Is Training the Best Solution?

Questions to Answer Before Training Your Staff

Based on the work of Mager and Pipe on Analyzing Performance Problems

7By Abdurrahman Q. AlQahtani

like medicine, training is used to cure a problem, but it isn’t the problem itself (unless abused!)

Training is Not a Problem

Saying you have a training problem is like going to a doctor and saying I have an Aspirin problem?

Training is usually a solution to a problem that you might have

Training is Not the Only Solution

On the other hand, training is not always the only or best solution to a problem

If you have an insomnia, then taking a sleeping bill might not be the solution. You may need to work on your sleep hygiene!

Investigating the root causes will open up a vast horizon of solutions that training is only one of them

What Problems does Training Solve?

Training is basically a potential solution to performance problemssuch as when your team’s performance is suffering

But jumping immediately to a training solution can either be costly, or simply ineffective

So analyzing performance problems should be your next step

Analyzing Performance Problems

This is a progressive check list that poses questions you need to ask yourself, your team, and/or your organization

This check list provides you with short circuits to potential solutions to your performance problems

It saves you from jumping to potentially costly or ineffective training solutions

I hereby promise to stay patient throughout the following seven (7) questions!

Promise me, please!

What is the Problem?1

State your performance problem or concern as a performance gap

Performance gap is the discrepancy between what should be done and what is currently being done?

Rude Customer Service TeamExample

Saying “my customer service team has bad attitudes” doesn’t help you much

Instead: “My customer service team receive customer complains with an aggressive tone, while they should be politely answering their requests”

Okay, I have described my problem as a performance gap

You promised to stay patient!

Can you cut to the chase please?

Is it Worth Solving?2

Evaluate your problem as minor with no real harms or major with severe effects

If major/severe then describe consequences quantitatively and/or qualitatively

This step helps you to (or not to) continue an extensive analysis of the problem

Rude Customer Service TeamExample

It is a major problem since we have received customer complains about how rude our customer service staff deal with them

We actually have five recorded cases of such calls where customers decided and terminated their subscriptions with us accordingly!

My Team Come Late to Office!Example

“my team come late to office, and sometimes arrive an hour after the official time. We need a training on discipline and time management”

If this is for a team of developers who work hard on delivering software solutions for the company, then it might not be a big of an issue

1/3

My Team Come Late to Office!Example

It could be that they compensate their lateness by staying extra time after the official working hours!

If this doesn’t affect software project delivery then it might not be worth analyzing and trying to solve

2/3

My Team Come Late to Office!Example

On the other hand, if this is a team who serve customers and there are cases where customers arrive and no one is there to serve them!

Then it gives you a hint that this is a worthy problem to solve

3/3

Now, I’m pretty sure we have a performance problem that is worthy to analyze and solve

Wooo, not just yet!

Can I think of a training solution for that?

Can You Apply Quick Fixes?3

Think of basic solutions and hot fixes that could solve the problem

Three things to consider to help you find quick fixes:

Work goals and expectations

Availability of resources

Performance feedback

Goals and ExpectationsExample

With the service team arriving late and customers wait for being served, It could be that service window coincides exactly with working hours!

Shifting working hours one hour earlier can ensure the team arrives earlier before customers are allowed in

1/2

Goals and ExpectationsExample

Problem fixed with a quick solution by changing the goal of the team and rearranging the service window

You could also clarifying the expectation that the team need to arrive no later than say 30 min from the official start of the working day

2/2

Availability of Resources Example

A potential solution could be to arrange transportation for the team, if they have issues in finding ways to get to the office on time

This addresses a resource availability issue and helps you solve the problem from a different angle

Performance FeedbackExample

How many times you have told someone about a problem, only to discover that they didn’t know about it?

If outcomes from poor performance are not visible to the team, you need to give feedback on these outcomes and they might just adjust accordingly

Well, my problem is bigger than a quick fix!

Dadada… be patient, no training solutions yet!

I think I know this trainer who can help me condu…

Are Consequences Appropriate?4

Appropriate consequences means that desired performance is encouraged and poor performance is discouraged

Raise a red flag if your environment has one of the following:

Desired performance is discouraged or sometimes

punished

Poor performance is encouraged or even

rewarded

Performance whether desired or poor is simply

ignored

Is Desired Performance Punished?Examples

Being a hard worker only gets you more work to do

Staying within budget results in slashing your future budgets

Wearing your uniform makes people laugh at how you look

Asking questions in the classroom triggers sarcastic answers

Asking clarifying questions in a meeting renders you stupid

Is Poor Performance Rewarded?Examples

Arriving late to office means less work assigned

Yelling at others in meetings gets your point across

Rewarding a physician on how many appointments he scores, and not how many cases he cures

Measuring a call center agent by how many calls he answers, and not the quality of calls or solutions he offers to close cases

Rewarding a consultant on utilization rate, ignoring how much was really accomplished

Is Performance Ignored?Examples

Absence of praise in the workplace could mean that desired performance is ignored

Absence of critical feedback could mean that poor performance is okay

So desired performance is not repeated and sloppy performance continues

That was insightful, thank you!But our workplace does not have inappropriate consequences!

I think you’re gonna hate it!

I’m getting excited, what is your next question?

Do They Already Know How?5

Answering this question simply saves you from training your staff on something they already know

The signs that tells you it’s not about a skill deficiency are:

The team has done it before but stopped doing it anymore

The team continues to do it till this moment, but sometimes they slip

Provide Practice Provide Feedback

Did it in the Past but Stopped!Example

A systems analyst knows how to conduct requirements analysis and has successfully applied that in his past jobs

But when he joined your team, he didn’t do that anymore so projects start with poor requirements in hand

It might be a matter of explicitly scheduling a phase in the project for requirements gathering and analysis (opportunity to practice)

Will sending this guy to a course on Business Analysis help? No

Doing it But Slipping SometimesExample

Your personal assistant knows how to assemble the monthly department report

Recently, she started doing that efficiently, but sometimes the report styles and design are not consistent

She probably knows about templates and themes but she misses to see the inconsistencies in her reports

Before training her on something she already knows, try giving her feedback on the consistency of the report format

Well, it is for sure a skill deficiency

Good to hear that!

What can I do? I swear I’m not thinking about training!

Are There More Clues?6

Can you think of something that could solve the performance problem before jumping to a training a solution?

Most importantly, try evaluating the following options:

Task complexity Job fit Environmental

obstacles Potential to

Change?

Task ComplexityExample

You are looking for fresh candidates to fill two vacancies in your department

You have decided to interview applicants, only to find that you have 200+ applications

The task is complex, and you need to simplify it. You could turn into posing a way to filter through these applicants

Would a training on “interview skills” help the person in charge of hiring? No

Consider asking applicants to submit a verified test score which would result in lowering the number to 20+, for instance

Job FitExample

How many times you met a person who’s clearly not fit for a job, only to see him suffer trying to create that fit?

Sometimes transferring a person to another job that fits would relieve you from endless and useless training

A consultant who is better an account manager

For example: an accountant who is better as a consultant

A call center agent who is better a sales representative

Environmental ObstaclesExample

Training will not be a good solution when the environment is the cause of poor performance

Obstacles can be: Lack of authority, or work overload

Conflicting responsibilities, or power struggles

Team conflicts, Rude management, or an atmosphere of inept criticism

Removing these obstacles should be your target

Potential to Change?Example

Sometimes a person doesn’t have the potential to change

In this case neither training nor anything else could help

However, it is important not to jump to this conclusion abruptly

Replacing with a person who have the skill or potential can be the only solution

Two things to help you out: previous (and still valid) knowledge of the person, and feedback from different prospects

Mmm… I cannot think of other causes or clues!

Yes it is!

Please, tell me the following is going to be the last question!

Which Solutions Are Best?7

You have reached this far, because you either didn’t find solutions, or have some and want to compare with a training solution

If worthy, conduct a cost-benefit analysis and weigh your options out and see if training is a winning option

Remember that a proper training is a process not an event

Training is a Process not an Event

Where is the performance gap in the organization? What knowledge, skills, and attitudes to bridge the gap? Who have that performance gap so we can train?

Learning objectives and materialTraining methods/techniques

Needs Analysis

Design & Deliver

Evaluation criteria and designAct on feedback

Evaluation & Feedback

I hereby promise not to jump to training as a first solution

Promise me, please!

Never ever again!

Training is often best when:

The problem is clearly a performance gapPerformance gap is worthy and correct performance is criticalPerformance goals are clear, resources available, and feedback is givenAppropriate consequences are in place for desired/poor performanceThe employee doesn’t know how to perform as required (missing a skill)Change is a potential, and environment is not the problem

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3

4

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6Other solutions are ineffective or too expensive (such as coaching)7

That was thoughtful thanks!

Have Meaningful Trainings!

Mager, R. F., & Pipe, P. (1997). Analyzing Performance Problems (3rd ed.). Belmont, CA: Lake Publishers.Saks, A. M., & Haccoun, R. R. (2013). Managing Performance through Training and Development (6th ed.). Nelson Education.

All background photos are taken by me using a Canon DSLR 650D, in King Abdullah Road, Riyadh SA

References:

http://www.slideshare.net/aqahtani

@alq_abdurrahman

http://sa.linkedin.com/in/aqahtani

http://knowledge-passion.com/blog

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Abdurrahman Q. AlQahtani - Consultant & Coach - aq@knowledge-passion.com