Stop Training!

Okay—so you probably never thought you’d here ME say that.  But sometimes it isn’t training that your employees need.

A recent article in Talent Management magazine (Stop Wasting Money on Training--September 2008), explains the rationale to this comment.  Author Harold D. Stolovitch, Ph.D., states that if companies have trained employees and the problem still exists, many times company representatives believe yet another, more intense training, is in order—and will bring success: higher production, better performance, more consistent quality of work, etc. 

“If the cause of the gap is not lack of skills and knowledge, don’t train,” states Stolovitch.

Stolovitch does admit, however, that training is logical in many situations:

• Implementing a new system
• Poor quality customer service
• Lack of product or process knowledge
• The cost of rework is too high!

And there is available industry data through the American Society for Training and Development (ASTD), which shows leading companies that invest in employee training witness profit gains.  So training is good, right? 

But—if there is a gap, will more training
close the gap?
Or is the problem something else?

Many performance professionals have shown performance gaps may not be because of skill shortage.   Stolovitch says that feedback, obstacles, resources, employee selection, and environmental factors related to expectations, are more often the cause of the performance gaps.

The article continues with insight from Transfer of Training, by Mary L. Broad and John W. Newstrom: “most of the knowledge and skills gained in training (well over 80% by some estimates) is not fully applied by employees...”  And further, “less than 30 percent of what people learn (in training) actually gets used..,” from Dana Gaines Robinson and James C. Robinson in the book Performance Consulting.

Why?

• The wrong employees are sent to training
• Trainees aren’t ready for training
• Some don’t have the capacity for the information provided
• Information cannot be applied immediately
• Employees have other priorities

If not training—THEN what?

Business Institute provides an initial assessment to determine the source of your problem and whether your company or organization needs training or another technical service, such as consultation, facilitation, coaching or mediation, to “close the gap”:

Partner with the Business Institute to find how we can help you improve the performance and production levels at your business. Call 1-815-232-1362—today!

Kathleen Weber
Training Coordinator

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Contact us to share your thoughts at businessinstitute@highland.edu or 815-232-1362.