Assignment 1: Training and Development in Small Business

Stefanie Wilson

Strayer University

Professor Steven Jones

Bus 407 Training and Development

October 29, 2015

Introduction

Select a small business with which you are familiar. Imagine that you have been called into

that business to provide a consultation on training. Create a comprehensive training

proposal for the business.

Cricket Wireless, a prepaid wireless service provider in the United States founded in 1999 has

recently opened two new locations in Virginia Beach. In a highly competitive market, Cricket

Wireless is looking to train newly hired employees on selling, customer service and competitive

trends in the wireless field.

1. Analyze key elements (analyze, design, develop, implement and evaluate)of training and

development geared toward improving the performance of the specific small business for

which you are consulting.

Since the recent opening of business, Cricket Wireless has obtained seven new hires who have

little to no experience in wireless or customer service. Unfortunately, management does not

have the time to provide extensive training to these employees which can cause major issues in

company performance. The training needs analysis (TNA) will be used to determine help

discover employee knowledge, skills, attitudes, and other deficiencies. This analysis will aide in

the design and instructional strategies that will be taken to implement the training to the

employees of Cricket Wireless. Careful consideration will be taken in the development of

facilitating the training to employees. The new employees on board are millennial’s so training

materials will be geared towards the employee. All learning styles utilizing visual guides,

worksheets, and hands on materials to ensure success. An evaluation of the type of training

materials used and instructional materials covered will be presented to ensure the training aligns
with the needs of the business and is relevant to the employees current roles. Project managers

will work along with training facilitators to ensure all materials, visual props, and hands on

materials are properly functioning. The objective of this training will be to ensure that all

employees are properly trained on the business strategy and how to align with the strategy to be

successful.

2. Predict three to five (3-5) potential challenges that the managers or owners of the

business could face in addressing organizational performance.

Potential challenges that the managers of the business could face in addressing organizational

performance could be:

1. Aligning training with business strategy

2. Advances in technology

3. Quality and Continues Improvement

It is imperative that members of management are involved with the training. Any questions or

concerns that arise in the training environment addressing organization performance should be

addressed by the member of management during the training to help reduce potentials of

challenges. Members of management should align the training with the needs of the business to

ensure that the employees continue to utilize the skills obtained during training in the their day to

day job performance. Any negative attitudes or morale issues will be counterproductive to the

trainings that are facilitated. The cognitive ability of the trainees to be able to obtain and practice

the training material after will depend on the learning outcome. Making readily available

resources and materials to relate back to after training can be helpful in reducing potential

challenges in the future. Management lack of feedback or performance reviews will also pose
potential challenges at it relates to employee performance and improvement. Constant feedback,

both manager and employee can help improve the process and aide in keeping the business

strategy in line.

3. Justify the effects of detecting organizational gaps in small business, providing examples

to explain the rationale.

Continued training and development of employees whether newly hired or tenured is imperative

for the success of any organization. In terms of a small business, performing a gap analysis can

help in the success of a small business organization. Gap analyses are performed to help bridge

the gap between a business current state and future potential. “You might find that your

employees don’t have the skills they need to compete against better-trained rivals, or that your

communication between departments is inadequate.” (Berman, 2015). The benefits of training

and development help to keep an organization’s employees verse on competitive advantages.

Addressing issues such as outdated policies and procedures, layers that prevent successful

execution of a product, employee issues, and employee concerns are factors that an organization

must manage and remain effective. A company like Cricket Wireless will face both internal and

external gaps in the business. Internal gaps that will be faced are the employee lack of

knowledge of competitors. Being a fairly new business, it will be harder for this organization to

promote its products and services against competitors such as Straight Talk and Boost Mobile

who are prepaid companies that have been in the market longer. External gaps faced by Cricket

Wireless will be the coverage in which it will provide to consumers. This company is a branch

off of AT&T which is one of the major wireless carriers however Cricket coverage map will not

be equal to the coverage map of AT&T. This could pose a problem especially in a heavily

saturated military and tourist attraction area. The benefit of performing such gap analysis will
help the organization to predict challenges that they will face in the future from a competitive

standpoint.

4. Propose a competitive training strategy that will improve the position of the business in

the market.

At the end of the training session, the employees of Cricket Wireless will be able to:

1. Relate the value that customers receive from:

i. Cricket Wireless Unlimited Plans

ii. Products and Services

iii. Cricket Wireless Support

2. Identify Cricket Wireless Competitive Advantages

3. Position Cricket Wireless products and services relative to customer situations

The purpose of the training will be to influence the employees to recommend Cricket Wireless

whenever a customer expresses interest in buying a prepaid wireless device. The service model

set forth by Cricket Wireless will be used to help employees tell their own personal stories about

how they use technology and how to tie in these experiences to each potential wireless customer

interaction. A blended training curriculum will be best for this training to improve the position

of the business. Continued web-based modules will be readily available for employees after

training is conducted. Positive reinforcement for management and continued coaching will help

aide in the ROI. Training efforts and designs will be catered to creating reducing employee

turnover and developing more skilled workers. Morale and motivation will be increasingly high
as the training formats will be designed strategically to relate to the employees day to day job

performance.

One strength of Cricket Wireless are the lower overhead cost unlike some of the other major

carriers such as Verizon, Sprint, and AT&T who also offer wireless prepaid service. This allows

for the organization to offer more value to customers. One weakness includes smaller staff and

lack of knowledge and skills in the wireless market. This makes it hard for overall performance

measures. Opportunities are increased market presence and reputation from both a customer

standpoint and a business standpoint. Driving business through billboards, television ads, and

referrals can all contribute to the success of aligning to the business strategy. Threats are the

development of advancing technologies that may change in the market leading to the ability to

financially compete or adapt. In the wireless industry this is highly likely if a business struggles

to keep up with competitor trends and advances.

References

Blanchard, P., & Thacker, J. (1999). Training Design. In Effective training: Systems,

strategies, and practices. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall.

Breman, C. (2015). Organizational Gap Analysis.

http://smallbusiness.chron.com/organizational-gap-analysis-70281.html Retrieved October 29,

2015.
 U.S. Small Business Administration | The U.S. Small Business Administration |

SBA.gov. (n.d.). Retrieved October 29, 2015.