An Evaluation of the Impact of Training and Development on Organisational Performance: A Case Study of the Department of Economic Development in the Gauteng Province

In contemporary studies, most organisations consider employee training and
development as the foundation for gaining a sustainable competitive advantage.
Contrarily, the influence of training and development on organisational performance in
the South African public-sector remains fundamentally unexamined. This study is thus
concerned with an evaluation of the impact of training and development on
organisational performance using a case study of the Provincial Department of
Economic Development in the Gauteng Province.
The main problem identified in this study is that there is a lack of knowledge of the
impact of training and development on organisational performance within the Gauteng
Provincial Department of Economic Development. In South Africa, public-sector
organisations do not evaluate the impact of training and development programmes
and/or they repeatedly evaluate training inadequately. This study argues that the
impact of training and development in the public-sector organisations lacks evaluation.
This study used a descriptive quantitative research design. A survey enabled the
collection of primary data (structured questionnaire). Data analysis employed
descriptive statistics and inferential statistics. The sample included 131 employees.
This study used a simple random sampling technique to select each population
element.
The main findings of the study are that training has a positive impact on the
performance of the employees in the department. The department provides training
programmes that are not relevant to the tasks of employees. Training evaluation is the
most ignored step in the training process and the department do not know how to
evaluate training. The department does not have a tool to measure the impact of
training and development. The study therefore recommends that the department
should implement training and development programmes strategically. It should
provide continuous training programmes and should adopt Kirkpatrick’s model for
evaluating training. It should provide its employees with feedback. Employees must
receive training in areas relevant to their tasks.