Impact of Training and Feedback on Employee Performance

Far East Research Centre www.fareastjournals.com

23

Impact of Training and Feedback on Employee Performance

Mubashar Farooq

MS Scholar, Iqra University Islamabad

Email: [email protected]

Dr. Muhamamd Aslam Khan

Associate Professor, Faculty of Business Administration,

Preston University Islamabad, Pakistan

Email: [email protected]

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this study is to elaborate the impact of Training and Feedback on increasing the

performance of employees. The review of the literature conducted explains and highlights the

role of effective training and feedback in improving the quality of task process which ultimately

results in the improvement of performance of employees. An empirical study was conducted and

data was collected through questionnaires to find the results. Findings of this study suggest

arranging and adopting more effective training programs and techniques in order to give the

progressive shape to the results achieved through this study. Limitations of this conceptual study

are that it covers a few aspects of training and feedback. Further implications of the study should

highlight some other factors which can strengthen the result. Training and feedback can increase

the performance level of all sorts of the organizations, and by wide spreading the implications of

these and other more advanced factors of training, quality of the process of teams can be

improved which will result in giving a better shape to the performance of the employees.

Keywords: Training, Feedback, Employees performance

Paper Type: Research paper

INTRODUCTION

Whole universe is combination of perfectly designed items where each and every item has its

existence and consistently performing its duties on the basis of their strong bonds and integration

among them. All these items are well aware of their limitations and this is the only cause that

they all are propagating the system of universe. When their bonds are disturbed by any way,

then, their performance loses its pace. Similarly each and every organization is combination of

different units and different departments, where every department comprises of number of

peoples and all these people with different thoughts, attitudes, behaviors, values, beliefs, cultures

and experiences work for achieving some specific set of goals. Efficient and effective

achievement of these goals is only possible when every member of all the departments and of all

values should be well aware of its duties and limitations, and they can assist each other in every

assigned task and can strengthen the system of the whole organization.

In any organization not everyone is fully equipped with any sort of expertise or carry the ability

of handling every task he is assigned, except he is well versed in it and has strong track

experience regarding that specific assignment. Training has been the main factor for influencing

the employees’ skills, abilities and attitude. People working in any organization either

mailto:[email protected]

mailto:[email protected]

Far East Journal of Psychology and Business Vol. 5 No. 1 October 2011

24

individually or in groups or in the shape of teams have never been able to handle their tasks by

their own until and unless they provide healthy support to each other while working on their

targets. So, team members should develop the environment where they can bring down the short

comings of weak members by consistently contributing to their weak performance (Lisa et al,

2010). They can only support each other when they have importance of increasing the

momentum of their tasks by the contribution of every member of the group or the team. People

working in any environment are of not the similar abilities and approach and it can reduce their

pace of work while working with other employees of similar abilities and approach. For

embedding these attribute in them there is a immense need of continuously educating and

training them about how to improve their individual as well as group performance.

Knowledge workers can easily accomplish their tasks successfully with high autonomy level.

Different level of training is required for the people with high qualification and those with low

qualification. Extensive training and high motivation is required for those with low qualification

and that is truly necessary to make them able to work with other highly qualified people (Becci,

2006).

Employees’ feedback shows the picture of their satisfaction with the environment, their learning,

their commitment to work, problems they face while working in groups or in the form of teams.

It also cast the picture of support and guidance they are attaining from qualified team members

or from supervisor or management those are responsible for resolving employees’ problems. It is

very necessary that employees’ feedback should be positively entertained, otherwise (Laurie,

1996) transparent reality is that unavailability of feedback from low or even high level

employees would not let them know uneasiness of each other.

This study works to bridge the gap between employees’ abilities, skills and knowledge of work

and organizational goals and objectives. It also necessitate that management should build their

interest in continuously training their employees according to requirement of working

environment and positively perceiving and responding their feedback.

Both training and feedback can collectively bring sharpness in quality of processes performed by

the employees. Because it is very clear that training should target those ends of employees which

are weak and creating hindrances in their effectively performing the tasks. Feedback provides the

clear picture of what weaknesses are there on the employees’ end those immensely need the

training. So, the collection of results from feedback helps the management or supervisor to

construct a training program which should be comprised of those factors of training which can

assist in removing negative outcomes obtained through feedback, while impressive training can

support to great extent in making the way clear to the achievement of best shape of outcomes

(Ellis et al, 2005). Both training and feedback are compliment of performance for each other.

Another supportive concept is the process feedback which tries to facilitate the performance of

an individual by providing his/her information necessary to improve their performance (Bruce,

1995).


25

LITERATURE REVEIW

Continuously working for the development and nourishment of the workforce increases their role

in the betterment of the work environment of any organizations. Owing to this most of the

managers around the world are creating and enhancing their roles in providing extensive training

with the aim of achieving defined goals of the organization. It can not only lift the position of the

employees but also the image of the organization to outside world, (Jia-Fang, 2010).

By the changing time and changing needs, organizations are facing new problems and

challenges. Technological advances have changed the requirements of traits and competencies of

performing the tasks. Now, more effective and enhanced training techniques are required by

every organization that should be more relevant to the changes arising continuously in that

technology and its use. It can play a vital role in building a consistent and progressive learning

environment. It can also make the upcoming challenges like a hot cake for more trained people

(Wei-Tai, 2004).

Setting the goals and targets is one of the primary activities of every organization, national or

multinational, public or private. In order to meet these goals a proper feedback is required so that

the activities which are diverting away from the targets and creating hindrances in meeting these

goals should be pointed out, and a complete remedy can be designed for them. Feedback can

assist in fixing these problems (Stansfieldr, 2005).

C. Cortez, et al (2008) stresses and explains that creating and sustaining coordination among

employees and members of all teams and departments is and should be the primary objective of

every organization. If employees provide the feedback and backup regarding how the teams are

monitored and what favors they are enjoying and what pains they are gaining while working in

that specific organization. It will surely compel the owners of the organizations to orientate, train

and provide a healthy leadership to monitor the feedbacks and backups bouncing back from the

employees. It can create the strong relation between management and employees and among

employees themselves.

Training programs helps in making acquaintance of employees with more advance technology

and attaining robust competencies and skills in order to handle the functions and basics of newly

introduced technical equipments. More rarely it happens that employees are not fully trained

regarding new working and technical techniques and they are unable to deliver to their

assignments according to the desire of the organization. Effective training can bring down these

flaws, (Robert, 2006). Along with training, worth of response from employees regarding working

situations is of highly importance and it can help in drawing the attention of the managers and

executives to the factors that are of mammoth importance, (C. Corretz, et al (2008). Feedback

not only adds to knowledge of employee and employer but also improves the process of

evaluation of employees, (Rosti Jr, 1998).

So, feedback adds value to the employees’ preferences, and going forward by giving better shape

to the factors of motivation they are able to improve their performance and ultimately increases

the momentum of organizational performance.

Implementation of formal practices, such as training and feedback can reduce the short comings

in performance of employees and this is necessary that both should be given importance (Kotey,


26

1997) and Huselid (1995). There is lack of adoption of such practices in many organizations and

they find their employees turning away from their targets as there is no environment of proper

training and taking feedback or providing healthy response. Generally, it is common in many

small firms and some large firms (Lorenzet and Cook, 2006).

Theoretical Framework

Employees of any organization are like intellectual property, and on the basis of this property

they can gain the competitive advantage against the other organizations. So, more the employees

are trained and satisfied with the environmental conditions, the more they can provide

competitive advantage to the firm, (Houger, 2006). Hence, carrying through from past it is not

unforeseen that training is an impressive source of integrating employees’ abilities, commitment

and professional beauties with the desired targets of the organization.

Figure-1

My Proposed Model (Taken from: The Influence of Shared Mental Model on Team process and

Team Performance, A study By: Bowers, et al (2000).

Training

Training and feedback are the true compliments of giving a better shape to employees’

performance. Training on its behalf tries to overcome the gaps between employees and major

contents of their working environment. It may be in the form of learning from seniors, receiving

satisfaction, cooperation from peers, and respects and obeying from the subordinates. It enables

employees to actively participate in providing supportive suggestion on their behalves and

conveying it to concerning management for the betterment of the employees and organization.

These aspects of training construct its value in the eyes of those think tanks whose minds revolve

around the value generation of organization through proper utilization of all sorts of assets, and

the most important out of them are their employees. Organizations around the world who are

working with the notion of continuous progress in their employees work and performance, they

should arrange such programs those can polish the employees’ abilities and can develop their

competencies which are required at the workplace, (Jie and Roger, 2005).Training not only

mentally develops the employee but also prepare them to make better their health in order to be

with active mind and more productive thought for the organization (David, 2006).

Along with the ability of mental and physical development of employees’ healthy training not

only prepares the old age employees to push up their performance, but it also adds effective

attributes to the working abilities of young workers (Becci, 2006). The organizations which are

Employees

Performance

Training

Feedback


27

producing some physical products for society, they should be very much careful about their

employees who work on those products. Keeping the picture in mind regarding customer need

they will be able to give a better shape to employee behavior with them through proper training.

Especially companies who market their products through its employees should train their

employees according to change in customer need and trend of market (Hollenbeck, Derue and

Guzzo, 2004).

Improving employees self efficacy at work will also assist in pushing their performance to an

improved and effective level and increasing their momentum on their own behalf (Svenja, 2007)

.This one also is achievable through adding it into the contents of training program.

Training targets the removal of weak and negative aspects in organizational results and tends

towards the improvement of traditional practices which are adding very little in approaching to

the defined targets (Kathiravan, Devadason and Zakkeer, 2006). So, on the basis of these series

of facts regarding impacts of training, I hypothesized that:

H1. Those trainees who receive effective training from their supervisor he/she will be able to

increase the quality of the task they perform which will ultimately shape their performance into

an improved form (Wei-Tai, 2004).

Feedback

In the real life of human being, all the situations are sometime characterized by the actions which

happen in routine where the individuals are able to perform different tasks and they receive

feedback about their performance and abilities, (Eberlin et al, 2009). All the working areas

whether service or production oriented are comprised of necessity of response from their

employees about their working environment and its situations, and (Timothy and Clinton, 2005)

expressed that marginal increase in production has been achieved through feedback and its

proper response.

Feedback is basic source of educating human in the sense of removing barriers they face in

propagating their activities towards the targets they are given in their working environment

(Watts, 2007). That is why, without proper feedback, the individuals and the organizations are

unable to develop the standards which could meet the streamlined objectives. Employees’

responses also turn helpful not only in removing undesired practices specific to them but also

processing of information received through it can create healthy suggestions relevant to the

development of the employees, and preparing them for higher future positions (Van and

Geoffrey, 2005). Today future managers are the subordinates of the current managers. They will

turn into managers as well as the leaders of the coming days, provided that their way is made

clear of unfavorable conditions which can be hindrances in their way to progress towards those

positions. Feedback acts as a bridge between employees’ non satisfactory conditions and

management response to it.

Large firms try to create the environment where their employees are equipped with abilities and

skills of working in any local or foreign environment. The concept of 360 degree feedback,

though it can be very much critical but, prepares every level employee to remove the ambiguities


28

of its routine activities and polish their skills by making them productive for achievement of their

goals (Luthans. K. W, 2002). Feedback from employees of all level from every perspective is

informative on one end to the management while on other end it allows employees to know

about how much they are deviating from the goals. It makes them more goals oriented and

committed to achieve them. Kathiravan and Zakkeer, 2006 expressed their views that feedback is

a source of improvement of quality of products and strengthen the performance of the workforce.

Hence, it defines how to remove the barriers among employees’ abilities and results required out

of them by the organization.

In educational institutions students utilize feedback process to clarify their contents and concepts

of relevant subjects. Also feedback is provided to the students from their instructors which

assures whether their approach regarding a certain topic or study is accurate and relevant or they

are deviating from actual concept (Ertmer et al, 2007). So, from all these concepts which are

flowing in the way to prove the importance of feedback in excelling performance of main assets

(employees) of any firm or organization, therefore, I hypothesized that:

H2- Feedback strengthens team processes as well as their performances.

METHODOLOGY

Educational institutions providing graduate or post graduate education are comprised of

professional teachers as well as students. Teachers experience get nourishment from practices

they do in their teaching and other professions. Various educational institutions are very much

conscious about their teachers’ performance mainly with the perspective of results generated

through feedback provided by the students. Numbers of universities at the federal level of

country were targeted population areas for data collection and it was done through distribution of

questionnaire among teachers like, associate, assistant professors and lecturers.

The sample size decided was 150. The questionnaire items for training were selected from the

study of (Gelanou and Priporas, 2009), while items for second independent variable were taken

and modified a bit from the study of (Bard Kuvaas, 2009). Employee performance scale was

designed using items or questions selected from pool of questions from training and feedback.

All were designed using five likert scale. All selected items were being reasonably enough for

collecting healthy information regarding training and feedback role in influencing employees’

performance. Results from questionnaire were analyzed through SPSS. Number of results in the

form of reliability of data, mean and standard deviation were obtained. Correlation of data

provided the results of relation of variables with each other.

RESULTS

Table 1

Model Summary

Model R R Square

Adjusted R

Square

Std. Error of

the Estimate


29

1 .419a .176 .159 .43422

a. Predictors: (Constant), Feedback, Training

b. Dependant variable, Employee

performance(EMP)

Table 2

Descriptive Statistics

Mean

Std.

Deviation N

Training 3.7580 .28152 100

Feedback 3.7419 .33436 100

EMP 3.7400 .47338 100

Table 3

Correlations

Training Feedback EMP

Training Pearson Correlation 1

Sig. (2-tailed)

Sum of Squares and

Cross-products 7.846

Covariance .381

N 100

Feedback Pearson Correlation -.012 1

Sig. (2-tailed) .908

Sum of Squares and

Cross-products -.109 11.068

Covariance -.001 .112

N 100 100

EMP Pearson Correlation .233* .345

** 1

Sig. (2-tailed) .020 .000

Sum of Squares and

Cross-products 3.075 5.414 22.184

Covariance .031 .055 .224

N 100 100 100

*. Correlation is significant at the 0.05 level (2-tailed).

**. Correlation is significant at the 0.01 level (2-tailed).


30

Initially results obtained were relevant to the reliability of scale selected for analyses of data.

Items were selected from highly reliable and relevant sources, which support the reliability of

data.

For our support of first hypothesis we got the Pearson correlation, positive, which clearly

indicates that training is a healthy source of influencing employees’ performance. The result

indicates that variable feedback has weak relation with the second independent variable training,

which is very much visible from Pearson correlation (-.012) between training and feedback.

From correlation of (training, employee performance= .233) and (feedback, employee

performance= .345) we can come to know that both training and feedback are influencing the

employees’ performance. Results are bit different from normal perception of the people about

training as a dominant source of performance enhancement than feedback. The reason can be the

teachers from whom data was collected might have their weak perception about training or they

might have attended a few training programs or events. As data was collected from Pakistani

educational institutions where teachers training seems very rare. So, from these results our both

hypothesis are proved to be positively affecting the employees’ performance with feedback

marginally high influence though going against perception of people regarding feedback.

Main Findings

Some important findings of the study show that it is unable for any organization to be a

distinctive and effective result producer without extraordinary input from its employees, which is

impossible without knowing their requirements for working in the environment. Low and high

level employees should be equally treaded in providing training and response to their feedback.

Upper management needs cooperation of their subordinates in each activity. Hence training and

feedback provide the assistance in improving the employees’ methods of performing their tasks,

which readily impacts their performance.

The concepts from the study of (Becci Newton, 2006) along with some others favor the

importance of training in terms of not only attraction of new staff but also retaining the existing

staff and improving their performance. Tony Van and Geoffrey, 2005 work strengthen the

importance of feedback with the perspective of providing information from seniors, peers and

subordinates. These people at different level of their jobs show their satisfaction or reaction with

environmental practices and procedures.

So, training and feedback not only individually strengthen the employees’ performance but also

they collectively work for creating the environment which is compatible with all level of

employees, and they also continually nourish their work attitude and behavior.

CONCLUSION

This work mainly revolves around the role of training and feedback in increasing the level and

momentum of employees’ performance. Training gushes ability of working in any sort of

employee, even in non-professional and new employees; it pushes up the abilities of

professionals to a higher stage from where they currently stand. From previous studies all

relevant works concerning importance of training defines it not as a catalyst for employees


31

performance improvement, but it fully involves with its different contents overcoming

weaknesses in different areas of their working.

Similar importance feedback carries in the eyes of professionals, who are aware of its importance

and its impacts on employee relevant different functions. These functions carry not only short

tem but long lasting influences on employees’ performance. Their satisfaction with the

environment, no pressure on them from the peers, no extra burden of assignments from seniors,

not dividing them on the basis of their professional and residential background and no

discrimination with them while making decisions or giving promotions; all these are only

possible when their feedback do not fall on deaf ears.

Moving either separately or together they (training and feedback) play their role in achieving

organizational targets by making its employees more work focus and goal oriented.

Future Implications

Current study tries to cover the participation of training and feedback in enhancing employees’

performance. The main concept was taken from the work of (Bower et al, 2000). Main focus was

on the impacts of training, but after a detailed discussion it was very much clear that this model

still carries flexibility in itself and allows many other variables to work in the direction of

performance enhancement of employees. Mentoring (Bower et al), is one of the factors which

can add briskness in processing of tasks of employees, which further can work for making them

able to produce healthy results through proper guidance and support from more trained and

professional employees heads. Job rotation (Bower et al) on its behalf can assist in providing

employees opportunities to work for different positions other than of their own. While working

on those positions they can equip themselves with the experience of that position. It will surely

support them in future if they come to work on that position as they will need less training than a

new employee for that job. These two variables can be the gap of this model for those

researchers who desire to elaborate their ideas regarding these concepts in the future.

References

Atwater, L. E., Waldman, D. A., and Brett, J. F. (2002), Understanding and Optimizing

Multisource Feedback, Wiley Inter-sciences. Journal of Human Resource

Management, 41(2), pp. 193-208.

Brotherton, J., Evans, C., (2010). The Importance of the Trainer: Factors Affecting the Retention

of Clients in the Training Services Sector, Industrial and Commercial Training.

Emerald Group Publishers, 42(1), pp. 23-31.

Brinkerhoff, R. O., (2006). Increasing Impacts of Training Investments: An Evaluation Strategy

for Building Organizational Learning Capability, Industrial and Commercial

Banking. Emerald Group of Publishers, 38(6), pp. 302-307.

Brady, L., (1996). Peer Assistance for Principals: training, observation and feedback, Journal of

Educational Administration, 34(2), pp. 54-63.

Cortez, C., Nussabaum, M., Woy wood, G., and Aravena, R. (2008). Learning to Collaborate by

Collaborating: A Face to Face Collaborative Activity for Measuring and Learning

Basics about Teamwork, Blackwell Publishing Limited. Journal of Computer

Assisted Learning, 25, pp. 126-142.


32

Delise, L. A., Gorman, C. A., Brooks, A. M., Rentsch, J. R., and Johnson, D. S., (2010). The

Effects of Team Training on Team Outcomes, Performance Improvement

Quarterly, 22(4), pp. 53-80.

Denby, S., (2010). The Importance of Training Need Analysis, Industrial and Commercial

Training. Emerald Group Publishers, 42(3), pp. 147-150.

Eberlein, M., Ludwig, S., and Nfziger, J. (2010). The Effects of Feedback on Self-Assessment,

Blackwell Publishing Limited. Bulletin of Economics Research, 63(2), 177-197.

Ellis, A. P. J., Bell, B. S., Ployhart, R. E., Hollenbeck. J. R & Ilgen, D. R. (2005). An Evaluation

of Generic Teamwork Skills Training with Action Teams: Effects on Cognitive

and Skill-Based Outcome, Personnel Psychology, 58, pp.641-672, (2005).

Houger, V. P., (2006). Trends of Employees Performance. Collaborative efforts Between

Manager and Employees, Journal of Performance Improvement, 45(5), pp. 26-31.

Kathiravan, N., Devadasas, S. R. and Zakkeer, M. M. (2006).Quality Oriented Improvement

Training, Industrial and Data Systems. Emerald Group Publishers, 106(3), pp.

380-406.

Kelloway, E. K., Barling, J., and Helleur J. (2000). Enhancing Transformational Leadership: The

Roles of Training and Feedback, Journal of Leadership and Organizational

Development, 21(3), pp. 145-149.

Kuvaas, B., (2011).The Interactive Role of Performance Appraisal Reactions and Regular

Feedback, Journal of Managerial Psychology, 26(2), pp. 123-137.

Lu, J.F., Tjosvold, D., and Kan Shi. (2010). Team Training in China: Testing and Applying the

Theory of Cooperation and Competition, Journal of Applied Social Psychology,

40(1), pp. 101-134.

Luthans, K, W., and Farner, S. (2002).Expatriate Development: The Use of 360-degree

Feedback, Journal of Management Development, 21(10), pp. 180-193.

Delise, L. A., Gorman, C. A., Brooks A. M., and John Rentsch, (2010). The effects of team

training on team outcomes: A Meta analysis, Performance Improvement

Quarterly, 22(4), pp.53-80.

Mathieu, J. E., Heffner, T. S., Goodwin, G. F., Salas, E. & Cannon-Bowers, J. A. (2000). The

influence of shared mental models on team process and performance, Journal of

Applied Psychology, 85, pp. 273–283.

M.D., MSPH1, Gonzales, R., MD., MPH2, and Auerbach. A., (2007). Society of General

Internal Medicine; 22: pp.1218-1219.

McAfee, B., Quasrstein, V., and Ardalan, A., (1995). The Effect of Discretion, Outcome

Feedback, and Process Feedback on Employee Job Satisfaction, Industrial

Management and Data Systems, 95(5), pp. 7-12.

Newton, B., (2006). Training an Age Diverse Workforce, Industrial and Commercial Training.

Emerald Group Publishers, 38(2), pp. 93-97.

Rees, W. D., (2003). Appraisal Pitfalls and Training Implications, Industrial and Commercial

Training. Emerald Group of Publishers, 35(7), pp. 280-284.

Tai, W. T., (2006). Effects of Training Framing, General Self-efficacy and Training Motivation

on Trainees’ Training Effectiveness, Emerald Group Publishers, 35(1), pp. 51-65.

Tames, S., (2007). Constructing Self-efficacy at Work: A Person-centered Perspective, Emerald

Group Publishers Limited, 37(2), pp. 165-183.


33

Training Means Zero Accidents for FHm, (2006), Human Resource Management International

Digest. Emerald Group Publishers, 14(4), pp. 23-25.

Watts, S. A., (2007). Evaluative Feedback: Perspective on Media Effects, Journal of Computer

Mediated Communication, 12, pp. 384-411.

Impact of Training and Feedback on Employee Performance

Documents

Transcript of Impact of Training and Feedback on Employee Performance