Practices of Training and Development of ...

This study aimed at illustration of the role of employee training and development in creating a culture of customer focus in banks in Saudi Arabia. The related data were collected through a questionnaire distributed to the employees of two banks operating in Riyadh (one foreign, one national). To conduct this study, the researchers used a descriptive analytical approach to discern the impact of the independent variables (training practices, methods and courses) on the dependent variable, which was "customer focus culture". The survey included questions related to ten hypotheses, each of which represented either a training practice or a training method. The findings of the data analysis showed that on-the-job training, the period of the training programme, off-the-job training, simulation-based training, video training, external training courses and internal training courses had a significant statistical relationship with customer focus, which led to the acceptance of hypotheses 1, 2, 3, 6, 8, 9 and 10. While communication training, practical and theoretical training, and lecture training had a weakly significant statistical relationship with customer focus, meaning that hypotheses 4, 5, and 7 could be rejected.