Two relatively inexpensive strategies -- self-coaching and anonymous feedback from subordinates -- can strengthen the lessons of classroom management training, according to a new Cornell study.

The self-coaching method involves new managers filling out workbooks weekly for five weeks about their on-the-job behavior; the anonymous feedback involves open-ended suggestions from subordinates on how managers could be stronger on the job. Both techniques improved manager-trainees' retention of what they learned in classroom training and enhanced their post-training job performance, says J. Bruce Tracey, associate professor of organizational management, communication and law in Cornell's School of Hotel Administration.

Tracey, who conducted the study with Michael J. Tews, Ph.D. '06, compared the effectiveness of various training approaches among 87 manager trainees in the hospitality industry. Although the participants were restaurant managers, the findings are likely applicable to other industries, said Tracey.

"I think our findings are quite generalizable to settings beyond the hospitality industry," said Tracey. "Such interventions are fairly easy to implement and can be used for a wide range of transfer and application efforts."

Added co-author Tews, now an assistant professor of consumer sciences at Ohio State University: "Given the expense of classroom training and the importance of making sure new managers are effective on the job, we believe that it's worth following up classroom training with one or both of the techniques we tested."

The report, which was published by the Cornell Center for Hospitality Research and is available at http://www.hotelschool.cornell.edu/chr/, gives samples of the workbook questionnaires and the upward-feedback assessments.