Analysis of Training Programs and Employee Development at John Lewis

This report investigates the impact of training programs on employee development, focusing on a case study of John Lewis. The research examines the importance of training practices for workforce development and employee performance, and explores the training processes implemented by John Lewis. The study employs a deductive research approach, positivism philosophy, and an exploratory or descriptive research design, using a questionnaire survey of 25 employees to gather quantitative data. The findings reveal that training courses positively influence employee development and satisfaction. The report details the project's aims, objectives, scope, risks, and timeline, providing recommendations for mitigating challenges and enhancing training effectiveness. The report also includes a detailed methodology section, covering research philosophy, approach, design, method, and sampling techniques. The analysis aims to understand the extent to which training programs contribute to employee development and suggest strategies for improving training effectiveness within organizations.

Managing a Successful Business Project
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Table of Contents
Introduction......................................................................................................................................3
LO1 Project Aims, Objectives and Timeframes..............................................................................3
LO2 Research on the Project Topic.................................................................................................6
LO3 Communicating Recommendations......................................................................................11
LO4 Reflection on Maintaining Sustainable organisational Performance....................................12
Conclusion.....................................................................................................................................13
Reference List................................................................................................................................14
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Introduction
The management of a business in a successful manner contributes to the growth and
development of the business. The examination of the market environment, development of the
employees and creating profitable opportunities are the basics of successful business
management. It helps in the viability of finance and potential growth of the project. The concept
of managing a successful business mainly comprises of a methodology having a set of processes
and principles that are used to increase the profitability of the organization. The business
objectives aim and goals can be achieved by following a set of strategies that facilitate the
project operations. This assignment will conduct a small-scale research on the management of
the successful business by a company. The theme of the business project is human resource
management and the topic chosen is the impact of training on employee development. The
assignment will also carry out a mini case study of the company John Lewis in order to
understand the successful management of employee development.
LO1 Project Aims, Objectives and Timeframes
As stated by Fisher et al. (2012), the application of various processes, skills, knowledge and
experience in order to achieve the project target and objectives constitute the project
management. It involves the initiation, plan, execution, control and closure of the team project to
meet the specific goals and success criteria. Managing a successful project requires efficient
planning and execution of the objectives (Aryee et al., 2012).
As stated by Kerzner (2013), the management of a project to make it fruitful involves six stages.
They are the definition phase, initiation phase, the phase of planning, execution stage, control
and monitoring stage followed by the closure phase. As stated by Turner (2014), the definition
stage includes the final clarification and setting up of the project objectives, purpose, goals,
scope, possible risks, budget, approach and the timeframe of the project. As opined by Karatepe
(2013), these are then communicated to the company’s stakeholders. Next is the initiation stage.
Being the most important stage of the project, it includes a declaration of the business case, the
scope of the case and setting up the expectations of the stakeholders. As stated by Mir and
Pinnington (2014), it is vital, because a poorly structured initiation phase often leads to failure of
the project. As stated by Knobe and Nichols (2013), planning stage includes the creation of the
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outline of the project. The ways in which the project will be carried out are prepared in this stage.
As stated by Manzoor (2012), execution phase constitutes the working of the set plan. As stated
by Meng (2012), the project manager supervises the performance of the team members. The
manager also controls the monitoring stage. Reports are made on a regular basis about the risks,
problems, and progress of the project to make sure that it is running on the right track. After the
completion of the required tasks and getting client approval, the project is closed.
Project management, as stated by Hwang and Tan (2012), is important because it increases
coordination among resources and helps to achieve the best results. It has several advantages that
contribute to its importance. It helps to complete projects more cheaply and quickly. As stated by
Fowler (2013), the results can be predicted to a great extent with better planning. The effort of
the workers, as well as the cost of the tasks, can be saved with proactive management of the
scope. As stated by Young (2013), the future risks and problems are solved quickly. The
customer needs are met perfectly and the environment of the work is improved. This assignment
will carry out a research of John Lewis to understand the successful management of it employee
development.
Project Aim
The aim of the project is to understand the extent to which training programs contribute to the
development of the employees. The study also aims to analyze the mitigation strategies of the
challenges faced by the company in providing training and development to the employees.
Project Objectives
The focus of the study is the analysis of the impact of training on employee development. In this
context, the training processes implemented by John Lewis needs to be understood. The
objectives for the project topic are:
 To understand the necessity of training practices for the workforce and development of
employee performance
 To identify how John Lewis management develop their workforce through training
courses
 To identify the opinions of the employees regarding the training courses
 To analyze and recommend strategies to mitigate the challenges
Project Scope, Risks and the Required Steps
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Employee behaviour and performance is an important part of an organization’s successful
growth and profitability. Changing work environment and several other factors can cause
adverse effects on the employee performance. Hence, it is required to train the employees to
provide them motivation for better performance. It is essential to understand the context in which
employee performance and behaviour are developed with the help of training programs. The
project will be able to state the facts that are inherent to effective training courses. This project
will help to reflect the strategies required for minimizing the loopholes of training courses. The
project will enable clients to understand the development processes incorporated in the
company’s principles.
The initial stage of the project will include understanding and definition of the objectives. It will,
at first, develop an understanding of the training practices used by the organisations to enhance
employee performance. The necessity of such programs will be analysed. The next step of the
project will focus on the training courses present in the company structure of John Lewis. The
ways in which they develop employees will be analysed. A quantitative research will be carried
out through data collection from various samples. It will help to understand the nature of the
training practices in the company and what do the employees think about it. However, there are
certain risks that may occur in this project. The data collected may not be sufficient. It may have
errors. The company may not be able to provide appropriate information. Despite these possible
risks, successfully implementing the steps will result in successful management of the project.
Project Timeline
Project Stage Number of days or
weeks needed
Start
date
End
date
FIRST STAGE: Definition and Initiation
a) Definition of the project
objectives, risks and budget
2 days
b) Declaration of the business case
and scope
2 weeks
SECOND STAGE: Planning
a) Preparing the plan for the project 2 weeks
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THIRD STAGE: Execution
a) Carrying out primary research on
the topic
1 week
b) Carrying out qualitative and
quantitative research
3 weeks
FOURTH STAGE : Monitor and Control
a) Checking the progress of the
project
2 days
b) Analysing the possible risks 2 days
c) Checking if further documentation
is required
1day
d) Making the final check of the
project
1 day
FIFTH STAGE: Closure
a) Checking Errors 2 days
b) Evaluation of the findings 3 days
c) Providing recommendations 3 days
d) Compilation of the project 1 week
e) Getting client approval 3 days
f) Closing the project 1 day
LO2 Research on the Project Topic
Methodology
John Lewis enhances employee motivation through training programs and apprentices
(Johnlewispartnership.co.uk, 2017). They train employees to deal with the customers efficiently
and follow the company rules and regulations. However, in order to understand the program,
communication with employees is required. In order to do this and achieve a successful result of
the project, certain definite research methods, philosophies and approaches are followed. The
project paradigm defines the agreements and approaches that the project team has used to
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conduct the project. As stated by Jaksic and Jaksic (2013), the integral part of the project
constitute the different methods used during the execution of the project. The project follows a
deductive research approach, positivism philosophy, and the exploratory or descriptive research
design. A primary data collection is done to properly analyze how John Lewis’ training programs
develop employee performance.
Research Philosophy
The project follows the positivism research philosophy. It includes generation of a hypothesis
from the existing theories that is examined across the project processes. In the current project,
existing training practices of John Lewis have been used to review the significance of the
training courses. This philosophy will help to understand the topic to its core and develop certain
recommendations for better management of the project.
Research Approach
The project focuses on a deductive approach that stresses on retaining knowledge. It is a top to
bottom approach that enables the project team to conduct research on the given topic and analyze
the obtained data. The authenticity of the topic is proved by this approach.
Research Design
The project has chosen a descriptive design because it has a specific set of aims and objectives.
In this design, exploration of data is done without thinking of the results being either positive or
negative. As stated by Creswell (2013), descriptive designs take into account both the positive
and negative panorama and display them vividly. In this project, this design is appropriate
because it will provide the project team with comprehensive data, derived from a myriad
population quantity within a short span of time. The collected data can be analyzed effectively
using this design.
Research Method
The project follows a primary research method for understanding the impact of training on
employee development. A quantitative research is carried out. A questionnaire survey of 25
employees of John Lewis is conducted in the quantitative research part.
Sampling Technique
As stated by Wahyuni et al. (2014), sampling helps to conduct a systematic research by
considering the entities as samples. In this project, probability and simple random techniques are
being used. The sample size is 25. Sample size refers to the number of respondents that are used
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for the development of the project. Probability sampling technique usually refers to a subset
derived from a group of populations.
Data Collection and Analysis
Quantitative data collection method and inferential descriptive data analysis technique are used.
The project members have also used statistical package for social science (SPSS) software for
omitting human errors in data collection. In order to collect information regarding the impact of
training on the employees of John Lewis, a survey questionnaire of the employees of the
company is conducted. The data collection tool for this project is close-ended questionnaire in
which the respondents cannot answer the questions in a descriptive way but choose from the
options provided by the researcher.
Conducting Questionnaire
The survey will collect quantitative data. Hence, the researcher has selected some of the
respondents to obtain their opinions on the topic. 25 employees of John Lewis have been
surveyed to gather information regarding the impact of training on employee performance.
The survey is represented below:
Q1. Do you think training courses are beneficial for your development?
Choices Participants Respondents Percentage
Yes 25 12 48%
No 25 0 0%
May be 25 8 32%
Do not know 25 5 20%
Among the provided options, it is seen that 12 participants agree to the concept of self-
development through training, which is about 48% of the total population and neutral
respondents are 8, accounting for 32% of total respondents. No respondent negate the question
and 5 employees say that they are not sure of the positive impact of training, which is only 20%.
Hence, the data collected suggests that training courses have a positive and strong relation with
employee development and satisfaction.
Q2. Are you contented with the present training programs of your workplace?
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Choices Participants Respondents Percentage
Yes 25 10 40%
No 25 10 40%
May be 25 3 12%
Cannot Say 25 2 8%
From the above survey, it is clear that equal percentage of employees is satisfied with their
program and also not contented with the programs. 12% are not sure of their satisfaction and 8%
say that they cannot determine whether they are satisfied or not. This suggests that in John
Lewis, employee satisfaction level is moderate and the company requires improvement in
training programs.
Q3. Do you gain from the training programs?
Choices Participants Respondents Percentage
Yes 25 15 60%
No 25 3 12%
May be 25 5 20%
Not always 25 2 8%
The survey suggests that majority (60%) of the employees are benefited from the training
programs in John Lewis. 12% said that they are not benefited, 20% are not sure and 8% opine
that the programs do not always help.
Q4. Does each of the employees get equal chances for training?
Choices Participants Respondents Percentage
Yes 25 10 40%
No 25 8 32%
May be 25 4 16%
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Do not know 25 3 12%
The survey shows that majority of the employees said that there are equal opportunities for all
workers in the training program. 32% said that there is no equality, 16% gave neutral answers
and 12% said they do not know. It can be said that John Lewis provides equal opportunities to
their employees to attend training that will enhance their performance.
Q5. Are there any bad experiences that you have undergone in your training programs?
Choices Participants Respondents Percentage
Yes 25 5 20%
No 25 20 80%
The survey suggests that John Lewis employees do not face any hindrances while attending the
training programs. Only a minority (20%) of the respondents said that they face averse
experiences.
Q6. Which type of training sessions helps you the most?
Choices Participants Respondents Percentage
On job Training 25 13 52%
Off job Training 25 12 48%
The above survey shows that most employees (52%) prefer on job training for their
development. However, some employees (48%) opined that off job training is also helpful.
Q7. Which period of training you think is more effective for your development?
Choices Participants Respondents Percentage
Weekly 25 4 16%
Monthly 25 10 40%
Quarterly 25 5 20%
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Half-yearly 25 4 16%
Annual 25 2 8%
The survey suggests that monthly training is most effective as opined by 40% of the employees.
20% respondents favoured quarterly, 16% favoured weekly and only a minor (8%) percentage
favoured annual training. This suggests that providing training each month will help workers to
develop according to the changing requirements.
Q8. Do your managers provide you with timely information about the training programs?
Choices Participants Respondents Percentage
Yes 25 11 44%
No 25 8 32%
May be 25 4 16%
Do not know 25 2 8%
The survey shows that most of the employees opined that their manager gives them accurate and
timely information regarding the training programs.
Ethics and Reliability
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As stated by Kleijnen et al. (2014), certain ethical considerations are needed to be followed
during the conduction of the project. In accordance with the Data Protection Act 1998, project
team ensures that none of the respondents are pressurized to take the part survey or actively
participate in the project evaluation. The data collected from the surveys and questionnaires are
not used for any other purpose, apart from the requirements of the project. None of the questions
of the survey or the interview has been framed in such a way so as to hurt the sentiments of the
participants. The interview questions and survey questions are not influential. The responses of
the respondents were collected with maintaining anonymity, ensuring them that those will not be
disclosed.
LO3 Communicating Recommendations
The data collected from the survey suggested that the employees of John Lewis are mostly
satisfied with the training programs provided to them. They opine that the programs contribute to
their development and they get timely information about the available training programs from
their managers. The respondents provided mixed answers to the survey questions. This suggests,
that in order to get a completely positive response from the employees, the training programs of
John Lewis needs to be modified and updated.
The HR department should increase regularity of communication with the employees. As stated
by Jeston and Nelis (2014), the retail companies like John Lewis, success depends on customer
handling ability. Hence, as stated by Baskerville and Wood-Harper (2016), the department
should recruit an employee representative who can communicate the employee requirements to
the management. The management will develop the training process accordingly. As stated by
Hutt and Speh (2012), training should always be provided by experts who have been working in
the company for long time, rather than intermediates. As stated by Konings and Vanormelingen
(2015), the person will be fully aware of the company rules and regulations; they must provide
training to the employees. Professional trainer has the capability to motivate the employees so
that their performance level is improved (Flick, 2015). The final recommendation is that the
company must collect feedbacks from the employees and modify the training process
accordingly. The John Lewis employees will get motivation from this and acquire a high
performance level.
LO4 Reflection on Maintaining Sustainable organisational Performance
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The survey and the research project suggest that for managing a successful business, the
motivation and performance of the employees are indispensable. As stated by Trkman (2013),
most of the organizations fail to survive in the volatile business environment and fierce market
competition. For the success of a company, employee performance and motivation is essential.
The project provided information about the organization, John Lewis’ measurement of employee
performance, through training courses. The research has helped to analyze the drivers of
employee performance and the levels of organizational sustainability. The survey showed that
different employees have different requirements. One may be satisfied with the training
programs while other may expect better commission and work environment. Hence, the
employee feedbacks from the seminars and training programs prove to be beneficial for the
company.
In order to maintain sustainability in organisational performance, a properly qualified and fully
motivated workforce is essential. The productivity of a successful business project is dependent
on working of the employees. As stated by Costley et al. (2013), the managers need to create
employee motivation processes to achieve the organisational goals. The survey and study of the
employee opinion of John Lewis helped me to understand the nature of the training courses in
John Lewis and how far are the employees satisfied with the programs. These findings will
contribute to the future behaviour of the organisation. As stated by Christensen and Raynor
(2013), increased participation and empowerment of the employees will help John Lewis to
enhance the growth, efficiency and innovative approaches. If the employees are trained better,
they will perform better, their developments will increase; consequently there will be appreciated
and rewarded. This will in turn contribute to their enthusiasm leading t o the organisation’s
productivity and success.
Conclusion
The research on the successful management of the project has performed a quantitative survey of
employees of John Lewis to understand their training programs. The project analyzed the impact
of training on employee development. The aims and objectives of the projects had been planned
before beginning the project. The timeline of the research has been set and the research is
conducted accordingly. A brief understanding of the concept of project management has been
achieved. The important stages of project management and their importance have been
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evaluated. A very brief overview of the employee training programs in John Lewis has been
mentioned. Primary data has been collected for the research through a survey session. The major
finding of the project is that the training programs of John Lewis are almost satisfactory yet
requires certain updates and modifications. At the end, recommendations for improvement of
training programs have been provided.
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