“Continual learning is essential for survival in the workplace-instruction in the form of training is not. For workers who are already able to do what is expected of them, but are not performing to expectations, training is not the answer.” Robert F Mager as quoted in the ASTD Handbook for Workplace Learning Professionals p. 173
How often we suppose that the lack of performance is related to training. It is this very assumption that continues to breed frustration in many organizations and certainly fails to result in improved performance despite the fact that is exactly what most parties involved want. Instead what happens looks something like this:
Manager– “My employees just don’t get it. They need to be trained on how to…..”
HR Pro– “I can set up the training, but if manager doesn’t support it back on the job, it will be a waste of time.”
Employee- “Training on this again. Don’t they know I already know this. I could teach this stuff.”
Trainer/Facilitator-“I don’t know why I am up here wasting my time. This people clearly don’t want to be here.”
So how do you prevent this in your organization? According to the quoted author above, a proper analysis is required to ensure the performance intervention will be successful. That is a simple enough step. So where is the breakdown in the above scenario?
Simple, responsibility. Who’s responsibility is it to conduct the analysis? The manager blames the trainer, the trainer blames the trainees and/the manager, HR blames the manager, and the employee blames everyone! Blame gets you in this scenario.
If this is common in your organization, you can change it. Take responsibility to start the analysis and involve the others in the process.
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Sheri Mazurek is a training and human resource professional with over 16 years of management experience, and is skilled in all areas of employee management and human resource functions, with a specialty in learning and development. She is available to help you with your Human Resources and Training needs on a contract basis. For more information send an email to smazurek0615@gmail.com or visit www.sherimazurek.com. Follow me on twitter @Sherimaz.