Foundation for Training:
It Begins at the End

by Rob Zell

The ongoing challenge for every learning organization is to provide the right solution, at the right time, at the right price that meets the objectives of the business. The challenge is knowing where to start. Truly effective learning interventions (and I use that rather than “solutions”) create a desired change in behavior and provide a return on investment (ROI). Not every business situation will require a true learning intervention, but if the learning function broadens its approach it may find itself in the position to do more for the business than senior leadership expected.

I define a learning intervention as any solution that brings about a cognitive, behavioral or attitudinal change. I prefer that term over “solution” because often the problem isn’t entirely solved by training. The intervention should bring about change in the person or persons receiving it, but there are no “magic bullets” coming from the training department. If we enter the process with that perspective, we have a head start on developing an intervention that meets the needs of the business.

Kirkpatrick gives us some guidelines for measuring success. The oversimplified summary goes like this:

• Level 1 – participant satisfaction. Learners enjoyed the intervention. It was a good class, the materials were easy to use, the interactions were appropriate, etc.
• Level 2 – knowledge acquisition. The results of an assessment show that participants acquired the desired knowledge.
• Level 3 – behavior change/skill acquisition. Participants are able to demonstrate the skill or behavior illustrated in the intervention.
• Level 4 – return on investment. The result of the intervention is business change that drives measureable financial results in excess of the cost of the intervention.

By building with these measures in mind, the training department can design and build interventions that target skill acquisition, behavior change and ROI. Simply targeting Level 1 makes participants happy, but fails to meet the needs of the business.

How do I get to ROI?

All worthwhile interventions begin with analysis. Regardless of your preference for a particular model, no design process will get to the root of the problem without analyzing the business. To be successful during this phase, keep the following in mind:

1. Know the business. The training department must be clued in to the strategy, the competition, the frontline obstacles, the culture, the economic pressures and the thinking of senior leadership. This is where ROI is defined; in business success. To get there, you have to know how success is measured.
2. Get clarity on the desired outcome. Two simple questions (that will often have complicated answers) are, “If the target audience were performing as desired, what would they be doing that creates business results?” and “What are they doing now that is keeping them from achieving business goals?” Defining the business impact starts the process of establishing the ROI of the intervention. Understanding where the audience is currently, establishes the gap that must be addressed.
3. Know your audience. Learning interventions fail with the best of intentions. Failure to acknowledge the obstacles and pressures that your audience experiences will lead you to a solution that is untenable; it will fail before it even starts. This is where you combine the first and second bullets. Using your knowledge of the business, frame the desired outcome to illustrate how business obstacles may be preventing success.

Most of the instructional designers I know take this approach to analyzing the client’s request. They do this in order to approach their role as performance consultants rather than trainers.

What approach do you currently use when analyzing a training request?  And, does that approach put you in the role of trainer or performance consultant?

In our second installment of this series, we will review what happens when you discover the root of the problem, and thus the solution, is not as clearly defined as you first thought.