Nine Vital Lessons For Avoiding Training Fads That Waste Time, Money and Enthusiasm

Unfortunately, at least two thirds of much of the training and development effort undertaken by organisations to develop their people is wasted.

This is such as shame isn't it? Waste of money is bad enough but even more serious is the waste of human energy and enthusiasm. I've witnessed organisations and their people suffer for weeks and months under the latest management fad only to find they're no further forward ? or worse off.

Here are nine vital lessons from hard experience that will help senior managers plan and buy better training interventions.

1. Start at the "coal-face".

Ask people in specific departments, projects and teams what they need to help them do even better. This "bottom-up" approach encourages people to offer their own suggestions for better training, better systems and better communication. Allowing people to express what they see as the solution is motivating because it is "not management dictating" and because they see a chance of some action! This bottom-up approach often reveals problems and bottlenecks that have been around a long time ? hindrances people have got used to. Remember, most organisations don't have a mechanism for everyday problems to filter up to top management.

2 Work on may fronts simultaneously.

Real sustained improvement comes from the cumulative effect of lots of 5% improvements. For example, a project might be to improve the safety record of an organisation. One way to achieve this objective is to attempt attitude change through technical and behavioural workshops. However, this will not be enough. One has to simultaneously work on the leadership ability of supervisors, improving the quality of safety meetings, improving procedures and making safety literature have more impact.

3 Look for cures ? don't just treat the symptoms

Many training courses only treat the symptoms. We send people on courses because we see something not being done as well as it could be. But what is causing the difficulty in the first place? Yes, tips on time management, team building and brilliant customer care, for example, are useful, but they won't work if the organisation, albeit unintentionally, puts barriers in people's way. Production and operations people often have to struggle because sales and contracts people don't consult them at an early stage about the capacity to fulfil the contract.

4 Accept that some solutions to the problem may be boring and uncomfortable to carry out.

The solutions to improving people's performance are usually straightforward. Some are so straightforward that people don't believe it and they look for something more "thorough"! "There must be something else!" That's why consultants and management gurus feel they have to keep coming up with new fads in which to package age-old principles.

Take leadership for example. The twelve or so basic principles of being an effective leader require neither great intellectual understanding nor large sums of money to apply. However, for whatever reason, some managers find it difficult to, praise genuinely, ensure people have accurate job descriptions, talk to people on a regular basis about their jobs, find ways to reduce unnecessary bureaucracy and to communicate regularly on topics such as company progress and strategy.

Many change initiatives fail because some managers are not prepared to do the mundane and boring tasks required. No matter how expensive and grandly named and intellectually exciting a people-development programme is, it will in the end come down to doing certain basics. We have to get managers to accept this reality and to motivate them to follow through.

5 Lasting benefit takes time.

As with all interventions it is possible to get some quick results ? and that's good. However, the real and lasting benefits can only come with time. For example, when an organisation installs a new appraisal system, maximum participation and involvement occurs only when trust is established in the second or third year. This means that there has to be sustained action, follow-up and monitoring. One of the biggest complaints from managers on the Performance Improvement Workshops I run, is that "We'll do all this talking and deciding and then nothing will happen!" It's often the many small tasks that seem unimportant that make the difference.

Another example of ignoring the "gestation" element is leadership training. What good does it do to send someone on a crammed 5-day leadership course? What chance do participants get to reflect on and apply what they have learned on day one? People need time to develop because it's from application that the really important questions and learning come. Rather do one day per month over a few months.

6 Concentrate on HOW not what.

Experience proves that most people know what they should do to be a good leader, to give a good presentation, to manage their time better, to write an effective report and so on. Their real problem is that they don't know HOW to do what they know they should. This means that lectures and slides and theory about what should be, are a waste of time.

People want practical solutions to help them fix real workplace problems. In any workshop it is the participants who should be doing most of the talking and problem solving. The facilitator is there to guide the discussion and at times add additional advice from hard-earned experience. Lecturing, no matter how entertaining, does not usually change people's behaviours. People have to come to their own realisation of what is required and they do this by participating and having their views challenged. People don't need gurus, but experienced colleagues who can help them to see that they are, to a large extent, capable of and responsible for, solving their own problems.

7 Ignore the pseudo-science.

We humans, as rational as we are, are still tempted to find the "magic wand" ? the cure-all. There isn't one! That's why, in my experience, psychometric tests, handwriting analysis, 360 degree feedback questionnaires, psychological team profiling, and surveys with 90 questions to assess the relationship between managers and their workers and "what our customers think of us", are a waste of time, effort and money. These schemes sound good but in reality they don't get results. To try to turn the results into numbers and pretend that they mean something is an attempt to avoid the straightforward but sometimes onerous work that has to be done to ensure success.

The worst example is an appraisal scheme where you have to rate a subordinate on a scale of 1 to 5 on twenty criteria, and average the result. Statistically it's incorrect to do this, but what does it tell you in the end? The appraisee and appraiser often end up having 20 disagreements on whether "it should be a 4 or a 5".

8 People learn more when they are relaxed and having fun

There is no place for silly game-playing that embarrasses people, or all-night sessions that put people under pressure to see if "they crack", or outdoor challenges which expose people's incompetence and fear. Only when people know they are not being "watched" and that they will not be "called to account for their words", will they be willing to take the risks required to face and deal with real workplace problems affecting their and their company's performance.

9 Set an example and think strategically about employment

In almost every Leadership or Performance Improvement Workshop I am asked this difficult question: "Why isn't our senior manager here ? he/she needs this more than we do?" Several benefits occur when senior managers attend development events with their middle managers. Openness, commitment and mutual learning are fostered, to mention only one. For training and development to be really successful we have to do more to show that people are not just "human resources" like any other production input to be used during good times and fired in the bad. How to do this will not be easy.

Much of what you've just read is commonsense. However, for some people the advice offered here may seem unorthodox and simplistic. But, it works for all concerned and isn't that what counts in the end?

Copyright (c) 2004 Dr William Robb Electronic publishing permitted but publication in print prohibited without written permission

For 20 years Dr Bill has helped people and organisations improve their performance by asking a series of simple questions about why people are not doing what they know they should be doing. He delights in showing people that getting better results can be simple and straightforward. Bill enjoys getting to the heart of te matter ? quickly. http://www.mytimemanagementsecrets.com/

---

14 Ways to De-Stress Employee Vacations

Employees truly deserve paid vacations. Theystruggle through stressful jobs most... Read More

Narcissism in the Boardroom

The perpetrators of the recent spate of financial frauds in... Read More

Executives and Emotional Self Awareness

A major problem impairing an executive's performance is his Emotional... Read More

Choosing the Right Corporate Training

According to a Gallup Poll, 80 percent of employees said... Read More

Choices in Appointing International Managers

Globalization is requiring companies to make important choices about how... Read More

6 Steps to Effective Communication

Effective leaders are known for being excellent communicators. Here's what... Read More

Results of Poor Cross Cultural Awareness

Results of Poor Cross Cultural Awareness. Having a poor understanding... Read More

Crisis Management Essentials - How to Communicate Effectively During a Crisis, Emergency or Disaster

A crisis, emergency or disaster can happen at anytime and... Read More

Character: Is It Necessary In Leadership? (Part Two)

In the first part of this two part article, I... Read More

Auditing Improves Effective Planning

Speak of operations assessment, and we'll hear its significant value.... Read More

3 Keys to Being a Fearless Executive

In my work with business executives, I have come to... Read More

Managing People - No One Shows You What To Do

Imagine the following scenario - you pay a visit to... Read More

I Cant Use This Approach Unless My Boss Does - Power, Accountability, and Consequences

People who work with us often struggle with this dilemma:... Read More

Why Businesses Fail - And What You Can Do About It!

Have you unintentionally set your business up for failure?No one... Read More

Quick Tips On Bringing Out The Best In People

Want to bring out the best in people?Edward W. Smith,... Read More

The Top Six Reasons to Buy Rather Than Build an Inventory Management Solution

Is building your own inventory management solution really your best... Read More

Too Much Time Treating Symptoms

A man drives down the highway each day on his... Read More

Making Meetings Work

We have all attended meetings that were boring, mindless and... Read More

Why People Resist Us

There's a one-word reason most ideas never see the light... Read More

Entitlement Programs Kill Productivity

In articles I've written over the years, I have used... Read More

DIVERSITY is a BIG word -- With A HUGE Business IMPACT

Second thought! Just in case. YOU or someone you personally... Read More

Truth or Consequences: How to Give Employee Feedback

In the bestseller, Good to Great, Jim Collins discovered that,... Read More

Recycling, Reverse Logistics and?..Candy

The candy box is a container for all your favourite... Read More

Performance Appraisals: Nightmares or Sweet Dreams

Some managers think of performance appraisal meetings and recollections of... Read More

Communication, Feedback, and Participation: Three Easy Tidbits For Smarter Business

On communication: One of the biggest strains on the communication... Read More

Creating a Team Working Environment

TEAM DECISION MAKING: Managers who invite participation believe that people... Read More

7 Tips for Growing Your Business You Do Not Want to Ignore: Business Strategies To Easily Implement

Growing companies must always be ready for the next challenge.... Read More

What Every Manager Should Know About How to Overcome Boredom

Do you find yourself easily becoming bored or tired at... Read More

Managing Performance: Don?t Let Slackers Bring Down Your ?A? Players

As a manager, it is your job to ensure that... Read More

Is Your Employee Newsletter Management Propaganda?

It should not be. If it is an effective newsletter,... Read More

Integrity... Should It Matter?

In our fast paced work culture, manned by technology savvy... Read More

Pitching to Employees

The senior flight attendant on the WestJet flight was starting... Read More

How to Create a Trusting Manager-Employee Relationship

BUILDING TRUST AS A MANAGER: 1. Be reliable. Follow through... Read More