Training Interventions: Fulfilling Managerial Endss or Proliferating Invaluable Means for Employees? Some Evidence From Iran

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to assess the current state of employee training practices in a

sample of Iranian-based organisations.

Design/methodology/approach – The research approach adopted for the study conforms to

qualitative research in the form of multiple case study design. Semi-structured interview is adopted to

collect qualitative data. To enhance the validity of the information derived from the interviews, the

interview data are supplemented by some observations and examination of the related documents.

Findings – Data from managers and employees from different functional areas support a capital

approach to employee training. The results further indicate that the current approach to training has

an upward impact on employee turnover. Overall, the data suggest that the effect of training on

employee motivation and productivity is indirect through management’s approach and orientation

towards training. This, in turn, causes a gap between employee’s expectation and perception toward

the effectiveness of organisational training.

Research limitations/implications – There is no sufficient evidence to correlate directly the

contribution of training programmes to the overall performance of both employee and organisation.

The need for more empirical data should focus on more rigorous testing of the implications of the

current state of training interventions for other human resource management practices.

Practical implications – There is a fundamental need for the Iranian managers, first, to reconsider

their understanding of and rationale for training interventions; second, to realise the increased

importance of employee training in achieving sustainable competitive advantage in the long term;

third, to encourage employees to recognise their training needs; and last and fourth, to recognise the

importance of employee training in enhancing organisational commitment. In respect of the

management of international companies wishing to exploit business opportunities in Iran, there is a

need on their part to know the Iranian culture, its difference from other Middle Eastern countries, and

therefore to overcome such existing cross-cultural challenges.

Originality/value – The degree to which the adoption of training strategies reflects new and

different attitudes and practices among the non-managerial employees is seen to be a major

shortcoming of previous research. This study addresses such limitation by collecting data from

multiple perspectives in the novel context of the Middle East with a particular focus on Iran.