The reciprocal influence of organizational culture and training and development programs

Abstract

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate that training designers can, and should, account for organizational culture during training needs assessments.Design/methodology/approach – Utilizing the approach and arguments in Giddens' structuration theory, the paper conceptually applies these tenets to training and development programs within organizations.Findings – Within a typical analysis‐design‐develop‐implement‐evaluate (ADDIE) training model, relationships between organizational culture and each step of the training are conceptually available. Organizational culture shapes, influences, and redefines training programs which, in turn, shape, influence, and redefine organizational culture. Including a culture analysis within program planning will ultimately alleviate many of the problems that may arise during the implementation of a training and development program because of cultural resistance and/or clash of values between culture and training.Research limitations/implications – The argumen...