Training effectiveness Accounting for individual characteristics and the work environment

Although training is widely acknowledged to be essential to effective hospitality operations, the specific combination of factors that makes training effective embodies a mystery. Human-resources managers examine training programs to see whether those programs are based on properly assessed needs, how those needs have been addressed, and whether employees are able to integrate their newly acquired learning into the workplace. Although those aspects of training—needs assessment, implementation, and follow through—are essential to the determination of training's effectiveness, those three factors alone do not tell the entire story. Instead, external factors play a substantial role in the effectiveness of training programs. Specifically, employees' individual characteristics, such as motivation, attitude, and basic ability, affect a training program's potential success. The work environment is also a major factor, particularly the characteristics of the job, social networks, corporate culture, and appraisal and reward systems. Taking into account the external factors along with the traditional measures of training effectiveness, a manager can begin to assess how well a training program is performing and determine what changes will make it more effective.