I think the best thing L&D can do is stop first thinking of content and instead think of goal setting/achievement. What is the goal we're trying to help achieve because, as I often find, the resulting intervention, while it may include content, very often requires much, much (did I say much?) more. Our focus should always remain on answering the question "what are we trying to improve?" And if the answer is human performance, I would keep digging and ask why? If we dig deep enough I'm hopeful it's in support of an organizational (business, division, department) goal. We're not just here to help people do better. We're here to help the business succeed. We just happen to do it through people development.
Thinking even beyond the why, it's also important to be able to articulate the business value the efforts are creating, as that can often be tied directly to organization's goals. For instance, clearly articulating how an online certification could save the company an estimated $20,000 per class, or over $100,000 per year, would likely help you gain more support from leadership for the initiative or future initiatives.
That's on point Keith Meyerson. I would go: 1- What business metric has to be improved? 2- What department has an impact on that metric? 3- What learning objectives are needed to achieve improvement on that metric? After answering that, you can tailor content depending on your target audience. Thoughts?
You're right... it can be a little counter intuitive, but as IDs we ask the question, what is the goal, what is the outcome, etc. Then we have to work backward... how do we get there?
Dave Seligsohn
9mo
I like to think of this as a math problem: Here is my Business + [that thing I do] = Better Business Results Measured and trackable. In the end, that thing you do (content and much, much more) should result in change - and change in the right direction!
In the big L&D scheme of things, Training is only a component. Sending an athlete to the gym and giving them a Training Program without explaining why they are training in a particular way and what the goal behind it is will result in decreased motivation and may fail to achieve the desired results, regardless of how good the training program is. So, I agree with you, Keith Meyerson. I believe that while training is a vital part of the big picture, it needs to be carefully considered and it starts by asking the right questions. That's why for example, at FLOWSPARKS, our coaches always think alongside our clients before beginning any content creation. This ensures that the right questions are being asked to address the proper solution. Even if it means sometimes taking a step back from the training to delve into another issue first and then returning to the training later on. 🤷♂️ It is refreshing to read opinions like yours. Hopefully, this will be read and spread, increasing awareness among L&D professionals and helping them raise awareness at the upper levels of the company, ultimately contributing to company growth. And that's our goal, isn't it ? 😋
Keith, we broke our progression when we (euphemistically) decided to decouple engagement and performance from the research in the mid-70s. Perhaps it's time to go" back to the future" and rename Employee Engagement to Organizational Citizenship Behavior. That is what it used to be called. This comment could get big, so I will leave it here and let folks ruminate about it. Have a great weekend.
Bryan Howard
9mo
It's all about behavior change. Content is only useful if it leads to changes in behavior that achieve the correct goal. I think the biggest problem for L&D is that many practitioners abandon the goal as soon as content isn't the answer - "oh, that's not in our scope." If the scope is behavior change, the "development" part of L&D takes on a whole new importance.
Josh Squires
9mo
Your approach and way of thinking about L&D is exactly the shift that needs to happen.
Lance S.
9mo
What business impact do you want to make? Where are you at today? Where would you like to be upon completion of the training? In your opinion, what would you consider a successful training post deployment?
Spot on, Keith Meyerson. How do you ensure alignment between individual growth and organizational objectives in your approach?