In a recent article, Patti P. Phillips and Jack J. Phillips looked at what can be done to convince upper management of training impact on organizational success.
Add Two Objectives: Application and Impact
They suggested adding two objectives to major training programs:
- application objectives. This pertains to what the participants will do with what they’ve learned.
- impact objectives. This speaks to what business measures will be impacted when the participants apply what they’ve learned.
Reflect Key Measures That Management Monitors
To do this properly, it is important to identify the key measures that upper management values and monitors, such as:
- productivity,
- cost reduction, and/or
- customer satisfaction, etc.
Assume that upper management values decreased costs. An application objective in a program teaching how to use compressed air properly might be:
The participants will shut off tools that use compressed air when done with the tools.
The relevant impact objective might be:
The result of shutting off compressed air powered tools when not in use will be a measurable decrease in electricity costs.
Assume upper management values increased productivity. An application objective in a train the trainer program might be:
The participants will create learning experiences that build specific, measurable, and observable skills.
The relevant impact objective might be:
The result of skill-building learning experiences will be a measurable increase in productivity and/or customer satisfaction.
Add Questions to the Reaction Sheet
Now include application and impact questions in the Level 1 evaluation sheet.
The compressed air application evaluation question might be: To what extent did this program teach you how to reduce electricity costs?
The impact evaluation question might be: To what extent will you use what you learned to reduce electricity costs?
The train the trainer application evaluation question might be: To what extent did this program teach you how to design a skill-building learning experience?
The impact evaluation question might be: To what extent will you use what you learned to increase employee productivity?
A Credible Data Source
Both Phillips believe that training participants are a credible source for data that shows the training will have a measurable business impact if the participants implement what they’ve learned.
Question: Would your executive team like to know how your training programs provide real value to the organization?
If you would like to discuss the best way to ensure that your training programs provide real value, contact Deborah Laurel. https://laurelandassociates.com/contact/
May your learning be sweet.
Deborah
#trainingvalue #trainingandbusinessalignment
