ABSTRACT

Whether we speak of the purpose of training or of education, we really mean the desired motor, verbal and attitudinal responses which prepare the subjects for their duties, measure their performance and ensure that they can perform as expected before they encounter the operational environment. Most trainers and trainees are comfortable with the demands of motor and verbal responses – skills and knowledge – they are usually embedded in job descriptions, and there are proven techniques for teaching and testing in these areas. Almost no trainers are at all comfortable with attitudinal responses – what people think, and how that should be influenced or changed. Yet it is precisely in attitudes that culture resides, and it is attitudes which determine whether culture will be a barrier or a window, an obstacle or an opportunity. This is the challenge of education – and almost no one is doing anything about it.