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The chapter describes the Outcome-Based Evaluation (OBE) Initiative of the New York State Library (NYSL) from its start in 2003. Through extensive training, online support, and integration into statewide processes and grant projects, the initiative has brought OBE to New York State's library community with the overall goals of measuring impact and leveraging funding. NYSL's OBE activities and lessons learned are especially helpful to those interested in developing a similar initiative or aspects of it. The activities and findings of the initiative are reviewed including implementation of the ten-stage OBE Training Plan that was the project's foundation. Logic models and outcomes were used to plan and evaluate most of the initiative.

The OBE Initiative has been a success on many levels. Training and support have been effective in teaching library staff how to implement OBE at regional and local levels. The approach has been widely accepted by libraries. NYSL has also integrated OBE techniques into several statewide processes and grant projects. Through OBE, libraries are able to determine the impact of their programs and services. Outcome data leads to improved planning and better decision making. Users ultimately receive higher quality library services, resulting in a more literate community and workforce. OBE can also support advocacy efforts, leading to increased funding for services. While many in the library community are now using OBE, very few have developed a statewide initiative. The chapter is original and has high value. Each of the three authors has carried out multiple aspects of the project.

This article focuses upon six recent training initiatives in Britain, all of which included a small business training remit. It evaluates the training impact of these initiatives on a sample of 6,000 small businesses and measures their effectiveness in terms of awareness, understanding, interest and actual implementation rates. The research highlights a number of common trends pertinent to the training initiatives reviewed in this study, suggesting that there may be a considerable mismatch between specific small business training needs and the services on offer.

The Manpower Services Commission (MSC) has recently issued a consultative document in which it sets down the three propositions or aims for its new initiative on training. The document attempts not to be too controversial and gives all points of view, but it does stress that the three objectives:

The Government, through its Ministers and Ministry spokesmen, as well as in its official reports and published plans, has committed itself to the reform of both apprenticeship and adult training. A new joint initiative was started in early 1981 through the combined efforts of the Construction Industry Training Board and certain firms and organisations in the Building Industry. Towards the end of 1982 it will be possible to evaluate whether the scheme has been a success. This and other initiatives of a similar nature are beginning to build up a new pattern in this industry which will be of interest to other industries. One of the topics receiving a good deal of publicity in recent years has been the training and retraining of adults, and the present unemployment situation has placed an even greater emphasis on this aspect of the work of a trainer. For the first time, the Building Industry has turned its attention to taking in adults as new entrants into the industry in addition to the traditional 16‐year‐old apprentice. This initiative has created a good deal of interest and it raises a number of interesting points from the training point of view. There is nothing new about training adults, schemes have been offered in Government Training Centres for years and many courses have been run in Colleges of Further Education for adults who were prepared to extend their skill and knowledge. It is often forgotten that many people in all walks of life, sometimes even subconsciously, are continuously up‐dating their skills and knowledge or even learning new jobs. Whether it be new products or the latest technology, many have to learn as part of their everyday activities. In some cases training needs are confused with changes in processes or techniques, and a check list rather than a training programme is often all that may be required. It is important to consider these aspects before responding to initiatives and consultative documents which are sometimes developed as the result of circumstances other than a training need. The real danger must be training people for jobs which do not exist, where there is insufficient work available to support the numbers being trained. Adult training can be broadly grouped into two categories: • The need to train (or retrain) adults in the basic skills of a new trade • The need to provide wider opportunities for trained people to increase or up‐date their skills and knowledge throughout their working life. This article concentrates on the first of these, as the attitude towards adult new entrants has changed a great deal in the Building Industry over the past two years.

This empirical investigation studies the correlates and predictors of employees’ psychological outcomes during mergers and acquisitions (M&As) in the context of India. This study examined the role of different types of training initiatives (awareness training, human capital development training, and cross-cultural training) on building employees feeling of psychological empowerment and thriving. Further, second-order attitudes were studied in the form of employee satisfaction and commitment. A cross-sectional research design was adopted where quantitative and qualitative data were collected to investigate the interplay between the variables. Data were collected on an adapted standardized questionnaire from the employees of a public sector organization (N = 117) which had merged with a software company to deliver its IT services. Descriptive analysis, multiple correlational analysis, and stepwise regression analysis have assisted in exploring the different relationships amongst the variables. This study produces a prescriptive framework for merger success based on the model of growth and thriving (Spreitzer & Porath, 2012). Broadly, the results point towards the facilitative role of training in developing feelings of psychological empowerment, thriving, commitment and satisfaction with the merger, however qualitative data identified significant cultural undercurrents.

Drives to improve industry performance are being hindered by difficulties in managing the construction design process, preventing the UK construction industry from delivering projects on time, to budget and to the specified quality. This paper reports on a research project at a major UK civil and building design and construction company to develop and deploy a training initiative capable of making significant improvements to its design management performance and deliver benefits to many project stakeholders. It describes the development, content and trailing of the training material and a suite of 21 design management tools to drive change throughout the organization. The paper is likely to be of interest to those involved in design management and the development of tools and practices to help the industry improve design management performance.

Total quality management does improve organizational performance and remains the most viable long‐term business strategy around. These were the findings of a recent report entitled “TQM: Forging a Need or Falling Behind?”, commissioned by Development Dimensions International of Pittsburgh, the Quality & Productivity Management Association of Schaumburg, Illinois, and Industry Week, which were based on interviews with 6,500 people in 84 organizations. However, on considering the various elements which help or hinder TQM implementation, training emerged as the one successful theme in successful programmes.

Distinguishes between “goal” and “goal‐free” training and highlights the growing significance of the latter for applications in training for creativity as well as with initiatives aimed at training innovation. Examines the general reasons for evaluation together with certain accompanying complications. The conventional approaches to assessment are reviewed and also their relevance for applications involving innovation. The differences in choice between innovation of a training product are compared with a training service and a typology for defining and categorising an innovation in training via a process of idea screening is considered. Three vital aspects of the evaluation of “goal‐free” innovation are considered: the client’s requirements, the effectiveness of the initiative, and acquiring and providing feedback. Five core axioms are presented that appear to apply in most assessments involving “goal‐free” innovative training initiatives. Concludes with an assessment of key contemporary questions that need to be answered by research in order to progress this topic further.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate how horizontal collaboration aids organisations in responding to modern slavery legislation and in gaining a socially sustainable competitive advantage.

Action research has been conducted in the textiles and fashion industry and a relational perspective adopted to interpret five collaborative initiatives taken to tackle modern slavery (e.g. joint training and supplier audits). The primary engagement has been with a multi-billion pound turnover company and its collaborations with 35 brands/retailers. A non-government organisation and a trade body have also participated.

Successful horizontal collaboration is dependent on both relational capital and effective (formal and informal) governance mechanisms. In collaborating, firms have generated relational rents and reduced costs creating a socially sustainable competitive advantage, as suggested by the relational perspective. Yet, limits to horizontal collaboration also exist.

The focus is on one industry only, hence there is scope to extend the study to other industries or forms of collaboration taking place across industries.

Successful horizontal collaborative relationships rely on actors having a similar mindset and being able to decouple the commercial and sustainability agendas, especially when direct competitors are involved. Further, working with non-business actors can facilitate collaboration and provide knowledge and resources important for overcoming the uncertainty that is manifest when responding to new legislation.

Social sustainability improvements aim to enhance ethical trade and benefit vulnerable workers.

Prior literature has focussed on vertical collaboration with few prior studies of horizontal collaboration, particularly in a socially sustainable supply chain context. Moreover, there has been limited research into modern slavery from a supply chain perspective. Both successful and unsuccessful initiatives are studied, providing insights into (in)effective collaboration.

The purpose of the paper is to outline a diversity training framework in which research literatures and findings in psychology and human resource management (HRM) are used to guide organizations in the delivery of diversity training. The author proposes improvements to the current state of diversity training practices and implementations within organizations through the use and integration of research literature.

The paper is both a conceptual and a general review paper. It involves the discussion of research on diversity training, as well as diversity and training separately (conceptual), and includes a general analysis of diversity training (review).

The paper offers a general review about how psychological and HRM research findings can help organizations better implement diversity training. It suggests that successful diversity training involves a three-part approach: follow established psychological theory to guide selection of diversity training initiatives, use a framework for HR diversity management and adopt practical steps to better manage diversity initiatives (paying careful attention to a needs assessment, linking diversity strategy to business results and establishing metrics and evaluating effectiveness).

Diversity training has not been and continues to not be research- or evidence-based. This paper outlines some suggestions for integrating psychological and HRM research findings into the delivery of diversity training. The practical implication is that organizations and stakeholders will use a more evidence-based approach to diversity training.

This paper meets the needs of organizations seeking a more research- and evidence-based approach to diversity training.