A common complaint about conventional training programs is that after a while it’s all forgotten. Especially for the so-called “soft skills.” The workbooks and binders languish on the shelves and old behaviors have returned. In some cases they never left. In any case, the questions begin to fly: What was accomplished? Why do we bother? Why doesn’t training stick?
I’ve done many, many workshops and training modules over the years, most of them custom designed for various clients. Sometimes I’ve been very optimistic that the training will stick, in others not very much. I see a number of problems at work here, but it really comes down to issues of cultural and individual change. We’ve all heard the stories and conventional wisdom about change and I’m not going to get into that here (other than say it’s not always accurate).
We conduct training to change processes and people’s behavior. Companies do not change easily unless the leadership has created a culture that values continual learning and improvement. The culture must support this; it must simply be part of how things are done and if you work here we expect it of you, too. Unless there is a commitment at the very top to this, communicating and leading by example, no one else will take it seriously and training will never produce the collective change wanted.
On the individual level, there has to be an equal commitment to change and improvement. Ideally the culture should support it and that will influence the individual to think and behave accordingly. However, I have seen individuals in my workshops incorporate what they learn in an unsupportive environment simply because they want to. That’s admirable. It shows initiative.
Companies spend millions on training each year. Unless they create a culture that values and integrates change and improvement, that’s millions wasted. Don’t listen to odd HR jargon like “extended learning systems;” build a culture that values change and rewards improvement.
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