Weyerhaeuser Co. doesn’t want its leaders-or any other employees-engaging in unethical behaviors. Founded in I900, Weyerhaeuser is a $25 billion producer of forest products and services with employees in I9 countries. Developing ethical leaders is a top priority at Weyerhaeuser. To achieve its objective, the company offers leadership assessments and training through its corporate university. For years, it has included ethics training as part of its formal leadership training program. The company’s philosophy is that remarkable leaders can inspire and motivate others to accomplish great tasks. From the beginning, effective leadership has meant ethical leadership.
To help managers spot and think through tough ethical situations, Weyerhaeuser’s top executives serve as the teachers. During training programs, managers are asked to read and discuss several case studies that present realistic ethical challenges. Leaders present several choices for managers to consider, including one or two good ones. A group discussion gives managers a chance to explain what they think about the situation, how they would behave, and why.
“Pulp Fiction” is the title of one case that Weyerhaeuser uses to teach ethics. In this case, Lena is an employee at a pulp mill. When the maintenance contractor employed by the plant begins to do shoddy work, her boss, Donna, asks her to recommend another contractor to perform the needed maintenance tasks. Lena hears that the current maintenance contractor employs the son-in-law of Donna, the mill’s maintenance manager. What would you do ? Here are some options:
1. Ask a coworker if she has the correct information: Is the man really Donna’s son-in-law ?
2. Tell the plant manager about the potential conflict.
3. Ask the contractor about the situation.
4. Ask Donna whether her son-in-law works for the maintenance contractor.
Leaders and managers discuss how each choice might affect the various people involved as well as the company. Very few managers will ever face this particular situation; that’s not the point. The point is to help managers develop an approach to thinking about the ethical issues they might face. What would you do if you were Lena, and why ?
CHOOSING THE PROGRAM FORMAT
Many different formats can be used for training and development activities. Three general categories of formats are on-the-job, on-site but not on-the-job, and typically-off-site. Choices about format may be constrained by the type of learning that’s to occur-cognitive, skill-based, or affective-as well as by cost
EXHIBIT 8.7 Advantages and Disadvantages of Several Learning Formats
Type of Program Advantages Disadvantages
On-the-Job
e-Learning and video -Bring employees together -Start-up and equipment
from many locations costs are high
teleconferencing -Speed up communications -Require adaptation to a
-May reduce costs new learning format
-May be done on or off the job
Apprenticeship training -Does not interfere with real job -Takes a long time
Performance -Is expensive
-Provides extensive training -May not be related to job
Internships and -Facilitate transfer of learning -Are not really full jobs
Assistantships -Give exposure to real job -Provide vicarious learning
Job rotation -Gives exposure to many jobs -Involves no sense of full -Allows real learning responsibility
Supervisory assistance -Is often informal -Means effectiveness rests And mentoring -Is integrated into job with the supervisors
-Is expensive -May not be done by all supervisors
On-Site, but Not On-the-Job
Corporate universities -Tailored to company needs -Can be costly
-Support company vision and -Require skilled management
Culture
Programmed instruction -Reduces travel costs -Not appropriate for some skills
On an intranet or the -Can be just-in-time -Is time-consuming to develop
Internet -Provides for individualized -Is cost-effective only for large
learning and feedback
-Provides for fast learning -Often no support to assist when
trainee faces learning problems
Interactive videos -Convey consistent information -Costly to develop
to employees in diverse -Do not provide for individual
locations feedback
Typically-off-site
Formal courses -Are inexpensive for many -Require verbal skills
-Do not interfere with job -Inhibit transfer of learning
Simuiation -Helps transfer of learning -Cannot always duplicate real
-Creates lifelike situations situations exactly
-Costly to develop
Assessment centers and -Provide a realistic job preview -Costly to develop
Board games -Create lifelike situations -Take time to administer
Role-playing -Is good for interpersonal skills -Cannot create real situations
-Give insights into others exactly; is still playing
Sensitivity training -Is good for self-awareness -May not transfer to job
-Gives insight into others -May not relate to job
Wilderness trips -Can build teams -Costly to administer
-Can build self-esteem -Physically challenging
and time considerations. Exhibit 8.7 summarizes the advantages and disadvantages of several learning formats.
FAST FACT
An estimated 30% of all company training is now delivered using e-learning technologies.
e-Learning
Note that the three major categories of training and development formats do not depend on using a specific type of technology. Before the computer, Film, and communications industries began to merge, the technology used was often what most clearly distinguished one training format from another. Today, however, technology makes it possible to combine many formats and deliver them as an integrated learning system that combines, for example, Web-based learning, virtual classrooms, computerized learning modules, interactive TV, satellite broadcasts, and other vehicles. When such technologies are used for training and development, they often are referred to as e-learning. Many people are skeptical about e-learning technologies, but recent research shows that such concerns may not be justified. A review of nearly IOO studies that compared classroom instruction to Web-based instruction found that We-based instruction can be more effective than traditional classroom training methods for teaching basic knowledge.
On the Job
On-the-job training (OJT) occurs when employees learn their jobs under direct supervision. Trainees learn by observing experienced employees and by working with the actual materials, personnel, or machinery (or all three) that constitute the job. An experienced employee trainer is expected to provide a favorable role model and to take time from regular job responsibilities to provide job-related instruction and guidance. Assuming the trainer works in the same area, the trainee receives immediate feedback about performance. As described earlier in this chapter, on-the-job training is central to developing the skills of employees who work for the Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company.
One advantage of OJT is that the transfer of training is high. Because trainees learn job skills in the environment in which they will actually work, they readily apply these skills on the job. However, on-site training is appropriate only when a small number of individuals need to be trained and when the consequence of error is low. Also, the quality of the training hinges on the skill of the manager or lead employee conducting it. OJT is most likely to be effective when it is designed carefully and treated as a formal process for managing workforce performance.
Apprenticeships, Internships, and Assistantships. A method for minimizing the disadvanta