Monday, January 21, 2008
What should the goal of training be?
How does the goal affect what we measure?
For years, corporate trainers (and many in academia) viewed education as information transfer. Give people the knowledge they need and let them run with it.
Then trainers realized that knowledge alone wasn't enough; if people couldn't translate the information into new skills, the training had little value. Measurements were put into place to assure that the trainee had, indeed, developed the skill.
Disappointment surfaced again when trainers realized that possessing skills didn't necessarily result in their use. Many people, upon return to their normal work environment, would revert to old habits. Why? The stress of their everyday workload coupled with lack of managerial support often caused trainees to return to old habits - even when they've used the training successfully.
If none of these approaches to training have achieved the desired goal, what should the purpose of training be? How should we measure its effectiveness? How do we create a lasting effect?
My experience has been that training has a lasting impact when it builds confidence. One of my training programs, Accounting and Finance for Non-financial Managers, places me in front of people to whom finance is a foreign language. I tell them quite candidly that there is no way, in the 16-18 hours we'll spend together, that I can possibly cover every financial situation they may encounter. I can, however, help them develop the confidence they need to ask questions about the financial information they receive and to evaluate the answers they're given. I teach them to think.
What's the value of teaching people to think? It equips them with the confidence to address situations that they haven't anticipated. With increased confidence comes improved performance. If you're looking for something to measure, evaluate the trainees confidence in performing given tasks prior to training, then again at regular intervals for at least a year.
It's counter-intuitive, but the real goal of any form of education should be to build confidence.
If there are topics you'd like me to address, please email me at dale@furtwengler.com.
How does the goal affect what we measure?
For years, corporate trainers (and many in academia) viewed education as information transfer. Give people the knowledge they need and let them run with it.
Then trainers realized that knowledge alone wasn't enough; if people couldn't translate the information into new skills, the training had little value. Measurements were put into place to assure that the trainee had, indeed, developed the skill.
Disappointment surfaced again when trainers realized that possessing skills didn't necessarily result in their use. Many people, upon return to their normal work environment, would revert to old habits. Why? The stress of their everyday workload coupled with lack of managerial support often caused trainees to return to old habits - even when they've used the training successfully.
If none of these approaches to training have achieved the desired goal, what should the purpose of training be? How should we measure its effectiveness? How do we create a lasting effect?
My experience has been that training has a lasting impact when it builds confidence. One of my training programs, Accounting and Finance for Non-financial Managers, places me in front of people to whom finance is a foreign language. I tell them quite candidly that there is no way, in the 16-18 hours we'll spend together, that I can possibly cover every financial situation they may encounter. I can, however, help them develop the confidence they need to ask questions about the financial information they receive and to evaluate the answers they're given. I teach them to think.
What's the value of teaching people to think? It equips them with the confidence to address situations that they haven't anticipated. With increased confidence comes improved performance. If you're looking for something to measure, evaluate the trainees confidence in performing given tasks prior to training, then again at regular intervals for at least a year.
It's counter-intuitive, but the real goal of any form of education should be to build confidence.
If there are topics you'd like me to address, please email me at dale@furtwengler.com.
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