Quality training: findings from a European survey

Abstract

Quality management is an essential part of an organisation's competitive strategy. The training that underpins quality management determines the likely effectiveness of the quality initiatives undertaken. This article details the findings of a questionnaire survey into the training provided to support quality management. A total of 450 responses are analysed. Findings from the UK, Portugal and Finland are compared to identify differences in national practice. Training provision is definitely focused at quality staff, but even with this group training in many of the traditional quality tools is denied to one third. The area in which training is given consistently concerns awareness, systems and standards. This confirms that much of the emphasis within the sample base is on working to a quality system rather than necessarily embracing the message of quality. Training methods tend to be traditional, with little impact evident of the hi-tech revolution. Nevertheless, there is a spread of approaches considered effective with no single approach dominating the field. While external short courses rank top in all areas, the incidence is never in excess of one-third.

An Empirical Analysis of the Relationship Between IT Training Sources and IT Value

“…Training employees facilitates the updating of skills, leads to increased employee satisfaction (Acton & Golden, 2003), increased employee commitment to the organization (Bushardt, Fretwell, & Cumbest, 1994), and strengthens the organization's competitiveness (Hughey & Mussnug, 1997;Burden & Proctor, 2000). Although company commitment to training may lead to those potential benefits, there are many different categories and types of training (Switzer & Kleiner, 1996;Huang, 2001;Mathews, Ueno, Periera, Silva, Kekal, & Repka, 2001) and training delivery mechanisms (Acton & Golden, 2003). With regard to IT training, Benamati and Lederer (2001) found that education and training was the most frequently applied coping mechanism to handle changing IT, though managers might question whether they use it sufficiently.…”

Training: The Way to Retain Valuable IT Employees?

“…Many forms of training exist (Wiedenbeck, Zila et al, 1995;Switzer and Kleiner, 1996;Huang, 2001;Mathews, Ueno et al, 2001). The range of training techniques has been expanded by the application of technology in its "hard" (for example through computing technology) and "soft" (for example through instructional design) (Sadler-Smith, Down et al, 2000).…”

“…They found that the top ten training methods used in business, listed in order from highest to lowest use, were: videotapes, lectures, one-on-one instruction, role plays, games/simulation, case studies, slides, computer-based training, audio tapes, and films. In a survey carried out by 450 respondents, Mathews et al (2001) studied the incidence of training delivery methods across non-industry specific organizations in the U.K., Portugal, and Finland within the context of benefits accrued. They found that training methods most commonly used tended to be traditional, with little impact evident of more hitech methods.…”

“…Whilst company commitment to training for its employees positively affects retention and leads to desirable outputs, there are many different categories and types of training (Switzer and Kleiner, 1996;Huang, 2001;Mathews, Ueno et al, 2001). To have positive results, organizational commitment to training must tie closely to appropriate effective training methods and training delivery mechanisms.…”

A Better E-Train

“…In hindsight, some implementation mistakes were made, and some aspects of the system did not work as well as they should have. A lack of suitable staff training was one reason for these problems (Matthews, Ueno, Periera, Silva, Kekal and Repka 2001).…”