Challenges of Evaluating Training and Development Courses at Unilever

This essay explores the challenges of evaluating training and development courses, focusing on Unilever as a case study. It begins by defining training and development and its importance in enhancing employee performance and organizational productivity. The essay outlines the process of evaluating training programs, including determining objectives, selecting evaluation methods, and analyzing results. It discusses the Kaufman's Five Levels of Evaluation Model and the Kirkpatrick Taxonomy Model, highlighting the challenges faced by Unilever in implementing these models, such as influence at individual, organizational, and contextual levels, and low incorporation of level 3 and level 4 evaluations. Furthermore, the essay delves into specific challenges like measuring outcomes, lack of evaluation measures at organizational levels, determining the effectiveness of individual strategies, limited skills in data analysis, ensuring data accuracy, skills application, poor planning, lack of readiness, ineffective approaches, and managing large amounts of data. The conclusion emphasizes the crucial role of training and development in improving employee performance and meeting organizational objectives, while acknowledging the persistent challenges in effectively evaluating these programs.

CHALLENGES OF
EVALUATING
TRAINING AND
DEVELOPMENT
COURSES

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION ..........................................................................................................................3
MAIN BODY ..................................................................................................................................3
CONCLUSION ...............................................................................................................................8
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................9

INTRODUCTION
Training and development refers to the educational activities which are performed by an
organisation through which they can enhance the required kill set of their employees which will
offer them better understanding of the roles and responsibilities and will be helpful in enhancing
employee performance (Boelens, De Wever and Voet, 2017). Training and development
programs are training sessions which are created with the prime objective of improving the skill
set and knowledge of employees which will be helpful in performing the job roles and
responsibility and meeting the performance level. The training programs are evaluated with the
help of different training evaluation models whereas, there are several challenges which are
faced while evaluating such training programs. Unilever is the British multinational consumer
goods which offers various products and services and the company also owns over 400 brands. It
is a public limited company which deals I consumer goods and was started by Lever Brothers in
the year 1929. The essay will outline the challenges of training and development courses which
can hinder the overall organisational performance and the productivity of the business.
MAIN BODY
Training and development is an approach of human resource management which
emphasis on improving the effectiveness and performance of organisation by which the business
can gain and maintain the competitive position in the industry. These activities supports in
enhancing the knowledge and skills of employees by offering them required training sessions,
information and information through which they can perform the task specifically. The
evaluation of training program supports in learning and gaining more knowledge regarding the
progress and status of the program and their accomplishments (Carliner, S. and Shank, P. eds.,
2016). Evaluation of training program supports in improving the results which has been achieved
for future training process. There are several challenges which are faced while evaluating a
training program. The process which is followed for evaluating a training program to identify the
effectiveness of the training program, the process has been outlined below:
Step 1- Determine the objective
Step 2- Select evaluation method
Step 3- Design evaluation tool
Step 4- Collect data

Step 5- Analyse and report results
Unilever use this training program to identify the effectiveness and progress which has
been made with the help of the training program within the organisation, as this will be helpful in
determining the performance standards of the employees and overall organisation.
There are several models which are used for evaluating a training program which are
used by Unilever while evaluating training with such models, these are discussed below:
KAUFMAN'S FIVE LEVELS OF EVALUATION MODEL- This model of training
evaluation is based on the reactions which has been gained with the help of Kirkpatrick model.
This model is based on various levels, these levels involve-
Input- This level defines the types of resources and learning materials which are used by
training teams for enhancing their learning experience.
Process- This level focuses on delivering the learning experience in relation to
acceptance and how employees are responding to the same (Fidalgo-Blanco and et.al, 2015).
Micro-level results- This level defines the progress of learners and how they have
applied that knowledge to their respective jobs.
Macro-level results- This level supports in making performance improvement measures
and implementation of new skills in the organisation for reaching the learning at organisational
levels.
Mega-level results- This level defines the impact of the training session on society and
at larger external stakeholders groups.
THE KIRKPATRICK TAXONOMY MODEL- This model was developed by Don
Kirkpatrick which is used to identify the effectiveness of corporate training programs
(Kirkpatrick and Kirkpatrick, 2016). There are four levels which are followed by the help of this
this model, these levels involves:
Level 1- Reaction: In this level, the initial reaction of participants can be measured for
getting better insight of the training program.
Level 2- Learning: This level defines how information has been absorbed during the
training program.

Level 3- Behaviour: This level of the model supports in measuring the behaviour of
participants and how they evaluate to information on their jobs.
Level 4- Results: It is the last level of the model and this level helps in measuring and
identifying the impact of training and training program on employee and overall organisation
(Fisher-Borne, Cain and Martin, 2015).
CHALLENGES- Some of the challenges which has been faced by Unilever while
evaluating the Kirkpatrick Taxonomy Model are:
Influence at individual, organizational and contextual level- This model made
Unilever face challenge as by following this model, the company was not able to use wide range
of individuals, organizational and training design which can influence training effectiveness.
Low incorporation of level 3 and level 4 evaluation- As most of the companies only
function till level 1 and 2, Unilever faced ,many barriers in implementing and identifying the
training effectiveness from the level 3 and 4. It is complex to measure and analyse the behaviour
changes to determine and interpret the reactions and learning to identify the reactions in the
entire organisation which becomes more challenging.
CHALLENGES OF TRAINING EVALUATION
Evaluation strategy can also make an organisation face challenges. There are several
challenges which are faced by Unilever while evaluation of training methods, some of these
challenges are discussed below:
 Measuring outcomes- The inability to measure the outcomes of the training programs
creates an inability to analyse the progress an performance of the training program. The
lack of knowledge lead to lack of understanding regarding the process and approaches
which can be used for evaluating the training program and thus this affects the ability of
measuring and evaluating the outcomes and provide feedbacks regarding the performance
and progress made through the training program (Gertler and et.al, 2016). In relation to
Unilever, it can be seen that the management has face many challenges while measuring
the outcomes of the training programs due to lack of knowledge regrading the appropriate
technique sand approaches.
 Lack of evaluation measures designed for use on the organisational levels- Due to
lack of evaluation measures and strategies for using at organisational level, this makes

business face many challenges for evaluating the progress and outcomes of the training
programs. By not having appropriate training and evaluation model to identify the
progress of the training program at each organizational level, this can create an influence
on the lack of approaches which can be helpful for measuring the training programs. In
relation to Unilever, the lack of evaluation measures and approaches at organisational
level to determine the effectiveness of training program has made management of the
organization face many challenges in determining the changes which has been done
through the training programs.
 Determining the effectiveness of individual strategies- For determining the
effectiveness of the all individual strategies, this can create an influence on the on the
ability to appropriately and accurately identify the training programs at all levels
(Noesgaard and Ørngreen, 2015). This lead to time consuming process and the progress
and performance can not be effectively identified. In relation to Unilever, the company
faced challenges in forming various individual strategies which made them face
challenges in identifying the effectiveness of the training program which has been
organised.
 Skill and knowledge to analyse data is limited- Without setting any standards and
requirements for data analysis, it creates a challenges for evaluating the training program
through which incorrect analysis can be made. This will lad to inability to analyse and
identify the data an progress of training program which will affect the feedbacks (Phillips
and Phillips, 2016). In relation to Unilever, as the management has limited and lack of
knowledge and skills for using the appropriate technique ans skills for analysing the
training program, this has created a barrier for analysing the effectiveness and actual
outcomes of the conducted training program.
 Accuracy of data is not ensured- By using invalid and inaccurate data, this can create
an impact on the reliability of learning analytics and will ultimately lead to skewed
analysis. As this will lead to inappropriate feedbacks to the learners on the basis of wrong
evaluation of training program. By not having appropriate data and and techniques lead
to ineffective measures for determining the training program and how employees have
been using the knowledge and skills which are enhanced with the help of such programs.
In relation to Unilever, the company is not able to identify the data accurately which has

been gathered by evaluating the training program is an outcome of inability and lack of
knowledge of right tools and techniques.
 Skills applications- The implementation of skills has been of the challenge which has
been faced while evaluating the training program as this has created an inability to
identify the progress and impact of training programs on the skills and knowledge of
employees (Stewart and Matthews, 2015). The lack of knowledge of appropriate
approaches and techniques for evaluating the skills in the accurate manner affects the
ability to determine the effectiveness of the training program which has been organised
by the organization. In relation to Unilever,the management of the company is not able to
use and implement the right and appropriate skills on time which affect the ability to
identify the progress of the training program on time and this also lead to inability to
provide feedbacks to the employee for their performance in the organisation.
 Poor planning- Due to poor planning, this can create a challenge for the organisation to
evaluate the effectiveness and progress of the training program,and will lead to more
delay through which the business will not be able to identify the accurate performance
and progress of the training program. Thus will also create an inability to meet all
objectives on time. In relation to Unilever, the management have poor planing and
scheduling of the training evaluation process through which they will identify the training
program which affects the ability to determine the progress and impact of the training
program on the employees.
 Lack of readiness- Due to lack of readiness and inability of accept the change will create
a barrier and challenge for the organisation to accept the change which has been brought
through the training program and this can lead to misunderstanding regarding the concept
of the training program (Westwood, 2018). In relation to Unilever, the top management
has lack of flexibility and readiness to accept the changes which has been implemented
throughout training process and this lead to barriers in accepting the change. The lack of
knowledge and understanding regarding the procedures followed throughout the training
program affects the inability to understand and evaluate the process effectively.
 Ineffective approaches- The ineffective and lack of appropriate models and techniques
hinders the ability to effectively evaluate the training program which has been organised
for enhancing the skills and performance of employees. In relation to Unilever, the

management of the organisation has lack of appropriate and effective approaches which
creates an inability to determine the effectiveness of the training program.
 Huge amount of data- Due to having huge amount of data, this can lead to inability to
manage the data in a right manner and organisation can skip analysing some data which
are crucial for identifying the effectiveness of the training program. In relation to
Unilever,the company face challenges in managing the hue amount of data which creates
delay in identifying whole training process and this also leads to delay for offering
feedbacks to their employees regarding their performance.
CONCLUSION
From the above essay, it can be summarized that training and development plays a crucial
role in improving the performance of employees within the organisation through which they can
meet organisational objectives and maintain the productivity of the business. As training and
development plays a crucial role in enhancing and developing the required skill set, it supports
the business in meeting the performance standards and requirements through which employees
can perform the assigned job roles and responsibilities effectively. The training and development
programs are created through which the desired skill set can be improved. Whereas, there are
several challenges which faced while evaluating the progress of the training program. It can be
seen that the challenges can negatively influence the performance level and standards which can
create an impact on the performance and productive of employees and overall organisation.

REFERENCES
Books and Journals
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Carliner, S. and Shank, P. eds., 2016. The e-learning handbook: past promises, present
challenges. John Wiley & Sons.
Fidalgo-Blanco, Á and et.al., 2015. Using Learning Analytics to improve teamwork
assessment. Computers in Human Behavior. 47. pp.149-156.
Fisher-Borne, M., Cain, J. M. and Martin, S. L., 2015. From mastery to accountability: Cultural
humility as an alternative to cultural competence. Social Work Education. 34(2).
pp.165-181.
Gertler, P. J and et.al., 2016. Impact evaluation in practice. World Bank Publications.
Kirkpatrick, J. D. and Kirkpatrick, W. K., 2016. Kirkpatrick's four levels of training evaluation.
Association for Talent Development.
Noesgaard, S. S. and Ørngreen, R., 2015. The Effectiveness of E-Learning: An Explorative and
Integrative Review of the Definitions, Methodologies and Factors that Promote
e-Learning Effectiveness. Electronic Journal of E-learning. 13(4). pp.pp277-289.
Phillips, J. J. and Phillips, P. P., 2016. Handbook of training evaluation and measurement
methods. Routledge.
Stewart, C. and Matthews, J., 2015. The lone ranger in rural education: The small rural school
principal and professional development. The Rural Educato. 36(3).
Westwood, P., 2018. Inclusive and adaptive teaching: Meeting the challenge of diversity in the
classroom. Routledge.