From experience, most companies conduct training for all their employees, yet performance does not improve, as expected. Although training reflects company’s commitment to employees, we need to reconsider the following question: Is training the cure for all company’s challenges? Most companies believe that training has the magical cure to do that. Regretfully, I disagree with that!
Training can be used only for KAS (Knowledge, Ability, Skills) weaknesses. To identify such weaknesses, a well thought and planned Training Need Analysis (TNA) should take place, to find the root cause, for performance deficiencies. TNA should be done in a critical fashion, to identify what needs to be done, in order to close the gap between actual and desired performance. However, some TNA practices are plagued with the following weaknesses:
1. The needed training is not selected based on actual KAS deficiencies, rather on operational symptoms
2. Employees “menu pick” training courses, they like to attend to. This leads to having TWA – Training Wish Analysis, instead of having TNA
3. No proper analysis for the actual performance is done to benchmark against desired performance level and to define the required training
4. No differentiation between KAS and non KAS deficiencies
To identify the actual required training, TNA process should follow the following three steps (A. Rossett, 2004):
1. Investigative analysis. Performing gap analysis, between current and desired performance.
2. Root cause analysis. Determine if performance gap is resulting from KAS deficiencies or other organizational factors.
3. Intervention selection and design. Based on the above, we can decide if training is needed or not. Then we proceed to design the needed training, while keeping in mind the operational objectives.
Most TNAs fail in identifying the root cause element and end up delivering a “wish list” to what they like to attend to for both employees and managers. This is what I call reactive instead of proactive approach. To expand on this point, I will give a real life example, as follows:
A line manager requests from the training department a list of available selling skills courses, to run for his staff because they have failed reaching the assigned target.
Reactive approach
Immediately after receiving the request, the training department seeks the following information:
1. Number of people to be trained
2. Language of training delivery
3. Training focus
4. Training duration
After coordinating all the related details, the training is conducted. However the sales manager is still disappointed with the results and therefore blames the training for not being effective.
Proactive approach
Immediately after receiving the request, the training department asks for the following details, to analyze the situation:
1. Is this a new situation or an existing one?
2. Did concerned employees attend similar training previously?
3. Do the concerned employees receive performance feedback from their manager regularly?
4. Do the concerned employees know what is expected from them?
5. Are concerned employees trainable?
6. Is the flagged deficiency, a direct result of:
1. Can’t do weakness
2. Won’t do weakness
3. Don’t know to do weakness
After identifying the deficiency’s root cause, we categorize it as:
1. Functional reasons related to job factors
2. Organizational reasons related to work organizational environment
3. KAS related
4. External reasons, such as competition and legal factors
Based on the above, training is only applicable to KAS. As for the other 3 points, training will not help, and it will be a waste of resources, if used because it is beyond the scope of training. Other corrective measures should be applied.
I would love to know your thoughts about this.
Nizar Baidoun (PhD, MBA, BCom, Dip)
www.uturntc.com
Training can be used only for KAS (Knowledge, Ability, Skills) weaknesses. To identify such weaknesses, a well thought and planned Training Need Analysis (TNA) should take place, to find the root cause, for performance deficiencies. TNA should be done in a critical fashion, to identify what needs to be done, in order to close the gap between actual and desired performance. However, some TNA practices are plagued with the following weaknesses:
1. The needed training is not selected based on actual KAS deficiencies, rather on operational symptoms
2. Employees “menu pick” training courses, they like to attend to. This leads to having TWA – Training Wish Analysis, instead of having TNA
3. No proper analysis for the actual performance is done to benchmark against desired performance level and to define the required training
4. No differentiation between KAS and non KAS deficiencies
To identify the actual required training, TNA process should follow the following three steps (A. Rossett, 2004):
1. Investigative analysis. Performing gap analysis, between current and desired performance.
2. Root cause analysis. Determine if performance gap is resulting from KAS deficiencies or other organizational factors.
3. Intervention selection and design. Based on the above, we can decide if training is needed or not. Then we proceed to design the needed training, while keeping in mind the operational objectives.
Most TNAs fail in identifying the root cause element and end up delivering a “wish list” to what they like to attend to for both employees and managers. This is what I call reactive instead of proactive approach. To expand on this point, I will give a real life example, as follows:
A line manager requests from the training department a list of available selling skills courses, to run for his staff because they have failed reaching the assigned target.
Reactive approach
Immediately after receiving the request, the training department seeks the following information:
1. Number of people to be trained
2. Language of training delivery
3. Training focus
4. Training duration
After coordinating all the related details, the training is conducted. However the sales manager is still disappointed with the results and therefore blames the training for not being effective.
Proactive approach
Immediately after receiving the request, the training department asks for the following details, to analyze the situation:
1. Is this a new situation or an existing one?
2. Did concerned employees attend similar training previously?
3. Do the concerned employees receive performance feedback from their manager regularly?
4. Do the concerned employees know what is expected from them?
5. Are concerned employees trainable?
6. Is the flagged deficiency, a direct result of:
1. Can’t do weakness
2. Won’t do weakness
3. Don’t know to do weakness
After identifying the deficiency’s root cause, we categorize it as:
1. Functional reasons related to job factors
2. Organizational reasons related to work organizational environment
3. KAS related
4. External reasons, such as competition and legal factors
Based on the above, training is only applicable to KAS. As for the other 3 points, training will not help, and it will be a waste of resources, if used because it is beyond the scope of training. Other corrective measures should be applied.
I would love to know your thoughts about this.
Nizar Baidoun (PhD, MBA, BCom, Dip)
www.uturntc.com
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