There is an increasing interest in the impact assessment of management training programs. Among various types of training, this study focuses on those featuring Kaizen, a standard approach to production management and quality control whose name derives from the Japanese word meaning “improvement.” Previous studies of Kaizen training programs evaluate training impacts on management practices, business performance, and the willingness to pay for training, and do not pay attention to impacts on workers. Using the firm-level data, this study attempts to assess the impacts of an onsite training program held at small and medium enterprises in eight Central American and Caribbean countries. Treated firms are compared with those firms that are selected by the sponsor organization according to the same criteria as the treated counterparts but not yet treated. Propensity score matching is employed to increase comparability between the two groups. This paper presents suggestive evidence that the training program improved work practices and the attitude of workers toward work. It also suggests that the treated firms weaken the linkage between sales revenues and wages, probably to induce workers to pay attention to activities that do not immediately increase sales, such as maintenance and coaching of other workers.

中文翻译：

---

管理培训对工人的影响：来自中美洲和加勒比地区的证据

人们对管理培训计划的影响评估越来越感兴趣。在各种类型的培训中，本研究侧重于那些以Kaizen为特色的培训，Kaizen是生产管理和质量控制的标准方法，其名称源自日语单词，意思是“改进”。以前的改善研究培训计划评估培训对管理实践、业务绩效和培训支付意愿的影响，而不关注对工人的影响。本研究使用公司层面的数据，试图评估在八个中美洲和加勒比国家的中小企业举办的现场培训计划的影响。被处理的公司与那些由发起人组织根据与被处理的同行相同的标准选择但尚未处理的公司进行比较。采用倾向得分匹配来增加两组之间的可比性。本文提供了暗示性证据，表明培训计划改善了工作实践和工人对工作的态度。它还表明，被处理的公司削弱了销售收入和工资之间的联系，