Five Reasons Training Fails

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Salaam and Greetings,

Even though I have done 20years plus of Learning & Development, I still make mistakes like a rookie. I listen to the wrong people, even though I know they are wrong. I can accept differences of opinion. But, wrong is wrong. And I am mature enough to acknowledge someone is right, even though I may not like that person. Right is right. Isn’t it?

Classic example is, as a professional L&D person, I am always being asked to develop programs to solve performance problems. Problems range from absenteeism, tardiness, not performing to standards etc. Nothing wrong with that. The challenge is that, too many managers and supervisors believe attending a course is the panacea for all their ills and problems. And worse is, before I could open my mouth, the manager would say, something like “I know what is wrong with them, and I know what kind of program they need”. And my mistake is, I keep my mouth shut, and let things go their way. And, affect my credibility and reputation.Also, they are my client, and we always meet our clients' needs. Hmmm

Of late, that has change, and I am more principle-centered. Gush of courage and audacity running through my veins, I hope.

So, for those who think they need to rethink in the way training is used to assist in employees’ performance and solve people issues, below is an article I got from ecornell.com. Yup, the same group of people from Cornell University. Probably good thing to print this and paste it on your door or workstation.

Another reference I would like to share is a book by Merger and Pipe, “Analyzing Performance Problems”. I have a copy of their Second Edition. Bought it years ago. Not sure, if they have an updated version. Excellent book that will assist training specialist and line managers look at how and what that cause performance problems, and whether training is the solution.

Five Reasons Training Fails

Everyone in the learning and development business has at least one training story that’ll make you cringe or weep. These are the programs that may have cost a lot but generated low-to-no results, suffered from ill-fated design and delivery plans, or had non-existent follow-up.

As training professionals, we want to be acutely aware of the potential trips and traps that could derail our well-intentioned programs for good. Here are five common reasons training fails…and how to avoid them:
  1. Training is not always the answer. But you already knew that. Make sure the team requesting or getting training is truly receiving what it needs. Maybe the call center needs job aids or performance support tools—and not more customer service training.
  2. Identify and know your audience from the outset. The more you know about the business needs of the group and managers, the more prepared you’ll be to deliver efficient and effective training. Spend time with the leaders and managers of the business units you’ll be working with to discuss and agree upon needs and expected results.
  3. Start small and get a win. When you show upper management a success story with a small group that requires small capitalization, then your chances for more dollars for more programs grows. Then you can tackle larger groups and show bottom-line results knowing your method works.
  4. Consider the need for ongoing training and follow-up. One 2-week session may not change the world, but combined with an online discussion board, job aids, coaching and mentoring, it could provide team members with access to resources long after the formal training is over and employees are applying their new skills to everyday issues.
  5. Make sure your stakeholders are invested. No buy-in from upper management and business unit leaders often leads to epic training failures. Get buy-in up front, keep stakeholders in the loop about the small wins the team makes after the training, and take the time to reinforce the value of learning to your organization’s overall success. And tie that success to business metrics of importance to your company, not just training metrics that matter to the training department.

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