In today's business environment, efficiency is the quest, to save resources and reach effective operational cycle. Training is utilized, among other means, to reach such end. American companies spend as much as 200 billion dollars on training interventions, which much of it was considered as a waste (Carnevale, Gainer, and Villet 1990) and did not achieve desired objectives. As a result of this, businesses have diverted its focus to measure training effectiveness, and quantified it. Although researchers have tried continuously to find the magical equation to calculate training effectiveness, yet it is still an area of continuous debate. There are two schools of thought in this regard. For example, Philips (1990) devised a methodology to quantify training results and called it Training ROI. At the other bank of the river, DeSimone, Werner, and Harris (2006) stated that training effectiveness is a "relative" matter. Given both schools of thoughts, the fact remains that the squandered resources on training remain an area of business concern.
Taking a closer look in to such matter, it is valid to ask why most training interventions fail? Such question was legitimized by Cromwell & Colbs' (2004) finding that "not more than 15% of learning transfer to the job, after attending any training". Such finding is astonishing! From my experience in training management, and as a trainer for 10 years now, the reasons for training failure are:
1. Training is not designed for specific purpose. Generic training has no specific objectives to accomplish.
2. Training not related to trainees' daily work. Concepts addressed in training are not parallel to trainees' daily work functions, and not applicable to what they do, which they do not find it relevant.
3. Training style used is not aligned with training objectives. This is a common illness in training because trainers use delivery methods, which does not serve the needed purpose. For example, the trainer lectures in a training course, designed to equip trainees with new skills. Such method is more fruitful to deliver information, not for skills oriented training.
4. Inappropriate training needs analysis. TNA is the core process in defining needed training. But for such process to be done properly, there should be a clear understanding for the business functions and processes. However, most of the time, TNA is done like a "Cherri picking", where staff and their managers, select courses in the TNA without any thoughts behind the selected courses.
5. Trainees are not motivated. From my experience, I have seen many people attending training, for the following reasons:
a. Build their CV, and compile as many courses as possible.
b. Escape work, and consider training as a "run a way".
c. Forced by the manager to attend training without talking to trainees and tell them the benefits of such training.
Minority of people, who I trained, came with focused thoughts about deriving benefits from training, and use it in daily work.
6. Training venue is not properly equipped. An interesting comment I received from one trainee, in one of my courses, where he said that "I am happy that the course is over because the chairs were painful". Imagine sitting for 3 or 4 hours continuously on uncomfortable chair, will you be thinking about the training or the pain caused by the chair? On the other hand, the training venue lacks the needed facilities to deliver a successful training intervention, like flip charts, projector, space to move around, etc.
7. Training does not solve trainee's problems. This is the case where the trainer does not tackle the courses' objectives and deviate to focus on side issues and entertain trainees instead. As a matter of fact, the smiling sheet evaluation fails here because scoring a 95% does not necessarily mean that the course was effective.
8. Trainees often struggle to apply the new skills learned. After training, trainees feel motivated because they have learned new concepts and tools to apply in their daily work. Yet, the existing culture where they work is resistant to any kind of change, which kills such motivation to apply. Another issue is not having the needed support from their manager or peers to apply what they have learned.
9. No post training follow – up and support. This is a key issue to keep in mind. When an employee attends any of training, s/he needs to be followed up and ensure such support is available when and where needed.
10. Too much information given during training. This problem happens when trainers flood trainees with too much information, makes trainees lose track and fail to follow, so they give up and pass the courses' time ineffectively.
11. Loss of focus on courses' objectives. Some courses are designed to tackle a concept like sales. However, as the course proceeds, time is spent on talking about how to handle difficult customers during sales instead of focusing on selling skills, which is the main focus!!
12. Theoretical training. Nothing expressed in the training but theories and lack of applications. As a result, trainees lose the link with the course, and feel not motivate to continue because it is not parallel to real business environment.
13. No real life cases. Cases help trainees to relate to real business environment and to feel that what they do is part of real business practice. Not having real cases, will disconnect trainees from such stream.
14. No variety in training activities. Given that people learn in different ways, ineffective training delivery focuses only on one approach and ignores others, which leads to losing audience attention.
15. Training is a process not an event. Follow up, refresh training, and feedback, all are important elements to ensure that the process is active and fruitful. But if training is treated as a stand alone event, then the development chain is broken.
Hope the above is helpful to training professional. Pls let me know if you have any thoughts, to take it further.
Nizar Baidoun
Certified Trainer & Consultant
nizar_baidoun@hotmail.com
Taking a closer look in to such matter, it is valid to ask why most training interventions fail? Such question was legitimized by Cromwell & Colbs' (2004) finding that "not more than 15% of learning transfer to the job, after attending any training". Such finding is astonishing! From my experience in training management, and as a trainer for 10 years now, the reasons for training failure are:
1. Training is not designed for specific purpose. Generic training has no specific objectives to accomplish.
2. Training not related to trainees' daily work. Concepts addressed in training are not parallel to trainees' daily work functions, and not applicable to what they do, which they do not find it relevant.
3. Training style used is not aligned with training objectives. This is a common illness in training because trainers use delivery methods, which does not serve the needed purpose. For example, the trainer lectures in a training course, designed to equip trainees with new skills. Such method is more fruitful to deliver information, not for skills oriented training.
4. Inappropriate training needs analysis. TNA is the core process in defining needed training. But for such process to be done properly, there should be a clear understanding for the business functions and processes. However, most of the time, TNA is done like a "Cherri picking", where staff and their managers, select courses in the TNA without any thoughts behind the selected courses.
5. Trainees are not motivated. From my experience, I have seen many people attending training, for the following reasons:
a. Build their CV, and compile as many courses as possible.
b. Escape work, and consider training as a "run a way".
c. Forced by the manager to attend training without talking to trainees and tell them the benefits of such training.
Minority of people, who I trained, came with focused thoughts about deriving benefits from training, and use it in daily work.
6. Training venue is not properly equipped. An interesting comment I received from one trainee, in one of my courses, where he said that "I am happy that the course is over because the chairs were painful". Imagine sitting for 3 or 4 hours continuously on uncomfortable chair, will you be thinking about the training or the pain caused by the chair? On the other hand, the training venue lacks the needed facilities to deliver a successful training intervention, like flip charts, projector, space to move around, etc.
7. Training does not solve trainee's problems. This is the case where the trainer does not tackle the courses' objectives and deviate to focus on side issues and entertain trainees instead. As a matter of fact, the smiling sheet evaluation fails here because scoring a 95% does not necessarily mean that the course was effective.
8. Trainees often struggle to apply the new skills learned. After training, trainees feel motivated because they have learned new concepts and tools to apply in their daily work. Yet, the existing culture where they work is resistant to any kind of change, which kills such motivation to apply. Another issue is not having the needed support from their manager or peers to apply what they have learned.
9. No post training follow – up and support. This is a key issue to keep in mind. When an employee attends any of training, s/he needs to be followed up and ensure such support is available when and where needed.
10. Too much information given during training. This problem happens when trainers flood trainees with too much information, makes trainees lose track and fail to follow, so they give up and pass the courses' time ineffectively.
11. Loss of focus on courses' objectives. Some courses are designed to tackle a concept like sales. However, as the course proceeds, time is spent on talking about how to handle difficult customers during sales instead of focusing on selling skills, which is the main focus!!
12. Theoretical training. Nothing expressed in the training but theories and lack of applications. As a result, trainees lose the link with the course, and feel not motivate to continue because it is not parallel to real business environment.
13. No real life cases. Cases help trainees to relate to real business environment and to feel that what they do is part of real business practice. Not having real cases, will disconnect trainees from such stream.
14. No variety in training activities. Given that people learn in different ways, ineffective training delivery focuses only on one approach and ignores others, which leads to losing audience attention.
15. Training is a process not an event. Follow up, refresh training, and feedback, all are important elements to ensure that the process is active and fruitful. But if training is treated as a stand alone event, then the development chain is broken.
Hope the above is helpful to training professional. Pls let me know if you have any thoughts, to take it further.
Nizar Baidoun
Certified Trainer & Consultant
nizar_baidoun@hotmail.com
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