How to make sure training is transferable and learning sustainable 

A farmer in Nebraska commented after the attack on the World Trade Centre – “Strange that ideas created in a cave in Afghanistan should have such an immense effect on my income”. We live in a world where interdependency and relationships characterise the development of our society. Actions that occur in one place have a systemic ripple affect which many of us under-estimate. At work we’re expected to understand and deal with problems that are dynamic – they keep changing – and that are complex because they have a systemic basis. The pressure is on to understand other functions and view problems holistically. So, how does all this affect learning?

To build a sustainable learning environment you need to focus on the long-term and the big picture. Using a Systems Thinking approach helps you look at the causes of problems, rather than simply dealing with symptoms. From a learning perspective the challenge is to make sure interventions work on the whole system. There are a number of ways to make learning sustainable which are outlined below.

Transition of HR to a Business Partner Role

By adopting a consultancy approach, and working more closely with business stakeholders, HR can identify the real causes of business problems and co-create the best solutions. This means training isn’t used as the only solution for all performance problems. 

Problems may relate to poor management not lack of skills among staff. A gap in the communication process or a lack of understanding between departments may also be a source of concern. Solutions to issues may involve any of the following:

• implementation of a new or improved process
• a different method of learning
• on-the-job facilitated team problem-solving
• cross-functional action learning groups to learn how different areas approach a similar challenge

By knowing the players, identifying the causes, challenging mind sets and being proactive, HR can add far more value to the business. And yet HR is still falling short of taking on this role in many companies.

A partnership takes time to build. Trust comes from really finding out about the business, being proactive, delivering on your promises and building the relationship at the same time. We’re happy to share here our learning at Speak First in helping organisations develop their consultancy capability and transition to a business partner role.

Aligning Organisational Culture to Learning

HR and L&D professionals often debate and discuss ways to make learning sustainable so they can maximise their investment in training. Learning doesn’t just take place in the training room. Success depends on a number of factors such as the organisational culture, whether learning outcomes are aligned with corporate objectives, the value employees place on learning, and how much time is set aside for people to learn.

Manager as coach

For the culture to support learning, learning has to link to organisation development initiatives. There needs to be top level sponsorship with senior managers being both role models and overt advocates. For this to work senior managers must openly acknowledge they’re still learning – acquiring new knowledge, skills and capabilities – and demonstrate good practice in people skills. Line managers need to believe in, and sell, the value of development. When they monitor and coach performance after training it sends a strong message that the culture values learning.

Sometimes champions need coaching in how to:

• position the programme
• share their own learning goals
• put their values into action
• demonstrate commitment to the process

Whether you opt for coaching or not, letting managers know their role in supporting this process is critical. Managers need training in how to coach as well as to experience for themselves the value of coaching. The role of the HR Business Partner is to support them in their transition to a coaching role.

Processes must be aligned

HRD professionals need to build learning capabilities within their organisations. Research suggests that learning how to learn and where to find information brings insight and discipline to employee development. These are generic life skills and are transferable across the workplace. They help an organisation remain flexible in the face of unpredictable future conditions. But their importance is rarely recognised in organisations at present, even by HRD professionals. Nowadays, the HRD professional needs to enable learning among employees, rather than just deliver or direct it.

If processes are in place to support this, learning is more likely to be integrated into culture rather than being seen as a separate activity. Such processes include knowledge management systems, access to the internet, technology which stimulates learning, post training activities and monitoring.

Learning as a process

Learning doesn’t just take place in the training room, nor does everyone learn the same way. For learning to be sustainable it can’t be treated as a training event but a process. When training is part of the solution, participants need to be engaged before the event and after so they can apply learning to the workplace. The challenge for developers of flexible learning is to encourage ownership through choice. They need to use methods that address different learning styles, levels of skills and knowledge, and time available. The whole ‘package’ must be integrated to reinforce learning. Below are some ways to sustain learning beyond training we’ve used successfully at Speak First.

Pre-course

• Self or 360° assessment to measure organisational competencies or, for example, communication styles. We have easy-to-use tools and software to enable this
• Pre-reading – this can reduce theory on the course or provide useful background
• Mini research project
• Completion of a range exercises
• Client survey
• Structured discussion with manager
• E-learning exercises/simulation
• Baseline measurement tool

Post-course

The aim of post-course activity is to reinforce learning and workplace application.

• Action Learning Sets This is a powerful method to resolve relevant business issues through facilitated peer support. They require a structure, facilitation in the early stages and you need to train participants in how to manage them for themselves, how to sustain the set and how to extrapolate personal learning from the challenges that others face
• Coaching Whether from managers or external coaches, this has been demonstrated to substantially increase transfer of learning when done in conjunction with training. Published studies report 80-300% increase in productivity when coaching is combined with training
• Project Work to apply learning If associated with high level sponsorship it increases accountability, fulfils an organisational requirement, helps develop a systemic approach and perhaps gives exposure to senior management. By involving managers it builds their ownership to learning
• Regular topic-related learning tips by email
• Creating a forum or chat room to express ideas and ask questions
• Triggers to check application of end of course action plan (email, postcard)
• Buddy system Stimulating an ad hoc peer support system than action learning
• Follow up Course This can develop new skills, reinforce skills in the initial course or review any project work or specific actions undertaken in the interim
• Manager Follow Up This is critical to signal the importance of learning, to transfer learning to the workplace and to measure its effectiveness
• Sharing insights Creating a mechanism where participants share tools and learning with rest of the team
• Accrediting learning towards an accepted qualification
• Measurement What gets measured gets done, so investing effort here builds credibility internally for learning. Identifying hard and soft measures, reviewing their impact on stakeholders

By adopting a systemic approach to learning you’ll strengthen your organisation’s flexibility to deal with issues straight away and benefit from those innovations and efficiencies that new ways of learning inevitably bring.