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Measurements for Evaluation and Management of the Training Department (Part Four of Four)
May 11, 2009
By Dan Klein
The following article presents a comprehensive evaluation framework "based on a regular managerial rationale, i.e., improvement of effectiveness and efficiency based on four types of data: effectiveness, efficiency, cost, and quality. This concept differs from the current evaluation framework (Kirkpatrick), which deals mainly with effectiveness, and is based on learning rationale (i.e., the first three levels of Kirkpatrick's model are measures of changes in learners' behavior as a consequence of the learning solution)." The article will be presented in four parts. Last week, Part Three was published. This is Part Four, and the last part of this series.
4. Presenting the Data: The Scorecard
After the collection of data, there is a need to clearly present the data to the decision makers. One way of doing this is to put the data in a scorecard (see Figure 4). The scorecard is presented at the end of a predefined period (e.g., quarter or year) and it summarizes the status in each of the subjects that are important to the training department management. In the long-term, the scorecards enable the company to monitor and control the department's performances, and to identify activity patterns. Figure 4 (below) presents the schematic structure of a periodical scorecard. It includes four types of data: effectiveness, quality, costs, and efficiency. Note that there could be several types of scorecards in the department: A main scorecard for the training manager, scorecards for course managers, for group managers, or for the delivery manager, and so on.
The scorecard enables us to manage two types of monitoring:
a. Regular Monitoring: data on essential subjects is collected each period and used as a basis for comparison among the different periods. Example of such a subject is the efficiency of training materials development.
b. Tentative Monitoring: data that is needed to follow and fix specific problems. For example, monitoring employees who were enrolled to a course yet didn't participate nor notify that they had cancelled their participation. The data will be collected, the solutions implemented, and once the problem is solved, the data will be removed from the scorecard.
5. Summary and Conclusions
This article presents a measurement and evaluation framework for the training department. The framework defines the data to be collected in order to effectively and efficiently manage the training processes in the organization. The most important data is the attainment of the department's goals, i.e., data on its effectiveness. The training department has two main goals: improving the organization's competence level and reducing the cost of learning processes. The contribution of the department is evaluated by the ratio between its effectiveness and its budget. Good ratio shows high efficiency. The manager improves the ratio by reducing the costs of the work processes while controlling the quality of their products. In order to get appropriate managerial decisions the manager collects four types of data: effectiveness, quality, cost, and efficiency. The data is summarized and presented in a managerial tool called a scorecard.
The main contribution of the article is the presentation of a clear measurement framework. The measured data is used as a basis for decision making. Having a managerial basis, the model has to be inclusive and relate to all types of factors in addition to effectiveness; for example, efficiency or quality. The model explains the various activities that take place in the training department and their rationale. This helps the manager to clearly see the main decisions that need to be made.
The current article presents a slightly different conception regarding the link between training and performance. According to the article there are several disciplines that may contribute to performance improvement, among which are: management, industrial engineering, organizational development, and training. The contribution of training, compared to other disciplines, is more indirect in nature. Training helps employees improve their competence thereby giving the manager better means to attain his or her goals. Since employees' time is a managerial resource, the manager should be responsible for the improvement of employees' professional capabilities. Perceiving learning time as the responsibility of the manager has major implications on the status and role of the training department in the organization.
Acknowledgment
Special thanks to Yair Ma'ayan for critically reading the manuscript, and for his fruitful discussions regarding the content and format of this article.
Dan Klein is a specialist in learning and training strategies and consultant to the high-tech business sector. He received his Ph.D. from the Department of Educational Psychology-the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and currently lectures at the department of Instructional Systems Technologies at the Holon Institute of Technology in Israel. He previously served as a major in the research and development section/training department of the Israeli Air Force.
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