What Happens In The Absence of A Learning Strategy
- Adam Spacht
- Jun 23, 2024
- 4 min read
How much time do we have?
Lets start with tactical level training disasters,
Having 700 slides two hour session.
It was an all day virtual session and the presenter literally lectured the entire time
Training on software, but not letting you use your computers to see, touch, feel, or taste the software
Usually where corporate training goes wrong is that there's no defined session objective. There's no analysis on the front end to say, what is the, the business issue we're trying to solve? There's no alignment between the training itself and big picture business issues.
Training is often just a data dump of here's everything about everything, as opposed to, being laser focused on the key need to know points.
All laid out out in a very simple to follow crawl, walk, run methodology.
Unfortunately, most people are set up to fail by being asked to deliver a training but then given no instruction on what good training looks like.
We've done your ice breakers. It's really miserable for the audience. What about when there is no strategy for training in a company?
Our first example comes from a member of NBT Nation.
The firm has multiple locations, 10 plus sites, each site is responsible for the orientation and onboarding of new hires at their location.
The organization already problems with staffing, problems with attracting talent.
Their onboarding process is 10 plus different versions at 10 different locations, very heavily relying on shadowing at a number of different locations.
There is a corporate level training group, but they don't have the wherewithal to manage all these different sites.
The employee churn is through the roof with people leaving the company within weeks, if not days.
The new hires ramping up to effectiveness is quite poor.
Let's review the pitfalls of this approach
Impact on the customer
Lack of employee confidence
Hand me down tribal knowledge about processes and procedures
Limited ability to infuse organizational ethos
Ok Adam, give us another example
So our second example from NBT Nation comes to us from the financial services world for a customer service type role.
When you call into the 800 number and you have to update your password or move some funds around these individuals would be the voice at the other end of the phone.
New hire joins the company is supposed to get an approximate one month training program to learn all of the various systems of that institution.
And they have a number of them.
Sounds great, right? There's a training program, month long, fantastic.
After three days, this individual had their training cycle truncated because "we're just too busy" and we're thrown into the fray.
The support from their manager? "Call me if you got any questions"
Of course the manager isn't able to perform the role they manage so the individual is forced to frantically backchannel message whoever is available on the team for answers.
For nearly every customer interaction.
Let's review the pitfalls of this approach
Frustration for the new employee
Wasted time for the organization and the customer
Process and procedures understanding reduced to word of mouth
Nearly every single call a customer is told, "Let me place you on a brief hold"
High turnover in those roles.
High customer dissatisfaction levels reported in via surveys
The best part of this example?
Some time later the individual was asked to train the next batch of new hires!
So the organization actually had training prepared but the leadership didn't ensure management followed through.
Ok Adam, surely you don't have more examples of organizations not having an overarching learning strategy?
Sadly I'm afraid I do.
In fact I have so many examples I started a show called NBT Reacts! to respond to them in real time and provide, in a humorous way, opportunities to improve.
The third example is a quick one.
Individual joins large, fortune 500 type manufacturing company.
Completes short orientation with HR and then placed in job role.
Zero job skills training on systems, processes, procedures.
The managers direction, "I expect you to know what to do and sort out what you need".
I suspect you already know how this story ends.
In less than a year they exited the company.
Simply put "I hired you to know" and "figure it out" are outdated approaches and the hallmark of poor leaders.
Build a training to support onboarding. It doesn't need to be complicated. Even a couple day program can pay massive dividends.
Let's review the pitfalls of this approach
Cost to source, recruit and onboard a new hire
Cost to start the process all over again
Opportunity cost of what that person might have contributed
Frustration for the employee
Impact on the customer from jobs not being completed
So lets answer the question of what happens in the absence of a learning strategy.
Customer dissatisfaction
Wasted time and money for the company
Employee frustration
Employees quickly leaving the company
Cost from that turnover
No year-over-year growth because the hiring manager is stuck in a never ending hiring cycle
Simply put, there is a simple solution to all of this.
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