Page 305 - Psychological Management of Individual Performance

290 enhancing performance through training
group showed statistically significant better scores in the assessment centres than the control
group.
A last source of evaluation was an anonymous employee survey carried out 4 years
aftertheimplementationof thetrainingprogramme.Thisemployeesurveywascompletedby
each employee in the organisation. One part of the survey dealt with management behaviour.
Each employee was asked to assess the management behaviour of his/her own manager
and top management. The results of that survey revealed a very positive attitude towards
managementbehaviour.Althoughtheemployeescriticisedtopmanagement’sbehaviourand
especially the strategic activities of the board, they showed respect for and satisfaction with
the behaviour of their own managers. The results showed that a large majority of managers
with a first management position (who were exactly the target group of the training sessions)
and middle managers (who were trained as well as newly appointed managers a few years
ago) were able to give and receive feedback, effectively handle customer complaints, act as
partners and coaches in conflict situations, develop their staff, communicate effectively, set
goals and measure them, and were approachable—even regarding personal matters. This
survey indicated that compared with the previous survey carried out a few years earlier,
there was a vast improvement in management skills. Efforts to improve the management
skills of both third-(middle managers) and fourth-level managers (mainly managers with a
first management role) throughout the firm were successful.

CONCLUSIONS

Practitionersoftenfacetheproblemthattheyarehinderedinthedevelopmentofatraining
processbybothtimeandfinancialconstraints.Theyneedtoconvincetheorganisationthat
training efforts are worth the money invested. But the best training courses are developed,
tested, and evaluated over a longer period of time. An in-depth training needs assessment,
a clear definition of the learning goals and the target group help when developing the
training plan and choosing the right learning methods and trainers. It is crucial for the
success of the whole training process that senior management is involved in the training
process and take an active part in creating learning opportunities for their staff. As there
is always pressure to provide training which is as cost-effective as possible, one should
calculate in detail the costs involved and the benefits of the training programme. If the
organisation of the training course is well thought out this can help to save money. In the
same way a clear application process ensures that the right people get onto the training
course. An evaluation of the training process ensures that the programme itself can be
further developed and that the organisation gets some feedback on the effectiveness of
their investment.
Training professionals should attempt to establish some balance between quick fixes
and sound work. Joint projects with universities provide an excellent way of getting
help with new training methods, of learning about the latest research knowledge and of
gaining some expertise in evaluation techniques, all of which can lead to an improvement
in the quality of training processes.

REFERENCES

Bandura, A. (1977). Social learning theory. New York: Holt, Rinehart & Winston.
Conger, J. A. (1992). Learning to lead. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Flanagan, J. C. (1954). The critical incidents technique. Psychological Bulletin, 51, 327–358.
Gebert, D., Steinkamp, T., & Wendler, E. (1987). F¨ uhrungsstil und Absatzerfolg in Kreditinstituten.
Wiesbaden: Gabler Verlag.