In-service management training: A comparative study of industrial and educational organisations

The main purpose of the present study was to compare management training in business/industrial organisations and in educational organisations to see whether or not their similarities and differences could be explained by their organisational type. According to Carlson (1964), business organisations have to survive and compete for clients and can therefore be defined as wild organisations, whereas educational organisations are considered to be domesticated because they are supplied with resources and clients without having to compete. The research method was qualitative in its nature, consisting of case studies from in-service training in three industrial companies and three large public schools in the educational district of Jerusalem (Israel). Key informants were selected at each site. In addition to the use of structured observations, written documents were analysed. The results revealed that there were similarities in management training with regard to commitment to training, an emphasis on group development, the principles on which training methods were based, and the absence of any evaluation of training results. Differences were found in delivery methods, training content, the expectations of trainees, and the organisational structure of the different types of organisation. None of the similarities between the two types of organisation appear to be a function of organisational type. Of the differences, only organisational structure appears strongly related to organisational type