On improving results of Training, or:
How we can change a few simple things to make better use of the over $200 Billion spent on training each year?
Trainers, and especially instructional designers, subject matter experts (SMEs), and training course content developers, need to step outside the formal training (or L&D) bubble for a while and become aware of — and cross-skilled in — business analysis techniques and consultative sales techniques — two completely different bubbles in their own right that are surprisingly relevant to training and development (any kind of development!).
The training staff need to apply those kinds of interviewing, facilitating, and analytical skills in *partnering* with the key stakeholders in the entire training cycle (managers, supervisors, team leaders, and specialists…). A “three-legged stool” of content development, content delivery, and management followup must be seen as both a continuing partnership and an iterative process.
Too often, managers — who are “customers” of Training’s efforts — are quick to blame Training for not "getting it." What they thought was being trained wasn’t!
The training staff need to apply those kinds of interviewing, facilitating, and analytical skills in *partnering* with the key stakeholders in the entire training cycle (managers, supervisors, team leaders, and specialists…). A “three-legged stool” of content development, content delivery, and management followup must be seen as both a continuing partnership and an iterative process.
Too often, managers — who are “customers” of Training’s efforts — are quick to blame Training for not "getting it." What they thought was being trained wasn’t!
Trainers turn around and blame managers for not "enforcing" what they merely presented. When blame starts flying, the organization is dysfunctional. In reality, leadership is lacking... Someone should have held a pre-training meeting and insisted that those who need their people to be trained must begin with the end in mind, and work together with the Training staff to do it right!
"Success is the ongoing pursuit of a *worthy* goal." — Earl Nightingale
True learning is part of an ongoing *partnership* in success. It is definitely the employee's responsibility to "pick up the ball and run with it." But it is ALL of our responsibilities to supply the right ball, a clean ball, a properly inflated ball, and a well-marked playing field — one set of tools and rules and procedures we all AGREE we will use in the game. When we’re not in sync, everyone suffers!
"We manifest (achieve in multiple ways) what we can mastermind as a group." — Napoleon Hill.
Senior leadership must realize this, and realize that their training budgets will be spent far more effectively when training is respected as the "central clearing house" or Project Management Office of a knowledge-and-experience sharing universe. Training can't get big-headed and run the show, but it can be one of the "stage managing forces” that keeps it moving coherently.
We in Training (or Talent Development, or Organizational Development) assimilate, make sense of, standardize, package, deliver, and facilitate the information employees need to do their work more effectively. We can and should do it as team players and project managers, consulting with, cooperating with, partnering with, facilitating the process for, and advising, the rest of the team.
Assessment is a *group* effort. Figuratively, our job is to sit on the same side of the table with everyone else, and determine an agreeable solution that does engage, inform, train, and foster learning. Once the solution is determined, a project management process ensues to design, develop, implement, and evaluate. All of *those* steps are group efforts, as well, but efforts that Training can lead effectively.
Don't be surprised if you find that this is difficult, uncomfortable, and takes you way outside of some of your established paradigms!
"Success is the ongoing pursuit of a *worthy* goal." — Earl Nightingale
True learning is part of an ongoing *partnership* in success. It is definitely the employee's responsibility to "pick up the ball and run with it." But it is ALL of our responsibilities to supply the right ball, a clean ball, a properly inflated ball, and a well-marked playing field — one set of tools and rules and procedures we all AGREE we will use in the game. When we’re not in sync, everyone suffers!
"We manifest (achieve in multiple ways) what we can mastermind as a group." — Napoleon Hill.
Senior leadership must realize this, and realize that their training budgets will be spent far more effectively when training is respected as the "central clearing house" or Project Management Office of a knowledge-and-experience sharing universe. Training can't get big-headed and run the show, but it can be one of the "stage managing forces” that keeps it moving coherently.
We in Training (or Talent Development, or Organizational Development) assimilate, make sense of, standardize, package, deliver, and facilitate the information employees need to do their work more effectively. We can and should do it as team players and project managers, consulting with, cooperating with, partnering with, facilitating the process for, and advising, the rest of the team.
Assessment is a *group* effort. Figuratively, our job is to sit on the same side of the table with everyone else, and determine an agreeable solution that does engage, inform, train, and foster learning. Once the solution is determined, a project management process ensues to design, develop, implement, and evaluate. All of *those* steps are group efforts, as well, but efforts that Training can lead effectively.
Don't be surprised if you find that this is difficult, uncomfortable, and takes you way outside of some of your established paradigms!
It does work, though. When you can cross silos, jump departmental boundaries, and work with everyone to get your end-to-end *processes* really right... When you can lead everyone along with you until they see the benefits of this cooperation, learn from it, and perhaps create something magical in the process, then you know your budget has been spent efficiently and effectively.
Dollars don't train. People don't learn because you sent them to a class, or sent them a link to some web site. They learn because they are inspired by their own goals to pay attention to something important! We in TD have to eat, live, be, and breathe that inspiration.
Dollars don't train. People don't learn because you sent them to a class, or sent them a link to some web site. They learn because they are inspired by their own goals to pay attention to something important! We in TD have to eat, live, be, and breathe that inspiration.
Learning occurs, and positive results occur from that learning, because thinking people care about outcomes, care about each other enough to mastermind their future together, and care about the customer who pays their way.
Caring begins with inspiration, inclusion, involvement, engagement, facilitation, constant communication, and cooperation, and continues that way through cycle after iterative cycle. We in the TD community need to set that example!
