Evaluating management training and development in a cross‐cultural context : A stakeholder approach

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to address the challenge in evaluating China's overseas management training and development (MTD) in cross‐cultural settings. It examines the evaluation practice of China's overseas MTD interventions and explores a comprehensive approach to the MTD evaluation. Design/methodology/approach – This study collected both quantitative and qualitative data from 526 major stakeholders involved in China's overseas MTD. A mix method approach is used to explore the perspectives of different stakeholders. Findings – The respondents from different stakeholder groups perceived purposes of evaluation and problems conducting evaluation differently. The perceived evaluation criteria and approaches by individual group were also focused differently. The current evaluation system was based on segmented information collection and little joint effort was found in the MTD evaluation. The judgement on the value of China's overseas MTD is culturally sensitive due to the diversity of stakeholders from different cultural backgrounds. A new framework is proposed to address the evaluation challenge. Research limitations/implications – This study is limited to evaluating China's MTD between China and the UK. The evaluation framework is based on complex involvement of multiple stakeholders in an international setting. It may not be applicable to situations where only two parties are involved in training. Practical implications – The proposed stakeholder‐based evaluation framework may be used for other skill‐based training and development programs involving multiple stakeholders in the international arena. Originality/value – This paper contributes to the HRM evaluation literature by focusing on a unique evaluation setting and proposes a framework to evaluate a complex international MTD initiative by the Chinese Government.