Evaluation of HR Training and Development

Evaluation of HR Training and Development - In evaluating a training and development programs, one needs to consider that most training and development activities exist in a larger context of projects, programs, and plans

Training and development serve as transformation processes. Untrained employees are transform into capable workers, and present workers may be train to assume new responsibilities. To verify the program's success, human resource managers increasingly demand that training activities be evaluate systematically.

Evaluation Methodology

According to Webster's, a method is an orderly and logical procedure, and methodology is the science of method. An example of a nonscientific method to assess the effectiveness of a training program is the popular post-test design: one test is applied at the end of a training program to test its effectiveness. There are inherent problems with this method. Do we know it was the training that cause a high score? We cannot be sure. Perhaps the participants were already experience and did not need the training in the first place.

T	O
Training	Observation/Test

A more effective approach is the pre-test post-test design, in which the instructor applies tests at the beginning and at the end of the training program to measure first the precondition (baseline characteristic) of the participants and then the outcome. This allows a more realistic assessment of the outcomes of a training program.

O	T	O
Observation/Test	Training	Observation/Test

There are four types of criteria for the evaluation of training

i.e. reaction; knowledge; behavior; and organizational results. Training objectives determine which of the criteria is the best suite for evaluation purposes. If the objective is to increase the knowledge of the participants, the obvious choice would be the knowledge criterion; if it is behavior change, the behavior criterion would be the most appropriate measure. Each criterion has its advantages and disadvantages as describe below:

Reaction	Knowledge	Behavior	Organizational Results
Also know as the happiness or smile sheet, reaction is the most widely use criterion in training evaluation. The usual question ask is, “How satisfy are you with the program?” or “Would you recommend it to a colleague?” This measure evaluates the setup of the program, but not its effectiveness. However, it can provide valuable information for the organizers of programs as to the proper training environment, seating arrangement, satisfaction with training facilities, food, and accommodation.	Very popular in learning institutions (exams), evaluating on the basis of knowledge is legitimate if an increase in knowledge is the intended objective of a training program (e.g., improve product knowledge). However, it can be reliably assess only if before and after tests are use. Otherwise, it is uncertain whether a high score means the program was effective or whether the students knew the material beforehand.	For the measurement of behavior change, self-reports and observations by others are use (e.g., neutral observers, superiors, peers, subordinates, or customers). Supervisor observation of behavior change is more effective, but this approach has an inherent weakness. It is usually the supervisor who sent the employee to the training program and, because of this, is less likely to admit that he or she made an error in judgment.	Organizational results would be ideal measurements were it not for the difficulty in determining the cause–effect relationship between training programs and organizational results. The time difference between a training program and the availability of reports on organizational results can be many months. Who is then to say whether it was the training program or some other event that cause the results?

Oliver Wendell Holmes quotes:

"The greatest tragedy in America is not the destruction of our natural resources, though that tragedy is great. The truly great tragedy is the destruction of our human resources by our failure to fully utilize our abilities, which means that most men and women go to their graves with their music still in them."