How To Make Training More Effective

How to Make Training More EffectivenThe credit squeeze - aka “your budget has been cut” for many Learning and Development Directors and Managers. In uncertain times companies quite rightly look at all their costs and an early victim can often be the investment made in people. And this is one of the first challenges for the learning and development professionals - ensuring that training is seen in the company as an investment rather than a cost. Like all investments the returns are not necessarily immediate. However, unlike the warnings that are given to you by your financial advisor that the value of your investment could go up or down, if you get the support structure right around training as well as being very sure how you will measure your return on investment, then your investment will provide your company with an on-going and significant return year after year. If you could guarantee your returns on an investment, more than likely you would not hesitate, even in economic hard times. So what are some of the strategies and processes that you can adopt to secure your return on investment in training?nThe first is to get a key sponsor at the most senior level of the company and preferably at Board level. Do you have one currently? If not who is the key player that you need to engage? Who will champion learning and development as an investment? If you are already on the Board, have you identified an effective way of measuring ROI that has the support of your colleagues? nBeing sure of why you are making the investment is also critical. How does the training support the business strategy and help to deliver the critical few key performance indicators? How will it move you towards the culture that will underpin your business success? What are the “musts” from the investment? For example at Values Based Leadership, we work with a number of companies who have identified that they need to develop their high potential talent pool. For them, leadership is a critical element of their growth and cultural change strategy. Part of the success criteria with one of these clients is the percentage of the high potentials that have been promoted or given more responsibility within 12 months of completing the programme. Currently that figure is 75%.nIdentifying what you want to measure in cultural, behavioural and financial terms is important. When you have done this, keep it simple! The four criteria identified in the Kirkpatrick model measure the ROI on training and development programmes as effectively as any model:nReaction – what the reaction is to the training and what the participants think and feel after completing the training? What impact is immediately obvious to others back in the workplace?nLearning – what have they learned as a result of taking part in the training and how will they use that learning to be more effective in their role? nBehavioural Change – what behaviours have they changed as a result of their learning and what feedback have they had on that behavioural change from their colleagues? This can be measured by using a 360 feedback tool that offers comparative data both before and after a training programme.nResults – what results are they getting both financial and people based that can be directly attributed to the training programme? nnThere is no need to accept that certain training like leadership is too intangible to find a financial ROI. Often we find it is only because those attending the training have not been asked the question. We ask it using our on-line tool for measuring ROI, PerformancePulse©. In one recent example one of the 25 participants on a high potential leadership programme had identified savings to the company of £200,000, a significant ROI on the cost of the programme.nThe final factor that I will identify significantly increases the chance of getting a good return on your investment. This is having a structure in place the supports the attendees both before and after the training programme. Specialising in leadership development programmes, we work hard with our customers to ensure that all participants have an excellent pre-brief prior to and a post de-briefing after the programme, with their line manager. By establishing personal and company objectives for the programme up front and by sharing their learning and goals following the programme, the line manager can support the attendees’ on-going development with coaching and mentoring.nA key questions to ask here therefore is how well do your line managers coach and mentor? Do they have the skills to enable great performance improvement and on-going development so that the training programme is the start of the journey and not, as in cases where internal support is poor, the end? Developing a leadership culture based on coaching is critical. If leaders don’t value it as an activity, they won’t do it. nLearning and development professionals may well have a hard time of it for the next 12 months and they will have a better chance of retaining or even increasing budget if they have structures and processes in place which clearly demonstrate ROI. But here’s the thing, and this really is an intangible benefit. If you continue to invest in your people, even in difficult economic times, you are sending out a very powerful message that people really are your most important asset. Actions speak louder than words!nnwww.valuesbasedleadership.co.ukn