An exploratory study of the value of pretraining end‐user participation

Although software training is widely seen as an essential contributor to the productive use of computers in organizations, research has not focused on identifying the processes through which software trainers assess end users' training requirements. This research draws from self‐regulation theories to examine the impacts of pretraining end‐user participation on the outcomes of software training. Self‐regulation theories aim to explain why individuals behave in a certain manner in an organizational context. Pretraining end‐user participation consists of a pretraining interview designed to learn the needs of the trainee, and to gain insights into a training design that can make learning the target software more relevant to the trainee. The context of the study was a training programme for a database retrieval software package in a medium‐sized manufacturing company. Approximately half the trainees were involved in the pretraining interview process. Trainees also received one of two training approaches, either applications‐based (relevant problem focused) or construct‐based (generic training approach) training. Data were gathered from questionnaires, quizzes and interviews. Although no clear differences were found, the data indicate that pretraining end‐user participation should be considered a potentially effective tool in enhancing training effectiveness. Pretraining end‐user participation is more likely to suggest who will or will not use a software application after formal training, provide a more realistic view of the content and usefulness of the training, and facilitate motivation planning and management. The paper discusses some potential critical success factors for making pretraining end‐user participation more effective.