Why Training Fails

Why Training Fails

A view or 360” Analysis

Author: Dr. Amarjeet Singh Sran

Email: Amarjeet_Singh@gmx.com

Blog: www.coaching4champions.blogspot.com

The main reason training fails is because it isn’t training that is needed. If you want improvement, it is easy to assume the first thing your employee needs is more training. But in many cases, you would be wrong. And when you are wrong, the training you provide will likely be a complete waste.

Even when you are right, there are myriad reasons why training has no apparent effect. Training develops skills. While skills are obviously important, skill alone does not enable an employee to succeed.

It’s tough to succeed if you don’t know what you are supposed to do 

When a client complained that a supervisor was showing no progress in making improvements in her department, I asked the employee to describe her job responsibilities. She produced a well-organized list of tasks needed to keep things moving day to day. There was nothing on her list to indicate that improving the way her department operated was something she needed to think about. 

A new understanding of the scope of her job was a prerequisite for any change. As long as her focus was simply on getting through the day, improvements were unlikely. This may seem an extreme or unusual example, but it is not. One of the biggest complaints in most companies is a lack of communication and that often translates into people not knowing who is supposed to do what when. Only after employees are aware of what is expected of them can you tell whether they have the skills to execute. 

Ya gotta wanna 

If an employee has no interest in doing what you ask, the clearest expectations and best skills in the world are of little consequence. This happens more often than you might think and it is not just among the punch in, punch out, get paid crowd.  

I’ve heard countless managers say that they know exactly what their boss wants, but they have no intention of complying. The reasons include anger and disagreement, more often than inability. They go on their merry way and the boss could easily assume they need training. 

It takes three to tango 

The diagram below shows the three components that govern individual behavior: awareness, skill, and attitude. In region 1, an employee is aware that something needs doing and has the skill to do so but not the desire. In region 2, an employee is aware and would like to contribute but doesn’t have the skill to do so. In region 3, an employee would like to help and is able but is unaware of the need. All three are necessary if an employee is to behave as desired. 

When looking for a change in behaviour, start with awareness. This is often the fastest fix. A simple conversation may do the trick—and listening needs to be a big part of the conversation. “Oh, you mean now!” is emblematic of the kind of revelation that can unlock doors. However, a consistent lack of clarity and communication across people and time can point toward more significant organizational problems and not just issues involving individual awareness. 

Assess skill second. While inadequate skills take time to address, it should be pretty easy to distinguish capabilities from awareness and attitude. Could the employee do the task if his life depended on it? I don’t recommend you use threats, but thinking about it this way can help eliminate confusing inadequate skills with problems involving expectations and motivation. If skills are lacking, then training is certainly needed, assuming you have the right person for the job otherwise. 

Attitude is the last thing you should worry about. Once an employee knows what is expected and has the appropriate capabilities, a lot of “attitude” problems evaporate.

No man’s an island, especially in the workplace 

But if attitude still seems to be a problem after ensuring appropriate information and skills, there is still a good chance attitude is not the problem. This is because employees don’t operate in a vacuum. The environment around them provides everything from conflicting priorities and mixed messages to inadequate resources and contradictory reward systems. Most employees come to work eager to do their best and bad attitudes are frequently the result of feeling unable to do their best for any number of reasons. Some of those reasons are shown in the diagram below.

If there are too many priorities, there are no priorities. You can’t just keep adding to an employee’s to-do list. If you want an employee to do something that they aren’t doing, you may need to help them identify things they can stop doing or do more quickly. 

Mixed messages are also common. An employee hears one thing, but witnesses contradictory evidence. A classic example involves management harping about quality and then authorizing the shipment of products with known defects. Such action can undo countless efforts to improve quality. 

If you talk to employees about their challenges you will often hear them explain that they would like to do things differently and they know their managers want the same thing they do, but current standard practices have them hand-cuffed. A little change here affects the guy next door, the form used, the order of operations, signatures, interfaces between groups, and the next thing you know, the IT department is involved. In short, few processes fall within the control of a single person or even a single group. And few people have the authority, time, or skill set to work though the details and decisions needed to prevent wreaking havoc in redefining the process. 

Wishful thinking just doesn’t cut it

Old habits, squeaky wheels, and the path of least resistance have a way of winning. If you expect employees to change their behaviour you need to set expectations, ensure they have the skill and support they need, and then hold them accountable.  

Are we doing what we said we would do? If not, why not? What must we change? Too often, the management piece of this is ignored. No one is responsible for results. Wishful thinking is not a substitute for management follow-up. 

“Employees hate change” is a management cover-up 

Something I see frequently at many companies is the employee with lots of ideas for improvement but no authority or access to a mechanism to initiate change. Many would be thrilled if someone would ask their opinions about how things could be improved. Some of these employees manage to push in the right places and get some results; others are eternally frustrated despite their best efforts. 

 I remember personally attending many meetings where fundamental problems were unearthed, wonderful ideas were formed, and then the conversation and the energy dropped off a cliff while the group struggled to identify a next step—someone to turn to who could make things happen, someone even interested in the problem and the ideas. After a time, those who push for change leave the company or go dormant until something happens to renew their hope and efforts. 

Encourage desired behaviors 

Resource limitations are related to conflicting priorities. You must support desired behaviours with time, information, tools, equipment, experts, space, agreed methods, etc. You would never expect someone to paint your house with a two-inch brush but the equivalent happens in companies all the time. 

“Just do it” is often followed by declined investment requests. While obviously you can’t give everyone everything they want to make their jobs easier, you also need to provide essential support and avoid creating a counter-productive us-versus-them dynamic with your resource allocation process. 

Contradictory reward systems can include both official and unofficial reward systems, the former being the compensation system, the latter being the informal recognition. Sometimes both are in conflict with the desired behaviours.  

A classic example involves management’s desire to complete projects on time and on budget. They stress planning ahead, meeting deadlines, and anticipating and preventing problems. One project with a dedicated team quietly puts in the long hours, meets their deadlines, and does a great job of meeting expectations. No fuss, no muss, no fanfare. A second project falls behind and gets into hot water.  

But then the hero arrives on a white horse and saves the day. Never mind that the hero was part of the team that failed to stay on the straight and narrow in the first place.

Who gets all the attention?

The acclaim?

The bigger raise?

If it is the guy in the shining armour, you’ve got a problem. A culture that celebrates fire-fighting produces fire-fighters. 

Don’t shoot arrows in the dark 

If you want an employee to do his job well, not only must you be sure he has clear expectations, the right skills, and a willingness to do well, you must also be sure the many forces around him are encouraging the desired behaviours and discouraging the undesired behaviours. It may sound overwhelming and financially impossible to get this right. It isn’t. No one gets it “right.” There is no perfect organization. 

Success lies in properly diagnosing the hurdles to improved performance in your particular situation. If priorities aren’t really priorities, step back and reassess who you are, where you are going, and how you intend to get there. If your reward system is encouraging the wrong behaviours, change your reward system. If training is needed, train. 

If you “fix” the wrong things, you waste money and time. If you “fix” things randomly, the odds are against fixing the right thing. Determine specifically what is preventing the individual and group behaviours that would make a difference in your company. And then remove those obstacles to better performance.

TOP 2 REASONS TRAINING DOESN'T WORK AND WHAT YOU CAN DO ABOUT IT

Training Doesn't Work

Supposedly, training is an excellent way to build skills and competencies as well as infuse new ideas or ways of thinking into a group. Yet productivity is down, people are complaining or filing grievances, absenteeism is up, errors are becoming all too common and the wrong people are leaving. (Yes, even in this economic climate, the best and brightest of our workforce are finding new jobs.)

The Problem

Most training fails to resolve the problem it is designated to address because it is based on the belief that if people are educated about a problem – i.e. spoken to enough! – the issue will go away. So, we pile people into a room somewhere, give them coffee and pastries – that is if there is any budget left this year! – and hire a trainer who shows an array of multi-colored PowerPoint slides and talks to them for a number of hours on a given skill-building topic.

We keep our fingers crossed that the coffee doesn't run out so the audience can stay awake through the presentation. When it is over we put a tick in the box for “problem solved” and move on to the next challenge.

Stop Wasting Your Money

If this is a description of your Training & Development effort, stop wasting your precious budget dollars. This type of training is just as effective at solving a problem as giving someone a book or pamphlet to read.

We pretend that changing the behavior that is identified as the problem or the cause of it, is about the “knowing.” That is, if someone knows enough – has enough information - the problem will be solved. If that were the case then health related issues such as obesity would vanish. Because most of us know that being overweight has many negative effects on our overall health. However, as a population, we continue to have lots of obesity.

Top 2 Reasons Training Fails

There are two fundamental reasons training is often a bust. First, training aimed at solving a problem is usually directed toward the outcome of the problem, the SYMPTOM – weight in the case of obesity – not the underlying systemic factors that are coming together (too much food, too little exercise) to produce the obesity – the problem.

Second, if training is focused on imparting information (i.e. primarily talking), it will always fall short of producing the long-term behavioral change required to achieve the desired results. Training fails when we do not have a way for participants to test, practice and transfer what they have heard in the classroom to their roles on the job.

Show and Tell – How to Make Training Work

Training that works follows a 4-step learning model: Participate – Study – Review – Apply. The learning model appeals to the way adults learn: understanding, doing and getting feedback on results – and doing again! We call this the Applied Action Learning model.

We have found that the best way to enhance skill transfer is to incorporate Action Learning components into training. The goal of Action Learning is to create opportunities for participants to apply what they are learning in a context that mirrors their real work environment. Skill transfer is effectively made through the use of Action Implementation Assignments that typically occur after a training session.

Having an intact work group do real work under the banner of training fosters a foundation of teamwork. It helps to reinforce the attitudes and behaviors required to facilitate teamwork and communication.

This unique approach ensures that the issues participants need to address to achieve specific outcomes- such as solving a vexing organizational problem - receive attention in the training as a live case study.

Showing participants how to apply new learning to real work situations is the basis of Action Learning.

Real work examples personalize learning for each participant and increase the skills transfer to their work environment – which is especially important in an enterprise-wide change initiative or any problem-solving effort.

6 Key Benefits of an Action Learning Training Model:

1.      Leverages participant learning in situations that are near and dear to them

2.      Builds a sense of shared experience and language around the tools and methodology

3.      Develops an understanding of the forces impacting the organization that create the need for change and teamwork

4.      Provides a safe environment for experimentation and failure

5.      Insures that learning is being applied and tested in solving team problems as it is being acquired -- the preferred method for adult learners

6.      Develops relationships that improve communication, commitment and productivity.

Conclusion

Industry research and our own experience have shown how critical it is to design and deliver training using the Action Learning model.

In addition to being the right thing for adult learners, it also makes the most sense in a time of tight budgets. Who better to work on the issues that will help your organization get through this crappy economy and achieve sustainable success than your people? So, get the coffee and start the training….

Recently I spent two days at a convention meant for HR professionals and trainers from HRDF. It was very nice being there, meeting colleagues and friends, but two things became apparent to me.

HR professionals follow fads like all buyers and typically like to buy training from larger 'established' training providers who advertise the most flashily.

The effectiveness justification for most of all HR interventions such as training in a modern workplace can be compared to the claims of some forms of alternative medicine.

Companies all over the world spend billions of dollars every year for training their staff. These training programmes encompass all kinds of training from a 4-hour 'How to use Excel more efficiently' in-house and hands-on session to a yearlong diversity management initiative. Globalization, advances in communication technology and resulting socio-political changes have transformed the nature of the modern workplace.

Globalization is a broad sweep across economies, societies and technology that is knitting the world closer together in increasing number of complex interdependent networks and affecting capital markets, development and utilisation of technology, the exchange of information and how we work. Managing these complexities have become very difficult in rapidly changing times and require changes in behaviour, skills and most significantly mind-sets.

When it comes to justifying learning and then training, the management's task is to make people want to learn things, by highlighting the 'WHY' - why learning is important, why it is exciting and satisfying.

Why people should sacrifice their time, efforts and attention should be very clear at the workplace. If this WHY part has been addressed expertly, the training itself is much easier and more effective, as people will definitely find the courses, books, videos, on-line materials they would need for learning what needs to be learnt.

During the years I have been involved in training, I have noticed that there are seven mutually inclusive reasons why training fails in the modern workplace despite the best of intentions.

1.      Not determining if training is the best method to achieve the desired changes.

2.      Learning objectives and outcomes of training not identified and specified clearly.

3.      Team or trainees not actively involved in the development of the learning programme.

4.      Senior management is not committed to the WHY and continued support of learning.

5.      The design of the content and delivery is too complicated and requires overall behaviour changes too rapidly.

6.      Fails to take into account culturally conditioned learning styles.

7.      No follow-up strategies in place to support continuity of changes required.

i.            Not determining if training is the best method

Training may not always be the best method for achieving learning at the workplace. Employees might perceive this as a top-down way of knowledge management and not exhibit much initiative. It would be worthwhile investigating if quality circles, regular work-group discussions, mentor programmes or any other method than management organised training be other ways of ensuring the same desired results?

ii.            Not identifying and specifying objectives clearly

Sometimes companies do not communicate very clearly what they want from a development programme before choosing a specific training course. What makes training really effective is identifying clear learning outcomes or objectives that are linked to the organizational goals from the beginning. If the organization goals change, then the learning outcomes need to be periodically checked for alignment.

iii.        Not involving trainees in development of training

If management decides that there is a specific problem in a department and a trainer from outside comes and puts the solution on a Powerpoint slide and shows it to a bunch of people for a few minutes and adds his own words of wisdom to it, does it facilitate real learning? If employees are not involved in the design of learning and training, there is a risk of not accessing employee motivation. This motivation is after all the wellspring of learning. If there is no motivation, there is not much learning. There is the old saying "You can take a horse to water but you can't make him drink".

iv.        Lack of senior management commitment

One of the crucial success factors of training being aligned to corporate strategic objectives is entirely dependent on the active support of top management. Corporate strategic objectives change from time to time and only top management are aware of these. In most companies if employees detect a lack of support and direct involvement from top management, they designate such training programmes as passing fads of minor importance.

v.        Too complicated and demanding changes too rapidly

Almost all training aims at behaviour modification. It is too naïve to assume that human behaviour changes after hearing a couple of words during a Powerpoint presentation. Employees also get tired of fancy management theories, which are in vogue for some time only to be replaced by yet another model. Just as you have come to grips with Porter's five forces, you have to start with Six-Sigma or the Seven forces. This rather often results in top management and corporate HR becoming isolated in ivory towers while on the shop floor business goes on in spite of these 'interventions'.

Fails to take into account learning styles People have individual learning styles, which are culturally conditioned. Finns and Japanese sit quietly at lectures and take notes while Brits or Italians like to debate. When a corporation decides on a global HR policy and adopts uniform training practices they ignore these ways of learning people are used to. Having to undergo training in a unfamiliar manner may not always be very effective.

vi.        Lack of follow-up strategies – MY MOST IMPORTANT POINT

As people who have been married for long or who have children know all too well, learning takes quite a lot of time and much patience with constant reinforcement in the form of praise and prizes.

If a training programme is carried out as a single intervention and the management rests content from the feedback of the so-called 'happy sheet' or instant feedback on first impressions people fill in directly after the training, the management is in for many surprises.

Almost all training interventions require behaviour changes to take place on the job at the point of execution of job functions. So there must be measurement and continued support for the change in behaviour at the same locations in the same work context. This evaluation of learning on a longer term at the job interface is very difficult and expensive to make so most companies avoid this.

There are also other difficulties associated with such evaluation, but ensuring means of support for learning to take place in the context of the workplace by means of self-analysis and reflection is not very expensive and increases the effectiveness of learning many fold.

Any training, which considers the above factors, is bound to be more effective than training that doesn't.

vii.        Repeating the same training programs and materials. 

A child can watch the same program 50 times but an adult can’t watch the same training materials twice. Companies need to bring in new trainers who have new information and different teaching styles. Companies should also invest in new training materials to spice things up.

viii.        Not having supplemental training materials. 

People learn by using a variety of techniques. Good training techniques require that discussions be supplemented with videos and reading materials that can reinforce the message. The old saying, “A picture is worth a thousand words” is even more relevant in our video age.

ix.        Not taking today’s young people’s learning styles into consideration. 

The vast majority of workers are young people. They learn differently than previous generations and they get bored easily. Look at the games they play on their phones. They want to be entertained. If the training isn’t entertaining, you lose the participation.

Training costs a lot of money and takes a lot of time. If your participants’ listening switches are off, you are wasting your money. If you do it right, then training is a wise investment.