The Real Role Players
The conventional wisdom about training and development promotes three myths:
Myth #1 A developmental program should take the form of a packaged learning intervention such as a class, online course, workshop, module or self-paced workbook. These events should deliver the maximum learning for the minimum investment of time and money. If well designed and delivered, such interventions should achieve lasting changes in behavior, improved workplace performance and positive impacts on business results.
Myth #2 Learning happens in training and development programs. If participants make a good faith effort to learn, they should be able to apply these new skills on the job.
Myth #3 Learning interventions are the responsibility of trainers, who should be held accountable for the outcomes.
None of these commonly held assumptions are correct. Nevertheless, these opinions still guide most training and development decisions and expectations. So despite excellent intentions, dedicated training staff and major investments in these programs, newly learned skills rarely transfer to workplace behavior or impact on business.
In direct opposition to these myths are three realities:
Reality #1 Singular training events are incapable of producing lasting changes in behavior, improved workplace performance or positive impacts on business results. To accomplish that, a developmental program needs to be an extended process, in which both assessment and training are followed by a significant period of reinforcement. All of this requires commitment at all levels, and organizational systems must be integrated to support the application of new skills.
Reality #2 At best, training and development programs can provide knowledge, introduce new skills and even give opportunities for safe practice. But skills are ingrained in the workplace, not in the classroom. Skill development takes time—typically months of application and reinforcement on the job.
Reality #3 Trainers can deliver outstanding programs, but they can’t control what goes on in the workplace—whether a learner receives enough encouragement, feedback, coaching and reinforcement. Trainers don’t own the system and they're not in a position to influence the entire skill development process, so it doesn't make sense to hold just the trainers accountable for the outcomes.
Other key players are involved. For example, top management may not support an extended period of reinforcement. Back on the job, where skill development takes place, managers influence learners more than trainers do. Trainers can support, but they can’t control what bosses do with learners before, during and after the programs. Furthermore, the organization’s systems, policies and practices may conflict with the learner’s attempts to apply new skills. Trainers don’t have the power to change aspects of the culture. They don’t have the authority to remove barriers to applying skills on-the-job. These factors are the purview of management.
Clearly, a lot of people are in a position to influence learning outcomes. They can hold fast to traditional myths and assumptions and distance themselves from their developmental roles and responsibilities. But if managers truly want and expect lasting changes in behavior, improved workplace performance and positive impacts on business results, they’ll need to accept their roles and have an impact. These are the real role players:
Senior managers. In the worst case, executives don’t understand the realities of learning, so they reinforce the myths. While trainers and learners are in the classroom, no one else gets involved. If executives don’t appreciate the need for reinforcement programs, they won't understand why they should invest in them. And poorly designed aspects of the organization may discourage learners from applying their new skills in the workplace.
Commitment starts at the top and flows down. Senior management can stimulate focus, motivation and preparation for an extended learning process. Once management understands how the system impacts on development, they can audit practices and align functions to ensure that the system supports learners’ efforts to ingrain new skills.
Trainers.Trainers can select courses and content that correct skill deficiencies that impact on results. They can make sure training programs are behavior-based and are followed by substantial programs of reinforcement. To focus the minds of learners on behavioral change, trainers can define the linkage between business results, workplace performance shortfalls, individual skill deficiencies and training objectives. They can update their programs to make them behavior-based and practice-intensive. They can arrange for feedback assessments that measure skill levels before and after training and provide ongoing feedback during reinforcement. With the support of top management, trainers can prepare managers to be effective in the coaching role. They can team with managers to keep each other informed about performance improvement. Trainers can gather tools, references and materials that support learning reinforcement, and they can coordinate peer coach relationships and learning support groups.
Learners.Learners need to accept responsibility for their own learning. They should meet with managers to discuss shortfalls and deficiencies and to set learning goals. After training, they can brief their managers and team members on the learning experience and learning outcomes. Back at work, learners can consciously identify opportunities to apply new skills. They can seek out peer coach relationships and get involved in learning support groups. They can ask for feedback and accept it graciously. They should keep their managers informed about what support they need and whether the environment is making it hard to apply skills. They can analyze day-to-day successes and failures to gain lessons from experience, and when frustrated by conflicts or failure, persist.
Learners’ managers.Managers need to make a commitment to become better coaches. This will empower them to support, motivate and focus learners before programs begin. While programs are in session, managers can show interest and protect learners from distractions. When learners return to the workplace, managers can help them set goals and agree on how they're going to reinforce their new skills. Managers can coach team members to consciously learn from on-the-job experiences. They can help learners analyze feedback. Managers can recognize and reward learners when they show progress, and they can encourage their direct reports to persist in spite of frustration.
The good news is that the key role players probably don’t need to do much more than they’re doing now. In most cases, they may only need to do things differently. Executives already facilitate policies and update systems; they simply need to make sure their policies and systems support developmental efforts. Trainers need to extend their idea of training and development to include an adequate program of reinforcement. Managers supervise and communicate with direct reports regularly; they need to coach learners more effectively during day-to-day contacts. The better part of new skill development takes in the workplace; learners need to persist in applying new skills while doing their jobs.
Once the major influencers understand, accept and carry out their roles,theHoly Grail of training and development will no longer be a myth. Achieving the results they desire will become a reality.
Train to Ingrain consultants have an important role, too: to help organizations prepare role players at all levels, align the system to support desired performance, and coordinate the most effective assessment, training and reinforcement technologies in a process that makes lasting changes in behavior and has a positive impact on business results - Train to Ingrain: A Reality Based Solution.
Dennis Coates, Ph.D, CEO, Performance Support Systems, publisher of 20/20 Insight GOLD assessment software
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