tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-43003170744439340782024-02-19T21:50:29.713-08:00Training Measurement Best PracticesMeasure training adoption, behavior change and business impactUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger67125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4300317074443934078.post-50719299886071414532016-10-30T12:33:00.000-07:002016-10-30T12:44:49.381-07:00Training Measurement as a Tool for Change<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjRXG6YnZjwT53X1-7EJ5GMQC4O5PTYjKtB9osBrhYJwi-6LBVv7p41Z1h466lANCuqnWSngzy5emN1MdYNNFqaXpForIMov4kUh-qcS2uD5rrIyORVNN8Ww8AZIWrbT27SHGsd13kzME/s1600/tools-on-wooden-bench.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="a variety of tools are laid out on a wooden work bench" border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjRXG6YnZjwT53X1-7EJ5GMQC4O5PTYjKtB9osBrhYJwi-6LBVv7p41Z1h466lANCuqnWSngzy5emN1MdYNNFqaXpForIMov4kUh-qcS2uD5rrIyORVNN8Ww8AZIWrbT27SHGsd13kzME/s400/tools-on-wooden-bench.jpg" title="Training Measurement Can Support Change" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "arial";">When companies begin to view training measurement not just as a nice-to-have but as an actual tool for real change, its value increases many times over.</span><br />
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</span> <span style="color: #666666; font-family: "arial";">We are all familiar with the so-called smile sheets that measure only the basics of a training: the effectiveness of the facilitator and whether the training was deemed “worthwhile.” It’s nice to compile the training satisfaction ratings and, when high, make the facilitator feel good and allow the sponsor to feel that the investment in time and money was not wasted. But was it really worth it? A simple post-class evaluation sheet tells you little about whether or not the training was truly relevant, whether it will be applied on the job, and if it will make a difference in performance or business results.</span><br />
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</span> <span style="color: #666666; font-family: "arial";">Here is the process we recommend for more effective training measurement based upon our twenty years of experience in designing, delivering and proving the worth of targeted, customized training solutions:</span><br />
<ul>
<li><b>Know what performance change you want and the impact it will have on business results</b><br />
Let’s say you want to grow your business and have decided that improving the skills level of your sales force would have the desired effect. You don’t want to simply “check the box” on training; you want to know that there has been positive behavior change and how, specifically, the training is impacting performance and business outcomes.</li>
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<li><b>Identify which key skills will have the greatest impact</b><br />
Measure the current skill level, design the training to address those specific skills and then, administer a well-designed post-training measuring tool that assesses both behavior change and business impact. Measure both leading (skill adoption) and lagging (revenue) indicators.</li>
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<li><b>Set up a system for ongoing performance coaching</b><br />
Train managers to coach to the specific skills that were taught in the training. Their support will ensure that the new skills are applied and actually adopted on the job. When these managers are involved in the preliminary discussions of why the training matters, they will understand how critical a role they play in achieving the business goal to be addressed.</li>
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<li><b>Set up individual development and action plans</b><br />
Accurate post-training measurement can tell an individual just which skills need further development. Each employee should meet with their performance coach to review the metrics and set up a plan for development that will help them be more successful.</li>
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<a alt="This is a hyperlink to http://lsaglobal.com/training-measurement/ for more on the critical importance of measuring training" href="http://lsaglobal.com/training-measurement/" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Well-designed training measurement</a><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "arial";"> can span the gap and provide the critical link between performance development goals and business goals.</span><br />
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<a alt="This is a hyperlink to http://lsaglobal.com/whitepaper-download/assess-develop-talent-best-practices-whitepaper-library/ for a whitepaper on best practices to measuring training" href="http://lsaglobal.com/whitepaper-download/assess-develop-talent-best-practices-whitepaper-library/" title="How Training Measurement Can Make a Positive Difference"><b>Download 3 Steps to a Smarter Training Initiative</b></a><b> <o:p></o:p></b></div>
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4300317074443934078.post-74590974368939238332016-09-28T16:37:00.000-07:002016-09-28T16:37:07.142-07:002 Ways of Looking at Training Measurement<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtVqtpeUNuhTaNTvbxajm1egmIh25Q2C6CF1xZSzfmMolViRk0e2TMy1ll8rerpCuVBFDafU3VODktillVfqAKHJOrvyj5NlHKri2pS1B73MgRapuJ2TYHOBhsgX4ZjtIGBKQL4kq_gqo/s1600/2-people-coaching-conversation-overlooking-city.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="2 businessmen are looking out the window over the city" border="0" height="177" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtVqtpeUNuhTaNTvbxajm1egmIh25Q2C6CF1xZSzfmMolViRk0e2TMy1ll8rerpCuVBFDafU3VODktillVfqAKHJOrvyj5NlHKri2pS1B73MgRapuJ2TYHOBhsgX4ZjtIGBKQL4kq_gqo/s400/2-people-coaching-conversation-overlooking-city.jpg" title="2 Ways of Looking at Training Measurement" width="400" /></a></div><span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;"><br />
</span> <span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;">At LSA Global, we all agree that training measurement is important. Our clients think business-oriented training metrics matter because they provide important information about the adoption of targeted skills, the associated impact on performance and where to focus performance coaching.</span><br />
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</span> <span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;">Basically, we believe that all training and training measurement should answer four key questions:</span><br />
<ol><li>Are people using the new knowledge, skills and processes from the training</li>
<li>Are managers involved, supportive, and reinforcing the key behaviors and concepts from the training?</li>
<li>Is the training making the desired performance and business impact?</li>
<li>Where do people need help to continue to progress?</li>
</ol><span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;">But, depending on your function in the organization, you might evaluate these measurements in very different ways. The HR department typically looks at training from a behavioral and performance point of view. The Finance department often looks at the training results from a financial perspective. Managers typically look at training from a “time away from getting the real work done” point of view. Participants often look at training from a career development perspective. We maintain that the more aligned these key stakeholders are in the way they design, evaluate and apply the measurement results, the more the organization as a whole will benefit.</span><br />
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</span> <span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;">HR knows that development, when aligned with strategy, has value </span><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><a alt="This is a hyperlink to http://www.lsaglobal.com/leading-for-employee-engagement/ for how to lead for increased employee engagement" href="http://www.lsaglobal.com/leading-for-employee-engagement/" title="Different Ways to Look at Training Measurement" >beyond direct ROI in terms of employee engagement and retention</a></span><span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;">. But Finance rightfully wants to see a more direct financial measure of value. HR would like Finance to understand that there are nuanced areas of organizational and employee development that are difficult to measure solely in terms of dollars. Finance would like HR to be more conversant with the quantitative financial measures which drive the business forward. Employees want the company to provide the resources they need to succeed while investing in their career development. Managers want employees with the skills to get the job done in a way that aligns with the strategy and </span><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><a alt="This is a hyperlink to http://lsaglobal.com/what-we-do/#high-performing-culture for ways to build a high performing environment" href="http://lsaglobal.com/what-we-do/#high-performing-culture" title="Looking at Training Measurement from Different Perspectives">corporate culture</a></span><span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;">.</span><br />
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</span> <span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;">If these groups can work more closely together, instead of knocking heads, they can achieve far more. If they plan and agree together on strategic goals that are clear and implementable, there is enormous benefit to the company…the goals could actually be reached. If they can work to integrate talent management strategies and operational needs, resources will be allocated more precisely. If they can agree on the behaviors that align with strategic priorities, they can design a performance management program that promotes those behaviors. If they can put in place a more cooperative review process to see that all their functions are achieving objectives, they will be better able to coordinate on the people decisions that matter.</span><br />
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</span> <span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;">When the training strategy is aligned among constituents, the sky’s the limit with </span><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><a alt="This is a hyperlink to http://lsaglobal.com/training-measurement/ for more on measuring training" href="http://lsaglobal.com/training-measurement/" title="Training Measurement from Different Corporate Perspectives" >effectively aligned training measurement</a></span><span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;">. </span><br />
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<div><div class="MsoNormal"><a alt="This is a hyperlink to http://lsaglobal.com/whitepaper-download/assess-develop-talent-best-practices-whitepaper-library/ for a whitepaper on best practices for measuring talent" href="http://lsaglobal.com/whitepaper-download/assess-develop-talent-best-practices-whitepaper-library/" title="Different Points of View on Measuring Training" >Download 3 Steps to a Smarter Training Initiative</a> <o:p></o:p></div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4300317074443934078.post-19981560562134843992016-08-30T15:00:00.000-07:002016-08-30T15:00:01.780-07:00Training Measurement for Sales and Managerial Effectiveness<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzwI6Z0lf9pfXvCzvO3TkBsXaHtZt1njuTZOpYWezC4FYqpn2vRIuMAwlhw2MMHPRL1Kq39ectZO4AErx4uguGqoGgP8d6mqIcthTSMEORE4a6P4ZjPWW-0hRmUcPa5nE1bwiWisr7MXE/s1600/measure-abacus-calculator.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="On a desk lie a calculator and an abacus with a pencil and magnifying glassw" border="0" height="263" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzwI6Z0lf9pfXvCzvO3TkBsXaHtZt1njuTZOpYWezC4FYqpn2vRIuMAwlhw2MMHPRL1Kq39ectZO4AErx4uguGqoGgP8d6mqIcthTSMEORE4a6P4ZjPWW-0hRmUcPa5nE1bwiWisr7MXE/s400/measure-abacus-calculator.jpg" title="Training Measurement assures Effectiveness" width="400" /></a></div>
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</span> <span style="color: #666666; font-family: "arial";">Training measurement scares a lot of HR and L&D professionals - too many in our opinion. We believe that training should be held to the same standards as every other important business function.</span><br />
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</span> <span style="color: #666666; font-family: "arial";">Based upon over 800 training measurement projects, we know that there are proven and effective ways to track the effect training has had on participants through changes in their behavior and performance on the job.</span><br />
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</span> <span style="color: #666666; font-family: "arial";">The problem, however, is that too many training initiatives are not aligned with or linked to the performance of the business. And if the desired outcome of the training cannot be expressed in performance or business terms, it is very difficult to measure the impact of training in a way that matters.</span><br />
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</span> <span style="color: #666666; font-family: "arial";">Here are a few examples to get the point across.</span><br />
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</span> <span style="color: #666666; font-family: "arial";"><b>Example #1: Sales Training.</b></span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "arial";">Because sales performance metrics are usually clear and agreed to, sales training is one of the easiest training initiatives to measure effectively. Most often the business purpose of sales training is to significantly improve one of the following metrics: revenue, margin, win-rate, portfolio mix, sales cycle, DSO or customer satisfaction. The first step in any training measurement project is to identify the one or two metrics to move.</span><br />
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</span> <span style="color: #666666; font-family: "arial";">A recent client, based upon their overall company and sales strategy wanted to increase revenue by 20%. Once all stakeholders agreed to this success metric, we worked with the client to:</span><br />
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<li><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "arial";">Identify the critical few sales skills, behaviors, attitudes, scenarios and processes most correlated to revenue growth for their unique market, strategy and culture.</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "arial";">Prioritize the specific sales skills gaps for those areas.</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "arial";">Design and deliver a customized experiential sales training program focused on closing those specific gaps.</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "arial";">Provide sales performance coaching to all sales managers.</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "arial";"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt;"><a alt="This is a hyperlink to http://lsaglobal.com/training-measurement/ for more info on measuring training" href="http://lsaglobal.com/training-measurement/" title="Training Measurement Can Make the Difference">Measure sales skill adoption and correlate it to revenue performance</a></span> to answer the questions (1) Are they using it? (2) Is it making a difference? (3) What should we coach to going forward?</span></li>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "arial";">Training measurement enabled the client to correlate specific sales skills and approaches to revenue performance. This allowed the client to focus their sales coaching and training efforts directly to increasing revenue.</span><br />
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</span> <span style="color: #666666; font-family: "arial";"><b>Example #2: New Manager Training</b></span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "arial";">A recent client asked us to design and deliver a new manager training curriculum for their company. This is a common request from high growth organizations where many who have been promoted based upon their technical skills as individual contributors find it difficult to effectively lead others.</span><br />
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</span> <span style="color: #666666; font-family: "arial";">We said that we would be glad to help and asked about the business drivers and objectives behind the request. After a few discussions with her and her team, we uncovered that engagement and retention of top talent was becoming an issue. They wanted to decrease attrition by 15% for their most strategic and critical roles and a group of 50 high potentials.</span><br />
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</span> <span style="color: #666666; font-family: "arial";">Based upon surveying over 500,000 employees per year with our </span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt;"><a alt="This is a hyperlink to http://www.lsaglobal.com/what-we-do/employee-engagement-survey/ for info on how and why we run employee engagement surveys" href="http://www.lsaglobal.com/what-we-do/employee-engagement-survey/" title="Why Training measurement matters">employee engagement survey</a></span><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "arial";">, </span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "arial";">we know that managers can have a direct impact on four metrics (1) Performance (2) Engagement (3) Retention (4) Employee Relations. Once all the stakeholders agreed that employee engagement and retention mattered most, we worked with the client to:</span><br />
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<ul>
<li><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "arial";">Measure employee engagement</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "arial";">Assess manager performance across 20 key areas directly related to managerial effectiveness</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "arial";">Prioritize the specific managerial skills gaps for those areas</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "arial";">Design and deliver a customized experiential new manager training program focused on closing those specific gaps</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "arial";">Provide performance coaching to all Senior Managers</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "arial";">Re-measure employee engagement and managerial effectiveness</span></li>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "arial";">Training measurement enabled the client to correlate specific manager skills and approaches to employee engagement and retention. This allowed the client to focus their coaching and management training efforts directly to engaging and retaining top talent.</span><br />
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</span> <span style="color: #666666; font-family: "arial";">Whenever possible, there should be substantial changes in the pre- and post-metrics of any training initiative. Would you run a business any differently?</span><br />
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<a alt="This is a hyperlink to http://www.lsaglobal.com/insights/health-checks/training-readiness-analysis/ for a check on how ready your audience is for training" href="http://www.lsaglobal.com/insights/health-checks/training-readiness-analysis/" title="Training Measurement Can Prove the effectiveness of training">Test if Your Next Training Initiative is Set Up to Succeed</a><o:p></o:p></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4300317074443934078.post-79500777611277360162016-07-29T18:00:00.000-07:002016-07-29T18:00:05.738-07:00The Fundamental Purpose of Training and Measurement<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMMMsItyioiFYxfL7DAbefBQhiVqR5MWUK2AysAt6_tmhFMgLXiL0xTfhlwIkrSytVjdf81jBNL4l0p3yhloKEfqY3WOCirlTyOF8QmVG7rOPFCPoaM2vGhiUE8jXRuOxxbHQOa8pd0-4/s1600/back-to-basics.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="The words "Back to Basics" are written in capital letters on a blackboard" border="0" height="255" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMMMsItyioiFYxfL7DAbefBQhiVqR5MWUK2AysAt6_tmhFMgLXiL0xTfhlwIkrSytVjdf81jBNL4l0p3yhloKEfqY3WOCirlTyOF8QmVG7rOPFCPoaM2vGhiUE8jXRuOxxbHQOa8pd0-4/s400/back-to-basics.jpg" title="the Purpose of Training Measurement" width="400" /></a></div>
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</span> <span style="color: #666666; font-family: "arial";">Sometimes we get so bogged down in the details of training and training measurement that we forget what it’s all about. We need to get back to the basics of why we provide training in a business setting and why we measure its effect. </span><br />
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</span> <span style="color: #666666; font-family: "arial";">To us, the purpose of organizational training is simple: to improve performance and business results. And the purpose of training measurement is to learn and reinforce what is working to positively impact those results.</span><br />
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</span> <span style="color: #666666; font-family: "arial";">We consider that there are fundamentally four links in a chain of learning. </span><br />
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<ol>
<li><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "arial";">First we identify and introduce the new skills we want to embed in the training group. </span></li>
<li><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "arial";">Then we set up a system of ongoing performance coaching to see that the new skills and knowledge are being applied on the job. </span></li>
<li><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "arial";">Thirdly we measure for actual skill application on-the-job. </span></li>
<li><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "arial";">And finally we correlate skill adoption to the desired performance and business metrics to inform our next performance improvement steps.</span></li>
</ol>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "arial";">In essence, the purpose of training is to change behaviors in order to change outcomes. After two decades working in this field we have proven over and over that well-designed training coupled with a solid support and reinforcement plan can bring about high levels of skill application on the job and, in turn, increase performance and business results.</span><br />
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</span> <span style="color: #666666; font-family: "arial";">Here are a few statistics that back up what we claim.</span><br />
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<ul>
<li><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "arial";"><b>Coaching matters.</b></span><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "arial";"><br />We tracked thousands of participants in the same training program. Those who were effectively coached after the workshop showed 4-to-1 performance improvement compared to those who were not.</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "arial";"><b>Skill adoption (of the right skills) makes the difference.</b></span><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "arial";"><br />In comparing high skill adopters to low adopters, we found that high adopters consistently outperform their peers. For example, in one organization where the company wanted to raise the average selling price, high adopters were able to raise the selling price 19% higher than low adopters within the first 6 months.</span></li>
</ul>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "arial";">Whatever business metric you are trying to improve, you need to be smart about the training you choose to invest in. There should be a direct link from the skills you want your employees to adopt to the desired performance outcome. </span><br />
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</span> <span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 18.48px;">Learn more at: </span><a alt="This is a hyperlink for http://lsaglobal.com/training-measurement article about smart Training Measurement Approaches to get value from learning" href="http://lsaglobal.com/training-measurement/" style="background-color: white; color: #2288bb; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 18.48px; text-decoration: none;" title=" 2 Clues that Your Training Measurement Approach is Going Overboard">http://lsaglobal.com/training-measurement/</a><br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4300317074443934078.post-91245558947974366662016-06-28T12:21:00.000-07:002016-06-28T12:21:01.160-07:005 Steps to Measure the Business Impact of Training<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsKktviqXgxudo6emGNF0XV8Zi4rdUEO-q3Q_TdFkw3FM3vWDYINr6Z3f7dXFGeOadsfYhiSpwLxMZA16nLK93N6yug7yW0QsmyxgnP_TkQAA-4YSKclqWJnSpwQyMZRCoACaLe0sMeRw/s1600/questioning-business-plans.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="a man stands on a graphic if business plans with a giant question mark" border="0" height="253" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsKktviqXgxudo6emGNF0XV8Zi4rdUEO-q3Q_TdFkw3FM3vWDYINr6Z3f7dXFGeOadsfYhiSpwLxMZA16nLK93N6yug7yW0QsmyxgnP_TkQAA-4YSKclqWJnSpwQyMZRCoACaLe0sMeRw/s400/questioning-business-plans.jpg" title="How to Measure the Impact of Training" width="400" /></a></div><span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;"><br />
</span> <span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;">When you wonder about how much of an impact your training is having on the business, why not measure it? </span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;"><br />
</span> <span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;">Simple solution…but too many mistakenly believe that training measurement for business impact is too difficult, time consuming or even impossible when all of the potential variables are considered. In fact our latest quarterly training measurement poll found that 40% of respondents did not know how to measure the impact of training and another 31% thought it was too difficult.</span><br />
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</span> <span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;">The good news is that skill adoption and business impact can be measured. And, when training measurement is designed and applied correctly, it is well worth the investment as an exposure, reinforcement and coaching vehicle. You, too, can track how well your training is meeting business goals by following five fundamental principles of how to do training measurement right:</span><br />
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<ol><li><span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;"><b>Remember it’s all about the business.</b></span><span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;"><br>Begin with a clear view of the business goals, challenges and needs. Your training measurement effort needs to be inextricably linked to important business outcomes. So smile sheets are out except as a way to show that training has taken place and met the minimum quality standards. For example, if you intend to improve sales performance by boosting the solution and consultative selling skills of your sales team through targeted sales training and follow-on coaching, you need to measure actual on-the-job adoption of the desired sales skills and behaviors and correlate them to the sales metrics that matter most (e.g. revenue, margin, win rate, portfolio mix, deal size, or sales cycle)</span></li><br>
<li><span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;"><b>Gain the support and involvement of senior management.</b></span><span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;"><br>Establish that business and learning objectives and success metrics are aligned with the participants, their bosses and the business as a whole. Then ensure that all three stakeholders agree on how to track progress toward those success metrics.</span></li><br>
<li><span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;"><b>Gather evidence that you are moving in the right direction.</b></span><span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;"><br>You need to see that the training is helping to make progress toward the desired success metrics. Monitor both adoption levels and impact so you know if, after implementation, you are moving in the right direction. Then you can better identify what additional levers to pull.</span></li><br>
<li><span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;"><b>Make judicious use of data already collected.</b></span><span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;"><br>Chances are you may not need to launch an all-out measurement project. If you can carefully select a few key performance indicators that are linked to a performance development initiative, you may have your answers already. Look for data already being used at the executive level to make business decisions.</span></li><br>
<li><span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;"><b>Keep measurement simple and meaningful.</b></span><span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;"><br>Training measurement can be both meaningful and simple when you understand the difference between leading and lagging indicators. Think of lagging indicators as the effect. Think of leading indicators as the cause. So if you were to measure revenue as the result of sales performance in the field, it would be a lagging indicator. The leading indicators of revenue typically include sales and marketing activities in the pre-sale, sale and post-sales phases related to planning, prospecting, making introductions, analyzing needs, qualifying, positioning, articulating solutions, presenting, negotiating, closing, and follow-up.</span></li>
</ol><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;">Measure the impact of training to track and measure business results, to drive accountability for execution and to provide focused, relevant and actionable feedback for coaching.</span><br />
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</div><div><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 18.48px;">Learn more at: </span><a alt="This is a hyperlink for http://lsaglobal.com/training-measurement article about smart Training Measurement Approaches to get value from learning" href="http://lsaglobal.com/training-measurement/" style="background-color: white; color: #2288bb; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 18.48px; text-decoration: none;" title=" 2 Clues that Your Training Measurement Approach is Going Overboard">http://lsaglobal.com/training-measurement/</a></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4300317074443934078.post-3311547953673240022016-05-24T08:50:00.000-07:002016-05-24T08:50:05.535-07:00Who Should Care About Training Measurement?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd676YGwT-RO2-nVYyL0I0d1c0XPotvWOFVLez77AdzP5ufnMl92JqaEfpUlyiLxh_G9Dr-xdaT55tKrg6N-m3mqJMvlTWqlGAaCOK1skObIa3-J9OnTt2Md8fkjo-xOErBnl07lIaITk/s1600/measure-growing-men-w-ruler3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="a giant ruler is held next to line-up of businessmen to measure their growth" border="0" height="280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd676YGwT-RO2-nVYyL0I0d1c0XPotvWOFVLez77AdzP5ufnMl92JqaEfpUlyiLxh_G9Dr-xdaT55tKrg6N-m3mqJMvlTWqlGAaCOK1skObIa3-J9OnTt2Md8fkjo-xOErBnl07lIaITk/s400/measure-growing-men-w-ruler3.jpg" title="Why Training Measurement Matters" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;">Who should care about training measurement? Anyone who…</span><br />
<br />
<ul>
<li><span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;">Delivers, buys or participates in training. </span></li>
<li><span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;">Wants to change on-the-job behavior.</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;">Wants to change on-the-job performance.</span></li>
</ul>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;">Just as you would want to ensure the quality and effectiveness of a product you sell, purchase or use, you should want to be assured that the training you are considering will fulfill its purpose. In our opinion the purpose of corporate training and development should be to improve the skills, behaviors and performance of the workforce in a way that benefits the individual, the team and the company as a whole and is fully aligned with the organization’s strategic path. </span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;">In our 25 years of experience working with high growth clients, we have found that CEOs personally approve the learning and development budget with input from others about 75% of the time. With training being approved the majority of the time at such a high level, it makes sense that training providers should be able to answer the three most common training measurement questions:</span><br />
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<ol>
<li><span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;">Are people using the new skills and behaviors?</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;">What performance impact is it making?</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;">How should we target our performance coaching? </span></li>
</ol>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;">This means something that we all know but rarely discuss. Level-1 participant satisfaction measurements mean little. Executives want to know that any investment they make will have a true and measurable impact on the business. With so many investment options available to improve the business, leaders need to feel good about choosing to invest in their people this way rather than in capital improvements, technology or any of the many other priorities that demand their attention.</span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;">Before we go further, know that when we talk about “training” we include much more than the program itself. For training to be effective, you must be sure that the training targets a skill that matters, that it addresses a real business need, and that it is supported by ongoing coaching and a system of accountability and reinforcement that ensures the consistent transfer of training on the job. </span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;">With that said, the challenge as a learning and development practitioner is to ensure and prove the training has strategic value to the business. Be sure you can link the training to a meaningful business priority by:</span><br />
<br />
<ul>
<li><span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;">Identifying the specific skills that are helping and hindering business performance.</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;">Calculating how improvement in that skill would move an important business metric like revenue, margin, profit, employee engagement, employee retention, productivity, or customer satisfaction… whatever is most needed for the business situation. </span></li>
</ul>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;"><b>The Bottom Line</b> - If you want to get the attention and support of the C-Suite, then:</span><br />
<br />
<ol>
<li><span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;">Identify what matters most to your executive team and the business strategy.</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;">Link your training and development solution to those business metrics that matter most.</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;">Measure skill adoption and business impact.</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;">Provide targeted coaching based upon what is making the biggest difference</span></li>
</ol>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 18.48px;">Learn more at: </span><a alt="This is a hyperlink for http://lsaglobal.com/training-measurement article about smart Training Measurement Approaches to get value from learning" href="http://lsaglobal.com/training-measurement/" style="background-color: white; color: #2288bb; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 18.48px; text-decoration: none;" title=" 2 Clues that Your Training Measurement Approach is Going Overboard">http://lsaglobal.com/training-measurement/</a></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4300317074443934078.post-46571799160039010492016-04-25T22:22:00.000-07:002016-05-02T22:24:07.987-07:004 Reasons Savvy Leaders Measure Training Programs<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv2NqE1eLeF3LrFhWMKptxlAfzlV0AB-tNdxn7Hn19jwTDZqsP987Vj25cLGAiwGdFKYuob8CGWqxRchj2EqtJoeXlk28Tso9gs06-Jcj4B69NMh7VTkJeQOEx_sUTYSDGLaEuksElGpk/s1600/quiality-level-high-measure-dial.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="A dial that measures quality level points to "high"" border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv2NqE1eLeF3LrFhWMKptxlAfzlV0AB-tNdxn7Hn19jwTDZqsP987Vj25cLGAiwGdFKYuob8CGWqxRchj2EqtJoeXlk28Tso9gs06-Jcj4B69NMh7VTkJeQOEx_sUTYSDGLaEuksElGpk/s400/quiality-level-high-measure-dial.jpg" title="Savvy Leaders Measure Training" width="400" /></a></div><span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;"><br />
</span> <span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;">Finally, the business and HR Leaders are recognizing the value of measuring the training effectiveness in their organizations. </span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;"><br />
</span> <span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;">Based upon over 800 Training Measurement projects over the last two decades, we know that effective Training Measurement is a critical part of any strategic learning initiative for several important reasons: </span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;"><br />
</span> <span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;"><b>•<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Adoption: </b>It tells leaders if the new skills and knowledge are being used on-the-job.</span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;"><b>•<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Impact:</b> It determines the extent of the performance improvement and corresponding business impact.</span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;"><b>•<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Targeted Coaching and Development:</b> It provides solid data to improve learning solutions and specific areas to improve performance coaching. </span><br />
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</span> <span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;">When it comes to strategic learning initiatives, smart learning leaders no longer just measure participant satisfaction – Level 1 Measurement. Smart learning leaders also no longer just measure participant’s perception of knowledge gain – Level 2 Measurement. Savvy learning leaders understand that satisfaction with the content and facilitator combined with perceived knowledge gain is just a “ticket to play the game.” What really matters is the level of relevant on-the-job performance change attributed to the adopted skills and behaviors. </span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;"><br />
</span> <span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;">When training programs are correctly evaluated and measured at a deeper level, there are real payoffs:</span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;"><br />
</span> <span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;"><b>1.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>The training programs get better.</b> Companies learn what works and what doesn’t. Leaders learn what participants take away and what gets left behind. Then they can either tweak the pre-work, design, delivery format or reinforcement tools and processes to see that the critical performance and learning objectives are met.</span><br />
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</span> <span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;"><b>2.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>The impact on business can be identified and reinforced.</b> Companies no longer have to rely on anecdotal evidence that learning investments are making a real difference compared to other performance improvement options; they can point to real numbers. When the learning is tied to business goals, training measurement can show what role the training played in performance improvement and goal achievement.</span><br />
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</span> <span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;"><b>3.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Executives are more apt to support learning </b>when they see how it fits into their overall business strategy and organizational culture. Sometimes there is a direct link. For example, a </span><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><a alt="This is a hyperlink to http://lsaglobal.com/case-studies/new-hire-sales-on-boarding-in-emea-technology/ for a case study in an EMEA technology firm" href="http://lsaglobal.com/case-studies/new-hire-sales-on-boarding-in-emea-technology/" title="Savvy leaders Measure Training">recent client had a 27% increase in speed to quota for new sales reps in EMEA</a></span><span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;">. Other times there is an indirect link, and it becomes a matter of showing how relevant management training supports employee engagement and then how engagement supports the organization’s financial health and future growth. Other times, we need to dig deeper to link the adoption of new skills and behaviors to a change initiative like how </span><a alt="This is a hyperlink to http://lsaglobal.com/case-studies/employee-engagement-video-gaming/ for a case study on employee engagement" href="http://lsaglobal.com/case-studies/employee-engagement-video-gaming/" title="Smart Leaders Measure Training" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">raising the level of management skills affects retention</a><br />
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</span> <span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;"><b>4.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>The value of training is more visible across the board. </b>Leaders that can show the real business value of targeted training gain the support not only of the executive team but also of mid-level managers and employees who must invest the time and effort to make the skills stick. Training becomes more than a nice-to-have; it becomes a strategic talent management tool that is central to the continuous improvement and learning of the company’s workforce. </span><br />
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</div><div><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 18.48px;">Learn more at: </span><a alt="This is a hyperlink for http://lsaglobal.com/training-measurement article about smart Training Measurement Approaches to get value from learning" href="http://lsaglobal.com/training-measurement/" style="background-color: white; color: #2288bb; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 18.48px; text-decoration: none;" title=" 2 Clues that Your Training Measurement Approach is Going Overboard">http://lsaglobal.com/training-measurement/</a></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4300317074443934078.post-9719698173254669872016-03-28T09:12:00.000-07:002016-03-28T09:12:04.546-07:00How Well Does Your Training Measure Up?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyIUd4S3IzxvXm1gD8hBqhcQw6XJ1uxgPBvoDwKC1a6FhEG80khNKPacAgD2ZD_BXgGW_V3ojOWm8FHFrPlfzeGI4ry2w_OeW3xOv4UHcowWT70ax4whc4Jqsesy6V4nGZQf0BCD6zxew/s1600/measure-growing-men-w-ruler3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="A ruler is placed next to miniature business men of varying heights" border="0" height="280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyIUd4S3IzxvXm1gD8hBqhcQw6XJ1uxgPBvoDwKC1a6FhEG80khNKPacAgD2ZD_BXgGW_V3ojOWm8FHFrPlfzeGI4ry2w_OeW3xOv4UHcowWT70ax4whc4Jqsesy6V4nGZQf0BCD6zxew/s400/measure-growing-men-w-ruler3.jpg" title="How Well Does Your Training Measure Up" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;">Unfortunately, training, by itself, does little to change behavior or increase performance. This is bad news for training companies looking to make money by selling training kits and putting “butts in seats.”</span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;">In fact, we have measured over 800 training projects and know that training alone only changes the behavior of 20% of those who take it. So how can you do better?</span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;">Our research and experience tell us that effective training must first have a business purpose in order to really matter. And in order to really matter, it must be relevant to the success of the participants, their bosses and the organization as a whole. And any learning and development program must be supported by a system of training measurement, performance coaching and cultural alignment.</span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;">Let’s look at training measurement…the what and the how. </span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;"><b>The What of Training Measurement</b></span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;">•<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span><b>Adoption</b>: First, effective training measurement can tell you how often the skills and knowledge targeted in training are actually being used on-the-job. We call this measuring training adoption. </span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;">•<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span><b>Impact</b>: Second, it should tell you if the new skills and behaviors are actually getting the desired performance results. We call this measuring training impact. </span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;">•<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span><b>Coaching</b>: Lastly, training measurement should pinpoint how you can best help your people succeed in your unique corporate culture. We call this targeted individual performance coaching. </span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;"><b>The How of Training Measurement</b></span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;">Follow these high-level steps to get training measurement right:</span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;">1.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Agree upon the two-to-three business success metrics that matter most to your key stakeholders. For example, business sales training success metrics typically include factors such as revenue growth, margin, win-rate, portfolio mix, close rate, deal size and sales cycle.</span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;">2.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Identify the critical few scenarios, skills and knowledge that have the highest correlation to improving the metrics that you want to improve. For example, a recent high-tech client identified business acumen, solution selling, and qualifying as the top three rated skills that had the greatest difference in terms of growing their business.</span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;">3.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Design the learning solution to provide the skills and knowledge in a way that makes sense for your unique sales culture and go-to-market strategy. Strive for what is believable and implementable for you and your team. </span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;">4.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Deliver experiential training until your target audience can prove that they ‘know” and “can do” what you need them to in order to succeed. </span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;">5.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Provide frequent and consistent targeted performance coaching.</span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;">6.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Measure the levels of skill and knowledge adoption approximately 9-12 weeks after the program.</span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;">7.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Agree upon next steps.</span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;">Don’t rely on smile sheets, “gut feel” or anecdotes to determine if your training initiative has been successful. For credibility with company leaders, you need to show that the training has been linked to business strategy, that it is being applied and supported systemically, and that it has made a positive impact on business results.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 18.48px;">Learn more at: </span><a alt="This is a hyperlink for http://lsaglobal.com/training-measurement article about smart Training Measurement Approaches to get value from learning" href="http://lsaglobal.com/training-measurement/" style="background-color: white; color: #2288bb; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 18.48px; text-decoration: none;" title=" 2 Clues that Your Training Measurement Approach is Going Overboard">http://lsaglobal.com/training-measurement/</a><br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4300317074443934078.post-53602158823539180792016-01-25T10:37:00.000-08:002016-01-25T10:37:08.460-08:00Pre-Training Assessment vs. Post-Training Measurement<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir-unnGF0N8B9cpuDFg9Z2fJL19tykFOyrczawdUy6Vpx5yTVOEzJPzxqAveYSi0SaDY4yp4b3_Hff0YOOpzFr2-H6Z4TIyhQz0mYZVSf6LUgk3BWok1aU2P7HMY4oiZVYHm1xCIdcX50/s1600/measurement-mag-glass-over-data.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="a magnifying glass is held over data" border="0" height="398" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir-unnGF0N8B9cpuDFg9Z2fJL19tykFOyrczawdUy6Vpx5yTVOEzJPzxqAveYSi0SaDY4yp4b3_Hff0YOOpzFr2-H6Z4TIyhQz0mYZVSf6LUgk3BWok1aU2P7HMY4oiZVYHm1xCIdcX50/s400/measurement-mag-glass-over-data.jpg" title="Training Measurement Done Right" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;">When you are called upon by leadership to demonstrate that the right business training in the right circumstances has made a measurable impact, you need to provide real numbers rather than rely on anecdotes and hunches. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;">Preaching to the training effectiveness choir, right? Those of us in the learning and development field are already convinced that effectively assessing training needs and measuring training outcomes matters to participants, trainers and the business. The problem is, however, that training assessment and measurement is not always as straightforward as we would like. You have to select the approach that makes the most sense for your unique business strategy, organizational culture and situation.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;">Here are two options to consider.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><a href="http://lsaglobal.com/training-needs-assessment/"><b>Pre-Training Assessments</b></a></span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;">Used before a learning solution is designed or delivered, pre-training assessments are typically used to gain an accurate understanding of what your target audience “knows” and “can do” compared to what you need them to be able to “know” and “do.” Training needs assessments allow instructional designers to align leadership and employees on what matters most, initiate the behavior change process, pinpoint critical skill gaps and priorities, customize workshops, predispose participants, guide coaching and individual development plans, set baseline metrics, target investments and determine the root cause. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;">Done right, they should set a learning solution up for success by enabling all key stakeholders (the target audience, their bosses and the business) to agree upon the critical few development needs that matter most.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><a href="http://lsaglobal.com/training-measurement/"><b>Post-Training Assessments</b></a></span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;">Post-training measurement is typically used to reinforce behavior change, increase accountability, measure skill adoption, quantify performance impact and guide coaching and individual development plans. Done right, effective training measurement should answer five critical learning and performance questions:</span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;">1.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Are people using the new skills, behaviors and knowledge on-the-job?</span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;">2.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Is it making a performance difference?</span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;">3.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Has the root cause of the initial performance problem been addressed?</span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;">4.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Do important skill, competency or performance gaps still exist?</span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;">5.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Have the originally targeted business metrics improved?</span><br />
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;">The bottom line? To be sure that your training is having the desired results, you need to measure the impact…before, during and after. Without the data, you can only rely upon your hunches. This is hardly a way to operate in a business environment where real numbers and performance improvement count.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 18.48px;">Learn more at: </span><a alt="This is a hyperlink for http://lsaglobal.com/training-measurement article about smart Training Measurement Approaches to get value from learning" href="http://lsaglobal.com/training-measurement/" style="background-color: white; color: #2288bb; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 18.48px; text-decoration: none;" title=" 2 Clues that Your Training Measurement Approach is Going Overboard">http://lsaglobal.com/training-measurement/</a><br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4300317074443934078.post-58136746597192093752015-12-28T09:44:00.000-08:002015-12-28T09:44:11.097-08:00Three Training Measurement Tips for Different Stakeholders<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ85QyQsgHA96v90JmIBDRzy92iFxcD9OZhqTZ-96-Z1RafCXFVD-sEo4r7NzS_rgTviwfgIsGEeZsB7zDkhEipae-7CjYKa3jmVjsFAfozMeApEwmmv4E6DIewoIcb_iv0f3hLHiUgRI/s1600/effort-results.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="a graph is shown with the y axis as "efforts" and the x axis as "results"" border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ85QyQsgHA96v90JmIBDRzy92iFxcD9OZhqTZ-96-Z1RafCXFVD-sEo4r7NzS_rgTviwfgIsGEeZsB7zDkhEipae-7CjYKa3jmVjsFAfozMeApEwmmv4E6DIewoIcb_iv0f3hLHiUgRI/s400/effort-results.jpg" title="Three Training Measurement Tips for Different Stakeholders " width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;">The question before and after any corporate training program should be about the desired and actual impact on business performance. When all is said and done, was the effort and investment of time and money worth the results?</span><br />
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;">Learning and development departments know that, in order to carry any influence with their executive team, they need to prove that well-considered, well-delivered, and well-supported training has an impact on the business metrics that matter most. Otherwise, leaders are apt to consider training just an expense to manage versus an investment to nuture. We know different. But it’s not easy to forecast the impact of learning in a way that convinces executives of the value of relevant, proven, results-driven learning and development.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;">Here are three tips for three different types of stakeholders:</span><br />
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;"><b>1.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>When stakeholders know what they want. </b>Before discussing learning objectives or instructional design options, make sure that you identify the critical few business metrics that matter most to your key stakeholders. Typical sales training business success metrics include revenue, margin, win rate, portfolio mix, deal size, and sales cycle. Common customer service training business success metrics include customer acquisition, loyalty, growth, and satisfaction. Frequently measured leadership and people training business success metrics include execution effectiveness of key corporate strategies, employee attraction, development, performance, engagement and retention. For project management training, stakeholders usually measure some combination of project cost, quality, and time. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;">The bottom line…define the critical few business metrics that you want to move with your key stakeholders, identify the specific behaviors you want to change to improve performance, measure skill and knowledge adoption, adjust related support processes and calculate business performance impact. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;"><b>2.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>When stakeholders are uncertain. </b><br />To best work with stakeholders who are less specific, first focus on how their personal performance is measured. Then strive to make as direct a link as possible from their individual success metrics to team or organizational measures of success. The stronger the link, the better the chance that your training initiative will be relevant enough to have the leadership support and follow-through required for behavior change and measurable performance improvement.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;"><b>3.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>When stakeholders disagree. </b>When influential stakeholders have trouble agreeing on what matters most and why, it is challenging for any training initiative to succeed in improving business performance. When stakeholders disagree, do not be fooled into moving forward. Keep working until you and your key stakeholders agree upon what matters most for your target audience, their bosses and the business. If agreement is not possible, scale back expectations. Do not promise more than skill awareness and insight and do not invest in training measurement past Level-1 Participant Satisfaction.</span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;">Remember, training measurement and evaluation should measure skill adoption and business impact while driving accountability for execution and providing targeted feedback for coaching that is simple, relevant and actionable.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 18.48px;">Learn more at: </span><a alt="This is a hyperlink for http://lsaglobal.com/training-measurement article about smart Training Measurement Approaches to get value from learning" href="http://lsaglobal.com/training-measurement/" style="background-color: white; color: #2288bb; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 18.48px; text-decoration: none;" title=" 2 Clues that Your Training Measurement Approach is Going Overboard">http://lsaglobal.com/training-measurement/</a><br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4300317074443934078.post-10003394828332692822015-11-30T09:37:00.000-08:002015-11-30T09:37:16.264-08:00The Trade-off between Paper and Online Training Measurement Surveys<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTeKNPbwOvmYSv2-eSe8UXmWicIDWE4RFO_qY-v_OhuwxqGh2Qnltkfr0tI0FsCSg4FUOrFcxHs463D95N4rNoms8nqf_imCpQIODnrDU9R0Mr0PX7yNKI5xVqPpKho_6DBU7Hax-TmSY/s1600/trade-off-sign.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="A posted sign reads "Trade-off"" border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTeKNPbwOvmYSv2-eSe8UXmWicIDWE4RFO_qY-v_OhuwxqGh2Qnltkfr0tI0FsCSg4FUOrFcxHs463D95N4rNoms8nqf_imCpQIODnrDU9R0Mr0PX7yNKI5xVqPpKho_6DBU7Hax-TmSY/s400/trade-off-sign.jpg" title="The Trade-off between Paper and Online Training Measurement Surveys" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;">The most frequently used method of training measurement is a simple one: distribution of a paper questionnaire immediately after class to survey participants on how effective the program was. The surveys are short. They typically ask for ratings on the content, delivery and relevance to the participant’s job. Many now ask deeper questions including how the learning will be applied in the workplace and what the impact could be. The advantage of this paper-based questionnaire is that the feedback is immediate and the response rate close to 100 percent.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;">A more recent method of surveying program participants is electronically. Usually sent out a day or so following the class, the questionnaire is easy to fill out and far simpler to tally. However, the response rate may only be closer to 30 percent even with follow-up reminders. Surprisingly the response rate is only closer to 50% when an online survey is done at the end of the workshop itself.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;">You will need to decide which is of more value to you as you measure the effectiveness of training…the quick feedback and high response rate or the more efficient process that is automated but slower and with fewer respondents. It is up to you.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 18.48px;">Learn more at: </span><a alt="This is a hyperlink for http://lsaglobal.com/training-measurement article about smart Training Measurement Approaches to get value from learning" href="http://lsaglobal.com/training-measurement/" style="background-color: white; color: #2288bb; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 18.48px; text-decoration: none;" title=" 2 Clues that Your Training Measurement Approach is Going Overboard">http://lsaglobal.com/training-measurement/</a></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4300317074443934078.post-4951649411584531442015-10-30T16:05:00.000-07:002015-10-30T16:06:10.326-07:00When It Is Smart to Measure Training Impact<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKKOeuOssuRO7_2YWmzbc2GsNess9wHIdwY0ElRJkzKeq3RbDY3LFtzHd5IUwyDfL2xLX_el1TGZXPAfgQDzSd33OrBLW33CWfykvuOi9gD-3fjb0ahQEd6OUhoykbSsNtDbzEm4uctHo/s1600/measure-success.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="A ruler is held next to the word success as if to measure it" border="0" height="175" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKKOeuOssuRO7_2YWmzbc2GsNess9wHIdwY0ElRJkzKeq3RbDY3LFtzHd5IUwyDfL2xLX_el1TGZXPAfgQDzSd33OrBLW33CWfykvuOi9gD-3fjb0ahQEd6OUhoykbSsNtDbzEm4uctHo/s320/measure-success.jpg" title="When It Is Smart to Measure Training Impact" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;">Overall, we believe that corporate training should be undertaken only when:</span><br />
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<ul>
<li><span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;">It is clear that it is directly linked to the organization’s strategic goals and priorities</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;">It will have a measurable impact on real business results and performance</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;">It is relevant to the participants, their boss and the company as a whole</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;">It has the full and active support of leadership</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;">There is a system in place to see that the learning is actually applied on the job</span></li>
</ul>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;">We also believe that training measurement should be a critical ingredient of any training initiative that wants to change behavior and improve performance. How else will you know if people are using the new skills and if those new skills are quantifiably getting the performance improvement that you desire? How else can you provide effective performance coaching and align systems and process to reinforce the desired outcomes?</span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;">The real value of training measurement should go deeper than superficial participation headcounts and satisfaction scores. Smart training metrics should directly reflect the importance of the initiative. From our perspective, a comprehensive training adoption and impact study should always be undertaken when:</span><br />
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<ul>
<li><span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;">The desired outcomes are a high strategic priority for the participants, their bosses and the company</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;">You want meaningful and sustainable behavior change or performance improvement</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;">The training program requires a major investment of money or time</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;">The program will be rolled-out to many employees</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;">The program has high visibility</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;">You want to identify key skill or performance gaps or need targeted data for performance coaching</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;">You want to know if the skills are being applied on-the-job and if those skills are making the desired impact on performance</span></li>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 18.48px;">Learn more at: </span><a alt="This is a hyperlink for http://lsaglobal.com/training-measurement article about smart Training Measurement Approaches to get value from learning" href="http://lsaglobal.com/training-measurement/" style="background-color: white; color: #2288bb; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 18.48px; text-decoration: none;" title=" 2 Clues that Your Training Measurement Approach is Going Overboard">http://lsaglobal.com/training-measurement/</a></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4300317074443934078.post-91076365845605706722015-09-29T13:10:00.000-07:002015-09-30T11:30:12.210-07:002 Clues that Your Training Measurement Approach is Going Overboard<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUoPnemlPOlDNxHULMJoXrCCRjQ8OGX0RSKJpi_pZHgOEgFPMVwT5aCKaAshW2Zeq9yijpQoNlPboNl3TN6uXXEsrYCRbBY_B-HhHOu_M6U5WyZFJe1yWkGQDyrlbK-xR5P5z7NXS12ug/s1600/measurement-progress-percentages-graphs-25-50-75-100.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="12 different percentages showing too many and confusing training measurements" border="0" height="275" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUoPnemlPOlDNxHULMJoXrCCRjQ8OGX0RSKJpi_pZHgOEgFPMVwT5aCKaAshW2Zeq9yijpQoNlPboNl3TN6uXXEsrYCRbBY_B-HhHOu_M6U5WyZFJe1yWkGQDyrlbK-xR5P5z7NXS12ug/s320/measurement-progress-percentages-graphs-25-50-75-100.jpg" title="There Can Be Too Much Training Measurement" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Training measurement is important, no question. How else are you going to know if people are using the new skills and the impact those new skills are having on individual, team and business performance? But, as with most things, there is a point of diminishing returns.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Training measurement can be overdone when it becomes an end in itself. Here are two clues that you are focusing too much effort on gathering data and not enough on the decisions and actions that the data should lead you to. Reassess your learning and development metrics plan if:</div><div style="text-indent: 0px;"><ul><li><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;">There is no connection between what you are measuring and the actions</b><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"> that you are committed to taking and that will have an impact on real business results. Data has little value if collected merely out of curiosity. Data should provide the context that helps you make and drive wise decisions.</span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Done right, smart training metrics can measure and change behavior.</span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Done wrong, they can send incorrect or conflicting messages about what is important.</span><span style="font-family: Symbol; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;"><br />
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<li><span style="font-family: Symbol; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-stretch: normal;"> </span></span><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;">There is so much data collected that you can’t see the forest for the trees.</b><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"> Too much data can create unwanted ambiguity, decrease trust in the measurement system and can lead to inaccurate conclusions. Focus on only the metrics that align with key business priorities related to the corporate strategy, the organizational culture and your workforce plans.</span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"> </span></li>
</ul></div><div class="MsoNormal">When it comes to training measurement, focus on what matters most and remember that less is more. Try to balance leading (predictive) and lagging (outcomes) metrics so that the importance of the process and the value of the results balances short-term performance and long-term health.<o:p></o:p><br />
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Learn more at: <a alt="This is a hyperlink for http://lsaglobal.com/training-measurement article about smart Training Measurement Approaches to get value from learning" href="http://lsaglobal.com/training-measurement/"title=" 2 Clues that Your Training Measurement Approach is Going Overboard">http://lsaglobal.com/training-measurement/</a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: arial; font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 18.48px;"><br />
</span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4300317074443934078.post-92189068055695934052015-08-30T21:04:00.001-07:002015-08-30T21:04:51.732-07:00How to Make Wise Decisions About Corporate Training and Development<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7CYKDH0_8P-nXRIUujrCmJsgHwJJJh8pd8U9kDNuanwA2RnWpbAoqh4g_cIhj3ABRgg4vLk6iOnMhqK6FVt1sGqbc6k4gIXfTssoPb9bSURvoxoQGEmUz_XUA1VSBfClb5hwYDA2obVw/s1600/project-iron-traingle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="197" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7CYKDH0_8P-nXRIUujrCmJsgHwJJJh8pd8U9kDNuanwA2RnWpbAoqh4g_cIhj3ABRgg4vLk6iOnMhqK6FVt1sGqbc6k4gIXfTssoPb9bSURvoxoQGEmUz_XUA1VSBfClb5hwYDA2obVw/s320/project-iron-traingle.jpg" title="Training Measurement Helps Make Wise Decisions" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;">When you are in charge of deciding what direction your training programs will go in the coming year, consider thinking about the challenge this way -- Quality is not a variable; it is a must. Time can shift as needed and is situational based upon the initiative. Money should be spent only on the highest business priorities. If you cannot clearly and simply explain the specific impact that your training initiative will have on the business, consider scrapping the initiative all together in favor of other projects that will better move the business forward.</span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;">Start by understanding the priorities of the organization and the specific business metrics that matter most. Based upon over 800 training measurement projects, you will likely need to move one of the following sets of metrics if you want to make a measurable business difference:</span><br />
<br />
<ul>
<li><span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;"><b>Sales </b>revenue, margin, win rate, portfolio mix, deal size, sales cycle</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;"><b>Customer </b>acquisition, loyalty, growth, and satisfaction</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;"><b>Leadership</b> execution effectiveness of key corporate strategies</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;"><b>Employee </b>attraction, development, performance, risk mitigation, engagement and retention</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;"><b>Project </b>cost, quality, and time</span></li>
</ul>
<br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;">To make wise learning and development investments, make sure that any training program aligns 100% with the company’s current and future business goals as well as the organizational culture. Work with your key executive stakeholders to agree upon how and where training should play a role in helping the company execute its key strategic priorities better, faster or cheaper. Once you know where you want to focus and why:</span><br />
<br />
<ol>
<li><span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;">Get a baseline measurement of the current situation</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;">Calculate the value of moving your target metrics to the desired state</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;">Agree upon the critical next steps to make it happen before, during and after the training to change behaviors, performance and business results</span></li>
</ol>
<div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: arial; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">Learn more at: http://www.lsaglobal.com/training-measurement/</span></div>
<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4300317074443934078.post-53288498151346409342015-07-31T23:32:00.000-07:002015-07-31T23:32:38.845-07:00How to Measure Training Value and Training Costs<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvZrh3dm6qvuPHTfCYiddXg6em6romvBZeBT-nx9CmpUP14R_afCW_ozbhTHPo_g_3Ky90p7M3HuV3ohs63FFJ_sbcfdA2QHDaKv6OT_WwxOJ3vK1ctifpNaIh_aP3edCw4o_VfmsUrjQ/s1600/price-value-comparison.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="202" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvZrh3dm6qvuPHTfCYiddXg6em6romvBZeBT-nx9CmpUP14R_afCW_ozbhTHPo_g_3Ky90p7M3HuV3ohs63FFJ_sbcfdA2QHDaKv6OT_WwxOJ3vK1ctifpNaIh_aP3edCw4o_VfmsUrjQ/s320/price-value-comparison.jpg" title="Measure the Value of Training vs. Costs" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
All too often training is too narrowly evaluated in simple
terms of how much it costs. Not only is this a top 10 warning sign of an
immature corporate training function, but it is not an effective approach to
evaluating training effectiveness.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
What really matters is how much value it brings to the
participants, their bosses and the business compared to other business
priorities. Overall, effective training measurement should be able to answer
the following four questions:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<ol>
<li><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Adoption:</b><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">
Are the participants using the targeted skills, behaviors and knowledge back on
the job?</span></li>
<li><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Impact: </b><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">What
was the impact on job performance and business performance?</span></li>
<li><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Performance
Coaching: </b><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">What should each participant do differently if they want to
improve</span></li>
<li><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Investment:
</b><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">What was the full investment in the learning solution?</span></li>
</ol>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
From an investment perspective, make sure that you include
the following training costs associated with an effective learning solution:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<ul>
<li><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Instructional
Design and Development Costs</b><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"> including interviews, focus groups, assessments
customization, pre-work, simulations, job-aids, facilitation, content creation
and curation, materials, videos, reinforcement, follow-up, coaching and
measurement.</span></li>
<li><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Learning Management
Costs</b><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"> including marketing, registration, tracking, reporting, testing, and
reinforcement.</span></li>
<li><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Facility
Costs </b><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">including conference rooms, supplies, food and equipment.</span></li>
<li><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Participant
Costs </b><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">including travel, lodging and meals.</span></li>
<li><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Opportunity
Costs </b><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">including payroll, lost or delayed work output and any costs
associated with their time away from their “real job.”</span></li>
</ul>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Needless to say, for any training initiative to make sense, four
things must be true:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<ol>
<li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">The outcomes must be aligned with your business
strategy, corporate culture and workforce plan.</span></li>
<li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">The relevancy must be high enough for the
participants, their bosses and the business.</span></li>
<li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">The total value derived from the program must be
greater than the sum of the costs.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; text-indent: -0.25in;"></span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">The value of the training must make sense compared
to other potential investments.</span></li>
</ol>
<br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: arial; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">Learn more at: http://www.lsaglobal.com/training-measurement/</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4300317074443934078.post-86564530461714128002015-06-30T09:18:00.000-07:002015-06-30T09:18:00.036-07:00Be On the Watch for Meaningful Training Metrics<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh97iIHwtSAegL5d-33i2pj5FEw59XqfKtRs88GdzSf9ZUfrw1cbUaclQFQ4Bcm8-NkawMI2vQUCFrmcKm5wcCxIbzp0YWg8WtUE8I7pkA0x2Ia4EKUt27Ujhfugg12pMYThidqGbSAxpk/s1600/measurement-vision-up-and-down-binoculars-graphs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="143" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh97iIHwtSAegL5d-33i2pj5FEw59XqfKtRs88GdzSf9ZUfrw1cbUaclQFQ4Bcm8-NkawMI2vQUCFrmcKm5wcCxIbzp0YWg8WtUE8I7pkA0x2Ia4EKUt27Ujhfugg12pMYThidqGbSAxpk/s320/measurement-vision-up-and-down-binoculars-graphs.jpg" title="Training Measurement through Binoculars" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;">If you are in charge of learning at your organization, training measurement is a necessity. How can you make good decisions about what learning is needed and how it will impact the business unless you have the data to guide you? In other words, you cannot manage a learning organization efficiently or effectively unless you are on the watch for meaningful metrics.</span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;">You can no longer just follow your gut nor the requests from managers who are looking for a quick fix. In today’s world where, in order to make a quantifiable difference, learning needs to be directly linked to business results, you need to be able to establish baselines and desired targets and keep track of your progress toward the agreed-upon goals.</span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;">Vague and so-called “soft” objectives will not cut it in today’s executive office. You need to establish clear and specific learning goals that will have a measurable impact on the business. There is no way to accomplish this without an ongoing scorecard that keeps your learning investments on track.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;">Learn more at: http://www.lsaglobal.com/training-measurement/</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4300317074443934078.post-34702262291899922922015-05-31T14:20:00.005-07:002015-05-31T14:20:55.750-07:00Who Owns Stakeholder Satisfaction – Learning or the Business?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq3Xg0B_QoRIrhXKQ_ieULcfM-mWc4o_ZfnEZG_kwKWWJ8BqcKx1-u2oFStwQEtAHqnmaLK0vSYESo5LkGIBjFYT_3R04F8b7OjWy6bXDWnMWEl-O1XqWD1LmXKdsSkS6sMKmqNXZ8u34/s1600/Who+Owns+Stakeholder+Satisfaction+%25E2%2580%2593+Learning+or+the+Business.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Who Owns Stakeholder Satisfaction – Learning or the Business?" border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq3Xg0B_QoRIrhXKQ_ieULcfM-mWc4o_ZfnEZG_kwKWWJ8BqcKx1-u2oFStwQEtAHqnmaLK0vSYESo5LkGIBjFYT_3R04F8b7OjWy6bXDWnMWEl-O1XqWD1LmXKdsSkS6sMKmqNXZ8u34/s400/Who+Owns+Stakeholder+Satisfaction+%25E2%2580%2593+Learning+or+the+Business.jpg" title="" width="388" /></a></div>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;"><br />
Who is responsible for satisfaction…the stakeholders or the learning provider? <br />
<br />
Those of us committed to training measurement (and its power to guide relevant, impactful, results-oriented training) advocate that both the business stakeholders and the learning provider are accountable. <br />
<br />
Why? <br />
<br />
Because no learning program should be implemented until the participants, their bosses and whoever is designing and delivering the training are fully committed to specific business outcomes in measurable terms.<br />
<br />
Prior even to the design of the training, there should be multiple discussions to cover such topics as the business need for the training, the target audience, the type of training that would be most effective, the timing, cost, duration, etc. As well, it is critical to assess whether training will provide the whole answer; many other factors like strategic clarity, management issues, compensation packages, or process/systems problems may contribute to a situation that needs to change to improve performance.<br />
<br />
Once it has been mutually determined that a learning solution should be an integral part of the overall plan, the business stakeholders and learning experts need to put clear business, performance and learning success metrics in place. What will change as a result of the learning? How much of an impact will this behavior change have on the business results? Quantify and forecast the impact…then get to work to achieve your mutual goal.<br />
<br />
Learn more at: <a href="http://www.lsaglobal.com/training-measurement/">http://www.lsaglobal.com/training-measurement/</a><br />
<br />
</span><br />
<br /></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4300317074443934078.post-65342734230888709562015-04-30T13:26:00.002-07:002015-04-30T13:26:19.118-07:00Measure Right to Show Training Effectiveness<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv7Z8KeevcxKGED3lE7D-1Q-Yd5RYgZ1JrrmXkPZf94OHaiPt3LrELM3oQidSRgackUfXrWTBTR3g-8z3jEDu1u9t5wAQ0WwuF8xD4zBAZZzhsksqj6XabX-sZoMAGY_npD3XK81-ojIc/s1600/Measure+Right+to+Show+Training+Effectiveness.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Measure Right to Show Training Effectiveness" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv7Z8KeevcxKGED3lE7D-1Q-Yd5RYgZ1JrrmXkPZf94OHaiPt3LrELM3oQidSRgackUfXrWTBTR3g-8z3jEDu1u9t5wAQ0WwuF8xD4zBAZZzhsksqj6XabX-sZoMAGY_npD3XK81-ojIc/s1600/Measure+Right+to+Show+Training+Effectiveness.jpg" height="400" title="" width="365" /></a></div>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;">Typical training measurement reports are just a bunch of numbers that inspire yawns among business executives while shrinking the influence of the training function.<br />
<br />
Corporate line leaders care about metrics that show whether training has had a measurable impact on their business. What you should care about is finding the right things to measure. To demonstrate training effectiveness, you need to measure right.<br />
</span><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;"><b>Start with the business strategy. </b><br />
Know how business success is measured. Know what matters most and why. Then understand the plan for success and identify where learning and development could help make a measurable difference. <br />
<br />
If part of your company’s strategy is to improve customer service, for example, examine where and why the reps are failing and what improved service would mean in terms of revenue, margins and customer loyalty. Are customer service reps being incentivized for speed rather than customer satisfaction? Do they have the right level of authority to solve customer problems? Or do they lack the skills to build customer relationships in a way that aligns with your brand promise? If the latter, a well-designed training program can help.<br />
<br />
</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;"><b>Establish training success measures.</b><br />
Identify the leading and lagging metrics that will track skill adoption levels, progress toward the goal, training initiative effectiveness and impact on the business. <br />
</span></li>
</ul>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;">
Measuring for the sake creating data is pointless. Smart training measurement professionals measure skill adoption and business impact to make a measurable difference for both learners and the business.</span><div>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;">Learn more at: <a href="http://www.lsaglobal.com/training-measurement/">http://www.lsaglobal.com/training-measurement/</a>
</span>
</div>
</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4300317074443934078.post-80692442325062443612015-03-31T14:02:00.000-07:002017-06-29T17:37:41.767-07:00How to Significantly Reduce the “Cost” of Training<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEXuVbahyphenhyphenevqiQtU5RzGC0kvKA9q6ShyphenhyphenC-Vx7I6NY3wefaGEqjjMtzJ_U9grj8PtTOkyS77YwxLEFAKJOqONAjmSX0GQU9a2ReFjfqiFj3WpZU44anS6PDf9v072qsK1Pdy41ICBtMTD0/s1600/How+to+Significantly+Reduce+the+%E2%80%9CCost%E2%80%9D+of+Training.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="How to Significantly Reduce the “Cost” of Training" border="0" height="278" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEXuVbahyphenhyphenevqiQtU5RzGC0kvKA9q6ShyphenhyphenC-Vx7I6NY3wefaGEqjjMtzJ_U9grj8PtTOkyS77YwxLEFAKJOqONAjmSX0GQU9a2ReFjfqiFj3WpZU44anS6PDf9v072qsK1Pdy41ICBtMTD0/s1600/How+to+Significantly+Reduce+the+%E2%80%9CCost%E2%80%9D+of+Training.jpg" title="" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "arial";"><br />This training measurement post has been moved to: <a href="http://lsaglobal.com/significantly-decrease-cost-training/">http://lsaglobal.com/significantly-decrease-cost-training/</a></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "arial";">Learn more at: <a href="http://www.lsaglobal.com/training-measurement/">http://www.lsaglobal.com/training-measurement/</a></span></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4300317074443934078.post-74817328398017485582015-02-28T16:51:00.000-08:002015-03-01T16:52:25.112-08:00Relevance, Adoption and Impact - Why You Should Not Measure Training by “Grades” Alone<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSLunJKLvShlNixYJkaUV3KtEKPXtift_vIFKpwDAViTWMhk4mTIDa6rF2Lag1FdN20Edkwih_uL2wpKF5S1vKQ5JDOkQtP_GmLeEBz_-egrbBHtHLaSLvyxNxs9gdbS2Msh5MAwAkHoE/s1600/Relevance,+Adoption+and+Impact+-+Why+You+Should+Not+Measure+Training+by.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Relevance, Adoption and Impact - Why You Should Not Measure Training by Grades Alone" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSLunJKLvShlNixYJkaUV3KtEKPXtift_vIFKpwDAViTWMhk4mTIDa6rF2Lag1FdN20Edkwih_uL2wpKF5S1vKQ5JDOkQtP_GmLeEBz_-egrbBHtHLaSLvyxNxs9gdbS2Msh5MAwAkHoE/s1600/Relevance,+Adoption+and+Impact+-+Why+You+Should+Not+Measure+Training+by.jpg" height="400" title="" width="398" /></a></div>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;"><br />
Let’s assume that you are convinced that training measurement is critical. Let’s also assume that you also already know how important it is to set a clear and relevant goal for the learning and then apply meaningful metrics to track progress and effectiveness while increasing accountability. <br />
<br />
Pretty straightforward, right? But many of us do it so wrong.<br />
<br />
Einstein, that forward-looking genius, figured it out the more innovative approach long ago when he observed German schools measuring success solely by annual grades. He knew that learning effectiveness was much more than how well a student did on a test. He believed that a far more accurate measure depended on overall performance and motivation. We agree – success is usually multi-dimensional. It typically includes some combination of results, relationships and processes at the organizational, team and individual levels.<br />
<br />
Einstein was a lover of learning for learning’s sake. He valued the curiosity that would drive students to dive deeper into a subject for the pure pleasure of learning more about it. We bet he would have little patience with the kind of surface learning and memorization required to excel on the end-of-the-year exams. We bet he could have told us long ago that we should measure how well learning was retained and applied. We bet he would advise companies to spend their money hiring those who are naturally curious and open to change. And we bet he would advocate for more frequent measures and consistent feedback for those learning organizations that want to improve behavior and sharpen skills in the workplace. <br />
<br />
When measuring training, think about:<br />
</span><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;">Relevance to the business, the target audience and their bosses<br />
</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;">Adoption of the new skills, attitudes and behaviors by the target audience and how well they are being reinforced by those who matter most<br />
</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;">Impact on multiple areas (results, relationships and processes) at multiple levels (organizational, team and individual) to get where you want to go<br />
</span></li>
</ul>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;">
Learn more at: <a href="http://www.lsaglobal.com/training-measurement/">http://www.lsaglobal.com/training-measurement/</a>
</span>
</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4300317074443934078.post-26425234729560446642015-01-30T15:23:00.000-08:002015-02-02T15:24:57.000-08:00Measurement - How Good Are Your Managers?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGQRGs9VCXrPki8wYnyqXwoA8nR980CcJsNTGwuSu5YT9SmT1nUFO9PgG1OA4XW3X8kOfnJRxU3GtgnVFc0iGvISWeak7zNk3LLaY6F0RYkfi37DLTUVm7yKXFDhf6_pDdRqmL6S6ASyw/s1600/Measurement+-+How+Good+Are+Your+Managers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Measurement - How Good Are Your Managers?" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGQRGs9VCXrPki8wYnyqXwoA8nR980CcJsNTGwuSu5YT9SmT1nUFO9PgG1OA4XW3X8kOfnJRxU3GtgnVFc0iGvISWeak7zNk3LLaY6F0RYkfi37DLTUVm7yKXFDhf6_pDdRqmL6S6ASyw/s1600/Measurement+-+How+Good+Are+Your+Managers.jpg" height="400" title="" width="368" /></a></div>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;">Employees are not the only ones who should have their performance measured and evaluated regularly. Managers should be measured too! In fact, the performance of managers…good or bad, one-star or five…matters a great deal to the company’s overall success. And, once you have a baseline measurement, managers should be held accountable for their continued performance improvement. <br />
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Training Measurement can assess a manager’s ability to:<br />
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<ul>
<li><span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;">Solve problems<br />
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<li><span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;">Communicate effectively up, down and across<br />
</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;">Prioritize and manage time effectively<br />
</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;">Make sound decisions<br />
</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;">Manage, track and deliver on project objectives<br />
</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;">Manage risks and spending<br />
</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;">Plan for the future in terms of needed team resources and development<br />
</span></li>
</ul>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;">The best managers will want to participate in these assessments so they can focus their efforts on the areas where they need further development. And there is no better way to spend corporate dollars than to invest in developing your managers…where and when they need it to do their job and lead their teams more effectively.</span><div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;">Learn more at: <a href="http://www.lsaglobal.com/training-measurement/">http://www.lsaglobal.com/training-measurement/</a>
</span>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4300317074443934078.post-46683138374107477862014-12-29T12:22:00.000-08:002015-01-06T12:24:08.807-08:00First Know Where You Want to Go and Then How<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE9TryQ_vAQtbRlcSCRrG2qs483XwMyzEUJ9iRU5x-y-1LCgjKunUa-oNvJEpDHvwFnXUCgtcaNgJK2k_I5TaUq1R_EPwQuiOpBkiiEwcoGrUkwvDUDhuSRDRQivjs8SZOkyvZZw3hpCQ/s1600/First+Know+Where+You+Want+to+Go+and+Then+How.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE9TryQ_vAQtbRlcSCRrG2qs483XwMyzEUJ9iRU5x-y-1LCgjKunUa-oNvJEpDHvwFnXUCgtcaNgJK2k_I5TaUq1R_EPwQuiOpBkiiEwcoGrUkwvDUDhuSRDRQivjs8SZOkyvZZw3hpCQ/s1600/First+Know+Where+You+Want+to+Go+and+Then+How.jpg" height="270" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;"><br />
Before you begin any kind of learning and development program, you need to know where you want to go and then how will get you there. <br />
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This is not the time to simply explore…random efforts are costly and do not pay off. You need to wisely choose your destination and then decide which boat will get you to your goal most efficiently and effectively.<br />
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Once your specific objectives have been defined, set up a system of training measurement. Not only will you be able to track progress but you will also be able to measure:<br />
</span><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;">How effective the training has been.<br />
</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;">How well the lessons are being applied on the job.<br />
</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;">What impact the new behaviors have had on real business results. </span></li>
</ul>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;">Because “real business results” are what you are after, right?
Do not embark upon any training journey without clear business goals and a meaningful measurement process.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;">Learn more at: <a href="http://www.lsaglobal.com/training-measurement/">http://www.lsaglobal.com/training-measurement/</a>
</span>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4300317074443934078.post-47319931081760041612014-11-30T13:18:00.000-08:002014-12-03T13:19:51.518-08:00Are Pay-for-Performance Programs Effective? 3 Steps to Take.<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmgWW3RkVzs_evjydgnGgZ2-wCIfTbbl4I816bFCQA1sA-q_9hv2ilhGdRpL2D1faTLqaswt0PfZOK1DdmeAe7VK2IE-bkrBpZmPqe9uP87uVh9q4Ums-UGAIrIAlTVJY9_b0Fm_OxXBo/s1600/Are+Pay-for-Performance+Programs+Effective.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmgWW3RkVzs_evjydgnGgZ2-wCIfTbbl4I816bFCQA1sA-q_9hv2ilhGdRpL2D1faTLqaswt0PfZOK1DdmeAe7VK2IE-bkrBpZmPqe9uP87uVh9q4Ums-UGAIrIAlTVJY9_b0Fm_OxXBo/s1600/Are+Pay-for-Performance+Programs+Effective.jpg" height="320" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;"><br />
There is an ongoing debate about whether compensation based on performance (pay-for-performance) works. Advocates claim that employees who work under a pay-for-performance system are more motivated, productive, strategically aligned and accountable. The overall goal is, of course, to improve work quality and performance.<br />
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According to the International Public Management Review, as of 2005, three-quarters of U.S. companies link at least a portion of their employees’ pay to performance measures. It is a system that is well entrenched in the American workplace. But results seem to vary. <br />
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As training measurement specialists, we have learned that the key to a pay-for-performance program’s success is in what you measure, how clearly you communicate your expectations as an employer, and in the consistency of your evaluation. For your pay-for-performance program to succeed, you need to:<br />
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<ol start="1">
<li><span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;"><b>Specificity</b>: Be specific about the success metrics so employees understand the performance standards they must reach to be rewarded<br />
</span></li>
</ol>
<ol start="2">
<li><span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;"><b>Consistency</b>: Apply the measures fairly, transparently and objectively.<br />
</span></li>
</ol>
<ol start="3">
<li><span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;"><b>Impactful</b>: Be sure that you measure behaviors and results that have a direct impact on business success<br />
</span></li>
</ol>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;">Merit pay can make sense. The key lies in what you measure and the strength of the metrics underpinning your reward and recognition strategy.</span><div>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;">Learn more at: <a href="http://www.lsaglobal.com/training-measurement/">http://www.lsaglobal.com/training-measurement/</a>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4300317074443934078.post-4045051859078457412014-10-31T13:46:00.000-07:002014-11-04T13:49:05.397-08:00The Over-Riding Reason to Measure Training<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXxmTmZehz1XGsivmn6rPj_vaxQprwDlEX2yMbpDMLs5sJaaBxhQUFGeuvf5R9NWmauREWKa_93av5LIdVtYpOOsIBKOVs5tnGMAdVyvMj0B_dzzB3i107f4egvBN1BZv3VDjfiIt8IFs/s1600/The+Over-Riding+Reason+to+Measure+Training.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXxmTmZehz1XGsivmn6rPj_vaxQprwDlEX2yMbpDMLs5sJaaBxhQUFGeuvf5R9NWmauREWKa_93av5LIdVtYpOOsIBKOVs5tnGMAdVyvMj0B_dzzB3i107f4egvBN1BZv3VDjfiIt8IFs/s1600/The+Over-Riding+Reason+to+Measure+Training.jpg" height="368" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;"><br />
The idea of training measurement has plagued many a learning and development department for some time and there is a long list of excuses for not doing it. Here are a few of our favorites...<br />
</span><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;">It is difficult to measure because changes in behavior occur over time and are hard to quantify. <br />
</span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;">We don’t understand metrics because we focus on people, not numbers. <br />
</span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;">Training is inherently valuable and should not be subject to strict ROI figures. <br />
</span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;">Training shows our employees that we care.<br />
</span></li>
</ul>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;">
There may be some truth in each of the reasons why many training practitioners avoid the discipline of measuring training impact.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;">But, you know what? It doesn’t matter.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;">The over-riding reason to measure training is to create accountability, inform coaching and learn what works and what does not work for your specific industry, strategy, culture and target audience. If you want to outperform your competition, you cannot operate simply according to what “feels” right.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;">Just get started. You may not get totally accurate numbers at first but you WILL be directionally accurate. The key is that you will learn as you go and your training and performance coaching will improve…it will be more relevant, deal with real business issues, and have true business impact.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;">Learn more at: <a href="http://www.lsaglobal.com/training-measurement/">http://www.lsaglobal.com/training-measurement/</a>
</span>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4300317074443934078.post-26593984693224925162014-09-30T16:25:00.001-07:002014-09-30T16:26:26.833-07:00Benchmarks for Measuring Training Effectiveness<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrnOoEsL_b1H9VMkcmKIAVlEqhZxSaRWQh-V4Gz6D4z4M0S_JwtjcVG34VBAH07P4rWiYHdflAVTny7PdfZeoPE5gzYXa4APHopn-yog9UXfZlIev6JUnuNA57eKu0sFRPsm4lFQQKgTo/s1600/Benchmarks+for+Measuring+Training+Effectiveness.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrnOoEsL_b1H9VMkcmKIAVlEqhZxSaRWQh-V4Gz6D4z4M0S_JwtjcVG34VBAH07P4rWiYHdflAVTny7PdfZeoPE5gzYXa4APHopn-yog9UXfZlIev6JUnuNA57eKu0sFRPsm4lFQQKgTo/s1600/Benchmarks+for+Measuring+Training+Effectiveness.jpg" height="218" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;"><br />
What are benchmarks and how can they be used for training measurement effectiveness? <br />
<br />
Benchmarking can be defined as a way to compare business practices, processes and results of one company to other companies, usually in the same industry, to see where you stand. In the training world, benchmarks can be used to:<br />
</span><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;">Learn the relative effectiveness of a program<br />
</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;">Gather feedback for ongoing improvement<br />
</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;">Establish targets for future performance<br />
</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;">Inspire new ideas, approaches and stretch goals</span></li>
</ul>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;">The American Customer Satisfaction Index reports on how happy customers are with various service providers. The age-old Consumer Reports is an index of what products are recommended by their users and why. There are multiple metrics for the performance of hardware and software products. But where do you go for training benchmarks?
</span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;"><br /></span>
<br />
<ul><span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;">
<li><b>Take a Baseline</b>. First you need to establish your own metrics…everything from instructor quality to business impact depending upon your unique strategy, culture and objectives.<br />
<br />
</li>
<li><b>Find a Benchmark Index</b>. Then you need to find best practices training effectiveness scores within your industry. Some may be available on the internet for free but it may be more reliable to access data from membership organizations like ATD (Association for Talent Development, formerly American Society for Training & Development). <br />
<br />
</li>
<li><b>See Where You Stand</b>. See how well you compared to the industry as a whole and to a targeted subset of companies dependent upon your objectives.</li>
</span></ul>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;"></span><br />
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;"><br /></span></span></div>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;">
Then you can set your goals for ongoing improvement with some context from how others are doing. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;"><b>A Word of Caution When It Comes to Benchmarking People Practices</b> </span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;">Because every business (even those in the same industry) has a different strategy and a different organizational culture, what works in one company often does not work in another. So while benchmarking typically provides an interesting data point, it rarely provides the differentiated approach required to outperform your competition for your distinctive strategy, culture and talent pool. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;">Learn more at: <a href="http://www.lsaglobal.com/training-measurement/">http://www.lsaglobal.com/training-measurement/</a>
</span></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0