Change and Performance - Training May Not Be The Answer

Change and Performance - Training May Not Be The Answer

 by: Howard Sommerfeld

Introducing new products or services, bringing new people on board, developing a new process or procedure, installing new equipment, change seems to be the one constant in business today and change always seems to drive a need for training.

In conducting training needs analysis at any level, we need to understand that training may not be the solution, at least not the whole solution. Training is normally employed with the expectation of changing individual performance. While training can and does change the ability of individuals to perform, on-the-job performance also depends on other factors that form a complex interconnected human performance system. For any system to produce a desired performance output, there are always a number of factors that must be managed.

Six-factors for human performance

The following is a six-factor system model for human performance. In principle if you manage all six well, you will get the desired performance. If you ignore any of the six, the desired system performance becomes less likely. Training can indeed be an important part of a system solution, but if other parts are not provided, training may not be effective.

1. Make expectations clear:

The expected outputs, and actions to produce results, must be made crystal clear. These include vision, values, mission, roles, goals and objectives, action plans, milestones and standards. If you don’t tell them what is expected, don’t expect results.

2. Provide necessary resources and conditions:

No one can produce the expected results if they do not have the process, methods, tools, materials, space, time, money, and people to do the job. A workplace that is badly designed, uncomfortable or unsafe also makes it difficult to perform. Given the means, they can deliver performance. If not...

3. Measure the performance of the system:

In order to determine if expected results are being achieved we need to measure the performance outputs. It might also be helpful to monitor in-process indicators, which affect system outputs. Using metrics we can identify progress toward targets, verify performance as desired, or identify problems and opportunities for improvement. We all pay attention to what gets measured.

4. Communicate progress and results:

Continuous and visual feedback on the performance and results achieved by the team and system allows for quick recognition and correction of problems and implementation of improvements. If individuals do not know how well the system is working it is difficult to achieve the desired results, much less make improvements. Performance knowledge empowers improvement.

5. Provide appropriate incentives:

Consequences are important. Positive rewards for good performance, congratulation, recognition and celebration, promote and encourage the behaviors that produced the results. Take care to avoid negative consequences for positive performance, or benefits for negative performance. If it felt good, they’ll want to do it again.

6. Develop necessary competency:

Competency is the ability of an individual or team to successfully perform a specific task or activity. Sometimes if you are lucky, you can hire a competency off the street. More often development through training and practice is required. Competencies are built through learning activities, and through experience. A competency requires skills, knowledge, and attitude sufficient to do the job. A competency has observable measurable outputs and behaviors. An individual must have the capacity, both mental and physical to learn and to perform the task or activity. If you’ve got the skills and knowledge you can do the job.

The next time you ask how to improve performance, take a systems approach and remember to consider how to manage all six human performance factors.

We get exactly the results we manage for.

--

You have permission to publish this article free of charge, as long as the resource box is included with the article. If you do run my article, a courtesy reply to hsommerfeld@automatedlearning.com would be greatly appreciated. © 2004 Howard Sommerfeld

About The Author Howard Sommerfeld has an extensive background in training that includes over twenty years experience in training management with major telecom equipment manufacturers. He has been responsible for development of major classroom, computer-based, web-based, and distance e-Learning initiatives, and has a depth of understanding of manufacturing and training management issues. He is keenly interested in trainer training, blended learning approaches that ensure learning transfer to workplace performance, human performance systems, and in demonstrating return on investment for training. Howard is currently Director of Product Development at Automated Learning Corporation. www.automatedlearning.com/products/welcome.html hsommerfeld@automatedlearning.com

 

Choosing the Right Corporate Training

Choosing the Right Corporate Training

 by: Jeff Turner

According to a Gallup Poll, 80 percent of employees said the availability of company-sponsored training programs was a factor in deciding whether to accept a new job or stick with a current one. And yet the Bureau of Labor Statistics says that the average number of hours of formal training per employee per year is only 10.7.
More companies are starting to realize that it's smart to invest in training, but faced with so many choices, how can an organization make sure it's getting the most out of its educational investment?
What do you need?
Training can take several forms, from simply encouraging subscriptions to key trade magazines to reimbursing tuition for degree programs. Before you decide where to put your training dollars, it's vital to do a full needs assessment. This might involve polling general employees one-by-one during evaluations or en masse via e-mail polls. It could even mean asking customers where they'd like to see your company improve in areas such as customer care, product innovation, communications technology or billing.
Another piece of needs assessment weighs training outcomes against big-picture strategies and operational requirements. It's relatively simple to evaluate individual progress, but if the company as a whole doesn't gain a competitive edge by saving money, processing information faster, serving customers better, decreasing harassment complaints - or whatever the goal is - then another training method should be considered.

Which Type of Training?
After the needs assessment, you then need to analyze which type of training is best for your company. Below are the most common training formats and the pros and cons of each.

Online Training
There are literally thousands of online options available; some involve weekly e-mail correspondence with a teacher, while some are automated, set-your-own-pace programs.
Pros:

• Access to world-class instructors and institutions, without travel costs.
• Flexible scheduling for participation at home or during lunch hours.
• Generally less expensive than traditional classroom courses.

Cons:

• Requires self-imposed discipline and focus.
• Little social interaction with other students and teachers.
• Assumes some level of technical competence.

Onsite Training by Consultant
If many people in the company need to be trained at once or if training is for onsite computers or equipment, then bringing a trainer to the office may make the most sense economically. This method also works well for personalized subjects, such as supervisory skills, fair hiring practices or anti-harassment.

Pros:

• Travel time and costs for employees are negligible.
• Curriculum can be customized for company's specific needs.
• Equipment or computers they're learning on are the same they'll be working on, so there's no time wasted on irrelevant information.
• Third-party trainer brings teaching expertise and a non-biased approach to the classroom.

Cons:

• People may find it hard to stay away from their offices to attend classes for the time required, which defeats the purpose of training.
• Consultants may not be familiar with your company's equipment or computers, or you may not have adequate facilities for lectures or interactive education.
• Expense for high-quality instructors is relatively high.

Onsite Training by Company's Own Management
Many companies send a few employees to training, and then they rely on those people to come back and spread the knowledge to the team. Or, they create their own courses and enlist employees to impart their wisdom on colleagues.

Pros:

• Less costly to send just one or two people to training.
• Encourages employees to educate others about their expertise, often resulting in greater awareness and communication among departments.
• Allows face time and open discussion among colleagues.

Cons:

• Teaching abilities vary greatly; there's a high risk that some instructors will not communicate information well.
• Planning and teaching take away time from core responsibilities, which may hinder overall productivity.
• Employees may feel inhibited to ask questions or challenge information.

Offsite Classes at Training Center or Community College
Nearly every metropolitan area has a community college that offers adult or continuing education classes. Some cities also have learning centers that offer courses taught by successful entrepreneurs or industry gurus.

Pros:

• Standard agendas every semester ensure some continuity in the information learned.
• Courses are taught by professionals with industry experience and teaching ability.
• A mixture of on- and off-line classes is often available.

Cons:

• Courses may span several weeks, too long to hold some employees' attention.
• Unless prerequisites are required, students at any level may participate, forcing the teacher to pace the class for the lowest-common denominator.

One-off Seminars
For specific or motivational topics, employees can attend one-shot "celebrity" seminars, given by professional speakers or executives. Several non-profit and professional organizations also hold development courses, designed for busy people who need fine-tuning in one area.

Pros:

• Easy to evaluate the quality of the presenters based on testimonials and past reviews.
• Poses an opportunity to network with industry colleagues.
• Introduces outside-the-company-box ways to approach challenges.

Cons:

• Some seminars are mainly venues for authors/speakers to sell books and other products.
• One-time events encourage new thinking, but unless employees act on their ideas immediately, there may be no long-term behavioral change.

Degree Programs
For employees who want to get to the next level or change their career focus, offering to cover all or some credits towards a degree ensures that they stay at their jobs as they increase knowledge and enhance skills. Many companies require that employees stay with the company or repay some of the tuition money if they decide to leave after receiving the degree.

Pros:

• Encourages employees to continue their core education and contribute more to the company's general knowledge base.
• Attracts motivated, dedicated employees who want to learn.
• Prompts employees to work towards their dream jobs, fostering a happier and more productive workforce.

Cons:

• Programs can be intense and may exhaust employees to a point that detracts from their on-the-job performance.

Regardless of the type of training that you decide to offer, it's important to gather constant feedback, to make sure you're always spending your money and time wisely. Perhaps you'll find that you need to offer more than one type, so employees with different learning styles can get the most out of the training. And don't forget to sign yourself up-employees at every level can benefit!
For more information on training that ensures more productive and smarter employees or to sign up for our short monthly e-newsletters, visit www.praxishr.com, e-mail us at info@praxishr.com, or call 206.262.8133.

About The Author Jeff Turner is the President of Praxis HR and a Seattle-based authority on high-impact human resources, organizational development and training practices that help companies increase their profits by investing in their human capital. He is on the SBA's National Advisory Council, serves on the Board of Directors of the Seattle Society for Human Resources Management, and is a member of the Labor & Employment Law section of the Washington State Bar Association. Contact Jeff at Info@PraxisHR.com, 206.262.8133, or visit www.PraxisHR.com.

 

It's a Training Issue!

 It's a Training Issue!

 by: Mindie Burgoyne

There’s a common phrase used by Organizational Development and Human Resource professionals, when identifying kinks in the growth of an organization or company - “It’s a training issue.” The same phrase can be applied to almost any group of human beings that are working together to achieve a common goal. When progress stagnates and obstacles appear, you can retrace the path of movement and discover that things started to go wrong when someone wasn’t trained properly.

Have you ever experienced any of the following situations?

Fast Food Nightmare:

You pull up to a fast food drive through window and a voice, with a foreign accent quickly spews out some inaudible words that you assume are probably akin to “May I take your order?”

The waitress from hell: 

After being seated for thirty minutes at a local restaurant, a waitress finally approaches your table and asks if you’d like to order. When you politely explain that you’re frustrated because you’ve been waiting thirty minutes, she condescendingly responds with a sigh, “The kitchen is backed up and I just had a party of fifteen in the other room.”

Know-nothing Receptionist:  

You miss a much anticipated call from service person you’ve been trying to reach about a product you purchased that doesn’t work correctly. When you call the person back, a receptionist says the person is not in and you should try back later. The receptionist is not sure when would be the best time and – no – the person you seek doesn’t have voice mail.

Travel Trauma:

After being on the road for twelve hours, you arrive at the hotel where you have a reservation for the night. The check in time is posted as 3:30 pm. You arrive at 4:30 pm but the room is not ready. You are politely encouraged to check back in about an hour to see if the room is available. The front desk clerk has no idea what you should do with the hour of “kill time” and can’t guarantee that the room will even be ready in an hour.

Office Chaos:

You work in an office and have a large amount of administrative tasks that bog you down. There is an administrative assistant working ten feet from your desk who is supposed to offer support to your team. His understanding of “support” and yours differ. It appears that some members of your team get more support from this guy than others. You express the inequity of support to your boss who sees the conflict as “personality differences.” You just want your darn copies made in a timely fashion.

All of the instances above show poor service and mismanagement – in some cases “abuse,” but it all could undoubtedly be corrected through proper training. Thus, the root of these corporate and retail nightmares are addressed as “training issues.”

“Training” is such a bland word. The mere mention of the word conjures up visions of boring classroom environments, unenthusiastic training instructors and wasted time having concepts that common sense has already taught you rammed down your throat. Few people are ever excited about training.

My husband, who is an iron worker, recently went through training mandated by OSCA that instructed all the workers on his team in the safety procedures for operating a forklift truck. One of the most crucial training points was that “one should never leave the driver’s seat of the forklift while the motor was running and the forklift was in gear.” Duh!

Despite the negative karma training has gained in the corporate world, and the hype it was granted during the dot.com boom, the simple truth is that training is not merely dispensing information about technique and skill.  It is also communicates expectations and requirements of the job. People need to be told what is expected of them in clear terms, and relaying that expectation is a part of the training process. Training lays the foundation for affirming performance as well as correcting mistakes.

In all of the examples above, the “untrained” employee has emotionally disconnected themselves from the person they are employed to serve. Each has personal issues foremost in their minds which override their willingness to adequately serve others. If you were to get their side of the story, you’d hear some of the following responses:

"Everything moves so fast around here. It’s all I can do to keep up. No one really tells me what to do; they just tell me if I’m doing something wrong.”

“I could do my job if those I depended on could do theirs.”

“I’m tired of taking the hits for the poor performance of my superiors.”

“No one ever told me exactly what my job is. I guess they think I’ll figure it out. What I know of my job expectation has been mostly communicated by others telling me what I’m doing wrong. It’s every man for himself around here”

Poor service is not due to poor employees, but poor employers.

The bottom line is that lack of service = lack of growth, lack of productivity, lack of profits. Your company’s lack of service will pay a high price in the world of your competitors. You will have to continually compensate with special promotions, additional advertising, increased hiring and give-aways to disgruntled customers. Good service is linked to happy, valued employees that provide the service. Training is a crucial tool in helping employees feel valued in the work environment.

How do you use training to solve the problems mentioned above? It’s all about having a training program that is set in place and held as a priority. Don’t fall into the “training out of desperation” category and only offer training when you have to put out a fire. Remember that training can be a form of giving your employees attention and recognition. If done well, they will appreciate it and feel affirmed.

Always have some type of training scheduled. It can be as infrequent as once a quarter or as frequent as once a week. You can do it in house or outsource it. Having scheduled training opportunities will prevent the development of service problems that cost you big time in the long run. 

New Hire Orientation

The most important training you’ll ever do with an employee will be when he or she first comes on board. Here’s an example of training to put in place for new hires.

1. As a company policy, be sure to have specific, written job descriptions for each employee, and a system established for continually updates. Job descriptions should focus on competencies rather than functions.

2. Develop an Orientation Training Program for each new employee that is hired. The program can last anywhere from one half a day to a week, but it should include the following:

• Introduction to the rest of the staff.
• Thorough review of the job description and company policies with the direct report, clearly laying out expectations and processes for recognition and correction. Allow time for questions and answers.
• Site tour – where are the bathrooms, kitchen, parking spaces, emergency exit, etc. Employee paperwork – W4, benefit forms, waivers, copy of Personnel Regulations and job description, etc.
• New hire should be given a thorough briefing on what the organization does, its goals, its vision, who it serves and the role of the new hire’s position in the grand scheme of things. 
• If possible, assign another staff person to be on call for questions that arise by the new hire.
• Be nice and have that staff person or yourself take the new hire to lunch their first day.
• Have a 30 day review set up (mark it on your calendar) where you will evaluate the new hire’s performance and inquire about their feelings and frustrations related to the job. NOTE: If you reschedule or cancel this 30 day review, you'll send that employee a clear message about the priority you place on their training and development. This meeting is crucial to the new hire and they anticipate it with great expectation.

A training program, aside from being a way to continually dispense needed information to your employees is also one of the most effective methods for gaining information about how to improve company infrastructure. It is a safe environment for workers to share thoughts, feelings and ideas on how to improve the company. In addition, training – when done properly – affirms employees, helps them to develop a sense of loyalty to the company, reduces turnover and creates a prime opportunity for building consensus.

Training and development is an investment, not a cost.

Fortune 500’s lists on top companies, Best Small Businesses, Best Companies to Work For and Best Bosses have repeatedly displayed interest in employee satisfaction as well as training and development. Edward Jones, a stockbrokerage out of St. Louis, MO was rated #1 for the second consecutive year on Fortune’s “100 Best Companies to Work For.”  

According to Fortune it spends 3.8% of its payroll on training, with an average of 146 hours for every employee, and new brokers get four times that much. When asked why it spends so much on training managing partner John Bachmann replied, “In order to grow, you have to be trained or you get trapped in the present.” One administrative assistant at Edward Jones was quoted by a Fortune journalist saying, “I’ve never experienced working for a company that has so many satisfied employees.”(#)

A training program is an ideal starting point to take action to decrease turnover, improve employee performance and initiate loyalty. It is also a strong foundation for developing affective communication within the company or organization. If you have no training program currently established, start with an orientation training program or look to your local university or community college for training opportunities. Start a training library by ordering books, videos and periodicals that address competencies you want to develop in your staff. Beginning or improving a training program shows employees that you care.

#. Fortune Magazine, January 20, 2003 Issue: Summary on Edward Jones – Ann Harrington

About The Author Mindie Burgoyne is an Organizational Development Consultant and owner of Lowershore.net, a Maryland Business Development Company. She has assisted small businesses and Fortune 500 Companies in business development, product development, staff management and leadership training. www.lowershore.net. info@lowershore.net

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Today's recommended resource is: http://www.charliehasit.com/onlinetraining/2.php

Let's Make Training More Interesting!

Let's Make Training More Interesting!

by: Colin Ong TS

Many HR managers believe that by sending their workers to participate in external training programs, they have fulfilled their responsibilities. This is not the best situation. In this article, I will be emphasizing on how to increase the interest-level of your employees who attend the training program taking into consideration that there is increasing cultural diversity and computer literacy in the workplace.

Meeting the Trainers:

Before you send your workers to a training program, you should arrange a prior meeting with the trainers to ensure that their program is suitable for your workers. The trainers should also offer a quick run-through of the training program and also ensure that a thorough report of the training findings should be given to you.

Give them advance notice:

It makes good sense to inform your employees in advance about the duration and location of the training. This will give them more time to arrange for colleagues to take over their duties and not create too much disruption in their departments.

How the Program was selected:

You must inform them about why the training program will be suitable for his job. This will leave an indelible impression that your organization takes the aspirations and needs of every employee very seriously.

Check the Venue:

Many HR managers do not make the extra effort in checking out the venue for the training. This is essential if the participants have to travel long distances in the morning to reach the venue, assuming that it is not held in the office premises.

Check the Refreshments:

Most full-day training programs include refreshments and it is the duty of the organizers to find out about the eating preferences of the participants. On many occasions, vegetarians have their meals at another location because organizers did not take into consideration of their eating preferences. This will create a void in the participants’ cohesiveness during training.

You will not be contactable!

We have seen an emerging trend during our corporate training where participants are constantly contacted on their mobile phones. The ringing of the mobile phone serves as a distraction for the rest of the participants and the receiver will not concentrate about the training.

Try Web-based Training:

As the new workplace emerges and workers are expected to embrace new economy tools, HR managers should be flexible in incorporating web-based training in their programs. This will definitely encourage workers to improve their proficiency in using internet tools and create more variety in their training contents.

Employees’ Report:

To ensure that your employees that the training seriously, you should insist that they summarize how they have benefited from the training and also provide feedback on how the training can be improved in the future. This is can in the form of a presentation or a short document to the departmental head. Photographs of training activities can also be pasted on the company’s notice-board.

Casual Clothes:

Many training programs encourage group activity and games. Participants are advised to be dressed casually so that they can be totally involved with the training program.

About The Author Colin Ong TS is the Managing Director of MR=MC Consulting (http://www.mrmc.com.sg) and Founder of the 12n Professional Online Networking Community (http://www.mrmc.com.sg/12n) colin@mrmc.com.sg

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Today's recommended resource is: http://www.charliehasit.com/onlinetraining/1.php

The Missing Link in Presentation Skills Training

The Missing Link in Presentation Skills Training
by: Melissa Mayers Lewis

Imagine you are the most amazing figure skater who ever lived. When rehearsing in a peaceful, empty rink, you demonstrate the ultimate in athleticism and artistry. You defy the laws of gravity as you leap in the air, landing with flawless precision. You spin with effortless grace and power; you execute jumps other skaters only dream about. On that ice, you are in your element, doing what you love to do and doing it perfectly.

In rehearsal, that is.
The next day, you enter the same rink for the big competition. When you look into the stands, you see thousands of eyeballs on you. As you begin your program, you skate self-consciously, hesitantly. You stumble on moves you usually don't even have to think about. You forget what comes next. You wobble and bobble and barely get through the program on your feet.
Now, consider this: Your frustrated coach barrels up to you and bellows, "That's it! From now on, we're spending two extra hours a day in rehearsal until you get this right in competition!" Question: Will that tactic solve the problem? Of course not, because the problem is not in the realm of the skating. (Remember, you skated the program perfectly 24 hours ago.) The problem is in the realm of the EYEBALLS. You can skate until your feet fall off, but until you make peace with those eyeballs, you will continue to stumble in the spotlight.

So It Is With Public Speaking
Most people say, "One-on-one I'm fine. It's only when I'm in front of a group that I get nervous." If you can speak confidently and clearly one-on-one, it means you already know the content and can convey it well (like skating perfectly in rehearsal). The problem comes when a speech coach says, "OK, we're going to have you rehearse the speech five more times in the conference room to make sure you get it right when you present in front of the Board." Emphasizing the content and delivery has limited value because it attacks the problem from the realm of the SPEAKING. But where most people suffer most is in the realm of the EYEBALLS. Sure, you're more likely to withstand the eyeballs if you feel confident in your material, but the discomfort will still be there. Techniques and gimmicks (like "picture the audience naked" or "start with a joke" or "look at the back wall if you're too nervous to make eye contact") won't help either. These tricks just put up a barrier; they don't solve the problem.

So what is the answer? Realize that the problem is not that you don't know how to speak; it's that you're not used to being THE CENTER OF ATTENTION. You see those eyeballs and suddenly you're thrust outside of your comfortable anonymity into the shocking realization that someone is actually paying attention. You shy away from the attention, the intense energy. But ironically, the energy in those eyeballs can energize and comfort you-once you let it in.

Yes, eyeballs almost always have positive energy behind them because listeners want you to succeed. Even if you face grouches in the crowd, you can count at least a few positive eyeball vibes coming toward you. Soak in the positive energy and send it back out in the form of genuine warmth and concern for your listeners. Seeing that concern invites even more positive energy, which keeps the cycle going.

Far-Fetched Idea?
It may seem far-fetched at first. But the only way to make peace with those eyeballs is to stop avoiding them and explore them instead. Seek them out. Peer back with your own eyeballs and see what's really there. It takes practice, of course. To get started, seek out a positive setting such as a SPEAKING CIRCLE* or supportive group of friends. Remember, you're already a speaker. You're just not accustomed to being a recipient of listening-a skill that can only be mastered in the mysterious, wondrous, scary, exciting realm of eyeballs.

* The SPEAKING CIRCLE(R) methodology is a revolutionary new approach for building speaking skill and power. It's based on the book Be Heard Now by Lee Glickstein. For more information, go to www.speakingcircles.com.

About The Author
Melissa Lewis turns traditional thinking about public speaking upside down to give people more comfort, confidence, and charisma in front of groups. For more information, call (913) 341-1241 or visit www.upsidedownspeaking.com.
melissa@upsidedownspeaking.com


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Today's recommended resource is: http://www.charliehasit.com/onlinetraining/2.php

Time Management Training - A Necessary Investment or A Waste Of Money?

Time Management Training - A Necessary Investment or A Waste Of Money?

 by: Lorraine Pirihi

Many organizations view time management training as something they'll spend their money on, only if they have to. Usually when pruning the company or department budget, training is often the first area that gets the chop. And yet can you really afford not to?

Here's what Dr. Donald Wetmore a Time Management Specialist from the U.S. recently said in the on-line e-zine Activepro...

Training is not a cost it's an investment

'It really doesn't matter what we pay for an investment. What's relevant is what we get in return. One of the best ways to jeopardize an organization’s future in today's world and increase the probability of troubled times it to look at training as a cost and pay the price of not training or provide substandard training that operates only as a band aid for the training requirements.

A person being paid $50,000 per year who is wasting just one hour per day is costing the organization $6,250 per year. If through one of our Time Management Seminars that person can learn how to recapture just one hour per day, that translates into a payback to the organization of $6,250 per year!

If there is a group of 25 people, the return to the organization is $156,250 per year! That doesn't even include other benefits like profitability, reduced turnover, improved morale, enhanced teamwork, greater creativity etc.)

Over 5 years, the payback is $781,250. What would your organization invest to achieve that return and payback?

Not so many years ago, training was an option for most organizations. Today it is no longer an option. If any of us continue to do what we do the same way, within five years most of us will become obsolete. Why? Because our competitors are helping their people to become more effective through training.

If we look closely at companies who are doing well in the long run, they almost always have a well thought out training program in place

They realize the price for not training is the real expense of training'.

The most important training or knowledge enhancement you can offer to your employees is in the personal development area. Effective time management is a life skill which affects us all. Depending on how skilful we are at managing our time it can have a major impact on the whole of our life. Our skill levels in this area can greatly benefit us or cause us to be constantly stressed out.

Training is a life long endeavor. It has to be ongoing. Life changes constantly and so do our needs and those of our people, the no. 1 asset in every business. Time Management training is crucial for it's when we learn to use our time effectively that we get so much more done in our lives.

Have a great week!

Lorraine Pirihi

About The Author Lorraine Pirihi is Australia's Personal Productivity Specialist and Leading Life Coach. Her business The Office Organizer specializes in showing small business owners and managers, how to get organized at work so they can have a life! Lorraine is also a dynamic speaker and has produced many products including "How to Survive and Thrive at Work!" To subscribe to her free ezine visit http://www.office-organiser.com.au This article may be reproduced providing it is published in its entirety, including the author's bio and all links. For further information please contact Lorraine Pirihi. lorraine@office-organiser.com.au

 

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Today's recommended resource is: http://www.charliehasit.com/onlinetraining/1.php

 

Change and Performance - Training May Not Be The Answer

Change and Performance - Training May Not Be The Answer

 by: Howard Sommerfeld

Introducing new products or services, bringing new people on board, developing a new process or procedure, installing new equipment, change seems to be the one constant in business today and change always seems to drive a need for training.

In conducting training needs analysis at any level, we need to understand that training may not be the solution, at least not the whole solution. Training is normally employed with the expectation of changing individual performance. While training can, and does change the ability of individuals to perform, on-the-job performance also depends on other factors that form a complex interconnected human performance system. For any system to produce a desired performance output, there are always a number of factors that must be managed.

Six-factors for human performance

The following is a six-factor system model for human performance. In principle if you manage all six well, you will get the desired performance. If you ignore any of the six, the desired system performance becomes less likely. Training can indeed be an important part of a system solution, but if other parts are not provided, training may not be effective.

1. Make expectations clear:

The expected outputs, and actions to produce results, must be made crystal clear. These include vision, values, mission, roles, goals and objectives, action plans, milestones and standards. If you don’t tell them what is expected, don’t expect results.

2. Provide necessary resources and conditions:

No one can produce the expected results if they do not have the process, methods, tools, materials, space, time, money, and people to do the job. A workplace that is badly designed, uncomfortable or unsafe also makes it difficult to perform. Given the means, they can deliver performance. If not...

3. Measure the performance of the system:

In order to determine if expected results are being achieved we need to measure the performance outputs. It might also be helpful to monitor in-process indicators, which affect system outputs. Using metrics we can identify progress toward targets, verify performance as desired, or identify problems and opportunities for improvement. We all pay attention to what gets measured.

4. Communicate progress and results:

Continuous and visual feedback on the performance and results achieved by the team and system allows for quick recognition and correction of problems and implementation of improvements. If individuals do not know how well the system is working it is difficult to achieve the desired results, much less make improvements. Performance knowledge empowers improvement.

5. Provide appropriate incentives:

Consequences are important. Positive rewards for good performance, congratulation, recognition and celebration, promote and encourage the behaviors that produced the results. Take care to avoid negative consequences for positive performance, or benefits for negative performance. If it felt good, they’ll want to do it again.

6. Develop necessary competency:

Competency is the ability of an individual or team to successfully perform a specific task or activity. Sometimes if you are lucky, you can hire a competency off the street. More often development through training and practice is required. Competencies are built through learning activities, and through experience. A competency requires skills, knowledge, and attitude sufficient to do the job. A competency has observable measurable outputs and behaviors. An individual must have the capacity, both mental and physical to learn and to perform the task or activity. If you’ve got the skills and knowledge you can do the job.

The next time you ask how to improve performance, take a systems approach and remember to consider how to manage all six human performance factors.

We get exactly the results we manage for.

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You have permission to publish this article free of charge, as long as the resource box is included with the article. If you do run my article, a courtesy reply to hsommerfeld@automatedlearning.com would be greatly appreciated. © 2004 Howard Sommerfeld

About The Author Howard Sommerfeld has an extensive background in training that includes over twenty years experience in training management with major telecom equipment manufacturers. He has been responsible for development of major classroom, computer-based, web-based, and distance e-Learning initiatives, and has a depth of understanding of manufacturing and training management issues. He is keenly interested in trainer training, blended learning approaches that ensure learning transfer to workplace performance, human performance systems, and in demonstrating return on investment for training. Howard is currently Director of Product Development at Automated Learning Corporation. www.automatedlearning.com/products/welcome.html hsommerfeld@automatedlearning.com

 

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