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COUNTER INTELLIGENCE (Nov/Dec 2007) |
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Thursday, 10 January 2008 |
Designing an effective training program for your associates
By Joe Hajek
“Is training making a difference to our bottom line?”
This question is increasingly being asked of HR and training departments across many companies. And it’s difficult to answer when the company’s approach to training employees focuses on responding to events as they occur, such as adding a new product line or new business process, or discovering missing skills necessary for a job. Too often, the results from this approach measure mastery of the topic rather than impact on the bottom line.
The
question becomes easier to answer when, instead, training is viewed
strategically: “What skills and knowledge do employees need to
accomplish their jobs, and how does their performance drive overall
company performance?” An effective way to answer this question is with
a competency-based learning program. It defines the competence
requirements for job performance, the training that can develop that
competence, and ties in with organizational performance.
According
to David Dubois’ “Competency-Based Performance Improvement: A Strategy
for Organizational Change”, a competency is a skill, trait, behaviour,
attitude or body of knowledge required to perform a job. For someone in
sales, competencies might include:
• being able to accurately fill out a sales order;
• being able to listen by focusing on a customer’s voice, asking questions and confirming his request; and,
• being knowledgeable about products carried.
These
may be satisfactory for job performance. Exemplary performance
competencies are important as well. Showing a contractor how a new tool
can save time and money can be more valuable than simply showing the
features of the tool.
The more
specifically defined the competency, the easier it is to develop
training for it, and the more effective the learning will be. For
example, “Excellent customer service and communication skills” as a
competency is simply too broad, too general. It is made up of many
behaviours, attitudes and traits. Targeting training to specific
behaviours, attitudes and traits enables tangible changes in
performance that will lead to improved customer service and
communication.
To
determine how important these competencies are to a company’s overall
success requires a look at business goals. The first step in developing
a competency-based learning program is to understand the company’s
strategic business goals and the initiatives for achieving them. From
that, the impact of training on these goals can be determined.
Business goals define competencies
Two
important goals for electrical distributors are profitable growth and
providing a positive experience for customers. Initiatives to achieve
these goals might include providing pricing and service valued by
customers, managing profitability in sales, order processing efficiency
and managing inventory levels effectively—all of which require
contributions from all parts of the company. Training can have an
impact on many of the competencies required for these contributions, so
it is important to include them in the training plan.
All
companies have three great resources for understanding the skills,
behaviours and attitudes that are necessary to produce job outputs at
desired performance levels: 1) employees, 2) job descriptions and, 3)
performance evaluation criteria.
• Employees know how jobs are truly performed.
• Job descriptions contain responsibilities (outputs) and qualifications (prerequisite competencies).
• Performance criteria provide the measurement of performance.
Input
from these three sources provides the necessary requirements for
desired competencies. For HR and training staff, it is essential to
involve managers and executives in competency definition. They can best
articulate company goals and how employees contribute. It is also an
excellent way to show them the value of training their direct reports,
linking job performance with organizational performance.
Competencies
should integrate across different job roles. Vertical integration
supports career planning and leadership succession, providing an
intentional plan for employee growth into more senior roles in the
organization. Horizontal integration provides for consistent mastery of
competencies or knowledge across multiple roles at the same level in
the organization, such as key company values or core leadership skills.
Foremost
in determining specific training activities is to consider delivery
methods that effectively produce the learning outcomes required to
develop the desired competency. Training adults is most effective when
it is interactive. Tasks and behaviours relevant to jobs can be
practised before employees try it on the job. Other factors to consider
in developing training offerings are:
• Delivery methods that incorporate multiple learning styles.
• Space and resources that are sufficient to reach employees who may be scattered among several branch locations.
• Core company values reflected in the subject matter.
• Company culture that is supportive of employees practising what they have learned on the job.
Cost
constraints are always present, so it is important to prioritize the
defined competencies to maximize the investment in training. Those
competencies that are more critical to business success, or that impact
a broad audience, are likely to receive a larger investment. Specific
training often overlaps multiple competencies, which helps maximize the
training investment.
The
result of this effort becomes a list of training activities that map
out specific competencies. The curriculum/competency map shows
employees what is necessary to perform successfully in their jobs and
how to develop their skills for improved performance, career
advancement and transition. For managers, it can show where training
can impact organizational performance, making it easier to plan for
employee training and address individual performance issues.
Continued
evaluation of the training program is essential to ensure that learning
outcomes provide the desired competencies, and development leads to
improved employee performance. Ongoing review of the competency
definitions is also necessary so the organization can adapt to changing
business climates, which can change business goals. New roles may be
added or existing roles redefined, so competencies will change.
Developing
a competency-based learning program is a big effort, but the payoff is
even bigger. It is an effective way to make sure employee training is
focused where it should be, moving the company toward its goals and
making a positive difference to the bottom line.
Need some help getting started?
Electrical
distributors can turn to the National Association of Electrical
Distributors (NAED) for help. With the help of industry professionals,
NAED’s Education and Research Foundation has created—and is
validating—draft competencies for several distributor job roles that
can serve as a guide for companies designing their own training
programs. Publication of these drafts is planned for the fall of 2008.
CLICK HERE to visit them. |
Joe
Hajek is an instructional designer with the National Association of
Electrical Distributors (NAED), the association for the $70+ billion
electrical distribution channel. Joe fashioned this article after a
presentation he delivered at NAED’s HR & Training Conference in
October.
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