I recently took a poll with several LinkedIn participants to find out how you have used training and coaching to tackle organizational workforce development. See my earlier post…
The world-renowned expert on the design of training,Robert F. Mager’scomments about the learner – “there is only one justification for instruction: it is that one or more people cannot yet do something and there is a need for them to be able to do it.” He also states that “people often don’t do what they know how to do because of one or more of the following reasons:
- They don’t have the tools to perform as desired.
- They aren’t given the authority to perform as desired.
- They don’t know what they are expected to do.
- They are punished for performing as desired.” (Making Instruction Work, Mager, 1988)
Those of you who responded to my initial question on LinkedIn made comments about how we learn.
- It’s easy to forget what you learned in training unless you have a way to internalize the learning and apply it.
- A learner wants to understand what they are learning, how to apply it, and how to evaluate performance or results.
- A learner can be empowered with hands-on practical information.
- Even if someone learns something, do they have the discipline to make personal changes in behavior?
- The learner wants to first begin by understanding, then learning and ultimately teaching oneself.
- As a learner I expect to receive only a “Nugget” of information that I can use from training. I expect and usually experience significant impact to unconscious perceptions and behaviors when I am being coached.
- The learner wants guidance in decision-making.
- The learner needs follow-up after class by the employee and their manager regarding how will they use what they learned.
From your comments above and my understanding of the principles of coaching, I would suggest that there are a lot more than the few reasons Mager provides for why people perform or not. As coaches through the inquiry process we work with the learner to uncover and reflect on the unique set of circumstances, belief systems, strengths, etc. that motivate us to learn and perform as we think we should.
How do you make decisions when deciding whether to invest in training or coaching? How do you measure your results?