How to Create High Return on Your Training Investment: "No, It's not the Impossible Dream"

Is training a good investment? It may not be depending upon the way your organization is doing it. What would you say to a business decision or project that had a 10% percent success rate? That's what the training success rates are for many organizations, at least for those that track it (and not many do). I believe training is worthwhile, when done properly. There are definitely right and wrong ways to conduct training, though. Which way are you doing it? And why are you doing it the way you do?

Why We Do It
It is estimated that corporate America spends approximately 60 billion dollars on training. Research shows that only 10% of new skills are transferred back to the job. Why are businesses willing to relinquish such large investments to the training pit in order to gain so little in return? Here are a few answers.

• Offering expansive training programs has become part of our organizational culture. Everyone expects it.

• Training opportunities are one way prospective employees evaluate whether or not to join an organization. Obtaining and retaining qualified employees is extremely competitive.

• Training often is used as a reward for employees.

These reasons are all valid, but they don't justify wasting 90% of the time and money spent on ineffective training programs. The problem may not be your motive for training, but rather your method of training.

What's Wrong with Traditional Training
Most training still consists of a classroom, instructor, and a collection of participants. Dress it up with some technology, add a few new buzzwords and activities requiring gym clothes, and you're justified in calling it new, improved or cutting edge training. However, you still have the same problems inherent with the old school, classroom training.

• Most participants leave class without skill mastery. Instead of teaching to the individual, instruction is geared to the masses. There is simply not enough time in a two-day course to create personalized instruction for twenty participants.

• The work environment is not conducive to implementing or reinforcing the new skills. Employees sometimes find that what worked in the classroom does not work on the job. They report that there are more situational variables and circumstances in the workplace than are present in the classroom. A classroom cannot accurately replicate the workplace.

• Training is not relevant for the employee. Many organizations take the approach that "one size fits all" with a primary goal of filling training seats, rather than meeting the employees' needs. Employees show up because either their manager sent them or the training class was on their performance requirement checklist to be completed for possible bonuses at the end of the year.

• What is taught in many professional development classes is just plain fluff. Who cares about the sources of conflict or role playing in a fictitious work situation? Employees want to learn how to resolve conflicts encountered in their personal work environment.

Getting Training Right
Organizations can ensure that their training investment dollars make a difference by using Right Time Training (RTT). This concept was born out of the need to see results from training and is based upon identifying and lessening the gap between the employee's current performance level and the desired performance level. RTT has four components: training that occurs at the right time, with the right people, at the right place, and with the right information. When each of these four components is present training results are tangible and long-term.

The Right Time is defined by an employee with a current situation or problem that requires a new skill. Typically, motivation to learn is highest when the opportunity to use the new knowledge or skill is imminent. If the employee does not incorporate the new skills into his or her work life, then the condition will not improve. For example, if I learn how to swing and hit a golf ball during a two-hour lesson, it is unlikely I will transfer this skill to my game if I don't play for 6 months.

The Right People means that only the people involved and directly affected are included in the training. The key question is; are these people relevant to the situation or problem?

The Right Place means that learning occurs in the employee's environment where the opportunities to use new skills or knowledge are provided. The employee should be allowed to practice these skills in his or her work environment while receiving feedback on both strengths and weaknesses until proficiency is achieved. The best place to practice a golf swing is on the golf course or even better walking the course with a professional instructor. You can hit 1,000 golf balls off of the driving range but until you tee it up and practice the variety of shots encountered during the playing of 18 holes you will not continue to get better.

The Right Information is information tailored to that person's or team's current knowledge and skill level as well as to the specific problem or challenge at hand. Information needs to be pertinent, proven successful, and worth repeating in the work environment.

Challenge
We know this concept isn't rocket science but it is outside the realm of many training cultures. You can conduct a training session just to say you've done it. But to truly capitalize on the enormous strength and potential of your people try something different, something that makes sense, something inherently obvious. Right Time Training is the answer to the perplexing question of will training work? The goal is to ensure that the employee is implementing the new skills or knowledge to improve the current condition, to increase his or her productivity and to contribute to the organization's bottom line. Right Time Training will elevate the performance level of your organization.