Research for Human Capital Management

This report evaluated the Situational Leadership II online training course used for Navy’s Chief Petty Officer selectees. We identified the effect of the training on satisfaction, learning, behavior change, and leading indicators of performance improvement. Specifically, we found that participants generally liked the course and found it useful to their work. Furthermore, the study found that participants learned the course material. In addition, the CPOs applied the acquired leadership skills to the job and stated that they improved their performance in leadership areas-some general and some specific. The online course cost the same or less in a dollar-for-dollar comparison with traditional brick-and-mortar courses. Finally, analysis showed that Aviation and Information Technology ratings showed leading indicators of improvement in critical incidents specific to their fields of work. Recommendations were made for future uses of the course and on how to improve the feedback and course evaluation parts of the training.