Using the Critical Outcome Technique to Demonstrate Financial and Organizational Performance Results

Abstract

The problem and the solution. It has been shown that managers prefer results-type evaluation when making decisions about how to invest in human resource development (HRD) activities. Unfortunately, in the absence of using rigorous, front-end performance analysis to identify outcomes for evaluation, most practitioners are faced with a complex array of tools and techniques to perform post-hoc analyses of their HRD efforts. This article demonstrates how Critical Outcome Technique can be used as a simple and effective way to demonstrate the effectiveness of HRD programs. Of importance in program evaluation are the constructs of the evaluation process, organizational culture, evaluation context, and decision-maker perceptions of the perceived ease of use and perceived usefulness of evaluation reports.