External or Internal Trainers?
When looking at different training initiatives for your organization, it can be very tempting to go with an exclusively internal solution … especially if the focus is on the bottom line cost and not the learning-return-on-investment (LROI). While cost should play a role in ultimately determining which way you will go, too frequently it disproportionately outweighs all others.
When looking at different training initiatives for your organization, it can be very tempting to go with an exclusively external solution … especially if the focus is on the bottom line cost and not the LROI. While cost should play a role in ultimately determining which way you will go, too frequently it disproportionately outweighs all others.
Do I hear an echo in here?
Clearly the same argument can be made for either internal or external resources, especially if the focus is exclusively on the bottom line (and in your experience, you may well have heard it used both ways). So what other factors should be considered in the LROI equation? There are two that I think should sit at or near the top of the list
1. Cultural connection
It is important that the organization’s culture be understood and respected. Depending on the purpose of the training, the cultural connection could possibly be best addressed using internal resources … or it may best be left to external resources (e.g. implementing a program that will result in a cultural shift). There’s no short answer here, just a need to be aware of this key consideration.
2. Expertise
Here is where taking advantage of subject matter experts (SMEs) comes into play. If you are in an environment that is unique, with little external subject matter expertise available, then clearly your internal SMEs will be playing a significant role. Or perhaps there is a requirement to engage with external sources because your needs/gap analysis has revealed that the required knowledge or skill sets don’t exist internally.
So what is the bottom line here? Focusing exclusively on your bottom line cost when designing and/or delivering training programs could end up costing you more in the long run. At the very least, the three key factors mentioned above, (bottom line, cultural connection, expertise), should be considered when attempting to maximize your LROI.
What other factors do you feel should be considered in creating a positive LROI equation?
Designing Training Programs; Internal and External Resources
Picture: The Company (continued)
In this post, let’s discuss design and the leveraging of internal and external resources.
Design – where does the organization turn when designing training programs?
There are three separate responses to this, or as is more probably the truth in many organizations, a combination of two or possibly all three. Many organizations rely on internal resources exclusively to design training initiatives. If the organization is large and profitable enough, they may actually have the resources required to hire or develop certified learning and development professionals. While it’s tempting to suggest that this is the ideal scenario, it may not necessarily be so. Having the required internal resource may be a point of pride for an organization, but if the return-on-investment required is not being met, there are other alternatives. One of those alternatives is using external resources to design and deliver proprietary programs; the other alternative is the use off-the-shelf programs that can be easily customized to fit the organization’s needs and culture.
Leveraging Internal Resources
For many organizations, subject matter experts (SMEs) are the most common turn-to-when-required internal resource when it comes to developing training programs. The logic behind this is self evident. The challenge with this is not with the depth of knowledge that the SME brings to the table, but rather with the assumption that just because someone has the requisite knowledge, they must therefore be a good instructional designer and facilitator. How often have you sat through a one way, long, difficult to follow, information intensive slide presentation from a SME with the expectation that you will internalized all of the required knowledge and then be capable of using it in the workplace? Unfortunately this scenario is all too common. SMEs are important, but teaming them up with an individual that understands fundamental instructional design and delivery is just as important if you are to capture the value that you are looking for (remember ROI?). One way to leverage a SME’s knowledge could be through the application of a train-the-trainer program (TtT). The SME provides the knowledge, and then those within the organization who have an aptitude for presenting content effectively can be taken through a TtT program. All of this though rests with the final key component. Do the training initiatives being undertaken have the support of the organization? This means more than just lip service, it means the financial and resource support necessary to ensure that the design and delivery of the program won’t be hindered by lack of resources and ultimately lead to questions being asked that result in the answer, “we didn’t have the support we needed to benefit from this.”
External Resources
As mentioned, sometimes using external resources could actually lead to a significantly greater ROI than relying exclusively on internal resources. This can mean everything from sourcing external consultants to do all of the design work for you, to reaching for easily customized, off-the-shelf solutions. An off-the-shelf solution, or program in a box, is often as good as or better than internally designed initiatives. This is of course contingent on the context (i.e. technical in nature, proprietary to the organization, focused on fundamental leadership or office efficiencies).
When looking at the “P”icture of the company, it’s important to know how ingrained in the culture these issues are. The next post will discuss expectations, leadership orientation, and what it means to be a learning organization. After that, “P”icture will move onto The Learner.
