In my most recent post, Carrying Forth the Candor from Training, the intention was to highlight the specific feeling experienced in training and how one might continue that same mindset after training. What of the skill set? The actual lessons learned. How does one continue practicing what was learned?
This in a word is adoption. Adoption of select behaviors. Adoption of specific tips or tactics within the learning objectives. Adoption of new or amplified ways and means of conducting your job. Adopting what you learned in the activities, exercises, discussions and even in, dare I say, those things that shall not be mentioned…role-plays.
First, how do we know we need some type of ongoing adoption source?
In their March 2015 Quarterly, McKinsey & Company asked an awesome question about training and its impact on driving performance. The obvious realization is whether training employees works. Or, can the lessons learned during training be seen or felt (particularly long after the sessions have concluded)?
It is not surprising that one of the most important or key priorities in an organization’s growth and well-being strategy is building capabilities. As a learning specialist, I must always ask if what was experienced by the learners is impacting performance. Are the highlighted behaviors having any kind of impact? Are they “sticky”? And to what extent?
The tripping point in this measurement of impact is…measurement. What metrics are showing you the targeted learning is happening? How do you know you are “winning or losing”? What is the scorecard for the desired outcome? It could be a specific sales metric, operation efficiency percentage, customer experience indicator or an increased/decreased factor regarding team member employment (like employee retention or satisfaction).
The challenge is clarity. Clarity in linking the targeted learning objective (behavior) to a business metric (outcome or result). McKinsey cites a 2014 survey stating at least one-fifth of organizations do not even try to quantify their training outcome or return on investment. Which means the remaining portion works towards identifying measurement. They know either instinctively or not that if something gets measured, it gets managed. So how do we engage “it”?
Second, what makes up an ongoing adoption source?
Measurement aside, an intriguing question is and will always be, how is the learner engaging the lessons learned after the training? On Tuesday or Friday, the session was over. People leave motivated. Motivated to do it. They go back to their environments and start doing it. Assuming the learner has accomplished the biggest call to action in training; that is, having identified their “it”, how are they planning on directing, stimulating, challenging, practicing, reinforcing and evolving it?
For the Organization, I believe the biggest consideration is an acceptance there is not just one way or one perspective to engage an adoption strategy. It has layers of deployment and accountability. It is a blended approach. As stated in the McKinsey article, clarity of “what” delivered by the business unit and “how” delivered by HR. I believe further clarity must be given in the form of “why” by senior leadership. This drives all action and reaction. And all parties must agree on the “to what extent”.
For the learning specialist (a.k.a. trainer), the next steps in adoption involve circling back with the learners in whatever methodology supporting the adoption strategy. Again, blended approach. Think delivery with a combination of face-to-face (or instructor led) learning, online interaction as well as real-time prompting found in activities like conference calls, webinars and on-the-floor coaching. One element to embrace is supporting the learning (any learning) in bite-size chunks. Repetitive exposure to small portions of thoughts, action and behaviors. This “chunked learning” represents one of the most effective ways to impact both retention and adoption.
For the supervisor, following up with the lessons learned by the manager will vary. It depends. It takes doing whatever that keeps you from letting the manager relax into “yeah, it was a good training”. It may take getting your manager back into the curriculum, re-reading notes, collecting success stories, facilitating discussions, challenges and even, yes, more role-playing.
For the individual manager, what you learned must have a place on your “to do” list and in your day-to-day. It is a commitment to simply try it. Even if you don’t get it right and especially if you don’t get it right. That is part of the adoption process.
The bottom line is training cannot be an event. Learning must be a journey. A mindset. A dedication to growing oneself and others. One which must be fed, every day, as a body must be fed. With a never-ending menu of managerial and leadership delicacies. Bon Appetite.