Dear ALL
"There is nothing that training cannot do. Nothing is above its reach or below it." Mark Twain regarded training as panacea, but training manager Corsini comments, "I believe in education and the development of people, but I see what happens in our schools, and then I see what happens in companies, and I don't know who's dumber. The business world has nothing on the education world. Both sets of students are bored to death." While practically every management leader emphasises the importance of training, when it comes to allocating resources, management would rather invest in a new photocopier! Employee perception too varies when it comes to training. Most of them hesitate to attend training programmes, as they would have to work extra to make up for the hours spent on training. Gone are the days when participants perceived training programmes as a well-deserved break from the routine office work!
However companies believe that their training sets them apart from competitors. It is thus assumed that training in today's competitive environment is undervalued because of poor managers who adopt traditional methods and organisations with burnt out staff following outdated policies. This is not always true. It's time organisations review critically the training profession. The problem could be with training practitioners.
Shortfalls
Professional trainers today, focus more on selling training. So their interest in improving organisational efficacy and employee performance wanes. Moreover, few professionals opt for a primary career as corporate trainers; most are into training for want of anything better. Hence, they lack proficiency in psychology, interpersonal relationships, learning and training content. The profession is also hounded by the belief that trainers don't require updated and advanced knowledge about what they are teaching.
Analysts observed that most training functions are independent of HR and other benchmarking activities with regard to training strategies. This silo approach keeps training from being integrated into strategic organisational planning. To be considered valuable in this rapidly changing business world, training needs to be contemporary. But, almost all training programmes are based on 'pre-events'. Training should be designed to solve 'current problems' as management problems generally occur overnight. Most training programmes target under performers and refuse to treat top performers differently. By 'dumbing' training to fit the 'masses', training often loses its value to high performers. In the global market, training must be customised to suit diverse cultures. Ridden with such problems it shouldn't come as a shock to the management when enormous investments in training programmes fail to yield desired results.
Selling training-pros/cons
When trying to sell training programmes, training vendors face a strange dilemma. Though training qualifies as a business, effective training cannot be categorised as a consumer item. Training vendors often walk into corporate offices armed with impressive brochures hoping to market their programmes. A backward approach to training!
Training is a service that should be customised to meet specified workplace needs. Training needs to be designed to plug in the gaps in employee's current performance. So while training vendors can be very good with their sales pitch and classroom training, employees seldom benefit specifically from training. Hence, the indiscernible differences in overall employee performance. As consumers, organisations should look for professional trainers who are inquisitive and question the purpose of training. Such trainers invariably customise their training content after a thorough assessment of organisational needs. More importantly, they don't treat training as a car sales activity but as a consulting service. Organisations should avoid trainers who believe in the 'one-size-fits-all' training approach and claim that their training can solve all issues.
Poorly trained trainers
A case in point
A trainer was contracted to demonstrate ways to conduct searches in a proprietary legal database. This trainer did not know all the keystroke equivalents for the "point and click" mouse / icon instructions. He was also unfamiliar with screen readers and their affect on the usability of the database. Trainers with such meagre smattering of knowledge reinstate the belief that 'little knowledge is dangerous'!
Consumer organisations are unaware of different training models. Yet they are not expected to spend time knowing more about them. End-users in fact expect training vendors to be equipped with contemporary and comprehensive training programmes. As most trainers lack sufficient academic acumen, they are more rigid in their approach to learning. Trainees are likely to detect that when such trainers conduct a seminar on one topic and then move on to the other, they use identical learning activities!
To camouflage their inadequacies, smart trainers create seminars that are fun but teach minimal skills and concepts. As participant feedback ratings are highly influenced by enjoyment rather than the amount of learning, the lack of expertise in training methods and content is seldom detected. After such a training session the employee returns to his workstation no wiser than before!
Even though it is hard for organisations to be always educated 'training' consumers they need to review the training backgrounds of each of the prospective trainers and the training content. Ideally, a trainer should be academically qualified. Though it doesn't guarantee effective training, he would at least be aware of the principles of training and learning.
A lack in training culture
Lotus Development Corporation spent millions to develop tools and a training curriculum to reinforce their sales methodology. Nevertheless, the trainers were unable to present skills to suit the new sales practices. Moreover, the new product training was more aligned with the old way of selling. Wendy Stone, the training manager says, "It (training) frustrated sales people." She terms such training as 'destructive investment'. Trainers generally move into training after reading a couple of books on training and attending a seminar or two! They believe that trainers need not be highly proficient; and that basic knowledge of the subject matter qualifies them as trainers. The following quotes by trainers reflect this culture.
" What's wrong with stand-up trainers working in content areas they are not experts in? "
" When I first started out on my own as a trainer, I said yes to almost anything."
" We quite frequently agree to undertake training projects in which we are not all familiar with the associated content."
Such a culture promotes trainers with knowledge based on half-truths and myths. Incompetent trainers lose their credibility when they cannot answer queries that require advanced knowledge. If a trainer can learn a skill from a book so can an employee!
While shopping for trainers, organisations should search for trainers specialised in specific training content. They should ask trainers from where they have mastered the topic. An expert trainer will give multiple references. Less competent trainers mar the reputation of the profession. Fortunately there are many skilled professionals who can undo the damage. It's for organisations to identify them.
Solutions through answers
The Forum Corporation, a training consultancy firm looked at decades of research on training and learning to understand what creates value for training. Their report recommends that training managers answer the following questions for a reality check.
Is training linked and relevant to business goals?
Does strong leadership support it and does it reflect organisational culture?
Does it help the organisation address customer retention, acquisition, lower costs and greater innovation?
Can it map an employee's path to mastering skills?
Does it lead to measurable results?
Valuable training is instantly gratifying. If delivered on the job by a credible person it results in measurable business impacts
Regards
RAJEEV Saini
"There is nothing that training cannot do. Nothing is above its reach or below it." Mark Twain regarded training as panacea, but training manager Corsini comments, "I believe in education and the development of people, but I see what happens in our schools, and then I see what happens in companies, and I don't know who's dumber. The business world has nothing on the education world. Both sets of students are bored to death." While practically every management leader emphasises the importance of training, when it comes to allocating resources, management would rather invest in a new photocopier! Employee perception too varies when it comes to training. Most of them hesitate to attend training programmes, as they would have to work extra to make up for the hours spent on training. Gone are the days when participants perceived training programmes as a well-deserved break from the routine office work!
However companies believe that their training sets them apart from competitors. It is thus assumed that training in today's competitive environment is undervalued because of poor managers who adopt traditional methods and organisations with burnt out staff following outdated policies. This is not always true. It's time organisations review critically the training profession. The problem could be with training practitioners.
Shortfalls
Professional trainers today, focus more on selling training. So their interest in improving organisational efficacy and employee performance wanes. Moreover, few professionals opt for a primary career as corporate trainers; most are into training for want of anything better. Hence, they lack proficiency in psychology, interpersonal relationships, learning and training content. The profession is also hounded by the belief that trainers don't require updated and advanced knowledge about what they are teaching.
Analysts observed that most training functions are independent of HR and other benchmarking activities with regard to training strategies. This silo approach keeps training from being integrated into strategic organisational planning. To be considered valuable in this rapidly changing business world, training needs to be contemporary. But, almost all training programmes are based on 'pre-events'. Training should be designed to solve 'current problems' as management problems generally occur overnight. Most training programmes target under performers and refuse to treat top performers differently. By 'dumbing' training to fit the 'masses', training often loses its value to high performers. In the global market, training must be customised to suit diverse cultures. Ridden with such problems it shouldn't come as a shock to the management when enormous investments in training programmes fail to yield desired results.
Selling training-pros/cons
When trying to sell training programmes, training vendors face a strange dilemma. Though training qualifies as a business, effective training cannot be categorised as a consumer item. Training vendors often walk into corporate offices armed with impressive brochures hoping to market their programmes. A backward approach to training!
Training is a service that should be customised to meet specified workplace needs. Training needs to be designed to plug in the gaps in employee's current performance. So while training vendors can be very good with their sales pitch and classroom training, employees seldom benefit specifically from training. Hence, the indiscernible differences in overall employee performance. As consumers, organisations should look for professional trainers who are inquisitive and question the purpose of training. Such trainers invariably customise their training content after a thorough assessment of organisational needs. More importantly, they don't treat training as a car sales activity but as a consulting service. Organisations should avoid trainers who believe in the 'one-size-fits-all' training approach and claim that their training can solve all issues.
Poorly trained trainers
A case in point
A trainer was contracted to demonstrate ways to conduct searches in a proprietary legal database. This trainer did not know all the keystroke equivalents for the "point and click" mouse / icon instructions. He was also unfamiliar with screen readers and their affect on the usability of the database. Trainers with such meagre smattering of knowledge reinstate the belief that 'little knowledge is dangerous'!
Consumer organisations are unaware of different training models. Yet they are not expected to spend time knowing more about them. End-users in fact expect training vendors to be equipped with contemporary and comprehensive training programmes. As most trainers lack sufficient academic acumen, they are more rigid in their approach to learning. Trainees are likely to detect that when such trainers conduct a seminar on one topic and then move on to the other, they use identical learning activities!
To camouflage their inadequacies, smart trainers create seminars that are fun but teach minimal skills and concepts. As participant feedback ratings are highly influenced by enjoyment rather than the amount of learning, the lack of expertise in training methods and content is seldom detected. After such a training session the employee returns to his workstation no wiser than before!
Even though it is hard for organisations to be always educated 'training' consumers they need to review the training backgrounds of each of the prospective trainers and the training content. Ideally, a trainer should be academically qualified. Though it doesn't guarantee effective training, he would at least be aware of the principles of training and learning.
A lack in training culture
Lotus Development Corporation spent millions to develop tools and a training curriculum to reinforce their sales methodology. Nevertheless, the trainers were unable to present skills to suit the new sales practices. Moreover, the new product training was more aligned with the old way of selling. Wendy Stone, the training manager says, "It (training) frustrated sales people." She terms such training as 'destructive investment'. Trainers generally move into training after reading a couple of books on training and attending a seminar or two! They believe that trainers need not be highly proficient; and that basic knowledge of the subject matter qualifies them as trainers. The following quotes by trainers reflect this culture.
" What's wrong with stand-up trainers working in content areas they are not experts in? "
" When I first started out on my own as a trainer, I said yes to almost anything."
" We quite frequently agree to undertake training projects in which we are not all familiar with the associated content."
Such a culture promotes trainers with knowledge based on half-truths and myths. Incompetent trainers lose their credibility when they cannot answer queries that require advanced knowledge. If a trainer can learn a skill from a book so can an employee!
While shopping for trainers, organisations should search for trainers specialised in specific training content. They should ask trainers from where they have mastered the topic. An expert trainer will give multiple references. Less competent trainers mar the reputation of the profession. Fortunately there are many skilled professionals who can undo the damage. It's for organisations to identify them.
Solutions through answers
The Forum Corporation, a training consultancy firm looked at decades of research on training and learning to understand what creates value for training. Their report recommends that training managers answer the following questions for a reality check.
Is training linked and relevant to business goals?
Does strong leadership support it and does it reflect organisational culture?
Does it help the organisation address customer retention, acquisition, lower costs and greater innovation?
Can it map an employee's path to mastering skills?
Does it lead to measurable results?
Valuable training is instantly gratifying. If delivered on the job by a credible person it results in measurable business impacts
Regards
RAJEEV Saini