Training is an important factor in all firms' business strategy, but

firms don't assess the impact of training programmes over the

employees all the time. Training is effective only if it produces E-mail this Article
desired outcome. When the organization is implementing a

training programme, there should be an

ideal forum on which the evaluation scheme
can be built, and assessment of effectiveness of training and
development activities can be done. The article elucidates the
impact of an effective training programme on the career growth
and development of employees. I have also put forward some
suggestions for increasing the effectiveness of the training that
will help the organization to step into a bright future.

Training & Development: A Prologue

Intensifying business performance is an expedition, not a

destination. The success of business operations depends upon
the ups and downs of the employee performances. Hence, the
HR managers started looking for the methods to boost the
performance and efficiency of its workforce to carry out the work
today, and to train them for meeting tomorrow's goals. Training
programmes were developed many years ago, but now-a-days, it
has become a crucial factor in companies with certain objectives
in mind. Training and development practices should boost up
performance and develop the skills, knowledge and expertise of
the employees. The vital objective of training is to build-up right
ability and capability in the labor force so that they can perform to
meet the needs, wants and expected returns of the employers.1

The training procedure comprises of three phases: -

Phase 1: Pre-Training

This may also be called as the preparation phase. The process

starts with identification of the circumstances requiring more
efficient performance. A firm's concern prior to training lies
primarily in four areas: Clarifying the precise objectives of training
and what the organization expects to make use of the participants
after training; selection of appropriate participants; building
favorable expectations and inspiration in the participants before
training; and planning for any changes that improved task
performance requires in addition to training.

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1 www.workforce.com

* Contributed by: -
Smitha Das holds Bachelor's Degree in Commerce & MBA with specialization in
HR & Marketing from Mahatma Gandhi University. She has about 2 years of
research experience in HR & Marketing. Currently working as Research Associate
at ICFAI Business School, Kochi, she is in the editorial team involved in publishing
professional reference books. She has authored various articles for books &
management magazines published by ICFAI University Press.
Article posted on August 24, 2008.

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Phase 2: Training

During the course of training, participants focus their attention on the new impressions that seem
useful, thought-provoking and engaging. There is no guarantee that the

participants will in fact learn what they have chosen. But the main reason
remains; trainees explore in a training situation what interests them, and a
training institution's basic task is to offer the required opportunities.

Phase 3: Post-Training

This may be called as the "follow up" phase. When the trainees go back to job after attending the
training, a practice of adapting change begins for each one who participated. The newly-acquired
skills and knowledge undergo modifications to fit the work condition. Participants may find their
organizations offering support to use the training and also the support for continuing contact with
the training institution. On the other hand, they may step into a quagmire of distrust. More
effective behavior of people on the job is the prime objective of the training process conducted by
an organization as a whole.

Assessment of Training: What is the Need?

Corporate, today, spend large amounts of money on imparting training and development
practices. But prior to spending such vast amounts, they should analyze the need for conducting
training for the workforce. There are chances that firms might make mistakes if they are not
assessing the training needs properly. An employee, for sure, requires training when he is found
to be not capable enough to meet the goals of the organization, and when there is a gap between
the current performance and expected performance. Meagerness in recital occurs due to the lack
of sufficient knowledge and expertise, monotonous management, or any other personal and
official issues. All these problems spotted can be tackled by providing an effective training
programme to the right employee, and at the right point of time.2

Training Effectiveness & its Significance

In India, training as an activity has been going on as a distinct field with its own roles, structures
and budgets, but it is still young. This field is, however; expanding fast but controversies seem to
envelop any attempts to find benefits commensurate with the escalating costs of training.

Training has made remarkable contributions to the improvement of all kinds. Training is essential;
but doubts arise over its contribution in practice. Complaints are growing over its ineffectiveness
and waste. The training apparatus and costs have multiplied but

not its benefits. Unhappiness persists and is growing at the working level
where the benefits of training should show up most clearly. This
disillusionment shows in many ways - reluctance to send the most talented workforce for training,
inadequate use of personnel after training, etc.3 With disillusionment mounting in the midst of
expansion, training has entered a dangerous phase in its development. Training is neither a
panacea for all ills nor is it a waste of time. What is required is an insight into what training can or
cannot do, and skill in designing and executing training successfully and cost-effectively.
At the present time, all the organizations give more trust on commercializing their activities. All the
firms, in order to continue to exist in the competitive global market and to be effectual, should
espouse the most modern technology, i.e., mechanization, computerization and automation.
Technical know-how alone, however, does not assure success unless it is sustained by workforce
possessing indispensable expertise. Hence, organizations should train the employees to enrich
them in the areas of changing technical skills and knowledge from time to time.4

The firms consider its human resources as one of their most precious assets. Training is a
valuable assessment device that helps the organizations to improve the performance and skill
levels of their employees and to monitor them on continuous basis for effectiveness of human
resources. The training should be imparted to all the staff on their specialized areas as well as
general areas, irrespective of their position in the company.

In the context of globalization, human resource development with proper training to the workforce
is required to meet the challenges in future and to win the global competitive advantage. The
organizations spend huge amounts of money on imparting training to its employees. So it is very
important to evaluate the efficacy of the training programmes conducted so far, and to find out
whether the executives are able to implement the skills that they learned in the training and
development process.5

Effective Training Programme: Underlying Principles

Any training programme, in order to be effective, must have some precise goals and objectives: -

To enlighten the partakers more about their organization, its aspirations,

challenges, and the business background in which it operates.

To make the human resources cognizant of the functions of different sections.

To train them to be aware of the significance of communication and enthusiasm in their day-to-
day work as a tool for better organizational climate and morale.

To see that once they go back after attending training, they feel that they belong to the
organization.

To ensure that the participants would share their information gained from training with their co-
workers.

To develop friendship, fellowship, support and trusteeship among trainees.

To ensure that technical, managerial, supervisory and human competencies are built-up in the
employees on a continuous basis to enable them to perform their current assignments effectively,
and also to set them up to execute their future tasks.

To put forward the attitude-based training to ensure that a value-based and self-sustained
culture is built in the organization.

To offer the required training inputs to all employees in a need-based, organized and lucrative
manner.

The training programmes imparted to the work-force should be of superior standards with a view
to develop good working environment, provide work culture inspiration, support attitudinal
change, improve interpersonal relationships, reduce accidents, perk-up efficiency, update
knowledge and technology, educate saving and investment habits among employees, create
consciousness of work-related health hazards, etc. Also, the training institute should comprise of
all types of audio-visual aids, which form the venue for the in-house training and development
programmes in the organization.

Employee Training Effectiveness: A Strategic Way to Success

- by Smitha Das *

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The Input-Process-Output Model for an Effective Training

Evaluation of Training Effectiveness

Evaluation and appraisal of training programme is a necessary practice in any firm as it is an

assessment of the total value of a learning event, and not just how far it achieves

its learning goals and objectives. Training assessment is about seeking to

evaluate whether or not training is, in fact, generating pertinent and
appreciated results through proficient and well-managed practices. It is a process of collecting
data with which to make decisions about training activities. It, thus, places the episode in a
broader outlook and offers information, which is vital for future planning and development. The
information acquired by the assessment of the training programme can be used to find out the
lags or shortcomings in the training programme, and make successive suggestions and advices
for making it more effectual.6

In turn, to categorize areas of assessment, Donald Kirkpatrick7 formed what is still one of the
most generally used models. The inquiry, that has to be raised by the management to evaluate
the effectiveness of training in each level, is listed below: -

Stage 1: Response - Were the trainees satisfied, and what is their idea to perform with the skills
acquired?

Stage 2: Knowledge - Whether and to what extent the talent, awareness and approach of the
workforce have changed?

Stage 3: Performance - Were the conduct of the workforce improved on the basis of what they
have trained for?

Stage 4: Outcome - Whether the improvement in the performance has an impact on the desired
output of the firm?8

Training Evaluation: How does it Help?

The training evaluation and assessment has three main reasons: -

 Feedback to help trainers understand the extent to which goals are being met, and the
effectiveness of particular learning activities - as an aid to continuous improvement.

Control to make sure training policy and practice are allied with managerial objectives and
providing lucrative solutions to managerial concerns.

Intervention to raise awareness of key issues such as pre-course and post-course briefing and
the selection of delegates.

The following are the clear advantages of training evaluation: -

Enhanced value of training programmes.

Improved skills and capability of the trainers to associate inputs to outputs.

Superior differentiation among training programmes that are worth enough to be retained and
those to be dropped.

Good incorporation of training provided by the firm and employee improvement.

Healthier collaboration between instructors and executives in the growth of workforce.

Proof about the contribution that training and development programmes are providing to meet
the goals of the firm.

Faster inclusion of training needs and managerial goals.9

Evaluation of training effectiveness should not be treated only as a corrective measure for the
existing training programmes offered by the organization, but also as a pro-active measure for
making future training programmes effective. Today, only those firms are flourishing which
became accustomed to the changes in the right time with the right course of action. Only an
effective training facilitates in improving the human resource of the organization making them
adaptable to changes that take place in their business environment. As the work turn out to be
more complicated, the significance of the employee development also raises. However, it is also
a process that a firm must place resources to, if it is to uphold workable and talented
employees.10

Employee Training Effectiveness: A Strategic Way to Success

- by Smitha Das *

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Training Effectiveness: A Drive to Victory

As a result of globalization, business is exerting pressure world wide. All the firms need to reduce
production cost and improve operational efficiency. Hence, it is important

for all organizations to maintain an efficient workforce for attaining these

aims. The firms can develop their employees as talented and
knowledgeable workers by means of identifying their insufficiency and lack of knowledge in the
required areas, and thereby providing sufficient training and development programmes to fill the
gap. The organizational training effectiveness and its evaluation play a crucial role in an
organization to decide whether the proposed business upshots are attained or not. An effective
training programme is emerging as one of the most vibrant and exhilarating aspect for the firms to
solve their managerial and human resource issues, and thereby winning advantage in the
competitive market.11