CASE STUDY U-HAUL'S PERFORMANCE PROBLEM

1. Assume that you have been hired by U-Haul to conduct a needs analysis. How can the needs analysis process (refer to Figure 4.1) and each level of needs analysis help you understand the safety problem and whether training should be part of the solution to solve it? Describe what you can learn from an organizational, task, and person analysis.

2. if you were to conduct a needs analysis at U-Haul, what methods and sources would you use? Be specific about why you would or would not use a particular method and source.

3. Using the Mager and Pipe flowchart in Figure 4.2, determine some pos-sible solutions to the safety problem at U-Haul. Do you think training is part of the solution? If so, who should be trained and what kind of training should they receive? What other solutions might be necessary to solve the safety problem?

4. What effect do you think the Ontario government's surprise spot checks and threats to suspend U-Haul's licence will have on U-Haul, its employees, and its training? Do you think these actions by the govern-ment are a good idea, or should it be doing something else?

5. If the Ontario government closes the loophole in the Highway Traffic Act, what effect do you think this will have on U-Haul? Will it have an effect on training? Explain your answer.

FLASHBACK QUESTIONS

1. Refer to Figure 1.2 in Chapter 1 (The Context of Training and Development) and use it to explain training at U-Haul. What fac-tors might affect the extent to which U-Haul provides training to its employees?

2. Refer to Figure 1.4 in Chapter 1 (The Instructional Systems Design Model of Training and Development) and describe how it could be used to design and deliver a training program for U-Haul employees. Be specific about training objectives, training content, and how you would evaluate the training program.

3. Do you think U-Haul is a learning organization? Refer to the material in Chapter 2 about learning organizations and perform an audit on U-Haul to determine whether it is a learning organization (refer to the material on the five disciplines, principles of learning organizations, key dimen-sions, and learning culture). Based on your audit, what can you conclude about learning and training and development at U-Haul?

FLASH FORWARD QUESTION

1. If a training objective is a statement of what trainees are expected to be able to do after a training program, what would be the training objective of a training program for U-Haul employees? What content would you include in a training program for U-Haul employees?

2. Explain the needs analysis process using Figure 4.1 in relation to the information and situation described in the case. In other words, describe the concern, its impor-3/4 tance, the stakeholders, and the information that can be obtained from a needs analysis. What are some of the outcomes that might result from this process? Be sure to refer to the case in describing each step and the outcomes.

3. If each facility were to conduct a needs analysis, 'alysis, what would they find out from conducting each level of needs analysis?