A quasi-experimental correlation of non-economic and economic determinants of a workforce training intervention

Organizational leaders are spending billions of dollars each year on workforce training without an acceptable method for determining the effectiveness of their investments. This quasi-experimental correlational study explores changes in non-economic self-efficacy (SE) and economic utility in workforce managers as outcomes of a general management training intervention. In previous studies, non-economic measures of SE have been associated with employee job performance. Economic measures of utility have separately been associated with performance improvement through training transfer. This study sought to determine whether an association existed between non-economic SE outcomes and economic utility gains resulting from a general management training intervention in order to model an improved process for evaluating and predicting the consequences of workforce training programs. Three research questions were addressed. Question 1 results demonstrated a significant increase occurred in SE for participants attending a management training intervention. Question 2 results substantiated a quantifiable economic benefit was gained through a calculated increase in the market value of participants after attending the training. Question 3 results demonstrated a strong positive correlation existed between non-economic and economic training outcomes. The results in this study are useful because organizations will be able to use this methodology to either substantiate their training investments, or to pre-estimate the levels of behavioral change necessary to achieve a desired economic return from a workforce-training program.