Pitceathly, C., (2002). Key communication skills and how to acquire them. Bmj, 325(7366), pp.697-700. 

Maguire P, Roe T, Goldberg D, Jones S, Hyde C, O'Dowd T., (1978) The value of feedback in teaching interviewing skills to medical students. Psychol Med ;8:695-704. 

Naji, S.A., Maguire, G.P., Fairbairn, S.A., Goldberg, D.P. and Faragher, E.B., (1986). Training clinical teachers in psychiatry to teach interviewing skills to medical students. Medical education, 20(2), pp.140-147. 

Parle, M., Maguire, P. and Heaven, C., (1997). The development of a training model to improve health professionals' skills, self-efficacy and outcome expectancies when communicating with cancer patients. Social science & medicine, 44(2), pp.231-240. 

Sandwith, P. (1993). A hierarchy of management training requirements: The competency domain model. Public Personnel Management, 22(1), 43–52. 

Singh, A. and Jaykumar, P., (2019). On the road to consensus: key soft skills required for youth employment in the service sector. Worldwide Hospitality and Tourism Themes. 

Stevens, M. A., & Campion, M. J. (1994). The knowledge, skill, and ability requirements for teamwork: Implications for human resource management. Journal of Management, 20(2), 503–530. 

Weber, M.R., Crawford, A., Lee, J. and Dennison, D., (2013). An exploratory analysis of soft skill competencies needed for the hospitality industry. Journal of Human Resources in Hospitality & Tourism, 12(4), pp.313-332.