Satisfaction with innovation training processes and outcomes: a field study across two cultures

ABSTRACT Research shows that innovation training can increase the number of innovative ideas that are proposed and successfully executed by an organization. Training satisfaction is also a strong predictor of the degree to which people use the knowledge they gain in training. To improve innovation training processes, therefore, it would be useful to have a theoretically sound, empirically validated instrument to measure innovation training satisfaction. We propose and validate such an instrument derived from the Yield Shift Theory of satisfaction in a field study of innovation training satisfaction in the U.S.A and China. The findings of the study demonstrated the convergent and discriminant validity of the instrument, and the results were consistent with the causal relationships proposed by the theory, suggesting that the theory may be a useful explanation for satisfaction effects and as a way to measure training satisfaction. We discuss the implications of the findings for research and practice.