Training starbucks employees

The most valuable assets in a firm in the 20th century were its machines, and more sophisticated machines indicated higher competitive power. However, in the twenty-first century, a company's competitiveness is largely determined by its human resources and how well they are trained to perform their duties. The American coffee shop chain Starbucks was established in Seattle in 1971. The company has expanded to cover over 23,000 sites globally throughout the years, necessitating proper personnel training and development to meet the changing needs of customers. As a result, this essay elaborates on the various training and development components of Starbucks staff.
Need for Starbucks training
The Starbucks coffeehouse chain is operated by a diverse team of employees ranging from coffee baristas and shift supervisors to retail and district managers (Bussing-Burks, 2009). Coffee baristas are at the core of the company since they prepare different types of coffee for the customers in addition to other custom drinks. It is thus essential for the company to ensure baristas are knowledgeable on the different types of beverages as well as ensuring they are able to use different intuitive tools in order to meet customer needs quickly and efficiently (Starbucks Coffee Company, n.d.).

Shift supervisors, on the hand, are tasked with the responsibility of ensuring the Starbucks experience is delivered to customers. They supervise different members of staff serving customers such as cashiers and as such, require training in different skills such as customer service, inter-personal interaction, communication skills and people management skills. Finally, the retail and district managers, tasked with administrative and managerial roles, require training in management skills, delegation, performance improvement, and problem solving.



Starbucks training methods



According to Wilson (2005), staff training refers to intentional efforts undertaken by an organization aimed at improving the current and future performance of its employees through the acquisition of necessary skills, knowledge, and attitudes. At Starbucks, different training methods are adopted in an effort to ensure both new and existing staff at the organization continually enhance their performance.

To begin with, Starbucks enlists its newly hired coffee baristas in a basics training program where essential skills and knowledge regarding their role are taught. Hands-on skills such as operating different tools and preparing different types of coffee are taught on a one to one basis and through on-the-job training. Shift supervisors on the other hand, undertake either classroom or in-store training sessions where fundamental skills and knowledge in people management, training new staff, floor supervision, and other shift related activities are taught. Finally, the regional and district managers are enlisted in both classroom and in-store training programs to enhance their knowledge on diverse management aspects ranging from problem solving to performance improvement.

Internal and External Training Resources



The difference between internal and external training resources lies in their source location as well as the different programs they are suitably employed in. Internal resources are often obtained within the organization where employees train each other while external resources are obtained from other organizations where professional experts are hired to teach employees different concepts.

At Starbucks, training programs for coffee baristas and shift supervisors suitably employ internal resources as expert staff are able to teach newly hired staff different work related skills easily. On the other hand, different managerial skills such as problem solving and performance management suitably utilize expertise from an external professional.

Types of Training Programs



At Starbucks, there are four employee training programs: on-the-job; in-store; classroom; and one-on-one training. On-the-job training refers to a program where an employee is trained at the workplace as they do their job. Such a program is preferred for jobs requiring hands on skills such as coffee baristas making coffee and cashiers operating different computerized tools. With the program, an expert normally teaches a newly hired employee different core skills required for the job.

One-on-one training, on the other hand, refers to a program where the expert engages with the newly hired employee on an individual basis, training them different concepts. Unlike on-the-job training, the program is also suitable for jobs that do not require hands on skills. For instance, a manager requiring training on a given problem solving technique may interact with the expert on an individual basis. However, most on-the-job programs are administered using a one-on-one basis.

Classroom training describes a program where an expert interacts with different employees in formal classroom setting, sharing different concepts related to work. Consequently, the method is suitable for managerial training since managerial skills are often theoretical and are effectively shared in classroom setups. Concepts such as delegation and problem solving, for example, are easily taught to different retail and district managers using the program. Additionally, technology may be employed through online conferencing with managers located in diverse locations interacting with the expert over the internet.

Finally, in-store training describes a program where an expert teaches different work related concepts to either one or many employees whilst inside the store. Such a program is suitable for teaching knowledge and skills that require to be demonstrated in the coffeehouse. For instance, floor supervision skills in order to identify any problematic issues within the coffeehouse.

Training Effectiveness



Once work related skills are trained via the different programs, the effectiveness of the programs is often assessed in order to ensure a return on investment. As such, the company should ensure they source certified experts to train on different concepts while at the same time, ensure their organization culture fosters ease of staff training one another. However, the organization should as well adopt different approaches ranging from skill assessment to visual confirmation to assess the effectiveness of training programs for its different staff.



Value of Training and Development to Starbucks



Training and developing employees has significant value to Starbucks in several ways. First, the company is able to maintain consistent performance as a coffee house by ensuring its product offerings are of high quality. Such quality is only maintained by consistently developing its employees. Second, through training, the company is able to address weaknesses in staff skills easily thereby ensuring peak performance. Third, training employees enhances their morale thereby improving employee satisfaction in the process.



How Training helps Starbucks Attract and Retain Talent



First, it provides an opportunity of growth while earning worthwhile salaries to talented individuals. Individuals such as coffee baristas are attracted to the company and prefer to remain with them since they offer them a unique growth platform. Second, training programs enable employees to build worthwhile networks and interact with more experts in the field. Some employees may seek to remain with the organization in an effort to continually enhance their networks with other professionals.





Conclusion



In order for organizations to maintain a competitive edge over their rivals, there is need to ensure their employees are consistently trained and developed in order to ensure they maintain peak performance. The paper has discussed different aspects pertaining to the training and development of staff competency at Starbucks. From the analysis, it is easily observed that the company has maintained peak performance for more than 40 years as a result of its robust employee training programs that cater for all employees.





















References

Bussing-Burks, M. (2009). Starbucks. Santa Barbara, Calif.: Greenwood Press.

Starbucks Coffee Company. Learning And Development. Starbucks Coffee Company. Retrieved 23 December 2017, from http://www.starbucks.com.hk/about-us/become-a-partner/learning-and-development

Wilson, J. (2005). Human Resource Development: Learning & Training for Individuals & Organizations. London: Kogan Page.