9

A Final Thought

What’s Inside This Chapter

This chapter presents ways to build on the information you learned in this book. Your organization may not be ready to undertake an ROI evaluation, but you can still take the next step in enhancing your evaluation efforts. You’ll learn more about:

• the link between design and evaluation

• ways to demonstrate value to your client

• determining whether your organization is ready to conduct more extensive evaluations.

9

A Final Thought

Design and Evaluation

Evaluation is not an activity to be developed at the conclusion of the design and development process, nor is it something that is completed at the end of a course delivery. Evaluation is part of the training program and should be planned before any activities are designed; instructional design is incomplete without it.

When you have the initial conversations with your client regarding a training initiative, you should make sure to discuss a critical aspect of evaluation: the business metric. The purpose of the training program is to close the identified gap in the business metric: the difference between where the clients are and where they want to be. Without a business metric, there are no data to track to measure the performance change.

During the business analysis phase of design, you will also want to:

• Determine the value of the business metric.

• Determine how to track the business metric and ensure access to that information.

• Explore ways to gather input from the field.

• Emphasize the critical nature of field support.

• Discuss the extent of the evaluation effort (to what level of evaluation).

• Discuss the what and why aspects of the evaluation plan.

The evaluation plan sets forth the details of how you intend to conduct your course evaluation. This should also include ideas as they relate to alternative forms of delivery, such as blended, online, and virtual classroom. Complete the evaluation plan to the level the client (or your manager) wants that course evaluated. Then, if appropriate, discuss the completed evaluation plan with your client and your manager. Again, field input and support are critical to gathering information for transfer and assessment of the environment. The use of technology can greatly enhance this process. Be sure to get access to the field and, if you are conducting a Level 4 evaluation, put a data tracking mechanism in place to monitor the shift in the business metric.

Another strong link between design and evaluation is the learning objectives. These must be stated in measurable terms and to the level to which the training course will be evaluated. For Level 2, objectives need to reflect knowledge and application (within the training program), such as list, recognize, demonstrate, or identify. For Level 3, the objectives need to use words that support transfer, such as demonstrate, implement, recommend, or utilize. How these objectives are stated then determines the type of assessments and instructional strategies.

Instructional strategies should fulfill the learning objectives, provide for practice, and become a method for evaluation. This is true regardless of form of delivery, including programs delivered using blended learning, online, or the virtual classroom. You can assess the correctness of practice exercises as participants demonstrate knowledge and skills. You can monitor action plans, performance contracts, and learning contracts for use on the job. Thus, learning objectives become a linchpin between evaluation and design.

As you see, evaluation is not something you do at the end of delivery; rather, it is a continuous, integrated process. When evaluation is incorporated into the program development process, it can help programs succeed, as well as measure whether they are doing what they are intended to do. As you design the training course, get input from the client and representatives of the target audience at each stage. Not only does this help ensure that the course is on target in regard to content, instructional strategies, and cultural fit, it also transfers ownership of the program from the designer to the client organization.

Demonstrating Value

When trainers think of adding value, they usually think about ROI. Yet, ROI requires transfer. If there is no transfer, there is no ROI for a training course. So, can you demonstrate value by demonstrating transfer? Most assuredly. Can you demonstrate transfer by others’ testimonies? Yes. For example, at each delivery of a leadership program that was offered to sales managers and directors, either a regional marketing vice president or an assistant vice president was present. After several deliveries, these individuals were making very positive comments about the course in their executive meetings. For them to do this, they had to see value.

The training organization cannot demonstrate value independent of the client organization. To be effective and demonstrate value, training must support the goals and strategies of the client’s organization. It must help clients achieve their objectives and fulfill strategies. As such, the training unit must build and maintain strong relationships with the clients, forging partnerships, allowing trainers to serve as internal consultants to line managers on performance and motivation issues, as well as training programs. If training is seen as a separate activity that is not directly related to the organization’s operations, then it will be difficult to demonstrate value. If, however, the training organization works in partnership with clients to achieve business results, then it is seen as a value-add partner.

To support the business outcomes of your clients, you must understand them and determine where you can add value. Each client objective must be analyzed and the training component identified. In addition, the training function should develop positioning strategies that frame the clients’ view of the training function. As the training organization partners with its clients and as the client objectives are met, this partnership will allow the training function to gain credibility through demonstrated added value.

Becoming a partner is not easy, but it is necessary. Developing this partnership goes beyond delivering training courses and conducting evaluation. To better position yourself with your clients, you could:

• Offer to serve in a consulting capacity.

• Act as a coach to line management.

• Serve on work teams.

• Demonstrate the cost effectiveness of training programs.

• Perform as an advocate for change.

• Take actions to maintain high visibility of the talent development department.

Readiness

In the Getting It Done section in chapter 1, you evaluated the readiness of your organization to go further in your evaluation efforts. That evaluation provided some direct, but narrow dimensions to start your thinking about evaluation and your organization. But readiness involves more than just evaluation; it is also a culture issue.

The effectiveness of talent development programs is contingent on factors in the organization’s corporate culture. Pit a good employee against a corporate culture that does not support HR programs, products, and services, and corporate culture will win every time.

Employees who have been trained in a set of skills but work in a corporate culture that does not support those skills will eventually stop using them. Corporate culture governs whether learners utilize the skills they learned during training. The foundation for building a solid corporate culture supportive of training is the support of supervisors and senior management. Cultural factors include:

• Climate: Do the norms, values, and expectations of fellow employees and managers support the new behaviors that were just learned?

• Time and timing: Does the learner have the time to do things the way she was taught? Was there an opportunity to apply the new learning fairly immediately, or was there too great a delay?

• Degree of fit: Do organizational procedures, forms, and processes agree with those taught during the training?

• Supervisory support: Does management budget for training? Are employees encouraged to attend training? Is there an expectation that employees will further develop their knowledge and skills? Is transfer supported?

• Recognition and reward: Are employees recognized for developing new skills? Is staff development a performance objective for managers? How is the acquisition of new knowledge, skills, and abilities recognized and rewarded at the unit, department, and organizational levels?

• Openness to different delivery formats: Is there the readiness or acceptance of alternative forms of delivery, such as blended, online, or the virtual classroom. Cost-conscious clients will look for ways to provide quality training in a cost-effective manner.

There are several methods that can be used to influence the culture to become supportive of training. Holding managers accountable for the development of their people can be very effective. Managers could have performance objectives related to people development.

Provide incentives for those using the newly acquired knowledge, skills, and abilities. The practices may vary from organization to organization, depending upon the work setting, subject matter, and other independent variables. In some instances, the incentive is merely the participants’ desire to apply what they have learned and the intrinsic reward of seeing their goal achieved. In other cases, it may be necessary to tie the use of the training to either a formal appraisal process carried out by the organization or a similar method of evaluation by someone outside the department. Giving challenging assignments with exposure to key individuals could serve as a good incentive that benefits both the individual and the organization.

Senior managers must not only communicate the importance of people development, but they must also model their support. They and their direct reports must engage in development and support it within the organization. They can also participate in the needs assessment or in training programs, become involved in follow-up action plans, commit resources to development, plan with participants the implementation of the learning prior to attendance, set the expectations that the new knowledge and skills will be used, and engage in follow-up coaching.

Senior management can also provide the leadership role of a talent development advisory board to guide the development and implementation of the curriculum. They can help establish a cross-function working committee for the identification and use of internal resources for content, delivery, and evaluation.

Senior management should demand, and the training organization should initiate, the talent development organization’s involvement in the strategic planning of the organization. Talent development implications should be identified and strategies and goals established to help the organization be successful.

Both the training organization and management should be educated on the benefits and capabilities of the blended, online, and virtual classroom approaches to training.

Showing recognition of accomplishments is also important. Management could recognize the new skills of participants through job assignments, peer teaching, and visible recognition in meetings and internal communications. Ceremonies are another good way to communicate culture. Executives could hand out the certificates at a closing ceremony or dinner; make it a graduation experience. Similarly, the culture can be influenced by sharing training successes in other ways:

• Sharing stories can have a positive impact in changing or reinforcing culture.

• Instituting weekly interdepartmental meetings allows for the exchange of information and ideas on projects, training issues, and the opportunity to receive input from workers in other areas.

• Devising a simple form for reporting lessons learned allows you to base future training program examples on these real scenarios.

• Creating an employee-of-the-month program based on the use of trained skills, knowledge, behaviors, and abilities gives you the chance to publicize the name of the honored employee and explain why that person was selected.

Symbols can also be used to convey meaning. Many organizations use certificates, T-shirts, mugs, portfolios, and the like as ways to convey meaning. Wooden plaques with the president’s signature signal a message of support. Book giveaways can carry the training beyond the classroom or learning experience. One organization created a special edition of book The Classic Touch: Lessons in Leadership From Homer to Hemingway by Clemens and Mayer to support its leadership development efforts. Another organization had a competitive war game as part of its strategic program. The winning team members received camouflage hats embroidered with the message “We Won the Business.” Those hats became sought-after symbols of success.

Getting It Done

Developing readiness and a culture supportive of training is not easy. It can be done, however. Start where readiness exists. Nurture, recognize, and support the areas that are already supporting training efforts. Develop key relationships and demonstrate value. Show your clients how you can be a valued strategic partner as they strive to meet their business objectives. Exercise 9-1 can help you think about becoming a strategic partner.

As organizations continue to strive for competitive advantage, human capital is the key to that advantage. Developing and maximizing human capital for individual and business unit success is your business. The time is now, so seize the moment! Good luck with all your evaluation efforts!

Exercise 9-1. Demonstrating Your Value

In the space below, write the objective, the client’s strategies to achieve that objective, and the initial training requirement for one client’s or a business unit objective that has a training requirement. Then indicate how you—the talent development professional—can demonstrate value.

Objective:

Strategies to Accomplish the Objective:

1.

2.

3.

4.

Training Requirement:

Value Demonstration: