Don’t Train for the Sake of Training
Have ever heard the statement, “if you don’t know where you are going, any road will get you there?” You could also say it this way, “if you don’t know where you are, and you don’t know where you are going, pick a road.”
When it comes to learning and development in the workplace, the same principles apply. Have you considered what outcomes you are looking for? Do you know the current capabilities of those who will be participating as learners? So as easy as it might be to consider that offer from the nice learning company account representative that paid you a visit earlier today, hyping the special rates available on their super-duper-training-course, be sure that you are first clear about where you want your organization to be going.
In other words, know where it is that you want to go (let’s say Montreal), know where you are (let’s say Toronto), and then determine the most effective way to get there. Could it be flying? Perhaps driving? What about the train or bus? There are many factors that will consider into this decision, including time, money, and possibly personal considerations like a fear of flying. Some factors are qualitative, some quantitative; some may be based on anecdotal feedback from others that have taken the trip previously.
A little effort will put you in control of determining what training initiatives are truly necessary (if at all) for your organization. That means identifying the goals and objectives of the organization, determining where your employees skill sets currently fit, and their ability to accomplish the goals set out using those skill sets. From these determinations, and if necessary, you can develop an organizational training plan.
The bottom line is don’t train for the sake of training. If that is your intention, then by all means take advantage of the latest super-duper-training-course that the nice learning company account representative presented to you … after all, any road/training will get you to your destination … won’t it?
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Jeff, you can’t overstate this point. This is where all effective workforce learning begins. Know where you are going before deciding how to get there. In the “5As Framework”, this is a key aspect of what we call “alignment”. That is, training is aligned with intended business goals. If the employee learns the content, then that employee will be able to help the organization achieve its goals. Sometimes, however, I find that I have to work backwards. I look at what the organization values in terms of training and then I try to determine what are its goals. Of course, then it is very important to validate this observation with key people in the company. Some companies are not clear about their strategic goals. They don’t know if they want to go to Montreal or Toronto. In that case, the upfront work involves helping them figure out where they want to go before working on the design of training or any other kind of learning intervention.
Thanks Stephen. I agree with your last line in particular … “the upfront work involves helping them figure out where they want to go before working on the design of training or any other kind of learning intervention.” The last thing that you want to have happen in any organization is wasting money (and trust) on training that is either misdirected or possibly not even necessary.