Training Industry Magazine - Summer 2022 - 39

and if you carry out those instructions, you
will get to your destination.
Everyone uses workflows in their dayto-day
lives, even for something as
mundane as going shopping. For grocery
shopping, the sequence of activities is
something like - write a list, find your
car keys, drive to the supermarket, get a
cart or basket and so on.
Notice that a critical success factor for
a workflow is starting with the end in
mind, and for this discussion, that's
behavior change.
me to develop the desired behavior? "
Think about the skills you would need
to practice, and what you would need
to know to practice those skills. Think
about the support you would need on
your journey to the new set of behaviors.
And of course, ask the trainees. Tell
them the desired behaviors, and what
criteria you will be using to measure
when those behaviors are present. Then
ask the deceptively simple question,
" What would you need and when would
you need it to change your behavior in
this way? "
L&D is used
to delivering
content, but
you need to
think outside
that box.
take place over time. How many actions
and how much time? That depends on
the complexity of the change, the size
of the gap between the present and the
desired behavior, and the environment
the actions will take place in.
To proactively change behavior, you
must create a set of step-by-step
actions that will reliably get someone
who takes those actions across the
identified behavioral gap. In effect, you
are seeking to create a workflow. If you
think about it, any change in behavior
requires a workflow to embed it.
WORKFLOWS
A workflow could be defined as, " An
orchestrated and repeatable pattern
of activity that reliably transforms what
exists into a desired output. "
When you program a destination into your
GPS, it creates a workflow for you. That is,
it creates a set of turn-by-turn instructions,
START YOUR
DESIGN PROCESS
Now you can begin designing your
program so it enables your trainees
to cross the identified behavioral gap,
and consistently exhibit
behaviors going forward.
the
desired
One obvious place to start is to look
at those who have already made this
journey and are currently exemplars of
the desired behaviors. How did they
cross the behavioral gap? What do they
believe, and what do they do now that is
different from what they used to believe
and do before they crossed the gap?
What would they suggest other people
need to believe and do to cross the gap?
Another approach is a simple thought
experiment. Ask yourself,
" If
I was in
the trainee's shoes, what would I need
to do and how long would it take for
TRAINING INDUSTRY MAGAZINE - SUMMER 2022 I WWW.TRAININGINDUSTRY.COM/MAGAZINE
At this stage you should have enough
information to start building a rough
workflow skeleton. To put flesh on that
skeleton, you need to consider some
other factors.
WHO ARE
THE TRAINEES?
Build a persona for your typical trainee,
in much the same way marketing people
build a prospect persona. Who are the
trainees, and why would they engage
with your workflow?
What do they need to know and
understand to say, " I want to do this! " , " I
will persevere! " and " I know I can do this
if I get the right help and guidance along
the way. "
The mindset of the trainee is critical
because if they don't follow the steps of
the workflow, they are very unlikely to
get to the desired destination.
WHAT ACTIVITIES?
L&D is used to delivering content, but
you need to think outside that box. Think
experimentation, practice, reflection,
collaboration,
discussion,
sharing,
research, enquiry, study and yes, also
content consumption, either pull or push.
Deliberate practice with a defined goal
for each practice session is going to be
a big factor in helping people embed
a new behavior. If you are doing
something new, do you expect to be
good immediately? Practice is required
to do things well and automatically.
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Training Industry Magazine - Summer 2022

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