This article reports on a study investigating the relationship between the introduction of new management practices and the training provided by Australian enterprises for their employees. The new management practices investigated include teamworking, total quality management, lean production, business process re-engineering and the learning organisation. The study involved a survey of human resource managers in medium to large size Australian enterprises. The study models the impact of the introduction of new management practices and the extent of training provision in the enterprises and on the form and nature of the training. The article concludes that whereas new management practices have a significant impact on training provision in enterprises, the effect is highly differentiated and that a critical relationship is the integration of training with the business strategy of the enterprise.

The widespread implementation of new management practices (NMPs) in industrialised countries has had a significant impact on employee training. Examines five NMPs: the learning organisation; total quality management; lean production/high performance work organisations; teamworking; and business process re‐engineering. Focuses on the relationship between organisational change and training at the enterprise level. The research identified important findings in six key areas: small business; the use of the vocational education and training system; the importance of the individual; the nature of training; the importance of behavioural skills; and organisational change. The study confirmed that workplace change is a major driver of improved training provision in enterprises. It showed unambiguously that most NMPs are associated with higher levels of training. The integration of training with business strategy was found to be the most important factor in driving training across a wide range of training activities and appears to lead to an across the board boost to enterprise training in all its forms.

This article presents the findings from a study of the impact of the introduction of new management practices on the organisation of training in Australian enterprises. The study investigated the impact of five common new management practices: teamworking, total quality management, lean production, business process re-engineering and the learning organisation, as well as a number of other organisational factors. The incidences of these practices were modelled against eight measures of the organisation of training in enterprises. The results confirm that organisational change, as represented by the five new management practices, has had a significant impact on the organisation of training. However, the most significant impact on the way training is organised appears to be on the extent to which training and human resource policy are integrated with business strategy.

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Discusses the similarities and differences in the ways in which the training and development function is managed in multinational corporations (MNCs). Presents a comparative analysis (at three levels: international, industry and enterprise, with emphasis on enterprise) of enterprise‐based training in the UK and Australia, set in the context of the food and drink industry; and some of the government policies that affect the industry. Includes case studies of MNCs that operate in both countries, giving details of training strategies. Concludes that similarities in training and development strategies outweigh the differences; contrary to previous studies which draw attention to the differences between organizations and industries. Points out the relevance to managers and researchers who have an interest in the human resource management function in large organizations that operate across borders.