Human Resource Managers - There Is No Training Silver Bullet

I guess the reason why we all spent so much time looking at training design and searching for the magic bullet was that we believe that it existed. I think we believed that there were magic answers and secret solutions to make training more effective.

There are still organizations providing events that masquerade as the silver bullet in training. Alas, they are better at selling the events then they are at providing high-quality training. Unfortunately, training fads come and go, just as they've always done in the past and will continue to do so in the future.

When you look around your organization and consider the training that was delivered last year, also consider whether or not there was any behavioral change as the result of the training. Maybe the objective was not to persuade people to do things differently. Maybe the objective was to give them information. It is worthwhile scrutinizing the training which occurred last year and carrying out a cost benefit analysis to see whether or not it was good value.

Good value is not necessarily what the participants put on their "Happy Sheets" immediately after the training. What is of more concern is how the participants fulfill their responsibilities in the months following the learning experience.

I cannot envisage an effective "one size fits all" type of training that will meet the needs of current and future organizations. One of the greatest obstacles to effective training is the range of ability human beings possess to translate knowledge into workplace behavior. The next greatest obstacle is the motivation and the courage to try new approaches to existing challenges in the workplace after the training.

Before training is organized I suggest that three questions be asked.

What do you want to happen as a direct result of this training? A failure to answer this question means that you are about to buy a very expensive ticket in the training lottery with odds of 5 trillion to one. A lack of an objective indicates a lack of an identified training need. If you can't answer this question then you haven't got a hope of answering the next two questions.

How will you get the results you want? To answer this question you have to understand the conditions under which learning takes place. You'll also need to carefully consider the characteristics of the trainees within the context of your training objectives. The existing knowledge and/or skill levels are important. The greater the diversity of skill levels, the harder it is to maintain motivation during the learning process.

How will you know if the training has been successful? It is best to have some idea of how you are going to measure the changes that result from the training prior to selecting your training provider. Changes in behavior can be measured and quantified but you also need to consider how long the changes are likely to last. Will there be a need for regular refresher training?

Peter Mitchell is a business consultant who has helped many businesses to lift their labor productivity in the workplace at little or low cost. His practical guide The Key To Productivity should be on every manager's desk and used to install your productivity improvement program. To find out more go to www.thekeytoproductivity.com.