Special Promotional Feature

“Your surfing can get better on every turn, on every wave you catch. Learn to read the ocean better. A big part of my success has been wave knowledge.”
– Kelly Slater

A seasoned surfer rides effortlessly on the edge of a huge wave. A marathon runner digs deep into his soul to run for what seems an eternity. Riding a longboard through the next tube in Maui, or reaching the finish line after pacing oneself for 26 miles across Boston doesn’t happen overnight. These skills take practice. Lots and lots of practice. Training is also a skill that takes practice. And the better the transfer of training, the better your people will be at seamlessly integrating what they’ve learned with what they do. When practiced well, training and development programs work well. When improperly applied, employees run the risk of sitting through hours of training only to realize later that they can’t apply what they’ve just learned to their jobs. In this article, we cover the important elements in the training life cycle, what works, and what matters. The application of training knowledge to the job may seem like it’s going to be effortless, but it usually takes a fair amount of practice to make it look that way.

Quick Stats:
Estimated amount spent on training and development programs in North America in 2011: $130B (billion)

Types of training methods by % of formal training hours (US stats, 2008):
• Instructor-led classroom: 67%
• Online self-study: 20%
• Virtual classroom: 8%
• Other: 10%

Top area-specific employee training in the European Union (2009):
• Job-related technical skills: 44%

Action Plan:

1. The Science of Training
Moving a theory into a practice can be easy, difficult or downright impossible. Its evolution will depend on many factors. When we develop and deliver training programs, we may have a tendency to ignore the “science” behind it, and rarely view training as having a life cycle of its own. Unfortunately, for whatever reason, training is often approached as a single event, with very little feedback on whether the training improved or affected performance on the job. According to recent research published by Eduardo Salas and colleagues, to make training more effective, people should take a closer look at the science behind the way we learn. In their survey of the research literature on training programs and their effectiveness, they concluded that a) properly designed training works, and b) its level of effectiveness is directly connected to how it is designed, delivered, and implemented. In other words, what happens before, during, and after training is what really matters. Consider downloading HRd’s Training and Development Policy or viewing our Knowledge Centre on Designing Effective Training Programs.

2. Before Training: So, What Is It That You Actually Do?
Many jobs depend on being properly trained. In some cases, a worker’s health and safety may be at stake. Will the training you’re about to send your employees to really help them perform their tasks and responsibilities effectively? Will it be relevant to what they do? Can you guarantee it won’t just go in one ear and out the other? You can strengthen their learning retention rates by assessing what people actually do in their jobs, before they embark on their training. This is commonly referred to as a “job-task analysis.” The job-task analysis looks closely at the key work functions of the job and assesses the requirements and competencies needed to complete these functions (or tasks). The job-task analysis will be your blueprint for building effective training programs. In order to jumpstart the job-task analysis process, be sure to use your organization’s job descriptions by department and activity (if you don’t have formalized job descriptions, HRdownloads can help you develop them!).

In addition to performing a job-task analysis, focus your training on the information that your employees will need to access in order to do their jobs well. This is different from what they “need to know,” which according to research on memory and cognition, can take up valuable memory space in the brain. The difference between “need to access” and “need to know” should be clearly outlined in the training to increase its effectiveness in the real world. Effective, “need to access” style training gives employees the skills they need to be able to perform their jobs properly from the minute they start, to tasks they need to tackle down the road.

3. During Training: Journey to the Center of the Mind
In theory, the “transfer of training” indicates that what is learned in training can be applied right away on the job. In practice, the transfer of training can meet some bumps in the road. There are a number of factors that can increase the effectiveness of knowledge transfer. You can offer a supportive work environment where employees have a chance to be a part of the design and delivery of the training, and where there is a commitment to quality and information sharing. Employees who feel they can choose to attend vs. being required to attend (which may not be practical in all situations) is another way to boost retention of knowledge. When we need to learn something, getting motivated about it increases our retention of the information. People also get motivated when they feel what they are learning is valuable and if they have the ability to apply it directly to their jobs. The motivation to learn should be promoted throughout the training process and can be improved when leadership supports this process through employee involvement in the design and delivery of training.

4. After Training: Don’t Lose It
After an employee is trained, the valuable knowledge they’ve acquired shouldn’t be wasted. As a manager, you want to make sure your trainees can use the information gained from sitting through lengthy training sessions and apply it to their tasks right away. Your trainees need a chance to practice their skills on the job after their training, to see if what they learned is applicable to what they actually do, and if they have enough time to use what was learned on the job. Your work environment has a lot to do with whether or not employees can practice what they’ve learned. After all, a person who is learning to surf will definitely need to practice in the ocean, not a bathtub. And our marathon runner won’t be able to train very well by running around in circles in his living room. Obstacles such as training-job disconnects can get in the way of effective knowledge transfer. Supervisors can help to remove these obstacles so their employees can successfully transfer the knowledge they gained from training and apply it to their jobs. They can also follow up with a survey to see if the training was effective. Consider using HRd’s Post-Training Evaluation Form (Long Term Effects).

5. Make Hard Decisions Easier
Human resources executives, managers, business leaders and policymakers need to make hard decisions about how much to invest in their training and development programs. Budgets are limited and there is not a lot of room for financial waste. Growing human capital so it can remain competitive across regions, jurisdictions, municipalities is a top priority for many organizations. Training should be viewed as an investment in your people, rather than as an extra cost of doing business. Knowing what types of training are the most effective can increase this competitive edge, make decisions easier, save time, and hopefully generate greater efficiency within your organization. If you are a manager charged with making serious decisions about training budgets, aim to be as informed as you can about the process by using training needs and job-task analyses. HRd’s Training Needs Analysis Template is a great starting point.

Final Thought
Every year across the globe, public and private organizations spend a significant amount of their budgets on training and development. Some of these programs provide a decent return on investment if they are managed well—others may not produce any tangible benefits. One thing is certain however; training works and it can be improved by taking a close look at the principles behind it. In order to make educated decisions about training programs, employers can choose to make an investment in understanding what really matters before, during and after. Marathon runners, surfers, or anyone driven to improve their endurance and performance must practice and think about how they will reach their personal goals. Building effective training and development strategies also takes time and practice—and practicing is sometimes the only way to get better at something.

References
E. Salas, S. I. Tannenbaum, K. Kraiger, K. A. Smith-Jentsch. The Science of Training and Development in Organizations: What Matters in Practice. Psychological Science in the Public Interest, 2012; 13 (2): 74.
Patel, L. (2010). ASTD State of the industry report 2010. Alexandria,VA: American Society for Training & Development.