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A conceptual study of visual training methods.

Article Excerpt
Abstract

This paper proposes a research study to investigate the effects of two visual training methods on the productivity of new workers on an assembly line at a wood products plant in Banjarmasin, Indonesia. In the Banjarmasin plant, informal on-the-job training (OJT) is currently used to train new employees on the wood products assembly line, where they learn to assemble various kinds of wood products by working alongside an experienced worker, with little help from supervisors. The structured visual OJT being investigated in this study supplements the current system by introducing two visual training methods for new employees.

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Background

Because of the relatively simple nature of the tasks that are typically performed on assembly lines, managers often assume that assembly line jobs require no training at all to perform. As a result, a new worker may be placed at an assembly line workstation without formal training and be expected to perform efficiently with little help beyond observing or working with more experienced workers. A consequence may be that in trying to figure out the correct way of doing the job, the worker must use his or her own judgment; but if this judgment is wrong, it can lead to the waste of valuable time, low productivity, and/or poor product quality. Therefore, this kind of informal OJT method may not be the best way to train new workers on the assembly line and especially in the postindustrial workplace, where tasks tend to be flexible in accordance with shorter product life cycle.

Research Questions

1. How does the use of a 15 to 20 minute video training session to train new assembly line workers affect the workers' productivity during the first six days of their work on the assembly line?

2. How does the use of a large workplace sign which graphically illustrates the step-bystep procedure for assembling a product affect the productivity of new assembly line workers during the first six days of their work on the assembly line?

3. How does the use of both a 15 to 20 minute video training session and a workplace sign showing the step-by-step assembly procedure affect the productivity of new workers during the first six days of their work on the assembly line?

Hypotheses

Ho: The use of a 15 to 20 minute video training session about assembly procedures and the use of large workplace graphics showing assembly procedures has no effect on the productivity of new workers performing simple task. To show this hypothesis to be wrong, at least one of the following two positive hypotheses must be confirmed by the study.

H1: The use of a 15 to 20 minute video training session about assembly procedures has a significant effect on the productivity of new workers performing simple task.

H2: The use of a large workplace sign that graphically illustrates assembly procedures has a significant effect on the productivity of new workers performing simple task.

Purpose of the Study

The purpose of this study is to determine the effect of the use of visual methods to train new workers on an assembly line. The methods to be studied are (1) use of a 15 to 20 minute training session in which the correct assembly procedures for constructing a wooden fence and quality checkpoints will be shown to the workers by videotape, and (2) the use of a large graphic sign at the workplace that will graphically illustrate correct assembly procedures and quality checkpoints.

Theoretical Framework

The theoretical framework for this study has two basic aspects. First, the theoretical approach that will be taken to learning at...

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