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Clues and Blueprints—Cool Tools for Training Pros
July 02, 2009
By Roger Addison, Carol Haig, and Lynn Kearny
What is the difference between a server waiting on customers in a café and a corporate training staffer? If you are just looking up from wading through requests for classes or completing the design for an online training program you were asked for, you may answer there is little difference. Your role may be one of fulfilling requests from managers you support as they look for ways to train and develop their people. Perhaps you are pressured to deliver in a hurry and to cut corners where possible to save time and money. And, sometimes the training you develop or deliver may not be successful, hurting your credibility and that of your department. So, how can you reframe your role from order taker to trusted advisor while meeting, and perhaps exceeding, your clients' expectations?
For Instance
A manager calls and says, "I have a training problem. I need a course in customer relations skills for my telephone service representatives." As order takers, many of us might respond by having a meeting to find out what the manager has in mind, followed by a quick analysis to identify what the course content should be. The resulting program may be a fine product that pleases the manager, but what if the phone reps resent having to take the course, the quality of their performance is unchanged, or the manager ultimately complains the training didn't work?
The client who says she has a training problem or needs a training course misspeaks. Training is not a problem; it is a solution. The trusted advisor's response to such a statement is to ask, "What makes you think that?" causing the client to say something about the needs or problems he perceives and leading to a productive understanding of the particular performance issues. The ultimate solution may still include training, but this question opens the door for some detective work to ensure the training professional has access to information about the employees, their work, their performance, and their environment.
The Training Sleuth in Action
When trainers investigate needs, their goal is to understand and define the problem or opportunity in terms of the needs of the business. In their detective role they learn what results employees are expected to produce and discover how current results compare. They search reports and other documentation for clues to drops in productivity, increases in error rates, and other work factors. They seek out managers, supervisors, and employees and interview them for their perspectives. They observe employees doing their work and look for clues to performance obstacles.
Clues For the Savvy Detective
While it is common to encounter performance issues among individuals or within work groups, challenges are also found within the processes used to complete tasks. Some clues to a process-related performance issue include:
•Slow response time to the customer.
•Frequent complaints from customers and employees.
•Extensive overtime.
•Production bottlenecks.
•Duplicate activities.
•Lack of back-up systems or their failure.
•Manual checking of automated processes.
•High turnover.
•Procedures not followed.
•Rework.
Armed with the data and information they have gathered during their investigation, detectives then analyze the information to describe the performance improvement need in terms of what is and what should be. This is the gap statement and it articulates the answer to the "What makes you say that," question asked earlier.
From Detective to Architect
With the performance gap articulated, the training specialist has the information to move from the role of detective to architect. The architect develops the specifications for the solution, establishing objectives and desired results as well as parameters for scope, costs, time, and methodology based on client preferences and organizational norms.
The specifications become part of the business case presented to the client to address the issues identified. From here the architect generates possible solutions that meet the specifications and presents them to the client for discussion and selection.
Effective Solutions
If the client's original need is identified as process-related, an effective solution may consist of several components in addition to some form of training. These might include:
•Job aids or electronic support
•Coaching and mentoring
•Information and on-going communication programs
•Specific on-the-job experiences
Drawing the Blueprints
With a solution selected and the specifications verified, the architect creates a project plan and schedule that includes assumptions, deliverables, dates, costs, approvals/sign-offs, tasks, possible development team members, and all the related components needed to bring the chosen solution to life. With the client's approval and support, it is time to launch the designs for the various solution components and move ahead with the project plan.
Training Trends
Today, we find that training professionals and the organizations that support them are evolving from order takers to trusted advisors. In their expanded roles, they are moving beyond performance issues that affect individual employees or work groups and looking, as we did here, at the work itself and the processes and practices employees use to accomplish tasks and produce results. Further, trusted advisors are earning the right to look at the broader organization and its accompanying culture for the origins of performance issues.
In their book, Performance Architecture—The Art and Science of Improving Organizations, the authors take an in depth look at the identification of performance issues at the three organizational levels:
• The Worker: Individual/Team Level
• The Work: Process/Practice Level
• The Workplace: Organization Level
They invite you to expand your knowledge with the array of tools and resources they provide.
Roger Addison, CPT, EdD, leads Addison Consulting. Roger blogs at
http://rachekup.blogspot.com.
Carol Haig, CPT, leads Carol Haig & Associates. Read book excerpts on Carol's Website:
http://home.mindspring.com/~carolhaig.
Lynn Kearny, CPT, leads a performance consulting firm.
Purchase the book from www.ispi.org, www.wiley.com, or www.amazon.com, as well as at major booksellers.
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