When is Training the Right Investment?

Effective training takes right application, at the right time.
Often, training and development initiatives fall short of expectations. This is usually caused by the poor application of training resources. While it is proven that training delivers bottom-line results in the form of increased job satisfaction, reduced attrition, and greater performance these results are only achieved when it is clear that training was the best tool for improving performance.

Performance Gap Analysis
Improving performance requires a clear understanding of the gaps that occur, and why they are present. Determining the best course of action for raising performance starts with two simple questions:
1. Is the performance gap a lack of skill or knowledge? – Yes or No?
2. If life suddenly were dependent on performing well, would the gap still exist? – Yes or No?
If you answered…
• Yes to question 1: The employee would like to perform yet is unable to do so, which is a genuine skill gap.
• No to question 2: The employee knows how to perform and isn’t, indicating a skill gap is not the problem.
These two questions are a great place to start assessing which actions would best support improved performance.

If the employee is unable to do the job as desired, and before starting training…
• Consider a Job Aid: While training is a positive choice, it may be more than is necessary. If there is a skill gap caused by infrequent practice, training may need to take the form of a simple performance support tool or ‘job aid’ which can support improved performance when people are focused on the task at hand.
• Review Feedback Channels: When feedback is insufficient an employee cannot quickly and accurately gauge their performance, and adjust accordingly.
By considering these two simple options to address an actual skill gap, you ensure any training you do provide is based on core challenges by eliminating missing steps or consistent feedback as causes of lower performance.

Get Ready for Training
If you conclude an employee does have a specific skill gap then training becomes the right action at the right time. Before you begin consider how other changes may provide a long-term benefit by asking:
1. Can the job be simplified?
2. Can the skill requirements be changed?

Robert F. Mager and Peter Pipe write in their book Analyzing Performance Problems:
“There’s one universal alternative that may be simpler and less expensive than any solution so far proposed. It’s changing the job — changing the skill requirements to meet the skills available. An example of changing the job:
• If instead of requiring someone to remember a sequence of steps, you provide a checklist to which the person can refer any time he or she wants to know what to do next, you have changed the job. You have simplified it, and presumably it can now be handled by someone with fewer capabilities.
As an example, the captain of a jetliner, no matter how wise he or she may be, must have a checklist to ensure all steps are covered in the pre-flight inspection. There’s nothing unprofessional about using such an aid; in fact, the unprofessional person is the one who tries to get away without using the checklist.
The more complex the job, or the more critical it is that it be performed correctly, the stronger the argument for introducing a performance aid rather than expecting people to be “fully trained.”

Consider Using Competency Guides
Our goal at aptivate is to provide cost-effective training materials that are easily put to use by our clients. Even with that goal in mind, we know the best training is the right training, which is why we created Competency Guides in the aptivate. They’re a great way to identify specific training materials that connect with the behavior changes you want to create in your organization. We believe with a little planning, and a few simple questions, you’ll be able to choose the right training material for the challenge ahead.

Make Sure Training Adds Up to Performance
The importance of choosing the right training at the right time is about ensuring there is value gained by your efforts. We know training is an excellent way to empower teams and improve performance. We also know great training is aligned with realistic goals. If you are responsible for training and development in an organization, it is critical you take time up front to assess how and why training is the best solution. This may seem like it puts you in a position to devalue training, in fact it does the exact opposite. By building a track record of using the right tools at the right time, you increase the credibility of all training in the organization. At the same time you’ll keep costs down while improving performance at the same time, a true win-win for everyone.