K4

Kirkpatrick Level 4

Kirkpatrick‘s Model is a four-level mechanism to measure the effectiveness of the training process. Level 4 of the model (called the business outcomes measurement) measures the impact of the training on selected parameters related to business management (e.g. the number of complaints, income, percentage of customers leaving, etc.). The measurement is performed by comparing business parameters prior to the training to about 6 months after completion of the development process.

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Worth to know

  • Even if the examination of the results of L&D processes confirms a high effectiveness of these developmental actions, it is necessary to reinforce the new habits of the employees, so that the company will be able to reap the benefits of their investment in development for a longer period of time.

  • Actions at the fourth level of the Kirkpatrick method allow for the monitoring of measurable benefits that the company achieves thanks to leading developmental actions - it allows for a justification of implemented changes and eliminated inefficiencies in business terms. It also allows for the optimization of costs in developmental actions - thanks to evaluation, there is information on which initiatives are worth it and bring expected results, and which should be replaced for more effective solutions.

  • One should consider if changes that we observed in implementing the evaluation are truly a result of the development actions or do they come from different factors. For example while evaluating a sales training, one should think if there were any major changes that happened in the middle of the process on the market which could impact the results more than the L&D process itself (the disappearance of a big client, the appearance of new competition etc.).

  • If it’s possible a control group should be used in comparisons for example by only implementing the L&D process in one branch of the company in order to check if the solutions used resulted in any real changes.