PARTNER for Training Success: Look at the Big PICTURE
The first undertaking in the PARTNER* model is to take a look at the big PICTURE … the context; the overarching objectives; the who’s who in the company, trainer, learner triumvirate. Take a step back and critically look at:
History – Where has the organization come from? Understanding where it has been, how it has grown, and the challenges that it has faced and overcome will help you to develop an appreciation for the culture that exists today.
Mission; Vision; Values. – Are the mission, vision, and values congruent with where the organization has been, where it is, and where it wants to go? As a developer of training, being clear about the organization’s raison d’être will be a key component of any program. Integrating the organization’s mission, vision, and values into your training initiatives, whether internal or external, is important.
Culture – How would you characterize the organization’s culture? Having and demonstrating a learning culture means that organizational leaders walk the talk, clearly value their people, and demonstrate this through investing in them. If appropriate, and positive, the company’s cultural milieu should be integral to every training initiative developed internally (and should be customized into any external or off-the-shelf initiatives brought inside).
Leadership – Do you see a culture where the leaders not only talk high principles but also live them? Do you see people who make noises about their teams needing certain skill sets and leadership philosophies not drinking from the same cup? In short, do you see an organization that walks the talk? As much as those of us in the learning world want to say that it’s all about the learner, we can never forget that the learner will seldom get what they need without the support of the organization’s leaders.
Org-chart – Reviewing the org-chart will help you to identify the structure and resources available, and if necessary, to note any constraints that you may be working with. Determine where learning and development as an organizational activity fits. Is it a stand alone department that has a seat at the organizational leadership team table or is it a sub-group that reports to HR or IT? Clearly the answer to this question will necessarily color learning and development goals and objectives.
Stakeholders – Who are the stakeholders? Is the organization a not-for-profit, a sole proprietorship, a limited partnership, or a publically traded company? Is there an employee ownership component? Is there a union? What role do all of the different stakeholders play? What influence do they have on the day to day operations of the organization? Does the C-level team within the organization consider the shareholders a key component of the structure and consider the delivering of profit to shareholders as trumping all else? Yes, lots of questions. Knowing the answers will help you ensure that the needs of the learners and the stakeholders are addressed.
Metrics – If the organization operates in an environment that has very focused metrics and runs a by-the-numbers shop, be sure to investigate just what that means. Are costs and margins razor thin as a result of the industry that the organization is involved in? Does this result in tight controls and little flexibility? Or are the key metrics viewed in a more holistic manner, meaning that they are an important part of the whole, but not the only factor considered when training initiatives are advanced?
Budget – How much will be available in money and other resources? Through the process of investigating some of the issues mentioned above, it will become apparent as to what type of monetary and resource constraints you will be working with. Up front you should know if you will be operating on a shoestring budget, a negotiable as required budget, or the best of all possible worlds, an unlimited budget. Knowing these broad parameters at the beginning of any program development is important, because going in on a wing and a prayer will likely lead to failure and frustration. The sooner you can hone in on a number, the better you will be able to sell those to whom you report on the program itself. There should be little room for ambiguity here.
Are there other areas or issues that should be examined as part of the big PICTURE? Let me know.
* The PARTNER model (Picture, Analysis, Ready, Train, Nurture, Evaluate, and Revisit) looks at each step in the development, design, delivery, and follow-up process and breaks it down into a simple to follow template.
This is post 2 of the PARTNER Model … view the others by following these links:
- PARTNER for Training Success
- Look at the big PICTURE
- ANALYSIS of Needs, Wants, and Identifying Gaps
- READY objectives, design, and delivery approach
- TRAIN delivery, context, and learner needs
Understand your organization’s leadership orientation
Trust. Responsibility. Respect. Focus. All terms that should be used when describing the leadership orientation of an organization; or at least in describing an organization that wants to survive and thrive. The science of leadership (or is it a practiced art?) within organizations today has been studied, documented, and discussed by both those in the know and those who don’t know but think they do.
My intent is not to run through a list of what I consider the do’s and don’ts of effective leadership, but rather to suggest that if you are going to be involved in designing and/or delivering training and development initiatives for your organization, you need to take the time to understand what kind of leadership orientation or practice exists within the organization.
How much latitude is there at different levels within the organization when it comes to taking responsibility for making decisions? Is leadership centralized or devolved? Does the organization have a self-leadership model that is encouraged and capitalized on? Do those who are required to take on the role of follower understand what it means to be an effective follower?
Some of these questions are easier to answer than others. Regardless, it’s important to take the time necessary to answer them. If you are preparing any type of training program that touches on understanding the culture of the organization or in developing leadership skills to help the organization succeed, it needs to be consistent with, and reinforce how the organization sees and presents itself to the world. If these questions cannot be answered because there clearly is a lack of trust, responsibility, respect, and focus when it comes to organizational leadership, then you may want to suggest that the place to start is with the C-level leadership team itself.
Know Your Audience
Public speakers, sales people, and marketers live by the mantra of “know your audience.” And so taking a page from their book, when it comes to designing and/or delivering training, know your audience. I’m not talking about making assumptions based on stereotypes, (an approach fraught with pitfalls at best and dangerous at worst). I’m suggesting that it is important to put some effort in to know and understand your audience … the learner. Success in training hinges on helping the learner to make the necessary connections and in experiencing those “A-ha” moments.
What is it helpful to know about, and why?
Background
Who are they (as individuals and as a group)? Where have they come from? What is their working history? This is where knowing a history and understanding the culture of the organization is also extremely helpful.
Competencies
What does their competency map look like? (more on competency maps in another post) This should include competencies directly related to the work environment … and those that are not; the lived experiences that learners bring to the organization shouldn’t be overlooked.
Education
What is the educational background of each individual and the group as a whole? When building and/or delivering programs, it is important to work with learners … not around, below, or beyond them.
And how do find out about backgrounds, competencies, and education?
Ask
Enough said.
Survey
If the organization is large, learners are dispersed, or time is a limiting factor, consider using a survey tool to collect some of this information for you. Online tools like SurveyMonkey will allow you design, distribute, collect, and analyze data for no charge (there are limitations of course, but have a look).
Assessments
In some cases, pre-course assessments are important to ensure that the learner is being matched up with the correct course level, or if you are designing a program, that you are designing it to the right level. Web based survey tools can also be used for this, as can paper based instruments.
If you are aware of any other online tools that can be used for surveys and assessments, please feel free to share.
Where does Learning & Development fit?
Picture: The Company (continued)
Of course there are more questions that require answering and areas to investigate to gain a complete picture of the company. Not discussed in the previous post is determining where learning and development as an organizational activity fits. Is it a stand alone department that has a seat at the organizational leadership team table or is it a sub-group that reports to HR or I/T? Clearly the answer to this question will necessarily colour L&D goals and objectives.
Stepping back for a moment to the concept of culture, what role do the shareholders of the organization play? Determine if the C-level team within the organization consider the shareholders a key component of the structure and consider the delivering of profit to shareholders as trumping everything else, or if the shareholders are seen as one component of many when decisions are made.
What do you know about the company metrics? If the organization operates in an environment that has very focused metrics and runs a by-the-numbers shop, be sure to investigate just what that means. Are costs and margins razor thin as a result of the industry that the organization is involved in, resulting in tight controls and little flexibility, or are the key metrics viewed in a more holistic manner, meaning that they are an important part of the whole, but not the only factor considered when training initiatives are advanced. And this brings us to the “B” word: budgets.
An important question that needs answering before any program development can take place is the budget question. How much will be available (in dollars and other resources)? Through the process of investigating some of the issues mentioned previously, it will become apparent as to what type of monetary and resource constraints (or not) you will be working with. Up front you should know if you will be operating on a shoestring budget, a negotiable as required budget, or the best of all possible worlds, an unlimited budget. Knowing these broad parameters at the beginning of any program development is important, because going in on a wing and a prayer will ultimately lead to the failure and frustration that it is critical to avoid (see the post on trust). The sooner you can hone in on a number, the better you will be able to sell those to whom you report on the program itself. There is no room for ambiguity here. As much as those of us in the learning world want to say that it’s all about the learner, we can never forget that the learner will never get what they need without the support of the organizational leaders.
Picture: The Company (continued)
Of course there are more questions that require answering and areas to investigate to gain a complete picture of the company. Not discussed in the previous post is determining where learning and development as an organizational activity fits. Is it a stand alone department that has a seat at the organizational leadership team table or is it a sub-group that reports to HR or I/T? Clearly the answer to this question will necessarily colour L&D goals and objectives.
Stepping back for a moment to the concept of culture, what role do the shareholders of the organization play? Determine if the C-level team within the organization consider the shareholders a key component of the structure and consider the delivering of profit to shareholders as trumping everything else, or if the shareholders are seen as one component of many when decisions are made.
What do you know about the company metrics? If the organization operates in an environment that has very focused metrics and runs a by-the-numbers shop, be sure to investigate just what that means. Are costs and margins razor thin as a result of the industry that the organization is involved in, resulting in tight controls and little flexibility, or are the key metrics viewed in a more holistic manner, meaning that they are an important part of the whole, but not the only factor considered when training initiatives are advanced. And this brings us to the “B” word: budgets.
An important question that needs answering before any program development can take place is the budget question. How much will be available (in dollars and other resources)? Through the process of investigating some of the issues mentioned previously, it will become apparent as to what type of monetary and resource constraints (or not) you will be working with. Up front you should know if you will be operating on a shoestring budget, a negotiable as required budget, or the best of all possible worlds, an unlimited budget. Knowing these broad parameters at the beginning of any program development is important, because going in on a wing and a prayer will ultimately lead to the failure and frustration that it is critical to avoid (see the post on trust). The sooner you can hone in on a number, the better you will be able to sell those to whom you report on the program itself. There is no room for ambiguity here. As much as those of us in the learning world want to say that it’s all about the learner, we can never forget that the learner will never get what they need without the support of the organizational leaders.
Picture: The Company
“P”icture: Look at the big picture; the context; the overarching objectives; the who’s who in the company, trainer, learner triumvirate
When you look at your organization, what do you see? Do you see a culture where the leaders not only talk high principles but also live them? Do you see people who make noises about their teams needing certain skill sets and leadership philosophies not drinking from the same cup? In short, do you see an organization that walks the talk? Having and demonstrating a learning culture means that organizational leaders walk the talk, clearly value their people, and demonstrate this through investing in them, and consequently in the future success of the organization.
Knowing the history of the organization is important also. Where the organization has come from and understanding the challenges that it has faced and overcome will help you to develop an appreciation for the culture that exists today. Are the company’s mission, vision, and values congruent with where the organization has been, where it is, and where it wants to go? As a developer of training, being clear about the organization’s raison d’être will be a key component of any program. The company’s cultural milieu should be integral to every training initiative developed internally (and should be customized into any external or off-the-shelf initiatives brought inside).
If these key pieces (mission, vision, values) are not readily apparent, or even if they are, being clear about who’s who in the organization is also necessary. Reviewing the org-chart will help any developer to identify the structure and resources available, and if necessary, to develop a picture of any constraints that you may be working with.
Training’s PARTNERship model
Douglas Conant, President and CEO of the Campbell Soup Company, said, “you can’t win in the marketplace unless you are first winning in the workplace,” (2007). And that means doing the right things, right. And when it comes to training programs, doing things right means using a model to ensure that what needs to get done, gets done.
So what will a model do for you? First, and most important, it will set you up for success. By providing you with a checklist that you follow, a model helps to ensure that all the time and effort put into building your training program results in a positive return on investment. Now be aware that a positive return on investment can be measured many different ways, but knowing how you are going to measure your results before you begin developing you program will help to ensure that as you build, you always know what your objectives are, both for learners and for the organization. There’s nothing more unfortunate that having to justify training programs after they have been delivered by searching to find any redeeming outcomes.
This is of course where I want to introduce the PARTNER model; a plan to be used when developing training programs that deliver results because the results to be delivered are known before the program begins. PARTNER is an acronym that breaks down as follows:
“P”icture
Look at the big picture; the context; the overarching objectives; the who’s who in the company, trainer, learner triumvirate
“A”nalysis
Just what are the needs and wants of the different stakeholders? Identify the gaps and prepare to address them
“R”eady
Define your objectives and write them down; design your program(s); prepare for an effective delivery through facilitator preparation (e.g. train-the-trainer initiatives)
“T”rain
Deliver the training; know the context and required delivery method (classroom, e-learning, experiential, on-the-job, mentorship, coaching, etc.); always consider the needs of the learner
“N”urture
Coach the application of learning; have a before, during, and after training learner plan; use different tools as applicable and appropriate (e.g. learner contracts)
“E”valuate
Know you objectives before you begin; understand what ROI is and why it is the cornerstone of your entire training program; use a proven evaluation model and work it to fit your needs (e.g. Kirkpatrick, Phillips)
“R”evisit
It’s not over until it’s over; measuring success means using all of the feedback generated from all the stakeholders to further refine and modify your program as required; engrain the concept of learning as vital to the work culture
Future posts will look at each component of the PARTNERship model in more detail.
