Abstract
This paper reports the results of a randomized controlled trial of short-term training programs featuring Kaizen management for small garment manufacturers in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. We collected baseline and follow-up data of the firms in treatment and control groups four times in the span of four years with negligible incidence of attrition. The data reveal that the training intervention improved significantly the management practices of the treated firms, and that the impact remained significant even three years after the intervention. Moreover, the initially insignificant impacts of the training on value added became significant three years later for a sub-group of the treated firms that received both classroom and on-site training components. The data and interview materials indicate that the training effect on business performance was reinforced by the treated firms’ adaptive efforts to select useful management practices and to modify them to fit their business operation. Keywords: Africa, Randomized controlled trial, Management training, Small and medium firms, Industrial cluster.
Full paper available at: pubdocs.worldbank.org