Often, it is said, that the objective of training is the development of skills or knowledge. At Pratik Management we hold a different view. According to us, the true and meaningful objective of Training is "changed behaviour".
What is the use of my knowing something new, be it a new fact or new methodology / new process of doing things or a new behaviour that one should adopt or a new way of looking at some existing facts/situations and then continue to behave in exactly the same way, as I used to, prior to the training ?
What is the use of my remaining the way I was, despite the inputs I received in the training ? I might as well have not attended the training. It clearly means that the training has not made any difference, even though I may have accumulated a lot of new and "useful" knowledge.
If the above formulation is accepted as valid, then it suggests that trainers should focus less on the volume of data, articles and course material they throw at their participants and more on whether they can strike a chord with the "thought -process" of their participants to induce "change in behaviour".
What is the use of my knowing something new, be it a new fact or new methodology / new process of doing things or a new behaviour that one should adopt or a new way of looking at some existing facts/situations and then continue to behave in exactly the same way, as I used to, prior to the training ?
What is the use of my remaining the way I was, despite the inputs I received in the training ? I might as well have not attended the training. It clearly means that the training has not made any difference, even though I may have accumulated a lot of new and "useful" knowledge.
If the above formulation is accepted as valid, then it suggests that trainers should focus less on the volume of data, articles and course material they throw at their participants and more on whether they can strike a chord with the "thought -process" of their participants to induce "change in behaviour".
This calls for giving more time for training, not less, so that every participant can be individually spoken to, each doubt raised is freely discussed and debated before being decided upon and thus the desired change is induced by persuasion, not diktat.
It also means not having too many "different" topics crammed into one training session -- the faculty cannot do justice to it and the participants find it impossible to absorb so many new ideas and concepts. So while the HR department can safely tick its box on "this topic also covered" learning hardly happens, forget any changed behaviour.
Further, this acceptance of the "objective of training" automatically suggests how “training effectiveness” should be measured – viz., by measuring or observing the change in behaviour of the participants, in the desired direction, after some reasonable interval has elapsed after the conclusion of the training programme.
I would like to add that while I have used the phrase “changed behaviour”, the context in which I am saying this also envelops “changed attitude” e.g. be it attitude towards safety practices, attitude towards punctuality and timeliness, attitude towards customer, attitude towards irate customers, attitude towards irritating customers, attitude towards irresponsible customers, attitude towards irascible customers and suchlike. (Also read, by substituting customers with vendors, colleagues, bosses and subordinates !)
The above pre-supposes, which unfortunately often does not happen, that after a participant returns from training there is a structured "enquiry into" and "follow-up of" their learning by the concerned person(s) in their organisation. What does this follow-up mean ? It means that on return, someone (maybe his boss or the HR Head) invites him for a discussion and asks him the following questions :
i) How was your training ?
ii) Was there anything new you learnt ?iii) How do you see the learning helping you, personally ?
iv) Can some of your learning be applied in your department or elsewhere in the organisation ?
v) Is there any help you want from us to anchor the desired change in your self ? (e.g. free time, access to some books or library etc.)
vi) Is there some help you want from us to implement "some of your learning" in the organisation (e.g. a circular to be issued or some age-old practice to be modified or dropped altogether or some form (or its format) changed, etc.
vii) Do you need to go to any follow-up programme
viii) How would you like your "personal attempt at change" or your effort at changing the existing practices in the organisation to be supported and evaluated ?
The result is that the participant has hardly any time to reflect on his/her learning, forget her trying to actually implement it. Even more tragic is that he/she gets a clear message that what she has learnt or un-learnt at the training programme is of no or little interest to his boss or the organisation and he/she should not spend too much time on the same.
Hence, may I suggest the following steps while deciding on training inputs :
a) What is the knowledge / skill that we wish to enhance ? This is particularly true where "technical" skills have to be imparted/reinforced in any function - manufacturing or otherwise.
b) At the same time, be particular to also clearly spell out what are the necessary attitudinal and behavioural skills that are a must for the "technical skills" to yield full benefits. For example, I learn about how to "operate a fire extinguisher" but since I do not really care for safety, I store a lot of goods and material in front of the fire extinguisher so that in times of need it is not easily accessible, sometimes not even visible ! Hence, I need to fundamentally change my "attitude to safety" before I can put my knowledge of safety to good use.
c) In situations where "technical skill is not the issue" and you are specifically and only targeting "behavioural change" e.g. timeliness, deadline respect, customer friendliness, waste awareness and reduction etc. design your training curricula and delivery so that it encourages adoption of the above traits and highlights its concomitant benefits.
Further, since you desire to see the above changes happening, it now becomes easy to design or conceive "measures" to assess whether the above behavioural changes are happening and, in that sense, truly gauge the "effectiveness" of that training intervention.
All in all, this calls for tremendous effort in design, delivery, measurement, support and adoption of "learning at the training" and then, "re-design" for improvement in every next programme.
15 comments:
Hi Hemen,
It is always wonderful to go through your articles. Come to think of it, they are not only useful, but they have been changing my behavior ... and hence 'effective'.
Your style has been great! Simple and it directly enters your brain and stays for action.
Keep going. Will love reading more from you.
BC
Dear Hemen Ji, can't agree more with whatever you have said here and elsewhere too. But I think these points need a different kind of packaging to make them attractive to contemporary executives. I may be wrong but logic alone doesn't seem to work here. We need to re-think and even re-launch them. I have no pat answer to the issues on hand and I am open to experimentation till a new plateau is reached. Will be more than happy to be of help in any manner you deem fit to take this forward. Thanks again, best wishes
Dear Hemant ,
Interested to go through your article,but now a days going to training,95% candidates take it as picnic or out source for tourism, but if it is linked to salary ,career graph/path, then it will useful for them to understand and ethic values of training and its application.
Regards
Ajay Peri
Please read any or all of my articles on current management issues with particular reference to our nation absolutely free, (do not panic they are from Islamic point of view) by just typing my pen name "muhammad sirajuddin" in the top right blank at and pressing 'enter'
A agree with hemen varma ji is contention on our attitude to training programs especially as i have seen in G.O.I. undertakings. Contnuous and effective monitoring of trainees before and after each and every training program in a poor nation like ours co.s is a must. in view of valueable resource inputs going into all of them. i am dumb fold at his experience in the field and i invite all concerned to include me in their positive efforts. It is my previlige to join aby sort of discussions or conclaves either on line or face to face basis. I appreciate the new govt. wants all the good from all and for all of us -thanks
Dear Hemen Ji,
A wonderful insight into training aspects but I suspect that your connotations are more suitable for corporate managers rather than a generalized view on all type of training. For example specific training for advanced equipment, training for skill development of students, training for language proficiency etc.
Many employers discredit trainers like us by asking what is the use of talking to a crowd. Just because a crowd gathers it does not mean anything relevant is happening in their lives.Such employers are trying to shoot the messanger and also the message. First there is training, many employees do not even ewant to attend that in India. When they do and form a crowd, it is then and only then that they will hear and see the training Content.
Whether the crowd will change its behavior is as relevant to training as JUST GIVING IT. Or else what is the use of millions of manhours being spent all over the world training people. Let us stop all this and just say,"if a crowd gathers,it does not mean anything relevant is happening."
Each individual will be motivated to change as per his or her call and that comes from Inside. From his soul and is the culmination of his/her desire to succeed, ambition,drive,foresight,motivation but if we say even if the crowd comes............
Let us not abandon training or look down at it simply because we do not understand the import of training inspite of our qualifications. It is easy to look down at HR interventions, just glance across the oceans at USA at Eurpoe why that at Dubai and Singapore. They 1,000 years ahead of us in development and rational thought. There they do not if a crowd gathers,it does not mean that anything will happen. Something will happen. It always happens. Are you going to be part of the crowd? Are you ready to have that crowd? or are you just going to slip into a coma and get back 1,000 nds of years behind the world?
It is for the organization and H.R.D. department to motivate and train their personnel, in modern i.e. International Standards environment such as keep records of their training, feedback and further requirements in line with their level and area of specialization. Training department head should lead his team to function interactively with all other personnel in improving their skills through relevant and effective training e.g. those attending specialized training should commit themselves to training others on the subject their own and other department colleagues.No use crying on split milk. we can always take corrective and preventive actions to avoid unpleasant experiences of past.
Success of any organization depends on the basic working culture fabric of the company. By an large that builds the attitude of the employee.And attitude reflects in the behavior of the employee. So if any training is to be designed, company culture should be studied and addressed before managerial or front line employees.
Culture always percolates down from top to bottom.So training front line employees before training top line manager will not be useful to bring desired results.
Most of the time companies spend time and efforts in training front line employees
Lot can be said on this issue.
Good luck Mr.Varma
Foundations Of Adult Learning
A Trainer needs to understand Learning theory as guide for the design and implementation of effective instructional programs.
Learning Theory explains & predicts how individuals learn. It provides framework for answering the question of how to structure learning materials so that learner can grasp the concepts and/or skills being presented. ( there is no single theory that explains how or why different learners learn the same material in different ways.
Individual Adults learn differently, depending upon their experience, aptitude and attitude.
Adult Teaching and Learning Styles
Two conditions – the learning orientation of the student & the teaching style of the instructor – are successfully integrated, effective learning can occur.
Child hood learning focuses on a body of fundamental rules & content rules. When these basic bldg blocks of learning are mastered, the student is then ready for high order learning.: learning that requires making connections of analysis & evaluation.
When students have learned how to learn., they take more responsibility for self-directed learning.
Education & effective training should target the merging of teaching style & learner orientation.
Adult Learning
Andragogy and Pedagogy refer to study of teaching which variously mean Adult learning & Child learning (from Greek words). These Labels ,however refer to teaching strategies than to the chronological age of learner.
Pedagogy or child learning assumptions do not fit the Adult Learning process.
Andragogy focuses on learner – directed instructional approaches; pedagogy, on teacher directed learning experiences.
That these Two assumptions can & do co-exist.
The Task to be learned & the individual’s learning style, in combination, dictate whether one of these or combination of both approaches to be considered in the design and delivery of the training programme.
S K Pai
Hi Hemen
I guess you have aptly summed up the real meaning and objective of Training.. It basically have to meet competence requirements and must be updated from time to time with latest information on the subject, while the candidate is evaluated and re-trained as required
All the best wishes
Johnson George
Management Systems consultant and Life Insurance Advisor (LIC of India)
Dear Hemen , I appreciate your efforts and knowledge about learning process , however lets look at other dimension....all the trainings are not conducted as described , there are many Trainers and organizations who a lot more than follow up . in these organization learning and implementation is linked with appraisal and if need be a special mentor is assigned to deserving people ....sorry to differ from your dimension !!!
Hi Hemen
I am in agreement with your views but would like to add that in organizational training we also need to evaluate the working and value culture.The value culture originates from the top management and the "change behaviour"also needs to displayed from there.
Dear Mr Hemen,
For any concept or system there is always resistance & then slowly & slowly after understanding at micro level of the subject it got the acceptance. The person who was adverse in the beginning after understanding starts advocating for the same. This is the normal phenomena of human beings.
Therefore objective of the training shall be changed behavior or skill enhancement depends on the person earlier belongings to what level of acceptance & understanding. We shall see & select the person accordingly for changed behavior or development who is really looking for change & striving for the same. The person with no interest will make your effort & exercise unfruitful even you try hundred times.
I am always with you for positive change & safe behavior by one & all.
Thanks & regards
Rajiv Ranjan Sinha
DGM-Safety & Environment
Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd.
In fact the objectives decided for any training programme shall be necessarily measurable and observable so that the efficiency of training can be measured.
objective of any training always to optimize productivity i.e. either to augment output in quantity and quality for a given input or to minimise the input requirements for a given output
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