Steven D.

Coward

Dr. T. Selvarajan

MGMT 6351/23654

Research Proposal

January 25, 2011

1. Problem Statement
Recently, the world experienced the Recession of 2008-09 that jeopardized the existence
of many established companies and disbanded many less established or smaller companies. The
unemployment rate rose to 10.1 percent in 2008 and is currently at 9.4 percent according to the
Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS, 2011). Companies that are still in existence still need to
produce goods or provide services that meet the demands of their customers but are required to
do so with a reduced work force. The factor that has been advantageous in meeting the demands
with a reduced workforce has been due such techniques as cross-training employees.

Employee cross-training has been proven to be an effective training tool across many
industries. Not only does cross-training provide employers with a better trained work force at a
lower cost but it also provides employees the opportunity to broaden their skills (Arnold, 96).
Inadvertently, the increase of cross-training employees to do a multitude of task instead of hiring
new employees may limit the production and profitability of these companies.

2. Importance Of Problem

A concern that warrants a look into cross-training is the limits placed on companies to expand
further into its market and get past the recent recession the world has experienced. As companies
begin to hire new employees a question to be asked is where does cross-training cover the
essentials to meet the bottom line and where should specialized employees be emplaced to
extend the bottom line. For example, having inadequately trained employees could reduce the
limits of production and increase the turnover rate. A company relying on cross-training more
than necessary may be left behind by not having specialized employees that can assist with the
technological limitation of cross-training alone.

3. Importance Of Problem To Be Researched

The research paper will review current scholarly journals on cross-training and
summarize effective cross-training techniques. It will attempt to define the specific techniques
that are most effective in using a lean workforce while still meeting the demands of the
consumers. It will also address the issues of using a cross-trained work staff instead of using
specialized work staff. The paper will draw conclusions on the value of cross-training programs
and overview what approaches are most effective.

Relevant quotes form preliminary research:

Cross training creates a team of workers that is more knowledgeable, can easily replace each
other when circumstances warrant, and that gains new confidence regarding their professional
expertise (Brunner, 58).

If the costs of relearning, forgetting, stress, turnover, and absenteeism were taken into account,
the practice of slashing costs through a combination of layoffs and misguided flexibility
deployment would not even exist (Karuppan, 18).
 Preliminary Reference List

Arnold, J. (2008). Kicking Up Cross-Training. HRMagazine, 53(8), 96-100.

Bokhorst, J. C., Slomp, J., & Molleman, E. (2004). Development and evaluation of cross-training
policies for manufacturing teams. IIE Transactions, 36(10), 969-984.

Brunner, M. E. (2007). Cross Training Isn't Just for Tri-Athletes. Rural Telecommunications,
26(5), 58.

Karuppan, C. M. (2006). Labor Flexibility: Too Much of a Good Thing?. Industrial

Management, 48(5), 13-18.

Marentette, K. A., Johnson, A. W., & Mills, L. (2009). A measure of cross-training benefit
versus job skill specialization. Computers & Industrial Engineering, 57(3), 937-940.

McDonald, T., Ellis, K. P., Van Aken, E. M., & Patrick Koelling, C. C. (2009). Development
and application of a worker assignment model to evaluate a lean manufacturing cell.
International Journal of Production Research, 47(9), 2427-2447.

Ryan, J. T. (2009). JOB JUGGLE: Cross-training workers improves productivity, but it can be
difficult for some companies. Central Penn Business Journal, 25(43), 21-22.

U.S. Department of Labor, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2010). The employment situation -
december 2010 (USDL-11-0002). Washington, DC: Government Printing Office.