The motivations and attitudes of learners are a major factor in the effectiveness of training. This general topic has been examined and discussed at great length in Instructional Design research. A review of this topic will be useful to Instructional Designers who develop content for any target audience.

In corporate training, we often assume that our learners are highly motivated, and in some cases this is a reasonable assumption. For example, highly skilled technology workers would not likely be in their jobs if they had not proven their ability to quickly learn new technologies, and they likely would not have been able to do so without having appropriate motivational and attitudinal qualities. So while there may be significant differences in these qualities between the learners, it may be reasonable to assume that all meet a subjective "minimum requirement" in these areas that is not explicitly defined.

Where examination of attitudes is particularly important is when developing training for learners who do not have proven track records of accomplishment. For example, if low paid and relatively unskilled workers are not adhering to certain company policies or procedures after receiving training on them, there is a real possibility that this is not because they do not understand the policy. Therefore, the appropriate corrective action may not be more training, but rather an effort to improve the attitudes of the workers. The effectiveness of training programs is always enhanced by a highly positive corporate environment that can boost the morale and dedication of learners.

We recommend that in managing corporate training, attitudinal factors be considered when performing the initial evaluation of a new training program. Gathering information at this time to support this analysis may be useful. For example, asking open-ended questions on an evaluation form may provide opportunities for learners to reveal underlying beliefs and opinions that may affect their qualitative assessments of the training.

For training programs intended for learners with unproven motivations, a consideration of these types of factors should occur in the initial analysis phase. You may determine that an instructional treatment is not needed for the desired outcome, or that while some training is required, additional non-training efforts are required to address attitudinal factors.