Nadler, L. and Nadler, Z. (1994). Designing training programs: The critical events model. (2nd ed.). Houston: Gulf.

The critical events model comprises eight events that are connected by evaluation and feedback. The process must begin by identifying organizational needs. Events that follow include specifying job performance, determining objectives, and selecting instructional strategies. This model emphasizes that those being trained should not be viewed as mere production instruments, but as people who may want to learn skills that are not necessarily related to their current job description.

Sork, T.J. (2000). Planning educational programs. In A.L. Wilson and E. Hayes (Eds.), Handbook of adult and continuing education (pp. 180-186). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Educational program planning is viewed as a situation-specific task, requiring a specialized approach in each case. Six program planning elements, similar to those from the technical-rational tradition, are outlined, such as analysing context and learner community, and preparing instructional and administrative plans. The six elements interact with the technical, social-political, and ethical domains of planning. The technical domain involves “how to” planning questions, the social-political domain involves “human dynamics” questions related to interests, power relationships, and meaning, and the ethical domain involves “how to act” questions in the context of learners, workers, and the organization’s mission statement.

Yang, B. (1999). How effectively do you use power and influence? In M. Silberman (Ed.), The 1999 training and performance sourcebook (pp. 143-155). New York: McGraw-Hill.

Yang’s self-assessment instrument enables planners to gauge power and influence tactics they use within a variety of planning contexts. These tactics were developed in conjunction with adult education practitioners and comprise reasoning, consulting, appealing, networking, bargaining, pressuring, and counteracting. They are intended to assist practitioners in their particular planning situations.