21 June Work (...idle hands.)

[Paul Terlemezian]

The fear of unemployment is very real and has severe impact to self-esteem and life style.

 

We cannot "just go back to the farm or the village" and even if we could - "what would the neighbors think."

 

Does this inspire us to work hard to keep our jobs by performing or do we work hard to protect our jobs by creating "barriers" that are intended to keep job threats at bay. Perhaps a little of both? Might these barriers "keep us enclosed" and therefore accelerate our demise?

 

The training function has the responsibility to help employees focus on performance vs. protection. It's easy for us to see "barriers" created by others and we use our intelligence to overcome them for others.

 

What are the "barriers" that we've created around the training organization? Who helps the training organization see them and overcome them?

 

 

[David B Gates]

My personal viewpoint:

One of the barriers created by the training organization are around metrics and value. Training organizations pump out smile sheets that make us feel good that everyone in attendance "liked" the training... does that mean the training was effective in learning a new skill that will be applied back on the job? Does it mean there is a behavior change? No... liking the training doesn’t make it effective... Thus, the barrier is the training function's improper or lack of influence and education to management from top down that for value to be realized there must be a change in people’s performance and behavior, and it must be measured against a goal or objective.

To see post-training performance and behavior change the training organization should collaborate with management during a training solution's creation to develop metric(s), otherwise only anecdotal evidence exists. Progress is being made as more organizations require a return for the training dollars invested...especially in the our current business environment.


David

[Paul Terlemezian]

I agree. Training needs to be relevant to the individual's performance and tailored as much as possible to their specific work and desired outcomes. We've got a way to go but the longest journey begins with a .......

David B Gates said:

My personal viewpoint:

One of the barriers created by the training organization are around metrics and value. Training organizations pump out smile sheets that make us feel good that everyone in attendance "liked" the training... does that mean the training was effective in learning a new skill that will be applied back on the job? Does it mean there is a behavior change? No... liking the training doesn’t make it effective... Thus, the barrier is the training function's improper or lack of influence and education to management from top down that for value to be realized there must be a change in people’s performance and behavior, and it must be measured against a goal or objective.

To see post-training performance and behavior change the training organization should collaborate with management during a training solution's creation to develop metric(s), otherwise only anecdotal evidence exists. Progress is being made as more organizations require a return for the training dollars invested...especially in the our current business environment.


David