Leading the Transformation From Training to Learning

It is vitally important that learning opportunities be a part of an organizational plan and that training programs become learning experiences for attendees. The investment of training dollars is wasted unless instruction results in learning experiences. CLOs need to incorporate four steps into any learning effort: determine the nature of the training, prepare learner-based training, demonstrate the need for the instruction and give the learners opportunities to apply what was learned.

Determine the Nature of the Training
In “How to Manage Training,” Carolyn Nilson warns that “…one of the biggest mistakes a training manager can make is to get carried away by the enthusiasm of a fellow manager who says, ‘I need you to develop a course for my people’ or by the CEO who declares, ‘We need more training around here at every level.’ In the rush of excitement created by being asked, and in a desire to please an important customer, a trainer throws a seminar at a problem that wasn’t a training problem at all.”

Because of this, Nilson writes, training evolves into an “adhocracy of unplanned responses,” which is far from cost-effective. While each of the four stages listed is important, determining exactly what learning opportunity is needed helps CLOs direct the effort correctly, ensuring that the professional development evolves into learning with a return on investment. The assessment at this stage demands answers to questions such as:

• What problem are we trying to solve, or what opportunity are we trying to capitalize on?
  
  
• Who needs the training?
  
  
• Will this have only short-term value, or will the organization benefit over the longer term?
  
  
• Will the learning be supported when the participant completes the training experience?
  
  
• Should the learning experience be extended beyond one individual to a level or discipline within the organization?