"Everyone Learns Differently"
Most of us probably are aware that everyone learns better in different ways.
Something a manager should do, which I don't think would take too long if the interview process is performed correctly, and depending on how you do it, is be aware of who their people are.
By that I mean more than simply a name and if they have a family, but how they respond to stimuli; how they react to needing something done quickly; how they listen when being talked to.
The point here is hopefully the interview process will eliminate the vast majority of those that aren't made for your business or division, so you can know if the way your people learn something is based upon their personality and strengths, rather than on simply being stubborn or unwilling to listen to anybody. In other words: are they teachable?
Assuming that has been done, from there we need to be aware of the speed in which our individual people can learn, the rhythm of their learning and their attention span.
These are the types of things that could be misunderstood as someone being stubborn and resistant to being taught, when in reality it could be resistance or inability to learn the exact way you're attempting to teach them.
We need to keep in mind the vast differences in the way each individual will learn. If we find good people suddenly being resistant to what we are trying to show them, it would be good to step back and try it from a different angle.
Usually you can recognize this through a change in their response to you or your trainers, by them seemingly getting tired, worn out or fatigued; and more aggressive traits like anger, resistance and emotional swings.
When you see people acting out of character like that, in reference to training, it's a good bet that they learn better a different way. Simply adapt to them and you'll see a fast change. The only way we can know this is through really studying, communicating and wanting to understand the people we work with.
Do that, and it shouldn't be too hard to intercede before things may go too far without understanding what's going on. In training good people, you can almost be completely sure it has to do with how they learn, rather than any sudden change in who they are.
Other Peter Drucker Resources:
The Man Who Invented Management
Beyond the Information Revolution
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