Hello again everyone. Are you satisfied with the learning and development opportunities at your company? Do you think you have all the required skills and knowledge to do your jobs?

Concerning Statistics

According to an October 2019 article in Harvard Business Review (Where Companies Go Wrong With Learning and Development) organizations across the globe spent $359 Billion dollars on training in 2016. Yet 70% of employees reported they don’t have sufficient skills and knowledge to do their jobs. Also, 75% of managers reported they are dissatisfied with their organizations Learning and Development (L&D) departments. The article also stated that only 12% of employees apply what they learned on the job. The last statistic referenced a McKinsey survey which indicated only 25% of respondents believed training improved performance to a measurable extent. These statistics should concern everyone in an organization, especially executives and those in charge of L&D.

Today I’d like to briefly discuss performance centered learning.

Although Knowledge Is Important …

While growing up, all of us were taught for the sake of our knowing. We were taught information so we would gain knowledge. Knowing was paramount and often, at least seemingly so, the only thing that mattered. We had to learn our A,B,Cs and our 1,2,3s. We had to learn…well, everything! To a large extent that model was appropriate to build our foundational knowledge.

That paradigm of learning for the sake of knowing stayed with most of us through high school, college, and most of the university education we received. Even once many of us entered the job market and started working on our careers we were sometimes taught information just so we would know more. Knowing is important and not to be discounted. Nevertheless, there has sometimes been little thought as to whether or not we really need the information we are learning or whether or not it will help us do our jobs better. L&D departments often fall into the role of being order takers. A leader says, “We need training.” The L&D department says, “That’s what we do. We’ll get right on that for you.” They then develop the requested training with little investigation into the underlying issues and needs.

Knowledge is still important, in many respects more important today than in years past. We are, after all, living in a knowledge economy. Today, what someone knows is possibly more important than at any time in the past. However…

Performance is Preeminent

Companies can no longer afford to send people to training solely to increase their knowledge. (The very act of ‘sending people to training’ is often not the best approach for companies to take. I’ll discuss that more in another post.) We are not only living in a knowledge economy, it should be no secret to anyone that we are living in a very fast-paced economy. Employees need to obtain required skills and knowledge as quickly as possible and they need to be able to actually do something with that knowledge. They must put knowledge into practice. They don’t have time to sit in classes for hours, or days, when they can gain the skills and knowledge they need in less time using other methods. It matters little how much knowledge an employee has if she is not equipped to apply that knowledge on the job. In today’s world, companies need their employees to learn how to do their jobs better. Therefore, performance should be the key measurement of learning today.

Performance-centered learning isn’t a new concept. It’s been around for decades, especially in many types of manufacturing, maintenance, and trades-related training. Now however, performance-centered learning is important for every job in every organization. It should encompass much more than a one-time “training” event. It should include multiple methods to ensure both a transfer of learning and an improvement in performance occur.

Recommendations

Here are some things I recommend an L&D department do to move out of the role of being order takers and into the role of being performance consultants. These things will align them much more closely with business needs. These will make them more relevant to the organization. These will help ensure the percentages on the above referenced article move in the right direction.

1.Conduct a Job-Task Analysis

L&D departments should conduct a robust analysis to determine what skills and knowledge employees need to complete job tasks. They should do this for all jobs. Much of the information for this analysis may already be available. If it is not available they should find it through employee surveys, focus groups, job shadowing, or whatever means necessary. They should also determine how many employees are in each job role and where they are located. This job-task analysis is very similar to a more detailed Training Needs Assessment (TNA). I will discuss the more in-depth TNA in another post.

2. Identify Skills and Knowledge Gaps

Determine which skills and knowledge are lacking in what employees or groups of employees. This is essentially conducting a GAP analysis. It is important to identify what employees already know and can already do so that you don’t provide them with something that is not needed. Identifying skills and knowledge gaps is often also part of a TNA.

3. Design, Develop, and Deliver Interventions

Design, develop, and deliver interventions that will close the GAP. The interventions will likely include traditional training but will also take advantage of other methods such as coaching, electronic performance support systems (EPSS), Communities of Practice (CoPs), etc. This is where the bulk of the effort will take place and this is where L&D departments traditionally focus most of their efforts. However, many L&D departments do not take full advantage of many available non-training interventions. Here also is where the focus should be on performance and not training. The key is to use the most appropriate interventions to make sure a transfer of skills and knowledge takes place.

4. Perform Job-Based Skills Verifications

Follow up the interventions with a job-based skills verification to make sure employees can perform the skills and knowledge on the job. This is somewhat similar to yet different from the initial job-task analysis. With the job-task analysis the focus should be determining what skills and knowledge employees need to do their jobs. With the job-based skills verification the focus should be determining if employees who participated in the interventions can perform on the job. If this verification determines an employee still can not adequately perform on the job L&D can institute other interventions with the employee.

Summing It Up

If L&D departments take these steps, many more than 25% of employees will believe training improved performance. The performance improvement will be obvious. These steps should ensure all employees use most of what they learn on the job. The only things they don’t use on the job should be things they learn for their own personal development. In time all employees should also have sufficient skills and knowledge to perform their jobs. Perhaps most importantly, because all employees will have the required skills and knowledge and can perform them on the job, the organization will greatly benefit. Thus many more managers and executives will be much more satisfied with their organization’s Learning and Development departments.