The effectiveness of training and development strategies to improve employee performance in the construction industry in Zimbabwe : a case study of KMP Holdings

Abstract

The overall aim of the study was to investigate the effectiveness of training and development strategies to improve employee performance at KMP Holdings in Zimbabwe. Employee performance plays a critical role in the effectiveness of the business and plays an integral part in developing a competitive advantage. The improvement in employee performance by ensuring training and development strategies for employees will sustain organizational effectiveness and induce long- term success for KMP Holdings. The study was conducted at KMP Holdings, a construction company in Zimbabwe.

The study adopted the quantitative research design and a survey method was employed for all 110 employees at KPM Holdings. A structured closed-ended questionnaire was used to collect data. A significant response rate of 93.58% was obtained using the personal method of data collection. The responses to the questionnaire were captured and analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 24.0 for Windows. Several hypotheses were formulated and tested using the Pearson`s chi-square and Spearman`s rank order correlation co-efficient.

The findings showed that there were significant relationships between the variables. The findings of the study at KMP Holdings also indicated that training and development strategies provided by the organization were not aligned with technology. The recommendations suggest that top management should ensure that all the equipment and tools used for staff training are aligned with prevailing technology. The recommendations also suggest that management should understand that most employees do not come to their jobs with the total knowledge and experience required for them to perform perfectly. Therefore, at KMP Holdings, employee performance should be enhanced by providing the training needed to the employees to produce the desired outcomes. Relevant literature was also studied on topics related to this research. Recommendation and conclusion form the last part of this paper.