A Paradigm Shift in Training- Training for Performance
Transcript of A Paradigm Shift in Training- Training for Performance
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Elwood F. "Ed" Holton III, is CEO of Learning Transfer Solutions
Global LLC and Jones S. Davis Distinguished Professor of Human
Resource, Leadership and Organization Development at Louisiana
State University, USA. Dr. Holton has led efforts to create theLearning Transfer System Inventory and the Training Transfer
Solution system over the last 15 years. With over 200 articles and
17 books, he is widely considered to be an international expert on
human resource development and particularly learning transfer.
Contact him [email protected]
Dr. Ed Holton is one of the premier experts in learning transfer. Great to work with and extremely
professional.November 29, 2010 Robin Kistler,
Director, LSU Executive Education, LSU -Stephenson Entrepreneurship Institute
Ed Holton is one of, if not the, foremost experts in the area of transfer of training and perhaps HRD ingeneral. He has rather ingeniously used the fruits of his career-long research and experience andshaped it into the tools that companies can and should benefit from. Having personally worked withEd on research projects in this area I can definitively say that his solutions are meticulouslydeveloped and designed and boast rigorous theoretical framework (not something you encounterfrequently in HRD consulting). At the same time Eds tools and methods are designed for the real -world, demonstrating his exceptional ability to connect research and practice. Last but not least, he isa pleasure to work with, approachable, and down-to-earth and I have always walked away from aconversation with him feeling like Ive learned something new.November 21, 2010
Bogdan Yamkovenko, PhDOrganizational Development and Research
Coordinator, The Shaw Group
I regard Ed Holton as among the leading experts in the world on the subject of transfer of learning.Although he has written widely and is highly-regarded in the academic community, his unique gift isthe ability to convert ideas to practice and make a real difference in the effectiveness of learning
initiatives in organizations.November 19, 2010Tim Baldwin,
Eveleigh Professor of Business Leadership,Kelley School of Business
mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]://www.linkedin.com/profile/view?id=17084513&authType=name&authToken=mjsm&goback=%2Enpv_34176097_*1_*1_*1_*1_*1_*1_*1_*1_*1_*1_*1_*1_*1_*1_*1_*1_*1_*1_*1_*1http://www.linkedin.com/profile/view?id=17084513&authType=name&authToken=mjsm&goback=%2Enpv_34176097_*1_*1_*1_*1_*1_*1_*1_*1_*1_*1_*1_*1_*1_*1_*1_*1_*1_*1_*1_*1http://www.linkedin.com/profile/view?id=31429448&authType=name&authToken=jiAx&goback=%2Enpv_34176097_*1_*1_*1_*1_*1_*1_*1_*1_*1_*1_*1_*1_*1_*1_*1_*1_*1_*1_*1_*1http://www.linkedin.com/profile/view?id=31429448&authType=name&authToken=jiAx&goback=%2Enpv_34176097_*1_*1_*1_*1_*1_*1_*1_*1_*1_*1_*1_*1_*1_*1_*1_*1_*1_*1_*1_*1http://www.linkedin.com/profile/view?id=4185832&authType=name&authToken=wKQ_&goback=%2Enpv_34176097_*1_*1_*1_*1_*1_*1_*1_*1_*1_*1_*1_*1_*1_*1_*1_*1_*1_*1_*1_*1http://www.linkedin.com/profile/view?id=4185832&authType=name&authToken=wKQ_&goback=%2Enpv_34176097_*1_*1_*1_*1_*1_*1_*1_*1_*1_*1_*1_*1_*1_*1_*1_*1_*1_*1_*1_*1http://www.linkedin.com/profile/view?id=4185832&authType=name&authToken=wKQ_&goback=%2Enpv_34176097_*1_*1_*1_*1_*1_*1_*1_*1_*1_*1_*1_*1_*1_*1_*1_*1_*1_*1_*1_*1http://www.linkedin.com/profile/view?id=31429448&authType=name&authToken=jiAx&goback=%2Enpv_34176097_*1_*1_*1_*1_*1_*1_*1_*1_*1_*1_*1_*1_*1_*1_*1_*1_*1_*1_*1_*1http://www.linkedin.com/profile/view?id=17084513&authType=name&authToken=mjsm&goback=%2Enpv_34176097_*1_*1_*1_*1_*1_*1_*1_*1_*1_*1_*1_*1_*1_*1_*1_*1_*1_*1_*1_*1mailto:[email protected] -
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"since we often teach things that
aren't really useful or that people
already know, 100% transfer will
never happen."
Unless we focus on behavioral
change from the very beginning
then we can't reasonably expect
high levels of transfer. Writing
behavioral objectives
fundamentally alters everything
from training design, to
facilitation, to goal setting, to
how the organization perceives
training.
I have been hosting discussions on LinkedIn lately about
how much transfer we can really expect from a training
program. My question to folks was whether 100%
transfer was feasible. The discussions have been great
and many people recognize that 100% (or close to it) is
feasible if we do all the right things.
But I have been surprised by the number of people who
said something to the effect of "since we often teach
things that aren't really useful or that people already
know, 100% transfer will never happen."Wow! My question is--if material isn't applicable, or
people already know it, then why are we teaching it! I
know this happens all the time but don't folks realize how
much money they are wasting when they do this?
We know how to do better. If you conduct a needs
assessment then you can figure out what content is
appropriate and what to leave out. What about using
competency tests to let people test out of parts of a
program they don't need?
The point is that we have methodologies for making sure
that are training programs are tightly focused on just
what trainees need--we just need to use them. And, they
cost less than making a group of trainees sit in a
classroom ignoring things they don't need!
I think we CAN approach 100%....and surely can do
better than the 10-30% that is currently estimated to
transfer.
As I work with clients and partners around the world, the
issue of behavioral objectives keeps coming front and
center. Two things are clear: Behavioral objectives are a
key to transforming training for transfer, and they are
REALLY hard for lots of trainers.
I confess that I am puzzled at times as to why they are
so hard for many trainers. I suppose it may be that ou
profession has focused on learning for so long that it is a
bigger cultural shift than I ever expected.
But we can't escape the fact that unless we focus on
behavioral change from the very beginning then we can't
reasonably expect high levels of transfer. Writing
behavioral objectives fundamentally alters everything
from training design, to facilitation, to goal setting, to how
the organization perceives training.
http://www.learningtransferguru.com/2010/01/why-behavioral-objectives-matter-so.htmlhttp://www.learningtransferguru.com/2010/01/why-behavioral-objectives-matter-so.htmlhttp://www.learningtransferguru.com/2010/01/why-behavioral-objectives-matter-so.htmlhttp://www.learningtransferguru.com/2009/09/why-do-we-teach-things-that-dont-matter.htmlhttp://www.learningtransferguru.com/2009/09/why-do-we-teach-things-that-dont-matter.htmlhttp://www.learningtransferguru.com/2009/09/why-do-we-teach-things-that-dont-matter.html -
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Learning should lead to behavior
change on the job, which in turn
should lead to results....
If the training is successful, what will
you see your employees doing
differently than they are doing now?
I will argue until my career is over that we are not really
in the learning business--we are in the performance
change business and learning is our tool to achieve it.
Big difference. Only when we grasp this fundamental
element can we really solve the transfer problem.
Yikes! Wow, a whole company that doesn't want to
associate itself with the word "training." The thought of
that kills me because I love training, but at the same time
I understand why they are doing it.
Think about your own department. Do you get the kind of
resources you need? Are you well respected in your
organization? If you are a training vendor, are your
clients applauding the results you achieve for them? Do
you get the repeat business you want?
If the answer is no, then maybe you should think
seriously about investing in learning transfer
improvement. I have personally taken over a training
organization that had no respect and watched the
transformation as we began to deliver real results. The
difference is magical. Think about it.
As one reader commented it often seems difficult to ge
line managers to articulate performance objectives fo
training. However, I find that the problem really lies in
how we ask the question.
Too often we asked the question using the jargon that
trainers are familiar with rather than language the line
managers understand clearly. Line managers don't know
what performance objectives or behavioral objectivesare. That's our jargon. They don't live in our world and
like most professions much of our language unique to
our profession.
There is one simple question that they do understand: If
the training is successful, what will you see your
employees doing differently than they are doing now?
In my experience asking the question in simple language
like this will usually lead you to what the performance or
behavioral objectives are for the training. Sometimes you
have to ask a follow-up question like "tell me more abou
that" if their answer is too broad.
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Organizational trainers are NOT in the
adult learning business, at least not in
the classic sense of adult learning. While
organizational trainers may use some of
the same methods, the purpose of
learning is fundamentally to provide a
return to the organization, not the
learner. Learning is controlled by the
organization, paid for by theorganization, benefits the organization
(as well as the learner), and is expected
to transfer into job performance change.
Of course in the end if they can't answer even the simple
question then we should not conduct a training program.
If you don't have clear behavioral or performance
outcomes defined then you are not likely to impact
organizational performance. That's a trap to be avoided.
The key point is that simple everyday language will lead
us to the answers we seek. Forget about the jargon we
use in our profession. Learn to ask questions in
everyday language and you will find line managers
usually can easily tell us what we need to know.
Have We Lost
Sight Of What Our
True Potential Is?
I was talking to a
fellow CEO
yesterday about
getting results from
training and it hit
me--have we as a
profession become
too
complacent? Have
we heard the "only10% - 30% of
learning transfers"
statistic so long that
we accept that as
the best we can do?
Let me go on record now--I don't believe that's the best
we can do. But, I do think we have lost sight of the
tremendous potential for learning to fundamentally
change organizations for the better
It's time we quit accepting low learning transfer rates as
status quo. We have so much untapped potential if we
(the profession) reach for it. Our organizations deserve
it, and we deserve it for ourselves
We know from research that learning/training done the
right way, for the right people, at the right time can
achieve a huge ROI. It's not a mystery. We just have to
do it, and hold ourselves to a higher standard
Granted it takes some more work--but I don't know
anything worthwhile that doesn't take work to
achieve. Decide now to make high learning transfe
your new commitment, and don't accept anything less.
We May Help Adults Learn
But It's For A Different
Purpose
I am a classic adult learner.
simply love to learn new things
Some of what I learn I put into
practice such as my newest hobbies of fishing and
genealogy. Some of it I just enjoy it for the pure pleasure
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Most training organizations would be
better off doing about half as many
activities and spend more time makin
those activities have a real impact o
performance. Management would b
far happier hearing about increased R
due to performance improvement th
how many "butts you put in seats."
of learning such as watching the History channel or other
documentaries on TV. I am self-directed, self-motivated,
evaluate my own learning, and do it for my own benefit.
I am everything that classic adult learning principles
describe in an Adult Learner.
Some of you may not know that I am a staunch advocate
for this type of adult learning. I am the co-author (with
Malcolm Knowles and Richard Swanson) of The Adult
Learner: The Definitive Classic in Adult Learning and
Human Resource Development which is Malcolm
Knowles' basic book on andragogy, the core theory of
adult learning. As such, I am a vigorous advocate for
the power of learning in our society and the capacity for
adults to learn throughout their entire lives. From anandragogical point of view, adults should be empowered
to learn and make decisions about what they do with
their learning.
But not within organizations. This seems like a
contradiction to many who quietly object to me co-
authoring this book, but I am an equally staunch
advocate for the right of organizations to expect
performance change after (adult) learning because they
are the ones who make the investment. In this sense,
organizational trainers are NOT in the adult learning
business, at least not in the classic sense of adult
learning. While organizational trainers may use some of
the same methods, the purpose of learning is
fundamentally to provide a return to the organization, not
the learner. Learning is controlled by the organization,
paid for by the organization, benefits the organization (as
well as the learner), and is expected to transfer into job
performance change.
Some adult learning advocates have a philosophical
objection to this and view control of learning by anyone
other than the learner as horrible. I don't. I find no
contradiction in my dual positions of being a staunch
advocate for classic adult learning in society, and an
equally staunch advocate for performance-based
learning inside organizations.
We have to abandon our traditional notions of adult
learning as being entirely learner controlled in order to
embrace learning transfer change. But don't feel guilty-
just remember who is paying the bill!
Doing More By Doing Less
Sandra, Director of Talent Development at XYZCompany, waited anxiously for her presentation to the
management team and scanned her department's
performance metrics one last time. She was proud o
what her team had accomplished last year. Course
attendance was up 15%, student satisfaction with the
courses was high, and she had more requests for new
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Without real performance results,
training is just "nice to have" and not aessential part of the business. Measuri
your training's impact on performanc
shows your customers (internal and
external) you are serious about helpin
them improve their organization's
bottom line.
training pending than ever before. They had added 20
new courses to the course catalog and had started
implementing an e-learning program. All this with no
increase in staff. "How could they not love what her
team had accomplished?" she wondered.
Her presentation went flawlessly as she went through
her expertly prepared powerpoint presentation. When
she finished, she waited anxiously for feedback. Jill, the
Chief Learning Officer and her boss, took the lead.
"Sandra, despite the numbers you have showed us we
have decided to outsource everything your department
does. A leading consulting company has made us an
attractive offer to deliver all these services at 70% of the
cost. Thus, we should be able to save at least $1 milliona year. You will be retained to manage the contract but
everyone else on your team will have to find new
positions. We're sorry but we just have to be as efficient
as we can be." Sandra sat down stunned and wondered
what she had done wrong.
Decisions like this are being made every day in the
talent development business. What Sandra doesn't
realize is that she had fallen victim to "The Great Activity
Seduction" by thinking that the more she and her team
did, the more they would be valued. The busier they
were the more important they felt. Everyone was
working as hard as they could but felt good because
they were delivering so many services.
The problem with her approach is that there will always
be someone who will conduct the same activities at a
cheaper price. More fundamentally her team was not
focusing on PERFORMANCE RESULTS. She had no
measures of the impact her team was having on
employee performance and business results. Thus,
management's only choice to increase ROI was to cu
costs because they had no data on outcomes.
I am firmly convinced that most training organizations
would be far better off doing about half as many
activities and spend more time making those activities
have a real impact on performance. Management would
be far happier hearing about increased ROI due to
performance improvement than how many "butts you pu
in seats."
So start today to increase your focus on RESULTS
Take a hard look at every activity you are doing and star
eliminating those that aren't leading to real performance
results. You will end up in a better place.
The One Question Every Training Organization
Should Ask Themselves
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There is an old adage that "everything important in
organizations is measured." In other words, what gets
measured is what matters!
So the core question every training organization should
be asking themselves is HOW ARE WE MEASURING
OUR PERFORMANCE RESULTS. Notice I said
PERFORMANCE results. All the other outcomes that
you can measure are really just activity or process
measures. At the end of the day, its only performance
results that count.
Unfortunately, the answer for many training programs is
that the performance results aren't measured. Is it any
wonder then that these organizations face problems
such as:
1. Declining training budgets
2. Lack of support from supervisors of trainees
3. Difficulty pulling trainees away from their jobs
4. Low motivation among trainees
5. Not being "at the table" for key human capital
decisions
If you are an external training provider, you're also likely
to see:
1. Declining sales, especially in a tough economy
2. Difficulty getting return phone calls
3. Difficulty filling classes
4. Declining profits
Without real performance results, training is just "nice to
have" and not an essential part of the business.
Measuring your training's impact on performance shows
your customers (internal and external) you are serious
about helping them improve their organization's bottom
line.
Many trainers are afraid of the accountability that
measurement creates. It's a shame because they really
sell themselves short. If done right training is one of the
most powerful tools available for improving performance.
So get started now measuring your results. The
measurements don't have to be perfect (few are in
organizations) to make a big impact. The mos
important thing is to just get started on your journey to
being a better business partner.
Measurement is in itself an intervention that will improve
learning transfer.