Training Industry Magazine - September/October 2021 - 9

SHARIEM SATERFIELD, CPTM
GUEST EDITOR
LEVEL SETTING PERFORMANCE
IMPROVEMENT VERSUS TRAINING
Training professionals already know that
performance improvement and training
are not the same thing. Performance is
based on much more than knowledge.
After all, knowing how to drive fast
does not automatically qualify someone
for NASCAR!
True
performance
improvement
requires analysis and a willingness to
modify management practices, business
processes, tools and established
methods of operation to increase
effectiveness, efficiency and output.
Without these considerations, the
best a training practitioner can hope
to achieve is knowledge transfer and
improved employee motivation.
This truth is often lost on our nontraining
stakeholders. It is a lot easier
to request training than it is to conduct
a root cause analysis of a performance
problem. So how can training managers
properly
level-set
expectations
when they are asked to improve
employee performance?
Remember that many stakeholders
do not know that there is a difference
between knowledge and performance.
Rather than push back on a request and
cause frustration, introduce the concept
of performance improvement versus
training in your intake process.
TERMINOLOGY MATTERS
Use terminology that differentiates
training events from performance
improvement projects. Review your
project request forms and intake
documents and look for ways to
showcase the difference. Example:
The goal of this project is to:
* Inform staff. Communicate new
process, tool or guideline information
required for operational purposes.
* Educate staff. Conduct training for
knowledge transfer and job preparation
purposes.
* Improve staff performance. Work with
management to identify and solve for a
specific performance-related challenge.
Introducing the concept of performance
improvement through the intake process
can help stakeholders understand
the difference between training and
performance improvement.
USE DATA
Request data-based support for training
directives and quantifiable post-training
evaluation criteria. Help your stakeholders
to identify which performance challenges
are actual priorities by having them
quantify their perceived problems and
their desired results. If there are no
metrics to support their training request
and no quantifiable post-training goals, it
may help them to realize that they do not
have a performance-related problem.
PROVIDE FEEDBACK
Make performance analysis feedback
part
of your instructional development
process. Always ask to speak with staff
who are meeting or exceeding the desired
business goal before creating content for
performance-motivated training. Managers
rarely know why their star performers
succeed where others fail. It may be up to
you to find out and to share that information.
By sharing direct employee feedback
from star performers, stakeholders can
learn about the non-training factors that
contribute to employee success.
TRUE PERFORMANCE
IMPROVEMENT
REQUIRES ANALYSIS
AND A WILLINGNESS TO
MODIFY MANAGEMENT
PRACTICES.
TIE SUCCESS CRITERIA TO THE
GOAL BEFORE THE PROJECT
If stakeholders want staff educated, then
the number of people trained, as well as
acceptable Level 2 assessment scores,
should
suffice
as
success
standards.
If stakeholders want behavior change,
they need to be willing to discuss the
factors that impact employee behavior,
including resources, work environment
and employee morale. If an increase in
output is desired, stakeholders must be
open to a discussion about current tools
and resources.
Help your stakeholders align their
training expectations with their desired
performance results. Do not allow your
training department to be blamed for poor
performance that education alone cannot
fix. Accountability should be rooted
in reality, not fantasy. So, keep it real
my friends!
Shariem
Saterfield,
CPTM,
has
over
20 years of training and professional
development experience. She is the owner
and principal consultant for Saterfield
Coaching and Consulting. Email Shariem.
TRAINING INDUSTRY MAGAZINE - PERFORMANCE IMPROVEMENT I WWW.TRAININGINDUSTRY.COM/MAGAZINE
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Training Industry Magazine - September/October 2021

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