Dr. George Benson
Assistant Professor
You Paid For The Skills, Now Keep Them: Tuition Reimbursement And Voluntary Turnover.
Benson, George S.; Finegold, David; Mohrman, Susan Albers, Jun2004, Academy of Management Journal, Vol. 47 Issue 3, p315, 17p.
Does investing in employees' marketable skills reduce turnover? This study uses insights from human capital theory to explain how general skill development and promotion relate to voluntary turnover. Data from 9,439 salaried employees of a large manufacturer show that participation in tuition reimbursement reduces turnover while employees are in school. Voluntary turnover increases when individuals earn graduate degrees but is significantly reduced if they are subsequently promoted.
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Examining Employability: Effects Of Employee Development On Commitment And Intention To Turnover.
Benson, George S., 2003, Academy of Management Proceedings, pC1, 6p.
Data from 980 employees show that on-the-job training is positively related to organizational commitment and negatively related to intention to turnover. Tuition-reimbursement classes, which provide more general skills, have the opposite effects. The effects of tuition-reimbursement on intention to turnover differ by whether the employee is promoted afterwards. Implications for "employability" policies are discussed.
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Harvesting What They Grow: Can Firms Get a Return on Investments in General Skills?
Finegold, David; Benson, George S.; Mohrman, Susan A.. Autumn2002, Organizational Dynamics, Vol. 31 Issue 2, p151, 14p.
Economic theory predicts that firms will not invest in developing employees' general skills because, unlike investments in physical capital, this human capital can walk out the door at any time. Companies, however, are spending billions of dollars each year on general education and training programs. This article seeks to resolve this paradox by analyzing the reasons why it may make good business sense for firms in today's knowledge-driven economy to develop the general capabilities of the workforce, and what impact such investments have on employee turnover. The analysis is based on an in-depth case study of one of the purest forms of investment in general skills--an innovative tuition reimbursement program--at a large, high-tech manufacturer. We analyzed the effects of the generous support the firm provided for individuals to pursue additional education on employee turnover rates over a 5-year period. We found that while individuals are studying under the tuition reimbursement program, turnover rates are significantly lower than for those who do not participate. Completing a degree, however, appears to increase employees' expectations as well as their employability. Whether they choose to remain with the firm is closely related to whether they receive a subsequent promotion: those who do have very low turnover rates, while those who do not have much higher turnover rates than the rest of the organization. The article concludes with strategies firms can adopt to improve attraction and retention before, during and after they make the investment in general skills.
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Corporate Boards: Keys to Effectiveness.
Lawler III, Edward E.; Benson, George S.; Finegold, David L.; Conger, Jay A., Summer2002, Organizational Dynamics, Vol. 30 Issue 4, p310, 15p.
Reporting on the findings of research conducted over the past 5 years on large U.S. corporations, the authors discuss how board policies and practices are related to governance effectiveness and firm performance. First, they identify the most compelling changes that are affecting boards, including an increase in the volume of corporate mergers and acquisitions, an increase in public scrutiny of financial reporting, greater attention focused on corporate governance by institutional investors, and the larger role corporations are playing in all aspects of today's increasingly global economy. These changes are key drivers of what boards need to do in order to be effective. In an attempt to address these changes, boards have been experimenting with a number of new governance initiatives and roles. The authors discuss governance initiatives, board effectiveness, critical board roles, and five attributes of high performance boards--knowledge, information, power, motivation, and opportunity.
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Adding Value in the Boardroom.
Lawler III, Edward E.; Finegold, David; Benson, George S.; Conger, Jay; Spiller, Pablo T.. Winter2002, MIT Sloan Management Review, Vol. 43 Issue 2, p92, 4p.
As powerful forces are redefining the roles and activities of corporate boards, many are experimenting with new governance initiatives. More boards are now made up of directors to represent society as a whole, operating according to written guidelines, and conducting formal appraisals of the chief executive officer (CEO). Research has shown that some of these changes have made boards more effective, and there are still proposals in the making. Despite these present or future changes, however, the authors present three key elements that they believe all boards must contain in order to be effective: knowledgeable members, up-to-date company information, and the power to counterbalance the CEO. As corporate board practices continue to evolve, these three components will remain central in the search for effectiveness.
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Is training different across the border?
Benson, George S., Oct97, Training & Development, Vol. 51 Issue 10, p57, 2p.
Reports on a survey which compared employee training in the United States and Canada, including development activities and expenditures. Topics covered; Degree of similarity between the companies compared; Distinction between the training process; Training expenditures; Information infrastructure.;
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Benson, George S., Jul97, Training & Development, Vol. 51 Issue 7, p51, 2p.
Presents the results of the 1996 National HRD Executive Survey conducted by the American Society for Training and Development on what terms related to organizational learning executives are familiar with. Includes formal in-house training; Teams; Formal off-site training; Coaching or mentoring; University programs; Continuous improvement; Individual development plans.
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Bassi, Laurie J.; Benson, George S., Nov96, Training & Development, Vol. 50 Issue 11, p27, 16p.
Forecasts trends in employee training in the United States from 1994 to 2005. Increase of skill requirements in employee training as a response to rapid technological change; Education level of the American workforce requiring complex training programs; Impact of corporate restructuring on training needs; Impact of technology on training practices. INSETS: Competencies for the future; Additional resources
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Benson, George S., May97, Training & Development, Vol. 51 Issue 5, p93, 2p.
Reports on informal ways employees can be trained to gain the essential skills and information needed to do the job. Observation of a fellow worker operating a machine tool; Advice from someone on using the spellcheck function; Attention on a supervisor explaining a new accounting procedure.
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Benson, George. Jan97, Training & Development, Vol. 51 Issue 1, p48, 2p.
Presents the findings of a study on the use of electronic performance support systems (EPSS) in employee training. Features; Operating systems and development tools; Support structures; EPSS evaluations.
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How much do employers spend on training?
Benson, George. Training & Development, Oct96, Vol. 50 Issue 10, p56, 3p.
Presents the result of the `1995 Survey of Employer-Provided Training' of the US Bureau of Labor Statistics. Three types of information provided by the survey; Findings on training time and expenditures; Investigation of workplace characteristics for their possible effects on formal training; Employer-provided training in firms with a high degree of employer-employee commitment and involvement.
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Overmyer-Day, Leslie; Benson, George. Training & Development, Jun96, Vol. 50 Issue 6, p24, 6p, 2c
Presents case studies of occupational training approaches in the United States. Aetna Life & Casualty's redesign of its education department; Andersen Worldwide's concept mapping and pattern matching; Boeing Co.'s use of artificial intelligence in its training programs; Digital Equipment Corp.'s communications technology in training. INSETS: Call for best practice nominations; What makes a best practice?
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