Analyzing training strategies adopted in Qatar firms for motivating employees to improve their

performance- A case of QATAR AIRWAYS

 Acknowledgment

I believe the same and would like to acknowledge the efforts by a number of people in helping

me complete this thesis. I extend my gratitude towards my teachers and peers who had been the

utmost support for me and guided me throughout the process of collecting, compiling, and

writing the thesis. Further, without my parents and their affection, I would not be here, their

constant support and motivation require hefty acknowledgments as I have finally made it through

this eminent experience of my academic career. In addition, all the people who are directly or

indirectly linked to the successful completion of the thesis are equally deserving of my thanks

and acknowledgment.
 Abstract

Training is a tool employed by organizations to enhance employee skills and enables them to

perform better. The following study is based on examining the training strategies and their

impact on employee motivation and performance for which selected case study organization is

Qatar airways. Qatari firms are progressing day by day by deploying strategies that have

contributed to their organizational performance and that of employees. In order to investigate

this, a sample of 155 respondents has been drawn that includes 150 employees and five

managers belonging to Qatar airways. The SPSS has been used to analyze the data collected

from questionnaire whereas, thematic analysis has been done for the sake of presenting

interviews. The results of the study have significantly proven the importance of training

strategies yet some issues are highlighted as well which includes lack of long term planning and

competitive pressures were among some issues that obstructs. However, Qatar airways has been

quite effective in promoting e-learning and collaborative training for training employees and

talent development.
 Table of Contents

Acknowledgment ............................................................................................................................ 2

Abstract ........................................................................................................................................... 3

1 Chapter 1: Introduction ............................................................................................................ 9

1.1 Introduction ...................................................................................................................... 9

1.2 Background of the study .................................................................................................. 9

1.3 Research Objectives ....................................................................................................... 11

1.4 Research Questions ........................................................................................................ 11

1.5 Problem Statement ......................................................................................................... 11

1.6 Scope of the study .......................................................................................................... 12

1.7 Structure of the dissertation............................................................................................ 12

1.8 Chapter summary ........................................................................................................... 13

2 Chapter 2: Literature Review ................................................................................................ 14

2.1 Introduction .................................................................................................................... 14

2.2 Training .......................................................................................................................... 14

2.3 Impact of training on employee motivation ................................................................... 15

2.4 Training strategies .......................................................................................................... 16

2.4.1 E-Learning .............................................................................................................. 16

2.4.2 On The Job Training ............................................................................................... 17

2.4.3 Off The Job Training .............................................................................................. 17

 2.4.4 Mentoring ................................................................................................................ 17

2.5 Training need analysis .................................................................................................... 17

2.6 Role of HR in motivating employees ............................................................................. 19

2.7 HR policies and employee performance ........................................................................ 21

2.8 Role of Training in Motivating Employee ..................................................................... 22

2.8.1 Improving Workflow .............................................................................................. 22

2.8.2 Strengthening Bonds ............................................................................................... 22

2.8.3 Enhancing Development ......................................................................................... 23

2.9 Impact of training strategies in Qatar Airways in motivating employees to improve their

performance ............................................................................................................................... 23

2.10 Challenges obstructing Qatar Airways in implementing training .................................. 25

2.11 Research Gap.................................................................................................................. 27

2.12 Conceptual framework ................................................................................................... 27

2.13 Chapter summary ........................................................................................................... 28

3 Chapter 3: research Methods ................................................................................................. 29

3.1 Introduction .................................................................................................................... 29

3.2 Research Philosophy ...................................................................................................... 29

3.3 Research Method ............................................................................................................ 30

3.3.1 Quantitative Research Method ................................................................................ 31

3.3.2 Qualitative Research Method .................................................................................. 31

 3.4 Research Approach ........................................................................................................ 32

3.4.1 Adopted Research Approach .................................................................................. 33

3.5 Data Collection Methods ................................................................................................ 33

3.5.1 Secondary data ........................................................................................................ 34

3.5.2 Primary data ............................................................................................................ 34

3.6 Sampling Techniques and sample size ........................................................................... 36

3.7 Chapter Summary........................................................................................................... 36

4 Chapter 4: Data Analysis ....................................................................................................... 37

4.1 Introduction .................................................................................................................... 37

4.2 Statistical Analysis ......................................................................................................... 37

4.2.1 Reliability test ......................................................................................................... 37

4.2.2 Correlation test ........................................................................................................ 38

4.2.3 Regression Test ....................................................................................................... 39

4.3 Interview analysis ........................................................................................................... 40

4.3.1 Importance of training for motivating employees .................................................. 41

4.3.2 Training strategies employed at Qatar Airways...................................................... 41

4.3.3 Training methods and their effectiveness at Qatar Airways ................................... 42

4.3.4 Impact of training strategies on Qatar Airways in motivating employees to improve

their performance ................................................................................................................... 43

 4.3.5 Challenges obstructing Qatar Airways in implementing training strategies for

motivating employees to improve their performance ............................................................ 44

4.3.6 Recommendations by managers ............................................................................. 44

4.4 Descriptive analysis........................................................................................................ 45

4.5 Hypothesis assessment ................................................................................................... 67

4.6 Findings in light with literature ...................................................................................... 67

4.7 Chapter Summary........................................................................................................... 71

5 Chapter 5: Conclusion and Recommendations ...................................................................... 72

5.1 Summary of findings ...................................................................................................... 72

5.1.1 To analyse the training strategies that are adopted in Qatar Airways..................... 72

5.1.2 To investigate the impact of training strategies in Qatar Airways in motivating

employees to improve their performance .............................................................................. 72

5.1.3 To explore the challenges that is obstructing Qatar Airways in implementing

training strategies for motivating employees to improve their performance......................... 73

5.2 Recommendations .......................................................................................................... 73

5.3 Areas for Future studies ................................................................................................. 74

5.4 Research limitations ....................................................................................................... 74

5.5 Conclusion...................................................................................................................... 75

6 References ............................................................................................................................. 76

7 Appendix ............................................................................................................................... 82
7.1 Close ended Questionnaire ............................................................................................. 82

7.1.1 Demographics ......................................................................................................... 82

7.1.2 Statements ............................................................................................................... 83

7.2 Open- ended Questionnaire- Interview questions .......................................................... 88

 1 Chapter 1: Introduction

1.1 Introduction

Training is one of the effective tools to be considered by the organizations for motivating their

employees. As per the view of Jehanzeb et al (2013), employees are the asset of any

organization, so their satisfaction is the main motive to survive in this highly competitive

business environment. Sotirov and Terziev (2015) in accordance stated, motivated employees

perform far better than those who are less satisfied with their job. With this notion, the following

study seeks to shed light on analyzing the training strategies being opted by Qatar airway for

improving employees by motivating them. The following chapter is introductory that elucidates

objectives and main problem under investigation. Further, it also pinpoints the structure of the

entire dissertation that will be carried step by step.

1.2 Background of the study

Training is an essential tool implemented by the organization to enhance performance of their

employees. According to Al‐Emadi and Marquardt (2007), training flourishes employee skills

and enables them to learn new skill set to perform better than before. Training not only motivates

employees but it also enables them to understand their potentials and things they can do to which

they were not aware of. In addition, training significantly imposes an impact on employee

motivation and satisfaction. Al-Sada et al (2017) via their study has shed light on employee

training and averred that it has been identified as the key to HRM because it facilitates the

organization to accomplish its goals and also to gain an edge over its rivals. Training as defined

by Bashir and Long (2015) is the effort of an organization that facilitates employee learning

towards their job-related competencies. Skills, behaviors and knowledge of the job tasks those
are critical to the job performance of employees. With respect to organizations functioning in

any region be it Qatar there is a constant need to enhance employee skill set to perform their day

to day activities in a comprehensive manner.

Similarly, Qatar airways falls under the service sector where quality is the utmost aim of an

organization, employees with enhanced skill set will be able to deal customers more effectively.

Training is essential so that organization can meet its challenges pertaining to global

competition, adoption of technology and employees having know how of it via training becomes

crucial for organizations like Qatar Airways. As per the Gulf Times, Qatar airways tend to

deliver employee training sessions that are particularly based on enhancing soft skills as well as

technical skills of its employees. A session at Qatar Airways was delivered that emphasized on

Coaching as a management style so that employees can grasp proper know how of the topic and

work accordingly. By offering proper training, employee becomes motivated, and significant

improvements in their performance are observed (Gulf Times, 2014). Jehanzeb et al. (2013),

through their study, pinpointed different types of training methods, which include on the job and

off the training. Each method is effective in the domain it’s implemented; however, both are

essential in an organizational setting.

Moreover, the current study is based on analyzing training strategies that impact employee

motivation, which contributes immensely to employee performance. Qatar Airways is such

organizations that rely heavily on training because it enhances employee skill set that affects

organizational performance. To maintain its position as a market leader, it is essential for the

Qatar airways to work on offering training to employees.

1.3 Research Objectives

 To analyze the training strategies that are adopted in Qatar Airways.

 To investigate the impact of training strategies in Qatar Airways in motivating employees

to improve their performance.

 To explore the challenges those are obstructing Qatar Airways in implementing training

strategies for motivating employees to improve their performance.

1.4 Research Questions

 What are the training strategies that are adopted in Qatar Airways?

 How these training strategies impact in motivating employees to improve their

performance in Qatar Airways?

 What are the challenges and barriers faced by Qatar Airways during the implementation

of training strategies for motivating employees to improve their performance in Qatar

Airways?

1.5 Problem Statement

Training is one of the key aspects that drive organizational performance. Employee morale and

their satisfaction are very important for an organization; this can be achieved through proper

training (Bashir and Long, 2015). In addition, competition among the organizations is increasing,

retaining talent and attracting new one has become quite challenging these days. Some of the

problems faced by the organizations due to lack of training include absenteeism, lack of new

skills and competencies, capabilities as well as employee motivation. These are a few problems

that arise in an organizational context due to a lack of training. Moreover, Qatar Airways is one
such organization that does focus on training, but effectiveness that is mandatory in order to

compete with rivals. Therefore, the problem under study investigates the training strategies and

its adoption in the case of Qatar airways. It also highlights the effectiveness of current training

strategies being opted there and how well they have contributed to the overall performance of

employees.

1.6 Scope of the study

The scope of the study is wide because it discusses the effectiveness of training strategies and

their influence on employee motivation and performance. Moreover, the study has implications

for managers and policymakers as they can examine which training strategy has more potential

in improving employee performance and motivation, so that they can be implemented to boost

their productivity. Also, it would enlighten the need for training at Qatar airways, and the

strategies that would help in overcoming issues of absenteeism, lack of appropriate skills,

employees' engagement and loyalty and retention to leave.

1.7 Structure of the dissertation

There are five chapters in the study, as described below:

 Chapter 1: It is the introductory chapter that explains research objectives, questions, and

background of the study to evaluate the topic.

 Chapter 2: This chapter unfolds the past studies and efforts of past researchers by

reviewing journal articles on the selected topic similarly, conceptual framework, as well

as the research gap, are also explained in chapter 2.

  Chapter 3: Creates the foundation of collecting the data, and is known as research

methods. Includes a discussion about research approach, methods, and philosophy as well

as sample size used.

 Chapter 4: It is known as data analysis. Sheds light on the efforts of the researcher in

collecting the data and represents the data in graphical format.

 Chapter 5: the Last chapter is known as the conclusion and recommendations. It explains

the accomplishments of objectives and offers recommendations to future researchers and

the organization under study.

1.8 Chapter summary

The aforementioned chapter has unfolded the main elements that are essential to set the

background of the chosen topic. The case study organization is Qatar airways, for which the

researcher intends to examine the training strategies implemented there and how they have

contributed to the wellbeing of the organization and employee motivation. The research

propositions, as well as questions, are mentioned as well, along with the background of the

research to explain the topic in detail.

 2 Chapter 2: Literature Review

2.1 Introduction

The second chapter of the research study is based on collecting different views of the scholars on

the topic under study. The data included in the following chapter is purely qualitative and is

secondary because various databases have been searched to dig out relevant information from

them regarding the training strategies, employee motivation, and performance. The chapter

covers various aspects starting from broad concept to narrowing them down, defining training

and employee motivation to moving towards assessing the training strategies used by the Qatari

firms. However, the research model has also been prepared, along with the research gap.

2.2 Training

In every organization, training is very important for their employees. Training is basically

defined as the main concept in human resource development. It is concerned with building up an

individual's particular expertise and enhances their skills for a particular job by practicing and

instructions. Training is an effective tool that can bring a worker into a position where they can

carry out their responsibility accurately, adequately, and honestly. Firms can provide training to

their employees in two ways, and that is on-the-job training and off-the-job training (Bell et al.,

2017). On-the-job training depends on the rule of "learning by doing", for example the

employees become familiar with the activity while performing it inside the real workplace. This

sort of training is gainful for both the employees and the organization, whereas off-the-job

training is the technique where employees get training away from the real workplace and get

trained online and by visiting different firms so that they can learn new knowledge and enhance

their skills (Salas et al, (2012).

2.3 Impact of training on employee motivation

Organizations provide training to their employees in order to make an employee capable of doing

the particular job for which they are appointed with new skills and learning. At first, the worker

may find it difficult to cope up with the work and can cause many problems and these arising

problems of employees can affect the organization as the whole. Training has a lot of impact on

employee motivation in many ways; through training the employees can gain more knowledge

about the firms and different departments, which can help them in their futures ahead. Through

training, employees can benefit themselves as well as the firm (Kulkarni (2013). Training has a

vast impact on job satisfaction in a way because it gives a positive message from an organization

to employees that they create opportunities for learning and to keep their employees with the

pace of the world. Moreover, as it is said, those employees are the backbone, and they take their

company towards its vision. The satisfactory level is necessary; therefore, via training, employee

job satisfaction level increases because they believe that their leader is creating opportunities for

them. Training can lead employees to consistency. Consistency leads to better productivity.

Organizations give training to their employees just to make them more perfect in their respective

fields.

Organizations do give the training to enhance other skills too. Therefore, through that,

employees do get ways to work effectively and efficiently, and its consistency increases because

of using a bunch of skills. Employees do get motivated by training to address their weaknesses

and converting them into strengths (Ko & Hur, 2013). According to Salas et al., (2012) when a

leader asks employees about their weaknesses and tries to convert them into the strengths it

becomes the indirect element of motivation for the employee to work harder because when an
employee gets its leaders to support it increases the motivation and productivity level

automatically.

2.4 Training strategies

Being in the era of competition, every organization should organize different training programs

for the development of employees. Since every machine needs the upgrade, according to

Kulkarni (2013), every employee should transform itself according to the environment and

increase its knowledge level and skill level, which helps him/her to gain better opportunities.

Before the training, the training arrangement is the most important part that every organization

should take care of. A Systematic pre-training is very necessary for any training program to get

success. It should be planned and arranged sequentially. From the identification of the program

to a selection of the right participants, training should be given from the right channel and using

the appropriate tool and technique of training. For every organization, to conduct employee

training programs are expensive, but conducting training programs help organizations

accomplish two primary objectives, they address the issues of the organizations and improve

workers' capacities to carry out their responsibilities.

2.4.1 E-Learning

E-learning is a new strategy that organizations are adopting nowadays because it gives exposure

to the candidates of technology and different learning strategies. In an E-learning strategy,

organizations conduct quizzes. Case studies and talking about different scenarios in which

critical problems and their solutions are discussed (Lacerenza et al., 2018).
2.4.2 On The Job Training

Many organizations provide on the job training to employees, and this is the most effective

strategy in training because in on the job training, employees are physically present in the

workplace and doing job tasks under the guidance of their leaders. In this way, employees can

learn real-life problems and how to resolve them and can benefit the firms and can increase

productivity.

2.4.3 Off The Job Training

Off the job training is a strategy that adopted by an organization in which they allocate their

recent hiring into the place which is nearest to their workplace and give training related to the

workplace. Training comprises of case studies, simulation, management games, lectures and

many more (Bashir and Long, 2015)

2.4.4 Mentoring

Mentoring is the another strategy in the training process, where the upper class of the

organizations give their directions to the employees and they tell them what to do and how to do

a particular task and coach them according to their strengths and weaknesses.

2.5 Training need analysis

Training is considered quite effective for not just a single person but organisation on the whole.

In the same realm the development of analysis has been made to ensure that the entity has a clear

view of the requirements in relation to training. The Training Need Analysis is considered quite

pivotal in this regard. According to Galport and Azzam (2017), the approach provides brief

analysis for the various areas of training which is required for a business and thus easing out the

plans for scheduling and completing the rating for the entity. The Growth Engineering Ltd.
(2019), an employee and organisations guidance website has highlighted three most eminent

aspects added to the Training Needs Analysis. To ensure appropriate conducting of the Training

Need Analysis it becomes highly important that the use of the process is initiated with the

identification of the most important areas or divisions that require training. Furthermore, the

need to ensure that the training process selected is relevant enough and time is not wasted. The

third most important aspect added to the Training need analysis is the return on investment

considered. This helps ensure the fact that the business develops training programmes for its

divisions that are in dire need and the rating program is appropriate enough and helps garner

significant returns for it.

2.6 Role of HR in motivating employees

Job satisfaction is considered as the feeling of gratitude, contentment, and fulfillment that an

employee feels in a particular job or business with respect to motivation. The employee feels

stable, established, and comfortable with the working life balance; thus, due to all these feelings,

employee's feel job satisfaction at their work. Job satisfaction also occurs when the employee

meets the individual's expectation or achieves all the goals of the business plan on time (Bratton

and Gold, 2017). Although employee motivation is known as the degree of energy and

contentment that a worker enforces in order to increase business productivity or to raise Job

satisfaction of the employees. This motivational level can increase or decrease depending on

certain factors such as productivity level, profitability level, turnover ratio, etc. Noe et al. (2015).

HR managers increase employee motivation through

 Communicating

 Showing appreciation

 Connecting workers in decision making

 Approving your organization and workers to grow

 Delivering constant Feedback

 Making attainable rewards

 Making potentials pure and vibrant.

Other than this, Paillé et al. (2014) the influence of HR executive are considered in relation to

environmental enactment. The research examined the connection between key strategic human

resource management, the executives, interior ecological concern, authoritative citizenship

conduct for the earth, and natural execution. This study was also conducted to demonstrate the
association between human resource management and environmental management in order to

influence the workers and boost their motivational levels. In conclusion, the strategic human

resource management was quiet evident with a direct and positive relationship with

environmental performances.

In view of Jerome (2013), Maslow's theory of needs hierarchy was studied with its impacts,

implications, and influence on the organization's culture, employee motivation, and employee

performance. The study demonstrated Maslow's hierarchy of needs in establishing casual

relationships without forcing any personal opinion as it will be prone to bias and will lack

validity. The results of this illustrated how Maslow's operational meaning of needs hierarchy

must not be indiscriminately acknowledged as logical reality or fact on the grounds that is, for

the most part, insignificant in specific associations and organizations. Though in some portion of

the world, it might be justified in light of the fact that of the challenges in the utilization of the

hypothesis. In opposition to the above statement, the audit proposes and suggests the pertinence

of the needs hierarchy's hypothesis in business associations today.

Lastly, in the study by Cania (2014) influence of HRM on organizational performance is

witnessed and explored. As the performance of an organization is measured through many

indicators, the level of employee motivation is also determined through various indicators.

Typically, the performance indicators attained via HR; the study also states how HR is the key to

keeping the association in the showcase so competitive. The study focuses on the impact of

strategic management in relation to the human resource management; this examination was led

dependent on essential and auxiliary sources. How many associations seem quite competitive in

the market by accomplishing the performance indicators? How significant is the administration

of HR in accomplishing authoritative execution? Along these lines, the aptitudes, practices, and
frames of mind would be relied upon by HR to accomplish the required exhibition in the

association.

2.7 HR policies and employee performance

There are many other policies that are under the HR responsibility; it is not necessary that each

HR policy has importance for organizational performance. Some of the policies have importance

for the level of HR only but not with the organization's performance (Kunze, Boehm and Bruch,

2013). The important policies that use to affect performance directly or indirectly are discussed,

some of the other policies can be important at some extent for organization performance HR

professionals are now important in the current era; this is why HR specialists are required to

contribute towards the organization performance and policy setting. The HR specialists are

focusing on to integrate HR and corporate strategies closely. This makes things clear that HR

policies have importance over organization performance; this is why they are aligning the HR

and corporate strategies. If this will take place, then attractive HR policies will increase the

performance of the organization.

The HR specialists are providing advice to higher executives to conduct development in an

employment relationship with mutual consent (Frenkel, Sanders and Bednall, 2013). Monitor

employee performance, if there is a need for training, flexible work practices, change in

employment, and many other steps HR specialists are taking to enhance the organization

performance. A reward system that will not only give incentives to the individual on his

performance but also team effort incentives will be given as well to the team. This will

contribute to long term performance. HR has a large number of policies they are responsible for,

but some of its policies are important enough to affect the organization's performance. HR must
take some measures to make the policies best for the organization and the HR department as well

(Bashir and Long, 2015).

2.8 Role of Training in Motivating Employee

There are five aspects in total that depict the role of training in motivating the employee.

Employees and their motivation is the core motive of any organization that keeps them

differentiated from rivals in terms of talent retention and these are as follows:

2.8.1 Improving Workflow

The study of Tabassi, Ramli, and Bakar (2012) argue that if the employee has some specific

skills and has been noticed by the managers, then training can play a crucial role in providing an

opportunity to the employee that has a higher chance to be enhanced in future. For instance, if an

employee has talent in writing skills, and he is given an opportunity through training to polish

those skills further then the outcome will be positive (Tabassi, Ramli and Bakar, 2012). So, it

emphasizes that training should be offered to the employee that is relevant to his or her work.

2.8.2 Strengthening Bonds

The research of Daily, Bishop, and Massoud (2012) mentions that there are different types of

training however, those training that include such activities in which employees are encouraged

to develop solutions and solve problems strengthen the employee bonds. Instead of designing

bonding exercises exclusively in order to promote team building is less effective than the training

opportunities because training has a real-world part to it (Jehanzeb et al. 2013). Training

provides them with a common goal to work on that positively affects their everyday work life as

well as they might back to their daily routine with more motivation and appreciation.
2.8.3 Enhancing Development

The research study of Daily, Bishop, and Massoud (2012) states that when the employers pay

attention to the long term development of employee, it makes them do work harder. However, by

working along with employees for mapping out their goal as well as working on training helps

the employees in achieving these goals due to this type of development (Alasadi and Sabbagh,

2015). Furthermore, during the workday, this type of training could be of short-term sessions to

pay for the formal education of employees, for instance, masters' degree. In addition to this, it is

said that one of the most effective tools between the employers and the employee is a

communication tool.

If the employee is not motivated, it is the responsibility of the managers to understand the

longer-term goals, strengths and frustrations of the employee. The research study of Tabassi,

Ramli and Bakar (2012) mentions that when the managers get to know about them, they are

provided with desired training. So, when the training is provided an unmotivated employee finds

the management concerned towards him or her and he tries to be more productive by learning

new skills. In conclusion, it can be said that the employee who is provided with training that

develops the skills, and that is proved beneficial for them. In this scenario, they are more likely

to be involved in the matters of organization with loyalty, so training plays a significant role in

motivating employees.

2.9 Impact of training strategies in Qatar Airways in motivating employees to improve

their performance

There are various training strategies being considered that impose a significant impact on the

performance of employees. In addition, one such strategy pinpointed by Dhar (2015) depicts the
alignment of training with the mission of the organization. To drive out the concrete benefits of

training, it is essential to build up the connection between goals and training. To do this, a

concept namely TNA (training need analysis) is needed. It makes it essential to define and

prioritise the mission of organisation with the training mission.

Another such strategy to consider training is backed by the employee performance. The ultimate

aim of training is to impact employee performance and bring notable difference through learning.

Similar to this, it can be said that training helps in filling up the performance gap as it is the only

solution being considered. The utmost motive of training relies on the fact that it should

contribute towards the knowledge, skills and abilities (KSAs) so the performance related

problem can be fixed (Ashar et al. 2013).

In contrast to this, Mahmud and Hilmi 2014) emphasised on the strategy to select the best

training program that is effective in terms of its implementation can be considered by

determining its costs as well as the needed resources by comparing and contrasting different

training program to know which one will work well and will enhance employee performance. On

the other hand, there are various types of training methods as well that includes on the job and

off the job training, each having its own effectiveness. In order to explain these strategies in

context of Qatar airways, it is quite evident that it does focuses on e-learning. The e-learning is

the core aspect at Qatar airways because it tends to focus on talent development skills of

employees and also to make sure that accurate set of skills are developed during the tenure. Qatar

airways offers e-learning training to both internal audiences and external stakeholders (Qatar

Airways, 2019).
Batanero and Díaz (2012) through his study has exemplified the ways and strategies via which

training can be delivered and came across the fact that team training is most essential as it leads

to exchange of views among the team member and thus learning is comprehensive. By sharing

thoughts and giving opinion regarding the aspect for which training is conducted gives good

performance results in comparison to the training delivered on individual level. Mentoring,

simulation, seminars and e- learnings are some other ways to instil training. In addition to it,

Qatar airways tends to consider collaborative learning as well in order to train employees. Via

collaborative learning, Qatar airways delivers learning and train employees only in that area that

they found lacking with the collaboration of various groups mingling with each other so as to

train them in needed field. On the other hand, training is the part and parcel of employee

productivity at Qatar Airways (Holman, 2013).

2.10 Challenges obstructing Qatar Airways in implementing training

Skills gaps are one such area that is considered by the management in order to let the employees

perform better. In addition to it, employees’ skills need to be enhanced overtime so that they can

be adaptive and can flexibly on the task that are difficult and also that require more efforts. As

per the view of Batanero and Díaz (2012), closing of the skill hap is regarded as the most

important area in the HR. It is essential to identify the skill gap just because of the fact that it

challenges and threatens employee productivity as well as competitiveness at both operational

and organisational levels.

The utmost challenge faced by the organisation is their inability to understand that there are

certain works and jobs that need tailored or customised skills; this bridges a gap between

employee performance and their motivational level. In contrast to this, skill deficiency is another
challenge that affects the training. The main factor that obstructs training is the lack of efforts

from the end of organisation. However, in case of Qatar airways, they are doing constant efforts

in order to train their employees via collaborative learning and e-learning. Another thing that has

become a great hurdle in implementing training is the availability of financial resources because

that is the utmost aspect in considering training. Qatari firms tend to have resources, but they

lack implementing training because of the qualified and trained personnel who can deliver

effective training programs (Sotirov and Terziev, 2015). According to Lotrecchiano et al (2013),

organisations need to design training effectively because it is the main source for delivering

skills set that is entirely new. In addition to it, long term planning is the most crucial step that

organisations can take because lack of long term planning affects the training and development

delivered to employees. Moreover, poor quality training is one such factor that obstructs training

as the money invested will go in vein.

Borsci et al, (2015) via his study has identified high cost of training and development as one

factor obstructing implementation training. Inaccurate training need analysis is one of the issues

affecting the implementation of training. Moreover, work environment is also a challenge that

creates hurdles in implementation of training. Qatari organisations are taking efforts to maintain

effective performance level, because employees are valuable asset of an organisation and thus

need to be looked after and taken care of to retain them because talent retention is the key for

survival. Lack of motivation of employees toward learning new skills is the key hurdle that

inhibits training implementation. Inappropriate person delivering training to employees is also

another thing obstructing training as trainer who has no know how about what sort of training

need to be delivered to employees. Insufficient time and budget is most important factor that
affects training implementation because budget is the main constraint that affects overall

employee and organisational performance.

2.11 Research Gap

There are various studies conducted that have shed light on the importance of training, moreover,

they even have discussed the pros and cons of different methods training. For instance, the

research study Nadeem (2010) has entirely focused on the impact of training on the work related

behavior of the employees, the study was theoretical in nature and thus proves the importance of

training and its significant role in employee productivity. In contrast, another study by Hafeez

and Akbar (2015) has entirely focused on the effectiveness of training within the pharmaceutical

sector of Pakistan, however, none has focused or talked about the training strategies being

pursued by organizations in Qatar, that is why the current study fills this gap by focusing on

training strategies implemented by Qatari firms specifically by Qatar airways. In addition, the

aspect of motivation has also been covered by the aforementioned research studies, but this

notion has not been researched well in the context of Qatar that is sole motive of the current

study.

2.12 Conceptual framework

The aforementioned is the research model that depicts the independent and dependent variables

of the study. Training strategies are regarded as the independent variables whereas, employee

motivation and performance at Qatar airways are the dependent variables. In accordance to this

research hypothesis are created that is:

H1: There is an impact of training strategies on employee motivation and performance at Qatar

airways

H0: There is no impact of training strategies on employee motivation and performance at Qatar

airways

2.13 Chapter summary

The chapter discussed above has summarised the viewpoint of various research studies to

determine the training strategies and their effectiveness in the context of Qatar and also in

general to set the background regarding what has been researched and what is yet to be searched.

However, the review clearly indicates that there is a lack of focus on effectiveness of training in

Qatari context that is why this research has investigated this notion.
 3 Chapter 3: research Methods

3.1 Introduction

The chapter under consideration seeks to design a road map to collect the data by following

appropriate research methodology which helps to evaluate the processes and procedures that help

to accomplish the objectives and aim of the study. By research methodology, the suitable

research philosophy, strategy, and approach can be identified. The consideration of proper

research methodology processes helps to gather the data as well as highlight the ethical aspects

related to the research study. The topic under study is examines the training strategies adopted in

Qatar firms for motivating employees to improve their performance for which methodology has

been designed in later sections.

3.2 Research Philosophy

In research methodology, the selection of research philosophy is the initial process that helps to

deal with beliefs used for data collection. According to the study of Alvesson and Sköldberg

(2017), there are four major types of research philosophy naming positivism, Interpretivism,

Realism, and Pragmatism. Each type of research philosophy has varied attributes as positivism

philosophy is highly structured and deals with a large sample size.

Oppose to this, Interpretivism philosophy deal with small sample size and focuses on qualitative

data. It is highlighted in the study of Taylor et al. (2015) that pragmatism philosophy examines

both qualitative and quantitative data, and realism philosophy is chosen according to the subject

of the topic that whether it is suitable or not.

According to the current topic under study, there is a selection of positivism philosophy because

of the fact that selected philosophy helps to measure the quantitative as well as qualitative data.

Added to this, positivism philosophy allows researcher to gather data in a structured manner.

With the help of positivism philosophy, there is an opportunity to tackle a large sample size as

well.

3.3 Research Method

After selecting the research philosophy, research methodology proceeds toward the selection of

research method that can be done by investigating research objectives and aims. According to

Kumar (2019), research method are of three types including qualitative, quantitative and mixed

research methods that are implemented according to the designed objectives.

The current research study has the objective to examine the usefulness of training strategies that

are required to enhance employee performance in Qatar airways. In this regards, it is examined

that the mixed method is most suitable method that allows collection of both types of data

including qualitative and quantitative. In the viewpoint of Boddy (2016), quantitative research

method only focuses on descriptive information or data that is collected by questionnaire survey,

interviews and other relevant sources. In contrast, quantitative research method focuses on

information from analytical sources that include statistics, figures, graphs, and chart.

Employees and managers both have been considered, which supports collection of both types of

data. Thus, the mixed research method is found to be most suitable. With the help of mixed

research method, the descriptive, as well as numerical analysis, is allowed to accomplish the

objectives that is core part of current study.

3.3.1 Quantitative Research Method

It is examined that there is a number of research studies that prefer to use quantitative research

method over other types of research methods. This is because of the ease and simple access that

quantitative research methods offered. According to Flick (2014), quantitative research methods

have the advantage to explain the findings efficiently as the data is collected by targeting a large

sample size. In the view of Gray (2013), quantitative research method ensures the collection of

data through analytical figures and tested hypothesis. Apart from these advantages, there are

many more benefits offered by quantitative research method for researchers as this is considered

a cost-effective approach. In comparison to qualitative research methods, quantitative research

methods show more concern to the statistical significance that results in a precise outcome. In the

view of Jamshed (2014), the quantitative research method enforces research study to examine the

statistics and data found in the form of numbers; it is observed that quantitative research method

miss out the descriptive evaluation. An important aspect discussed by Johnson (2015) shared that

quantitative research method effectively examines the association between variables however the

analyzing of theory cannot be done by quantitative research methods.

3.3.2 Qualitative Research Method

Likewise other research methods, qualitative research method has several pros and cons. The

advantages include the focus of a small sample size that associates the descriptive findings with

research questions and objectives. It is highlighted by the study of Taylor et al. (2015) that

qualitative research method gives an opportunity of the open ended questionnaire by which it is

easy for respondents to share their views in detail. Added to this, the data gathered by the

quantitative research method give more detailed analysis and help the researcher to examine the
objectives under more accurate observations. The illustrative explanations and descriptive

criteria by qualitative research method focus to explore the human experiences, their

observations and real cases scenarios. The discussed advantages make it more beneficial to

select a qualitative research method over quantitative research methods. Along with these

advantages, there are some demerits of qualitative research methods highlighted by Kumar

(2019) including the inconsistency of the outcome; the detailed responses collected by

respondents are not arranged in a consistent manner that makes it difficult to handle the data.

Furthermore, qualitative research method has no efficiency to deal with large sample size where

the result attained is so confusing to understand by the researcher.

3.4 Research Approach

According to the study of Flick (2014), there are two types of approaches used commonly that

includes inductive and deductive that help in the field of the research study. It is shared by Flick

(2015) that inductive research approach proceeds the study by focusing on observation and

investigate the developed phenomenon. In addition, the deductive research approach is more

focused on existing theories and hypothesis. According to Alvesson and Sköldberg (2017),

deductive research approach tends to tested by investigating the hypothesis criteria and research

strategy however inductive research strategy shows high concern to own formulated hypothesis.

There is focuses on generalized observation that helps to design the relevant theory as required

by the topic under study. According to Taylor et al. (2015), inductive research approach tends to

work from general to specific that examines on the basis of scientific methods.
3.4.1 Adopted Research Approach

The selected topic is to assess the training strategies adopted in Qatar firms for motivating

employees to improve their performance. It is examined that the topic, as well as nature of the

research study, is not based on a new phenomenon that allows the selection of a deductive

approach to accomplish the objectives. The selection of deductive research approach is suitable

as it allows the researcher to utilize past theories and research studies in the accomplishment of

objectives. Furthermore, the deductive approach allows developing a scientific hypothesis with

respect to the topic under study. It is observed that there is a large sample size set for the current

study as this also justified with the selection of a deductive approach. As it is mentioned that

there is an open-end interviews conducted in current research study thus, deductive research

approach helps to collect both types of data under it (Taylor et al. 2015: Kumar,2019).

3.5 Data Collection Methods

The collection of data is an essential process for overall research study as there are two methods

for collecting data; primary and secondary data methods. There is the utilization of mixed

research method that means that primary and secondary both data are gathered in the current

research study. According to Gray (2013), the data collection methods are highlighting some

specified sources that help to gather relevant data. Similarly, close-ended questionnaire and

open-ended interviews are the sources for primary data collection. Contrast to this, the sources

used for collecting secondary data includes peer-reviewed articles, published journal articles

where the recently published articles are preferred. The types of data used in the current study

are described as below:

3.5.1 Secondary data

According to Gray (2013), secondary data is such data or information that is gathered by

investigating past research studies and theories related to the topic. For collecting the secondary

data for a current research study, there is a focus on the authentic journal articles available on

Google Scholar, Emerald Insight, and Pro-Quest. Added to this, the sources include the official

website of the company, university portal and articles related to the topic under study. By

collecting the data through discussed sources, it is easy for the researcher to critically examine

past theories and topics; resultantly help to accomplish the objectives.

3.5.2 Primary data

With the help of primary research method, data is collected directly from the targeted

respondents. According to the study of Jamshed (2014), the data collected from the primary

research method is known as firsthand knowledge as Kumar (2019) shared multiple sources to

collect primary data. Some pros of primary data include the authenticity of data and well-

structured findings; this help researcher to get specific and required outcome according to the

research topic. Oppose to secondary data sources, primary data is more focused on demands and

needs of research study that help to offer comprehensive findings regarding the objective

accomplishment. There are various sources for primary sources that help to collect data by first-

hand sources; this includes focus group, interviews, and questionnaire survey.

3.5.2.1 Interviews

Data collected by conducting interviews is one of the sources of primary data collection as this is

considered as an essential way to collect data in the research study. According to the study of
Kumar (2019), there are ways to conduct interviews where the face to face interview, telephonic

interview and panel interview and group interview are some of the styles of conducting an

interview. Jamshed (2014) considered the process of the interview as time taking process,

however, Kumar (2019) highlight the advantage of cost-effectiveness for the interview process.

The important aspect of collecting data through interviews is the designing of interview

questions as the questions should be aligned with the research aim and objectives. Specifically

for the current research study, the interviews are conducted by managers of Qatar airways that

help to reflect on the effectiveness of training strategies in enhancing employee performance.

The viewpoint of managers helped the research study to evaluate the impact of training strategies

used by Qatar airways in improving employee performance and also motivating them at the same

time. With the help of responses collected by the manager, the experience of managers can be

found that easily share the idea regarding the importance of training strategies and their

deployment. For the current research study, there is a focus towards experienced managers that

have more knowledge about training mechanism utilized in the Qatar Airways.

3.5.2.2 Questionnaire

The questionnaire is another common source to gather primary data as this particularly helps to

target large sample size. According to Alvessonm and Sköldberg (2017)), the questionnaire is

considered as an important and effective source to target a large audience even in minimum time.

For gathering the expected outcome, there is a close-ended questionnaire that allows respondents

to share viewpoint from given options; this helps the researcher to analyze the data easily. For

the current research study, 150 respondents were targeted to fill the close ended questionnaire as

the respondents were employees of Qatar airways.

3.6 Sampling Techniques and sample size

Sample size is essential part of the research as it helps in identifying the number of respondents

being surveyed; it is the subset of the population. To conduct the study on Qatar airways,

employees and managers are surveyed and interviewed, however, sample for employees has been

150 and 5 managers were interviewed.

Commonly used sampling techniques in a study includes probability and non- probability

sampling technique. The current study on assessing the training strategies adopted by Qatar

airways for improving employees’ performance, non-probability sampling has been use. The

convenience sampling that is one of the types of non-probability has been utilized in the current

study.

3.7 Chapter Summary

the chapter reveals the ways via which data has been collected, sample of 150 employees and 5

managers were considered, however, the Qatar airways is the case study organization being

considered for the sake of data collection. In addition, deductive research approach and

positivism as the research philosophy has been contemplated in the study.

 4 Chapter 4: Data Analysis

4.1 Introduction

Chapter four is the main chapter of the research study because it unfolds the efforts of the

researcher in gathering up the data as well as presenting it in a comprehensive manner.

Moreover, the use of questionnaire and the data collected via that is discussed in chapter four. It

explains whether the researcher has been successful in accomplishing the objectives or not. The

propositions of the study that will be accomplished through this chapter sheds light on knowing

the training strategies used at Qatar airways plus the challenges that seeks to obstruct the

implementation of training there. For this, 150 employees are surveyed and 5 managers are

interviewed. The SPSS- statistical software has been used to assess the overall data gathered.

4.2 Statistical Analysis

The following section deals with the statistical tests that are conducted by the researcher for the

sake of presenting an association and impact among the variables of the study. The following

tests were conducted and are explained as under:

4.2.1 Reliability test

Table 1: Reliability test

The reliability as stated by Gray (2013), is important because it pinpoints the importance of data

collection and also proves the fact that data gathered by the researcher is reliable and enables the
researcher in running the tests forms the foundation of the research study. In the current study as

well, the researcher has checked the reliability of the data collected with the help of SPSS. The

value of Cronbach alpha ought to be 0.730 that is more than the required interval which is 0.50.

If Cronbach alpha is greater than 0.50, the data et collected is considered as reliable and less than

the interval means collecting data again in order to at least reach the benchmark. For current

study, data collected is reliable and hence, can be used to conduct statistical tests.

4.2.2 Correlation test

Table 2: Correlation

For every research study, the researcher tends to analyse the relationship among the variables of

the study. For the current study, there were two variables including training strategies as

independent variable and employee motivation and performance of Qatar airways as dependent

variable. The correlation according to Gray (2013), examines the relationship among the

variables of the study, it depicts how well each variable is correlating with another. For strong

relationship among the variable, value of Pearson correlation should be greater than 0.40, less

than that is moderate whereas, 0.20-0.30 explains a weak relationship. Relationship between

training strategies and employee motivation and performance of Qatar airways are strongly
correlating because Pearson correlation value is 0.724 which is greater than 0.40 thus explaining

a strong association. Also, this very association is significant as well because sig value is 0.000

less than 0.05.

4.2.3 Regression Test

Table 3: Model Summary

From the table above, value of r-square is being considered as it explains any change in the

independent variable will bring significant changes in the dependent variable. For the current

study as well, R-Square is considered to be as 0.524 which means that there are 52.4% changes

in employee motivation and performance due to training strategies deployed by Qatar airways.

Table 4: ANOVA
From the table of ANOVA, the sig value is considered which explains the acceptance of

hypothesis. In the current study, sig value is 0.000 < 0.05 which means alternate hypothesis has

been accepted and null hypothesis has been rejected.

Table 5: Coefficients

From the table of Co-efficient, the regression equation can be created which depicts the impact

of independent variable on dependent variable. Mentioned below is the regression model:

Y (dependent variable) = β + β1 (Independent variable) + e (Error)

Y (employee motivation and performance of Qatar airways) = 0.356 + 0.834 (Training

Strategies) + e (0.164)

4.3 Interview analysis

All in all, 5 interviews were conducted from the managers of Qatar airways so that the research

can gain insights regarding what training strategies are being implemented and which ones are

highly effective. Mentioned below are the responses that are done by thematic analysis.
4.3.1 Importance of training for motivating employees

Manager 1: “Undoubtedly, training is. I believe that with the help of training, you shape the

employees and the messaged delivered to them is that organizations in investing in them for

improving their performance and hence this aspect enhances the employee motivation”.

Manager 2: “As per my experience, there is a considerable role of training in motivating

employees because it helps them in understanding their values in the organization. Employees

also get to know how the work they do fit into the goals, mission, and structure of the company

and they are likely to become more excited and motivated for their work”

Manager 3: “Well my opinion is a bit contradictory because yeah it can be said that training is

important for motivating employees but I have found it a bit ineffective. It is because I have

observed the non-serious attitude of the employees and they seem least interested in getting

trained.”

4.3.2 Training strategies employed at Qatar Airways

Manager 2: “During my experience, I haven’t seen any specific training strategies being adopted

in Qatar Airways. Firstly, we analyze our need then identify the gaps, after that we prioritize and

then plan as well as deliver the training as per the gaps we identified after analyzing.”

Manager 4: “The strategies vary as per the requirement however one strategy that is always

adopted in the Qatar airways is that training has been aligned with mission goals of Qatar

Airways and most of the time our focus is to improve employee performance because when there

is occurrence of performance gap it is needed to be addressed which is done by training”

Manager 5: “The training strategies we adopted are considering the external versus internal

options and I personally believe this is one of the most worth considering strategy. Consultants

of external training are more cost-effective than the internal training personnel.”

4.3.3 Training methods and their effectiveness at Qatar Airways

Different views were obtained by the researcher related to this question while conducting an

interview with the five managers.

Two out of five managers responded, “Training impose a significant impact on employees

performance and hence, in Qatar Airways, both on the job and off the job training is provided to

the employees. Both kinds of training have proven to be effective at our organization”.

One out of five managers responded, “In my opinion, off the job training has proved effective

at Qatar Airways. Employees at the organization are provided lectures and are also offered to

take part in different activities. Furthermore, as the employees are trained outside the working

environment, they show a greater amount of enthusiasm. This has helped Qatar Airways to

increase the productivity of the employees”.

The remaining two managers responded differently. The two managers claimed, “After the

advancement of technology, e-learning training method has added more value in Qatar Airways

than any other method. Employees are provided with informative videos and quizzes that are

designed to be user-friendly. Moreover, the employees through e-learning could set their timing

to learn, and they could also track their learning. All of these qualities have helped Qatar

Airways in many ways”.

4.3.4 Impact of training strategies on Qatar Airways in motivating employees to improve

their performance

The two managers replied, “Training strategies in Qatar Airways have a significant impact on

motivating employees to improve their performance. In my opinion, the training strategy of

aligning training with the mission of the organization has helped Qatar Airways as employees

get highly motivated”. One of the managers further added that "because employees get aware of

the organization's mission and they get their training accordingly, their performance

automatically increases".

The remaining two managers responded that "Training the employees and providing them

with the appropriate knowledge regarding the new strategies that have been implemented by

Qatar airways have help both the employees as well the company. It is mainly because when

employees are highly skilled in new technologies, then they will provide efficient outcomes of

their assigned task and automatically the company will enjoy the prosperity in its profits and

increased customer satisfaction”.

One of the managers responded that "training strategies in Qatar Airways have helped the

employee in improving their performances. It is mainly because the employee's learning ability

related to several issues got enhanced. Furthermore, the employees were able to handle the daily

operational activities efficiently. It can be claimed that the impact of training strategies was

significant in motivating the employees of Qatar Airways".

4.3.5 Challenges obstructing Qatar Airways in implementing training strategies for

motivating employees to improve their performance

During the interview, the managers were asked to highlight the challenges that are faced by their

organisation in implementing training to enhance employee performance, the views of 5 out of 5

managers are mentioned as under:

 I think budget is the main constraint that obstructs training, however, we at Qatar airways

try our level best to solve this very problem and never disclosed this to our employees

 For me, time and retaining the talent to some extent are the major issues being faced in

implementing training

 The inability to understand the skill deficiency of employees is one of the challenges

faced by my organisation and i think that has influenced our training sessions

 Yes, there are challenges that restricts, one challenge being manager which i faced is in

the form of lack of willingness from the end of employees, i don’t know why they restrict

themselves from working outside the box

 Challenge i would say, there is no such challenge which Qatar airways have faced so far.

So yes, i don’t think there are factors that have impacted training implementation.

4.3.6 Recommendations by managers

During the interview, certain recommendations were shared by the managers that are mentioned

as under:
  I think HR professionals should devise proper training strategies, I do understand the fact

that challenges are increasing with the passage of time, but we also need to work

accordingly and should stay adaptive

 I would just say that training is important in this current eon to function effectively, in

easy words I would say, it is the need of today’s business world. Organizations who are

not conducting training sessions are the ones that lag behind in terms of organizational

performance and also lose valuable employees who are worth retaining

 I would only recommend that organizations should promote e-learning among employees

and also train its employees to the well being of their organization and create a sense of

accomplishment of organizational goals

4.4 Descriptive analysis

From a total of 150 respondents, 47 are from the age group of 18-22. Fifty-three of them are

from 23 to 26. Forty are from 27 to 30. However, just 10 of the employees during the survey

were older than 30.

Out of a total of 150 respondents, the majority is of males who are 82 and females are 68. This

indicates, there were more male employees who took an active part in the survey.
In regards to the experience, the majority of respondents have 2 to 5 years of experience. Fifty-

two respondents have 0 to 1 year of experience. There were only eight respondents who have

sound experience of more than eight years.

When the respondents were asked about if they think that the current level of T&D activities is

sufficient at any firm, 73 respondents answer yes "agree," and 32 among them were neutral in

their responses. Moreover, 24 employees out of 150 were disagreed with the statement.
Employees were questioned if their organization offer them on-the-job training, for which 69 out

of 150 replied with "agree," and only 8 of the respondents says that they strongly disagree,

whereas 28 of the employees stayed neutral. However, 33 employees were strongly supporting

the statement which indicates on-the-job training is crucial for them.

One of the Likert scale items investigated if insufficient time and budget are one of the issues in

executing training programs in the organization; 53 respondents were neutral in their answer, and

almost equally, 52 respondents agree to the question. Only 8 of the total workers disagree with

the statement. The reason for more employees agreeing with the statement can be the fact that

they are up for training which their organization need to consider so that their skills and

knowledge can be enhanced.

On the question of off the job training is also offered to me to polish my skills, a large number of

76 employees supported the statement under consideration, whereas, only 5 of the respondents

says that they disagree, which reflects to some extent, off the job training has not been efficient

enough. A total of 26 workers were neutral in their opinion.

On the question of the study is whether the monitoring is also a training strategy that is

implemented by the organization, 56 of the employees were neutrally supporting the statement,

whereas 52 normally agree and 25 strongly agreed with the statement being asked. Only seven

employees disagreed with the question.

One of the items was that inappropriate TNA had influenced the quality of training conducted at

the organization. The minimum of the 25 respondents disagree with the question, and 17 of them

strongly agree that inappropriate TNA had influenced the training negatively.
On the query of lack of planning related to training is one of the issues faced by the Qatar

airways, 50 employees strongly agreed with the issue, and 44 of them were neutral with their
reply. 24 employees were negating with the statement. From this, it is analysed that long term

planning within an organizational context is beneficial because it enables them to project what

aspects are likely to impose an impact on employee performance.

When employees were asked about if competitive pressure is the main reason for training for

retaining employees, only 12 of the employees out of 150 stated that they disagree, and a large

number of around 60 respondents were neutral with the opinion, whereas 52 agreed with the

statement.
Over the question of “T&D must be connected to the organizational strategic and operational

objectives to be successful, 63 of the respondents say that they strongly agree with the statement,

on the other hand, 7 respondents disagree with the question.

Training enables employees to learn new skills and recognizing their potential for addressing

complex tasks, this statement made 52 employees answer neutral, and 46 of the employees agree

with it.
When the employees were asked if the lack of experienced trainers is one of the main issues

obstructing the training level, 75 of the respondents agree with the statement, and only 11 of

them disagree with it.

Over the question of if the firm promotes e-learning training to the workers to enhance their skill

set, 54 of the employees stay neutral in their responses, on the other hand, 44 of them agree with

the question.
Employees were asked about if their firm has enforced collaborative learning and has delivered

to the employees; only 3 of them disagree, but 57 also stayed neutral with their answers, whereas

49 of the respondents agree with the asked statement.

Over the statement of if they feel motivated towards work when the firm delivers training, 52 of

the workers strongly agree, and only 25 of the respondent strongly disagree. In addition to it, a

total of 43 were neutrally supporting the statement.

Over the statement of if they are not intended to leave the organization due to the level of

training delivered to them, 53 of the total respondents agree with the statement, only 3 of them

disagree with their responses, whereas 62 remained neutral about their opinion.
Employees were asked if their organization take care of the needs and wants of the employees

who are the reason they wish to stay with the firm, 67 of the employees were happy and

answered as strongly agree, and 33 of them were neutral with their answers.

4.5 Hypothesis assessment

The following section will pinpoint the testing of hypothesis for proving whether it has been

accepted or rejected. For the current study, it has been summarized in the table below that is

known as hypothesis assessment summary.

S.no Hypothesis Sig value Status

(Accepted/Rejected)

1 There is an impact of 0.000 < 0.05 Accepted

training strategies on

employee motivation

and performance at

Qatar airways

4.6 Findings in light with literature

The following section of the research study pinpoints the link between the overall findings of the

research and the literature reviewed in the second phase of the research study. As per the

gathered findings, employees were highly satisfied as Qatar airways focuses on the training

development of its employees and they think that current level of training is sufficient.

Moreover, Qatar airways have implemented both methods of training i.e. on the job and off the

job because these two methods have immensely helped employees at Qatar airways in enhancing
employee performance. In addition to it, coaching and mentoring are also the part of training

strategies which delivers knowledge among employees. The utmost aim of training at Qatar

airways is to create a balance between KSAs (knowledge, skills and abilities) and they are

strategizing in way that has helped them in doing so. Jerome (2013) via his study has indicated

the importance of employee needs and wants as they are directly linked with their performance

by taking stances from needs hierarchy theory given by Maslow. Employee motivation revolves

around individual needs that if satisfied will lead to immense satisfaction at work as well. On the

other hand, Cania (2014) explored the link between HR and organisaional performance

explaining that HR drives goals within an organisation, and takes care of employee needs and

want. Insufficient time and budget are one of the issues in executing training programs in the

organization; 53 respondents were neutral in their answer, and almost equally, 52 respondents

agree to the question. This posits that organizations need to be proactive in offering training as it

is now the need of current era to stay competitive and compete with rivals. The main workforce

pattern in the business world is going towards collaborative training. As of late, the pattern of the

world is changing so do the pattern in the business organizations. The greater part of the workers

like collaborative learning training which they accept drives them towards advancement.

Organisations need to design training effectively because it is the main source for delivering

skills set that is entirely new. In addition to it, long term planning is the most crucial step that

organisations can take because lack of long term planning affects the training and development

delivered to employees. However, some of the managers even were negating and stated that there

is no such challenge which Qatar airways have faced so far. They don’t think there are factors

that have impacted training implementation.

Moreover, Dhar (2015) emphasized on identifying the training needs of employees and

commented on the efficiency of HR department in identifying training needs of employees. They

stated, management should maintain a periodic check on what new skills are needed to perform

the job tasks. In accordance with the survey, it is quite clear that inaccurate training end analysis

impacts training quality and thus affects the employee motivation level. On the other hand,

managers during the interview have also discussed the importance of training and stated that

Organizations who are not conducting training sessions are the ones that lag behind in terms of

organizational performance and also lose valuable employees who are worth retaining.

Furthermore, long term planning also plays an important role in implementing training and that

too depicts the comprehensive role of HR because it deals with all the issues pertaining to

personnel and their satisfaction in an organization. The survey has also indicated that planning is

lacked by Qatar airways, which to some extent has been supported by employees whereas,

interview results depicts constant strategizing towards training. As explained by Hafeez and

Akbar (2015) training provides them with a common goal to work on that positively affects their

everyday work life as well as they might back to their daily routine with more motivations and

appreciation. Paillé et al (2014) employee motivation is important in an organizational context

because motivated employees perform better and they consider their work as their priority in

comparison to employees is not motivated. There are various reasons due to which employees

become demotivated as lack of motivation impacts directly to the organizational performance.

48% of the employees averred that e-learning is the preferred training strategy by their

organization whereas, some even stated that they wish to stay within their organization as they

are satisfied with level of training offered to them. Collaborative learning means that employees

get training in the form of groups. Employees do get motivated by training to address their
weaknesses and converting their weaknesses into strengths. In addition to it, it is human behavior

when something is associated with rewards, he/she tends to perform better, and similar happens

when employees are offered training.

Jerome (2013) in contrast mentioned lack of training as one of the factor impacting employee

motivation. In line with the survey and interviews, managers stated training is important for

motivating employees but they have found it a bit ineffective because training is not the only

aspect to be contemplated when it comes to motivation. The survey reveals the fact that training

enables employees to learn new skills and also motivates them to recognize their potential when

they are encountered with complex work related tasks. However, managers averred training will

provide efficient outcomes of their assigned task and automatically Qatar airways will enjoy the

prosperity in its profits. In addition, Frenkel, Sanders and Bednall, (2013) emphasized on the

importance of HR policies and stated that human resource department is the heart of an

organization and that they should devise strategies which are for the sake of employees and

betterment of organization performance. In line with it, the interview indicated employees were

able to handle the daily operational activities efficiently because they were offered training

which as a results explains the efficiency of HR department of Qatar airways. The survey results

however have illustrated lack of experienced trainers as one of the factors hindering training

implementation. Employees and their views reflected their satisfaction level towards training

offered to them regarding e-learning and collaborative learning. They were highly satisfied and

motivated with the current training mechanisms at Qatar airways. According to Sotirov and

Terziev (2015), organization exerts efforts for retaining those employees who they think are

valuable and talented or are capable of adding value to the organizational goals and objectives.

In contrast to this, Noe et al (2015) highlighted the ways through which employee motivation
takes place, some of which are communicating, delivering constant Feedback, by Showing

appreciation etc. Similarly, Tabassi, Ramli and Bakar (2012) has also indicated different

strategies via which training can be done for instance, during the workday, this type of training

could be of short-term sessions to pay for the formal education of employee, for instance,

masters’ degree. Linking it with the interview, there is a considerable role of training in

motivating employees because it helps them in understanding their values in the organization.

4.7 Chapter Summary

The aforementioned chapter has quite efficiently proven the importance of training strategies at

Qatar airways for motivating employees for enhancing their performance. In addition, the role of

training is comprehensive as proven by the researcher in line with the survey and interviews

conducted. The hypothesis have been proven as well shedding light on impact of training

strategies on employee motivation and performance at Qatar airways. At Qatar airways. Training

strategies are effective as employees are highly satisfied with the amount of training delivered to

them. All in all, research propositions have been met.

 5 Chapter 5: Conclusion and Recommendations

5.1 Summary of findings

5.1.1 To analyse the training strategies that are adopted in Qatar Airways

Qatar airways emphasises more on it employees and thus enables them to perform better to meet

the working standards by their new skill set. The most common training strategies being used by

the company includes on the job training, off the job training, e-learning and collaborative

learning. Moreover, it also makes sure that training delivered to employees are aligned which

means an alignment between the organisational goals and training needs. Also, as reviewed by

the journal articles, training strategies should be effective enough and must be capable in

catering the skill-performance gap.

5.1.2 To investigate the impact of training strategies in Qatar Airways in motivating

employees to improve their performance

To drive out the concrete benefits of training, it is essential to build up the connection between

goals and training. At Qatar airways, training imposes a significant impact on employee

motivation and helps in improving their performance. To do this a concept namely TNA

(training need analysis) is needed. Referring to Qatar airways, it tends to focus on talent

development skills of employees. Employees get aware of the organization's mission and they

get their training accordingly, their performance automatically increases. Moreover, Qatar

airways take in consideration the aspect of training for motivating its employees because during

the survey, employees reflected that they are highly satisfied with their organization because it

values them.
5.1.3 To explore the challenges that is obstructing Qatar Airways in implementing

training strategies for motivating employees to improve their performance

There are various challenges being highlighted during the research that obstructs training

implementation at Qatar airways. Some of these challenges that have been in limelight includes

lack of employee willingness, insufficient budget, qualification of trainers, lack of identification

of skill performance gap are some important issue that obstructs training. Organisations need to

design training effectively because it is the main source for delivering skills set that is entirely

new. Qatari organisations are taking efforts to maintain effective performance level, because

employees are valuable asset of an organisation and thus need to be looked after and taken care

of. In conclusion, it can be stated that the employee who is provided with training that develops

the skills and that is proved beneficial for them, will ultimately contribute and help organisation

in attaining its objectives are aligned with mission and vision.

5.2 Recommendations

Some recommendations are drawn and given to Qatar airways so that areas that lack

performance can be monitored:

 Managers at Qatar airways should consider promoting e-learning more and more that will

enable employees to utilize the advance use of resources within their work related matters

 They also should conduct periodic performance review by either the implementation of

Balance scorecard or 360 degree feedback for the sake of monitoring employee

performance over time to understand employee training needs

 Also, the HR managers should understand by carefully strategizing the skill deficiency so

that trainings can be conducted timely

  HR management at Qatar airway should identify the reasons that creates skill-

performance-gap and eliminate those factors to let employee stay motivated and feel safe

and secure at their workplace

 Increase in employee incentives (I.e. monetary or fringe) need to be contemplated for

talent management and retaining employees for longer span of time

5.3 Areas for Future studies

It is important to depict few direction for the Future researchers, that is current study has also

kept that in focus, some of the areas are illustrated below:

 Future researchers can consider a larger sample size

 They can also consider 2 or more case study organizations so that study can be

generalized and its credibility can be maintained

 Moreover, future researchers can do comparison among two or more training methods

particularly in Qatar, rather than just focusing on aviation sector, manufacturing or

hospitality industry shall also be considered

5.4 Research limitations

Every research study has some research limitations, similar are in the case of current study as

well. Listed below are few limitations highlighted:

 The study is region centric because the study has been conducted in the context of Qatar

which is the foremost limitation being faced

 Time and resources limitation was another constraint being faced

  Qatar airways is the only company being examined thus only mentioned organization can

reap benefits

 Moreover, the results can’t be generalized because the findings of the study can be

considered by the aviation industry in Qatar and no other organization or sector can imply

the findings

5.5 Conclusion

All in all, the research objectives have been accomplished as the researcher has been successful

in analyzing the training strategies employed by Qatar airways for the sake of retaining their

employees and motivating them. The results gathered via interviews and questionnaire survey

has proved the importance of training in an organizational context. the views of the manages

indicated how well they are utilizing the concept of training for motivating employees which

have not only influenced employee performance positively but also organizational performance

as a whole has been impacted as well. The reviewed studies have also proven the significant

impact of training on employee performance and motivation because it is something that polishes

employee skill set, enables them to perform better and to work in a pre-determined manner that

is good for them and for the organization they are associated with. In addition, statistical test

conducted for the study have also prove the association and impact among the variables by

depicting the significant association among the training strategies and employee motivation and

performance at Qatar airways. The null hypothesis has been rejected, leading to the acceptance

of alternate hypothesis. Trainers are hired by Qatar airways to deliver extensive training rather

than considering internal personnel to deliver that because employees and their satisfaction are

the top priority at Qatar airways.

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7 Appendix

7.1 Close ended Questionnaire

7.1.1 Demographics

Age

 18-22 years

 23-26 years

 27- 30 years

 More than 30 years

Gender

 Male

 Female

Experience

 0-1 Year

 2-5 years

 6- 8 years

 More than 8 years

7.1.2 Statements

7.1.2.1 Training Strategies

I think the current level of T&D activities is sufficient at my organization

 Strongly agree

 Agree

 Neutral

 Disagree

 Strongly Disagree

My organization offers On-the-job training to its employees

 Strongly agree

 Agree

 Neutral

 Disagree

 Strongly Disagree

Insufficient time and budget to execute training programme is one of the issue faced by my

organization

 Strongly agree

 Agree

 Neutral

 Disagree
  Strongly Disagree

Off the job training is also offered to me to polish my skills

 Strongly agree

 Agree

 Neutral

 Disagree

 Strongly Disagree

Coaching/Mentoring are also the training strategies implemented by my organization

 Strongly agree

 Agree

 Neutral

 Disagree

 Strongly Disagree

Inaccurate training need analysis has influenced the quality of trainings conducted at my

organization

 Strongly agree

 Agree

 Neutral

 Disagree

 Strongly Disagree
 Lack of long-term planning related to training is one of the issues faced by Qatar airways

 Strongly agree

 Agree

 Neutral

 Disagree

 Strongly Disagree

Competitive pressures are the main reason due to which my organization offers training for

retaining talent

 Strongly agree

 Agree

 Neutral

 Disagree

 Strongly Disagree

7.1.2.2 Employee motivation and performance at Qatar Airways

I think T&D programs must be linked to organizational strategic and operational objectives

to be successful

 Strongly agree

 Agree

 Neutral

 Disagree
  Strongly Disagree

Training enables employees to learn new skills and recognize their potential for addressing

complex tasks.

 Strongly agree

 Agree

 Neutral

 Disagree

 Strongly Disagree

Lack of experienced trainers is one of the main issues obstructing training levels at Qatar

airways

 Strongly agree

 Agree

 Neutral

 Disagree

 Strongly Disagree

My organization promotes e-learning training to employees to enhance their skill set

 Strongly agree

 Agree

 Neutral

 Disagree
  Strongly Disagree

My organization has enforced collaborative learning and has delivered training to employees

 Strongly agree

 Agree

 Neutral

 Disagree

 Strongly Disagree

I feel motivated towards work when my organization delivers training

 Strongly agree

 Agree

 Neutral

 Disagree

 Strongly Disagree

I didn’t intend to leave my organization because of the level of training delivered to me

 Strongly agree

 Agree

 Neutral

 Disagree

 Strongly Disagree
 My organizations takes care of need and wants of its employees which is the reason I wish to

stay at Qatar airways

 Strongly agree

 Agree

 Neutral

 Disagree

 Strongly Disagree

7.2 Open- ended Questionnaire- Interview questions

1. Do you think training is important for motivating employees?

2. What are the training strategies that are adopted in Qatar Airways?

3. Which training method has been used and was proved effective at Qatar Airways?

4. What is the impact of training strategies in Qatar Airways in motivating employees to

improve their performance?

5. What according to you are the challenges that are obstructing Qatar Airways in

implementing training strategies for motivating employees to improve their performance?

6. Any recommendations you would like to offer to the HRM for keeping focus on training

employees for retaining them?