I have decided to start this blog as part of learning support activities to complement my active trainings conducted in my capacity as Manager for Training & Development, Corporate Office - Berjaya Hotels and Resorts. Training will become a mundane and routine activity without the Development element in it. Let me give you an example here, I am currently involved in design, developement and delivery of the Management Development Training Program which comprises of nine modules which are essential for developing the Management and Leadership skills of Senior and Middle Managers in our six hotels and resorts.
I am already going to start Module 6 - Conducting Orientation and Training. This is a pivotal and usable module for our Managers who will be conducting some form of Orientation, formal Induction and Trainings. We started this training with an end in mind. That is to improve the functional and behavioral competency of our Managers who are the foundation in building strong teams and be involved in the strategic development of our hotels and resorts to achieve the required standards in terms of service excellence, revenue and profitability.
As in any training we have to "Measure" and "Evaluate' the training conducted. The terms measurement and evaluation are frequently used interchangebly. Measurement can be defined as a process of counting and assigning numbers to items being counted. Evaluation on the other hand is defined as an act of interpreting the data gathered in measurement phase. In my coming blogs related to the topic of training and development i will elaborate further about measurement. Here I want talk about how are we going to evaluate the Management Development Training Program conducted thus far.
In 1959, an educator and researcher, Donald Kirkpatrick, defined four levels of training evaluation widely used in training and development field. The four levels are:
1. Reaction
2. Learning'
3. Behaviour
4. Results
In REACTION which by the way is the easiest to measure, satisfaction level of the subject content and facilitator performance. It is aimed at asking the particpants if they liked the session and their feelings after the conclusion of the training program. I am already doing this by asking the Managers to evaluate on Leader Performance and Training Content.
The evaluation of LEARNING usually involve a pretest and a postest or uses a before and after measurement. I am currently using the latter where participants are asked to answer a pre-checklist questionaire before the start of the training session and one after the conclution of final day training. The questions are the same in both checklists however the achievement can be measured based on the incremental number of correct answers.
BEHAVIOUR evaluation on the other hand is more complex than either of the first two levels. This evaluation measures the change in the Managers behaviour in their workplace. It requires a high degree of skills to develop, implement and analyze the data collected. The property GM or repective HOD will usually be involved in conducting this type of evaluation towards his/her subordinate. This where i would like to lend support by setting up an E-Learning platform( via this Blogger site) for the continous learning of new concepts in the Hospitality industry by our Managers. This E- Learning platform will also be used by me as an E-Coaching tool to condition the emotional (mind) state of our Managers via Q&A interaction via this site. In other words i will support the hotel operations via this method to make this level three a dynamic evaluation which is evolving in nature.
Evaluation of RESULTS helps to evaluate which training programs have generated the desired results. This is normally translated to high staff performance level, better performance of revenue centres and improved Guest Service Index (GSI). As this level of eveluation is also complex and can only be conducted after level three. lets focus on that level first. I will write further on Level Four in my coming blogs. Please stay tuned.
So to all the Managers from the six properties attending my Management Development Training Program please visit this blog frequently to keep yourself updated on the latest concept in Hospitality Management and Leadership and also give me your comments, suggestions and importantly ask me any questions you may have in relation to how to apply the knowledge and skills that you have learned in the previous modules effectively. I will be able to provide E- Coaching to you while supporting the property to do the Level Three evaluation more objectively and make it part of the performance appraisals.
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