May 2008

Performance
Making a real difference

While the drums of a pending recession continue to beat, there are mixed messages being sent. There is no doubt that high gas prices and the housing market debacle are highly visible and are causing changes in consumer behavior. However, other less visible economic indicators point to a turnaround in the second half of 2008.

“Ultimately, the choice is yours to either step up to the plate and make a difference or hide under a rock hoping for the best.”

The most problematic of economic problems is the high fuel prices. As these are driven by speculation rather than supply and demand, there is a bubble being created that will ultimately pop. Until this happens, it is impacting food prices and other petroleum sectors as well as consumer confidence.

From my perspective I am seeing this impact on companies that are consumer and fuel-reliant, including automotive-related companies, housing-related companies as well as companies sensitive to fuel and commodity prices. Their training budgets are being slashed or frozen until the economic environment clarifies itself. However, other than these sectors, most companies I speak with are moving ahead with their training plans as anticipated for 2008.

What does this mean to you as the head of learning within your organization? Ultimately, the choice is yours to either step up to the plate and make a difference or hide under a rock hoping for the best. I will argue for stepping up to the plate and making a difference.

Most surveys rank management support of learning and development as tepid. Since they haven’t seen meaningful results in the past, they accept training must occur in their organizations, yet they feel it’s mostly a waste of time and resources (Who’s Poisoning Your Well? Key to Change Newsletter – December 2007).

Additionally, my personal observation of many training programs is that they fail to produce the breadth and scope of changes necessary in the workplace to generate the desired results that improves employee performance. This feeds the tepid response from management.

A pending recession provides heads of learning with a unique opportunity to make a difference precisely at the time their organizations need it most in the following areas:

Mission-Critical Areas
Heads of learning need to focus their activities on the mission-critical areas of their companies that impact performance. Anticipation is the key. Once these areas begin to suffer, it’s already too late for training to have an impact. As such, the time is now to stress training in these mission-critical areas. Once these programs are rolled out and implemented, the necessary improvement in competencies and skills will already be in place.

Impact
Many corporate training programs I’ve analyzed can benefit from an upgrade in quality. Most are providing training on basic levels without giving learners the advanced skills and competencies required to effectively improve their performance. Over the years I’ve observed many companies bring in a variety of leadership programs that consistently teach the same things, repeating what managers and supervisors have already stressed. The ball is never advanced and leadership skills and competencies are not improved. If this is the case in your organization you must review all programs and replace those that are ineffective with ones that will have a positive impact upon individual performance and the company.

Results
Now is the time to jump from Kirkpatrick’s Level One to Level Four. Since most learning and development departments only measure and report Reaction (Level One) and Learning (Level Two), they are not taken seriously by executives who are only interested in results. However, heads of learning can generate credibility for their department if they refocus and repurpose courses to align with all four of Kirkpatrick’s Levels. This will deliver the results from training that will impact the performance of your company and impress your bosses. Accomplish this and you will have no problems getting approval for future budgets, as it will be money well spent.

You may argue that these improvements are unrealistic within your learning and development culture. If this is the case, one must wonder why? If these three areas align with the performance goals of your organization, what is preventing you from attaining them? The question that begs to be asked in these times of turbulence is whether you’re prepared to step up to the plate or are you seeking a rock to hide under? The choice is yours to make.

Timothy F. Bednarz, Ph.D.