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Many companies and their employees accept that learning and management development can provide mutual benefits, but find it difficult to free up the time and money to make this possible. Finding time and resources for training and development can be especially difficult in the hospitality industry, where operational imperatives often override longer‐term considerations. This paper reflects upon the critical success factors of a pilot management development programme in Marriott Hotels in the UK, so that it might be internalized and delivered in a range of Marriott properties world‐wide. The conclusion is that action learning is a challenging medium for learners and tutors alike, but that the process can be an enjoyable one for all concerned. It is possible to internalize such programmes if care is taken with both “hard” and “soft” critical success factors.

Reviews the work published over the last ten years on the subject of the evaluation of individual and organizational learning. The emerging arguments are based on the proposition that the decision to provide training and management development is a strategic investment decision and as such is subject to an assessment of the benefits arising. These benefits are considered in terms of both “hard” benefits, such as impact on bottom‐line performance, as well as “soft” factors such as the measurement of the value of the individual learning experience. The practical application of the problem is based on the experiences of a major hotel group which has undertaken, over a period of the last two years, the development and implementation of a “virtual university” utilising a blend of delivery styles for management development courses. This project is ongoing in partnership with the International Management Centres Association.

When UK retail giant Sainsbury’s recently announced that it would be reviewing the performance of at least 100 of its store managers, the debate on the effectiveness of management development programs surfaced once again. Critics questioned how these managers had risen to their current positions in the first place and, with so many executives under the spotlight, whether this reflected more on Sainsbury’s development programs than the individuals involved.

Research commissioned by the UK Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development described industry’s failure to evaluate its investment in management education and development as “nothing short of scandalous”. But in practice, it can be very difficult to quantify the benefit of training and management development and the measurement process can be as expensive as the training itself.