Comments on: Why Do Client Always Want to Short Change Learning? http://www.selfdirectedlearning.org/why-do-client-always-want-to-short-change-learning/ Be Your Own Chief Learning Officer Wed, 19 Aug 2009 19:36:11 -0400 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8 hourly 1 By: Stephanie Addante http://www.selfdirectedlearning.org/why-do-client-always-want-to-short-change-learning//comment-page-1#comment-5 Stephanie Addante Wed, 19 Aug 2009 19:36:11 +0000 http://www.selfdirectedlearning.org/?p=91#comment-5 You are correct that many times training is compromised due to mandated time constraints from upper management. What vendors and training departments must understand and embrace is the need to provide a specific and measurable ROI with high levels of accountability. Good leaders don’t give budgeted dollars without understanding an expected return on investment. Too often in the past, training is rolled out with a "feel good" approach and no one wants to manage the accountability and results. It becomes an isolated event with no check and balances vs. a solid process towards personal growth. The majority of companies also underestimate leadership's ability to coach effectively - a skill required for successful training. If employees don’t clearly understand their roles and responsibilities for their own personal growth it’s difficult to hold them accountable. How can learning initiatives grow vs. getting short changed? Here are some successes I have had. 1. Training Departments should be under the HR umbrella with a strong dotted line to operations to assure all training initiatives are in alignment with the company's top-tiered objectives. In doing so, more support will be gained across all channels. 2. Compliance Reporting with role clarity and defined accountability should accompany all training from day one. Training Departments often love creating training, but more often than not, throw it over the fence and assume someone else will assure execution. Training Departments need to raise the level of communication and collaboration between departments to assure flawless execution of training. 3. Provide everyone in the organization with training progress and results on a consistent basis. Recognizing successes and opportunities early and often will raise training awareness and improve the probability of additional budgeted training dollars in the future. 4. Establish an environment of self directed learning! 5. Last, but not least, leadership within the organization needs to learn how to coach effectively before any budgeted dollars are spent on training and education for the field. When there is communication and collaboration among all areas of the organization, Training Departments are enabled to identify training needed to resolve root causes vs. just symptoms of a bigger problem. You are correct that many times training is compromised due to mandated time constraints from upper management. What vendors and training departments must understand and embrace is the need to provide a specific and measurable ROI with high levels of accountability. Good leaders don’t give budgeted dollars without understanding an expected return on investment. Too often in the past, training is rolled out with a “feel good” approach and no one wants to manage the accountability and results. It becomes an isolated event with no check and balances vs. a solid process towards personal growth. The majority of companies also underestimate leadership’s ability to coach effectively – a skill required for successful training. If employees don’t clearly understand their roles and responsibilities for their own personal growth it’s difficult to hold them accountable.

How can learning initiatives grow vs. getting short changed? Here are some successes I have had.

1. Training Departments should be under the HR umbrella with a strong dotted line to operations to assure all training initiatives are in alignment with the company’s top-tiered objectives. In doing so, more support will be gained across all channels.

2. Compliance Reporting with role clarity and defined accountability should accompany all training from day one. Training Departments often love creating training, but more often than not, throw it over the fence and assume someone else will assure execution. Training Departments need to raise the level of communication and collaboration between departments to assure flawless execution of training.

3. Provide everyone in the organization with training progress and results on a consistent basis. Recognizing successes and opportunities early and often will raise training awareness and improve the probability of additional budgeted training dollars in the future.

4. Establish an environment of self directed learning!

5. Last, but not least, leadership within the organization needs to learn how to coach effectively before any budgeted dollars are spent on training and education for the field.

When there is communication and collaboration among all areas of the organization, Training Departments are enabled to identify training needed to resolve root causes vs. just symptoms of a bigger problem.

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