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Transferring Learning to Behavior
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Transferring Learning to Behavior

Using the Four Levels to Improve Performance

Donald L. Kirkpatrick and James D. Kirkpatrick
Berrett-Koehler, 2005
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8

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  • Innovative
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Recommendation

In many companies, employees run from one training seminar to the next. That’s because executives hire high-powered consultants who recommend training programs to improve performance and bolster profits. However, without the proper philosophical approach and practical execution, training can have negligible bottom-line results and the only one who really profits is the consultant. More than 10 years ago, author Don Kirkpatrick wrote a groundbreaking book on the "four levels" of training evaluation. This time, Kirkpatrick and his son, James, have collaborated on a book that will help any company maximize the results of its training program. If writing big checks to consultants for minimal results is your idea of fun, don’t read any further. But if, like most executives, you believe in getting a healthy return on your training investment, getAbstract highly recommends this concrete approach.

Summary

Evaluate Your Training Program: Does It Lead to Better Execution?

A basketball coach can diagram plays on the blackboard, but if his players don’t execute, the strategy is doomed. The same principles apply to evaluating the merit and impact of business training programs. Executives who are new to this critical approach may find it daunting. Proceed carefully and become comfortable with each step before moving on. Evaluating training programs is challenging, time-consuming, and rarely black-and-white. Assess your programs based on these "four levels":

  1. "Reaction" - Gauge staffers’ reactions to seminars or programs, based on a pre-set standard. Be clear that management wants verbal and written feedback.
  2. "Learning" - Determine the extent of the learning that was accomplished by using written tests, and pre- and posttraining interviews. Do staffers have a new understanding of the ideas and methods taught? Are their skills and attitudes better?
  3. "Behavior" - Examine and quantify on-the-job behavioral change. Conduct before-and-after comparisons. Ask supervisors and co-workers...

About the Authors

Donald L. Kirkpatrick, Ph.D, professor emeritus at the University of Wisconsin, is the author of Evaluating Training Programs: The Four Levels. James D. Kirkpatrick, Ph.D., is a consultant for evaluation services.

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