Training on Trial: How Workplace Learning Must Reinvent Itself to Remain Relevant

While upbeat lingo abounds about "complementing strategic objectives" and "driving productivity," the fact is that most training does not make a significant enough impact on business results, and when it does, training professionals fail to make a convincing case about the value added to the bottom line. The vaunted "business partnership model" has yet to be realized--and in tough economic times, when the training budget is often the first to be cut, training is on trial for its very existence. Using a courtroom trial as a metaphor, Training on Trial seeks to get to the truth about why training fails and puts the business partnership model to work for real. Readers on both sides of the "courtroom" will learn how to stop viewing training as a cost center, and bridge the gulf between what learning functions deliver and what business units need to execute their strategies. A thought-provoking read for trainers and business unit leaders alike, Training on Trial provides a new application of the Kirkpatrick Four-Level Evaluation Model and a multitude of tips and techniques that allow lessons learned to be put into action now.

About the Author:

JIM D. KIRKPATRICK, PHD (St. Louis, MO) is SMR-USA's Vice President of Global Training and Consulting, providing consulting to Fortune 500 companies around the world. WENDY KAYSER KIRKPATRICK (St. Louis, MO) is Director of Kirkpatrick Partners, LLC.