Viewpoint: The great training robbery

Abstract

Training is expensive in terms of both direct and indirect costs; so those sponsoring it might reasonably expect a payoff in terms of improved effectiveness — at least in the long term, if not the short. Why is it, then, that much so‐called training has as little relevance to the organisation's needs and objectives as the game of Monopoly has to the property business? Why do so many otherwise sophisticated organisations succumb to the charms of those who peddle off‐the‐shelf training packages which claim to be all‐purpose cures? Why are so many hard‐nosed managers prepared to give unlimited licence to the training alchemists who manage to convince them that they can magically transform leaden personnel into 18‐carat gold managers? What is the explanation of this great training robbery?

Citation

(1985), "Viewpoint: The great training robbery", Education + Training, Vol. 27 No. 6, pp. 161-162. https://doi.org/10.1108/eb017147