HRD Assignment

Training
Effectiveness
By:
Nishi Jameel (09MBA40)
Talat Amreen (09 MBA52)
 Training
Introduction
Training is an important factor in all firm’s business strategy, but firms don’t
assess the impact of training program over the employees all the time. Training is
effective only if it produces desired outcome. When the organization is
implementing a training program, there should be an ideal forum on which the
evaluation scheme can be build and assessment of effectiveness of training and
development activities can be done.

Training is a process of Learning a sequence of program behavior .It is an

application of knowledge .It gives people an awareness of rules and procedure to
improve their performance on current job or prepare them for an intended job.
Training refers to the acquisition of knowledge, skills, and competencies as a result
of the teaching of vocational or practical skills and knowledge that relates to
specific useful task.

Need of training
Good communications and consultation are essential for efficient operation in any
organization. However, their impact is often diminished by a lack of skill or
knowledge on the part of the participants. It is important, therefore, to provide both
managers and employees with training in the skills and techniques required for
communication and consultation.

Training can help employees better understand the information they are given and
can encourage them to play a fuller part in the way the organization conducts its
affairs. Training courses in particular can be a useful way of giving employees
factual information about their employment because they necessarily include a
substantial element of explanation and provide opportunities for questions to be
answered.

Why measure training effectiveness?

Effectiveness is the ability to achieve stated goals or objectives, judged in terms of
both output and impact. It is the extent to which actual outcomes are achieved,
against the outcomes planned, via relevant outputs or administered expenses.
The effectiveness of training is a measurement of learning. It is determined by
comparing post-test scores with pre-test scores and then measuring the net change.
Measuring the effectiveness of training programs consumes valuable time and
resources. Many training programs fail to deliver the expected organizational
benefits. Having a well-structured measuring system in place can help you
determine where the problem lies. On a positive note, being able to demonstrate a
real and significant benefit to your organization from the training you provide can
help you gain more resources from important decision-makers.

Another reason is the dynamic nature of business environment. The competitors,

technology, legislation and regulations are constantly changing. What was a
successful training program yesterday may not be a cost-effective program
tomorrow. Being able to measure results will help the organizations adapt to such
changing circumstances.

Training process

The training procedure comprises of three phases:

Phase 1: Pre-training: - This may also be called as the preparation phase. The
process starts with an identification of the circumstances requiring more efficient
performance. A firm’s concern prior to training lie 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.

Phase 2: Training: - During the course of the 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 participated. The newly acquired skills and knowledge
undergo modification 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.

Benefits of training
How Training Benefits the Organization:

 Leads to improved profitability and/or more positive attitudes towards profit

orientation.
 Improves the job knowledge and skills at all levels of the organization

 Improves the morale of the workforce

 Helps people identify with organizational goals

 Helps create a better corporate image

 Fosters authenticity, openness and trust

 Improves relationship between boss and subordinate

 Aids in organizational development

  Helps prepare guidelines for work

 Aids in understanding and carrying out organizational policies.

 Organization gets more effective decision-making and problem-solving skills

 Aids in developing leadership skills, motivation, loyalty, better attitudes, and

other aspects that successful workers and managers usually display

 Aids in increasing productivity and/or quality of work

 Helps keep costs down in many areas, e.g. production, personnel,
administration, etc.

 Develops a sense of responsibility to the organization for being competent and

knowledgeable

 Improves Labor-management relations

 Reduces outside consulting costs by utilizing competent internal consultation

 Aids in improving organizational communication

 Helps employees adjust to change

.
Benefits to the Individual Which in Turn Ultimately Should Benefit the
Organization:

 Helps the individual in making better decisions and effective problem solving
 Through training and development, motivational variables of recognition,
achievement, growth, responsibility and advancement are internalized and
operationalized.

 Aids in encouraging and achieving self-development and self-confidence

 Helps a person handle stress, tension, frustration and conflict

 Provides information for improving leadership, knowledge, communication

skills and attitudes

 Increases job satisfaction and recognition

 Moves a person towards personal goals while improving interactive skills

 Satisfies personal needs of the trainer (and trainee)

 Provides the trainee an avenue for growth and a say in his/her own future

 Helps a person develop speaking and listening skills; also writing skills when
exercises are required. Helps eliminate fear in attempting new tasks.

Kirkpatrick's four levels of evaluation model:

The most well-known and used model for measuring the effectiveness of training
programs was developed by Donald Kirkpatrick in the late 1959. It has since been
adapted and modified by a number of writers; however, the basic structure has well
stood the test of time. The basic structure of Kirkpatrick’s four-level model is
shown here.
The four levels of Kirkpatrick's evaluation model essentially measure:
1) Reaction - what they thought and felt about the training
2) Learning - the resulting increase in knowledge or capability
3) Behavior - extent of behaviour and capability improvement and
implementation/application
4) Results - the effects on the business or environment resulting from the
trainee's performance

Kirkpatrick's four levels of training evaluation:

This grid illustrates the basic Kirkpatrick structure at a glance. The second grid,
beneath this one, is the same thing with more detail.

level evaluation evaluation examples of relevance and

type (what description and evaluation tools practicability
is characteristics and methods
measured)
1 Reaction Reaction 'Happy sheets', Quick and very
evaluation is how feedback forms. easy to obtain.
the delegates felt
Verbal reaction, Not expensive
about the training
post-training to gather or to
or learning
surveys or analyze.
experience.
questionnaires.

2 Learning Learning Typically Relatively

evaluation is the assessments or simple to set up;
measurement of tests before and clear-cut for
the increase in after the training. quantifiable
knowledge - skills.
Interview or
before and after.
observation can Less easy for
also be used. complex
learning.

3 Behaviour Behaviour Observation and Measurement of

evaluation is the interview over behaviour
extent of applied time are required change typically
learning back on to assess change, requires
the job - relevance of cooperation and
implementation. change, and skill of line-
sustainability of managers.
change.

4 Results Results Measures are Individually not

evaluation is the already in place difficult; unlike
effect on the via normal whole
business or management organization.
environment by systems and
Process must
the trainee. reporting - the
attribute clear
challenge is to
accountabilities.
relate to the
trainee.
Jack Phillips’ five level ROI model:

The ROI methodology was developed by Dr Jack Phillips and provides a step by
step approach for determining the business results of a program and measuring
learning.
In order to calculate ROI, Dr. Jack Phillips have recommended the addition of a
fifth level to Kirkpatrick’s model. This requires collecting level 4 data, converting
the results to monetary values, and then comparing those results with the cost of
training & development program.
Training results can be divided into:
Hard data & soft data
Hard data are the traditional measures of organizational performance because they
are objective, easy to measure, and easy to convert to monetary values. They
include output, quality, time and cost. Conversely, soft data includes work habits
(tardiness, absenteeism); work climate (job satisfaction, grievances); attitudes
(loyalty); and initiative.
CIRO (Context, Input, Reaction, Outcome) (Warr et al ,
1976):

 Context evaluation
Focuses on factors such as the correct identification of training needs and the
setting of objectives in relation to organization culture and climate.
 Input evaluation
Concerned with the design and delivery of the training activity.
 Reaction evaluation
Looks at gaining and using information about the quality of trainees' experiences.
 Outcome evaluation
Focuses on the achievements gained from the activity and is assessed at three
levels.

Dye’s two-tier framework of Evaluation:

It considers two groups of factors that contribute to truly useful practices for
evaluating the effectiveness of HRD interventions. One set of factors, termed
evaluation factors, deals with the organizational sense making dimension of
evaluation. The second set of factors, termed effectiveness factors, deals with the
technical components of assessing the intervention.
The following table presents the elements of each set of factors:

Evaluation Factors Examples of Viable Options

• What is the subject of the evaluation? • Processes

• People
• Interventions

•What is the purpose of the evaluation? • Formative evaluation (continuous

improvement)
• Summative evaluation (overall
effectiveness)
• Certify workers, processes, products
• Impression management
Who are the stakeholders in the Internal
evaluation? • HRD professionals
• Management (various levels)
 • Participants
External
• Union officials (various levels)
• Customers
• Regulators
• What are the agendas of these • Positive
stakeholders? • Neutral
• Negative
Effectiveness Factors Examples of Viable Options

• What is the appropriate level (or • Micro level (individual worker,

levels) of analysis? intervention, or process)
• Meso (groups of workers,
interventions, or processes)
• Macro (the organization, its
interventions, or its processes)
• Mega (organization in relation to its
environment)

• What are the intended outcomes of the • Specific outcomes expressed

subject of the evaluation? immediately
• Specific outcomes expressed in the
future
• General outcomes expressed
immediately
• General outcomes expressed in the
future

• What are the specific units of analysis? • Individual readiness for the
intervention, skill change, design of the
intervention, etc. (micro)
• Effectiveness of an HRD group’s
service, changes in departmental
productivity, etc. (meso)
• Organizational performance,
organizational stability, total investment
in HRD, etc. (macro)
• Marketplace value of training,
measured by a company’s share price
(mega)
• What are the appropriate research • Overarching evaluation paradigm
methods and measures? • Data collection method
• Data analysis methods

Training Effectiveness Test

The survey is questionnaire-based and is done at the UGC Academic Staff College.
The questionnaire consists of 25 items on a 5-point scale. It is intended to assess
the effectiveness of the training function in the Organization. The scores could
range from 0 to 100. Score above 75 indicates that the training function is effective
in the organization.

Objective of the study:

To study the effectiveness of training among trainees at the UGC Academic Staff
College, Aligarh.

Research methodology:

• Research Design: Descriptive

• Sampling method: Convenient sampling
• Sample size: 25

Data Analysis:

The following table shows the total score of each respondent:

Respondents Total score
1 51
2 57
3 53
4 48
5 49
6 46
7 75
8 42
9 43
10 49
11 53
12 49
13 60
14 58
15 47
16 66
17 62
18 59
19 61
20 70
21 58
22 49
23 54
24 69
25 55

Training Effectiveness Test

80 75
70 69
70 66
62
57
60 58 59 61 58
S 60 53 53 54 55
51
48 49 46 49 49 47 49
C 50 42 43
O 40
R 30
E 20
Series1
10
0
R6
R1
R2
R3
R4
R5

R7
R8
R9

R25
R10
R11
R12
R13
R14
R15
R16
R17
R18
R19
R20
R21
R22
R23
R24
repondents

No. of Respondents

Result:
The above graph shows that only 1 respondent scored 75 while rest of them scored
less than 75. This means that the training program was not effective and the
trainees were not satisfied.

The following table shows the distribution of respondents falling under

different score range:

Score [Link] respondents

1-10 0
11-20 0
21-30 0
31-40 0
41-50 9
51-60 10
61-70 5
71-80 1
81-90 0
91-100 0

10
9
8
7
RESPONDENTS

6
5
4
3 [Link] respondents
2
1
0
1 to 11 to 21 to 31 to 41 to 51 to 61 to 71 to 81 to 91 to
10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100

SCORE

Results:
 • The score for 40% respondents was between 51-60
• The score for 20% respondents was between 61-70
• The score for 36% respondents was between 41-50
• Only 4% respondents’ score was in between 71-80.

Calculation of training effectiveness:

Sum of the scores =

51+57+53+48+49+46+46+75+42+43+49+53+49+60+58+47+66+62+59+61+70+5
8+49+54+69+55=1383

Training effectiveness score=1383/2500*100=55.32%

It can be inferred from the above results that the training program is not
effective (as the score is <75).

Conclusion

As a result of globalization, business is exerting pressure on worldwide. All the

firms need to reduce production cost and improve operational efficiency. Hence it
is important for all organizations to maintain an efficient work force 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 programs
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 program 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.

Tips for imparting effective training:

 Training programs should be conducted for employees periodically & ensure

that all of them attend at least one training program.
 A detailed need based training analysis should be conducted & personnel
should be given training accordingly.
 The organization must ensure that proper training is imparted before each
promotion.
 Ensure that trainers who are called for sessions are experts & have sound
knowledge in the subject.
 Try to seek trainee’s expectations before the training program and collecting
their views regarding the attainment of the expectations after the training.
 As the trainee acquires new knowledge, skills & attitude and applies them in
work situations, they should be appraised and significantly rewarded for
their efforts.
 The training programs imparted to the workforce 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.
 Training Effectiveness Questionnaire
Indicate the extent to which each of the following items is true in your organization
using the 5-point scale:

Statements Not A Somewhat True Very

at all little true to a true
true true 2 great 4
0 1 extent
3
Induction training is given adequate
importance in this organization
Induction training is well-planned
Induction training is of sufficient
duration
Induction training provides an excellent
opportunity for new comers to learn
comprehensively about this
organization
Norms and values of this company are
clearly explained to new employees
during induction
Senior executives/officers take interest
and spend time with new staff during
induction training
New recruits find induction training
very useful in this organization
Our induction training is periodically
evaluated and improved
Employees are helped to acquire
technical knowledge and skills through
training
There is adequate emphasis on
developing managerial capabilities of
management staff through training
Human relations competencies are
adequately attempted to be developed
in this organization through training in
human skills
Training of workers is given due
importance in this organization
Employees are sponsored for training
programs on the basis of carefully
identified developmental needs
Those who are sponsored for training
programs take the training seriously
Employees in this organization
participate in determining the training
they need
Employees sponsored for training go
with a clear understanding of the
knowledge and skills they are expected
to acquire from training
The HRD department conducts briefing
and debriefing sessions for employees
sponsored for training
In-company programs are handled by
competent faculty
The quality of in-company programs in
this organization is excellent
Senior line managers are eager to help
their juniors develop through training
Employees returning from training are
given adequate free time to reflect and
plan improvements in the organization
Line managers provide the right kind of
climate to implement new ideas and
methods acquired by their juniors
through training
Line managers in this organization
utilize and benefit from training
programs
External training programs are carefully
chosen after collecting enough
information about their quality and
suitability
There is a well designed and widely
shared training policy in the company