For decades the research has shown and the professional Learning and Development community have intuitively known that supervisor engagement makes a difference to training transfer.  Or to be more specific, if a training participant’s supervisor is actively engaged and supportive before and after a learning initiative, then the transfer of learning to on-job performance (training transfer) is likely to significantly increase.

However, what has been less clear is EXACTLY what a training participant supervisor should be doing to make the BIGGEST difference.  What are key types of support that supervisors should provide trainees?  We (the professional L&D community) have become used to and comfortable talking in catch-all terms like ‘supervisor support’ that – when you get right down to it – are not terribly illuminating for us as instructional designers or helpful to those participant supervisors who are relying on us for guidance.  By studying more closely the full spectrum of ways in which a supervisor might support a training participant, it should be possible to find more nuanced ways for supervisors to support their trainees and thereby increase the degree of training transfer and business impact from our training initiatives.

The new study

This was the premise for a recent study Promote International conducted in collaboration with a team of leading researchers; Brian Blume (University of Michigan-Flint), J. Kevin Ford (Michigan State University), and Jason Huang (Michigan State University).  Directly after the training intervention, training participants were asked to complete a survey asking them about their motivation to transfer the training.  A second (delayed) survey administered a few weeks later assessed the trainee’s perceptions of their training transfer and level & type of support they received from their supervisor.  A third survey was administered to participant supervisors asking them about the type & level of support they gave their trainee, as well as their rating of the trainee’s transfer of training.  The study gathered 394 survey responses from training participants and 38 supervisors across 4 different companies and nearly 50 training programs.

Different types of supervisor support

Before we get to the findings let’s take a closer look at the types of supervisor support the study considered.  In order to assess what kind of supervisor support had the most influence on training transfer the surveys included specific items that captured three types of support that a supervisor can provide a trainee;

1. Direct or Behavioral Assistance – Instrumental and appraisal. Requires behaviour from supervisor (beyond verbal interaction) or deeper investment/involvement in two-way communication/ interaction to effectively set goals and give feedback.
2. Guidance – Information, explanation, advice, guidance; but more of a general nature (e.g., verbal exchange) than getting deeper into goal-setting and giving specific feedback related to transfer attempts or behaviours, which would require more ‘hands-on’ actions related to the training.
3. Emotional Support – encouragement; affective expression; empathy

The results – so far

So, what have we learned so far? Results showed some backing for thinking about supervisor support in terms of the three types conceptualized above.  However, perhaps more interesting was the fact that results showed that the three types were highly correlated.  This suggests that trainees could not or did not differentiate much between these three types of support, and/or that supervisors who were rated high in providing one type of support were also very likely to be rated high in providing the other types of support (or vice versa, those supervisors that trainees rated as low-to-moderate on one of the support dimensions, also were rated low-moderate on the other support dimensions).

In addition, a regression analysis of the data indicated that trainees’ overall level of supervisor support had a larger impact on their training transfer than their reported motivation to transfer.  This indicates that supervisor support is a key to training transfer and suggests that all three types of supervisor support can be important to facilitate transfer.

The findings of the study are still somewhat tentative due to limited supervisor responses.  However, we have learned enough from this first phase to further explore how these three types of support might be combined and optimized to maximize training transfer.

Learn more in our upcoming webinar

If you would like to know more about the study, please join us for the upcoming webinar “How Manager Engagement Effects Training Transfer”.  We will share the specific supervisor support items covered in the study as well as a useful checklist job aid.

If you would like to receive the full report of the study findings or would be interested in joining the next phase of the study, please contact us: promote@promoteint.com.

Not so long ago, pre-pandemic, many in the Learning and Development industry were delivering face-to-face, classroom-based training. The move into digital and virtual was a disruptive element but by no means was it a universally accepted method of delivery, by customers and service providers alike. In many cases, digital tools and virtually delivered elements were perhaps an add-on at best. Perhaps having a virtual kick-off, or viewing the digital tools available very much for administrative or support purposes only. Their job was to let the stars shine in the classroom.

A lot has changed as a result of the ongoing pandemic, which now looks like it will be far more of a disruptive factor in this industry than was thought not so long ago. When speaking to customers, there has been a wait and see approach in the hope that things would return to normal once this was just a particularly unpleasant memory. Now, this view is changing as the news headlines talk about new outbreaks of Covid-19 and that there may not be a return to normal until sometime next year – the hope anyway. The realization that virtual delivery of L&D programmes may not be the short-term fix that was intended but instead might just be the new normal is felt by many that we have spoken to.

The short-term solution is not here to stay

What this means is that many of us are having to rethink our approach to delivering training and really get going with a conversion of our programmes into digitally supported and virtually delivered offerings. This time not as a temporary stop-gap until the pandemic passes but as a genuine approach to future delivery. For many this is somewhat unsettling, not least because it requires a different approach from face-to-face training, the subject matter may be the same but actually the differences, whilst in many cases quite subtle, require programmes to be re-worked from the bottom up. It may have been accepted as a temporary solution to deliver some hours of PowerPoint driven material but this has its challenges and is less likely to pass muster in the longer term.

Our customers require and demand an effective approach to delivering their programmes that offers them the quality that they want and at the same time leads to change in the participants afterwards. The purpose, after all, of Learning and Development programmes is to train the workforce to meet the challenges of today and tomorrow and there is also increasing pressure from business to ensure that these often-costly undertakings lead to real results. We may have been able to get away with a temporary solution for the last few months but this is increasingly untenable as we see the disruption we are experiencing lasting well into next year.

The great fear of something new

Though not everything has been in vain, the steps that have been taken over the last few months have set the Learning and Development industry up for future success if only we can take stock of what has happened and really press forward with the digital approach.

One of the game changers that has resulted from social distancing is the rapid uptake of digital methods in the course of work. Prior to the pandemic, there was some hesitation in going fully digital because of the fear that would be participants would be unable to really partake in digitally delivered, live programmes. This fear and the ease of holding face-to-face sessions often lead to using the tried and tested methods over trying something new, which might lead to unknown problems. Only yesterday, I conducted a survey of facilitators and their main fear when asked about challenges in their organization was the unpreparedness of participants to participate in virtual trainings. This fear of the unknown persists and it’s still a challenge to have the discussion around the necessity of having a digitally supported, virtually delivered programmes.

What we have seen is that participants in most cases are more proficient at using digital tools that we give them credit for. The last few months have required most of us to familiarize ourselves with digital meeting tools and even the idea that blue-collar workers are technically unsophisticated is challenged. What happens when they go home from work? They turn on their tablets, mobile phones, and computers and just like the rest of us, live in the digital world. This provides us with an opportunity, to embrace digital as a method of delivering programmes.

The greater challenge

We also have to be honest about another challenge, an uncomfortable one. Many of us are unprepared to deliver virtual training – we simply do not have the digital material available to go virtual. Most of our material has hitherto been aimed at the classroom, where a skilled facilitator can display their skills. Suddenly, we need to provide digital aids, to reproduce material that works in a digital format and create the videos that we need to make such sessions really fly. There is an increasing number of ways to host videos but that doesn’t really seem to be the problem. Rather than the precise content that we need for our company doesn’t exist and has to be created. Many of us are having to start from scratch in creating the material we need, or at the very least trying to curate the content that exists somewhere in the organization. Whilst it is not so difficult to do, it is a new skill set and takes not only time but also money to get it right. With the hope that we were going to be able to return to the classroom, there has been a delay in creating long term solutions, but it’s now looking as though we will have to build programmes from the bottom up once again and generate the digital material that we need.

Digital tools have come a long way

Additionally, gaining buy-in within our organisations for the digital approach is not as straight-forward as may be thought. It’s all very well for the L&D department to understand and support the move towards digital solutions but it’s still an uphill struggle to persuade our organizations. Senior managers are familiar with face-to-face training and so converting them to something that is seen as being potentially risky is no simple task. That there will be costs and time required to redevelop programmes that may have been running successfully in the past is not a welcome message. Similarly, there is still the hope amongst trainers, both inhouse and consultants alike, that the move to digital is unnecessary and that the good old days will come again. Too many times in the last few weeks have we heard that digital delivery is impossible for this or that programme. It is true that not everything can be turned into digital training, particularly when it comes to on-the-job training, but much of what used to be delivered in the classroom can and should be.

The argument to provide digitally supported and virtually delivered training should not come down to whether there is a pandemic or not. Actually, it should be judged on its own merits and not in response solely to the current situation. Digital tools have come a long way and we can really deliver something special today. Not something that is a simple replacement for classroom-based training but something that gives us more opportunities than we ever had in the classroom and the potential to support performance in the workplace that simply was not possible before – well not in a replicable, reliable manner.

Digital is here to stay – so where do you start?

The move into digital is happening right now and the questions is: are we on board or not? Whatever happens in the future, digital is here to stay. This is not to say that there will not be some return to classroom-based training, but this will be based on a compelling case to hold such sessions rather than being the default, first-choice option.

To get going there are some requirements:

• A common approach as to how we are designing programmes is a good starting point. A means by which we have a similar understanding and starting point when it comes to delivering programmes in the digital world.
• The support of an internal champion, to gain buy-in, take the challenge. Also to perform the duty as someone who has the mandate to make the changes and overcome the obstacles, who often come in human form, that are needed to gain momentum and uptake of digital delivery.
• An internal expert or access to a subject matter expert who can smooth the transition to an effective approach from everything from design through to delivery and application.

Having these resources should not only get the move into digital underway but support an organisation through its L&D transition.

Set up for success

Success doesn’t just reside within L&D and top-management stakeholders. If we are going to succeed in this journey there also needs to be revaluation of what is required to get the successful application of learning to work in an organisation. That managers at all levels can no longer expect to have their direct reports go away for a couple of days and come back “uploaded” with a new approach. Instead, we are going to have to get buy-in from managers that their direct reports need to apply learning on the job and that they will need direct support to successfully apply what they’ve learned. That participants will be attending a training for extended periods of time but that this is designed to deliver results directly to the business. We will have to gain the commitment of managers in supporting their direct reports to achieve the results that we are after. Equally, when it comes to Performance Management, there needs to be a direct link to what has been learned and what has been applied and that there is an expectation to apply when someone goes to training and that it’s not just nice to have. It has long been the cry of Learning & Development professionals that gaining management commitment at the hands-on level has been a challenge and, unfortunately, they will not be able to gain this without organisational support.

There are challenges in converting to a digital approach but they are not insurmountable. They require dedication, a change in mindset and a budget. Digital should no longer be seen as a temporary replacement for classroom-based training in times of a pandemic but rather as a means that organisations can achieve their business objectives in an effective manner. After all, the cost of getting it wrong will not be solely reflected in the classroom but in the balance sheets of the organisation which we serve.

When changing and transferring competence and behaviour, you need a good portion of commitment and training to get the results you want to achieve. Today, organizations talk a lot about creating a “learning” culture. All to often, this means that the focus lies on creating the content and thereafter create a program connected to the content which is offered to parts of or everyone in the organization. Do you recognize the approach?

A great example from my own experience and I am sure a lot of others are with me on this, was when GDPR was entering the world. My organization set up a training program considering how GDPR would affect our organization. Like other organizations, this training contained the same content with the same structure, a 45 minutes long e-Learning created to reach every employee within the organization. The training program was well written and the content was supposed to cover everyone’s needs on the subject, regardless of your role in the organization. Time and money were put into this training aiming to give all of us the best content. But it was only one training program…

How did it go?

First of all: it took me more than the estimated 45 minutes to get through the training and pass it. I lost my focus within seconds into this modern e-Learning and my mind went somewhere else. I had to start all over at least 5 times before I passed. It turned out I was not the only one going through the training this way. How come it turned out like this? This was an expensive, rich in content and well-produced e-Learning, designed with multiple presentation methods, all from reading and videos to digital quizzes.

What really happened?

First of all, the most obvious reason was that at least 75% of the content was not specifically connected to my role, which made it really hard for me to stay focused multiple times, and which got my mind to go somewhere else. Secondly, even if there were a few alternatives on how to get the facts presented to me, the only thing I could do was to sit and just watch my computer during the training, with a few exceptions to do tests and ticking of checkbox alternatives. Was this inspiring?  Motivating? Connected to my challenges? No, definitely not! I was not more dedicated – rather sleepy! The intention of the organization was good and we should not stop designing training programs for our employees. HOWEVER, what was overlooked was to design the training according to the results the organization wanted to achieve – and to implement it!

How do you design a successful Learning Journey?

It is essential when designing a successful learning journey, that will lead to a behavioural change for the participant, that it is designed with the result in mind. It should start with what you want to achieve as the starting point.

1. First of all, the participant needs to understand the purpose of the training and the results the training should contribute to. This will inspire the participant to commit to his or her learning journey, understand why the training is taking place and what the expectations are. The results are rarely achieved without commitment or understanding. Moreover, it is also important to create and maintain the commitment for the participants since the seed of commitment could easily die if you do not nurture it properly.

2. The foundation in the training is to give the participants the tools they need to take in the content and facts in the subject so they can practice and develop their skills. Make it clear and make sure the participant has the opportunity to really understand the content and its purpose.

3. Create an opportunity for the participant to practice and make progress. The goal is not necessarily to get a new skill set for the participant, it could also lead to strengthen and increase the awareness and self-esteem within the area of expertise. Make sure that the participant has an opportunity to practise on the job what he or she learnt as a part of the training!

4. Give the participant time to reflect, to him or herself as well as in the group, and make sure you are in the assignment as active support – do not leave this part to e.g. a digital quiz. When a participant is having a wow-experience through reflection, the chance to make a change is significantly higher. A winning method to achieve the wanted results is when a leader is involved and supportive throughout the process. For a participant to implement his or her new knowledge with the support from his or her manager makes the learning journey stick when the participant returns back to work.

What is essential to get results?

When a training program’s sole purpose is changed behaviour, which basically always is the goal, we cannot only distribute our training through one digital course catalogue. To actually accomplish the wanted results and changed behaviour you need a properly designed learning journey – and above all – a platform that supports all the 4 points mentioned above – otherwise you are making it harder than it has to be. The time for monotonous training packaged as e-learnings on your computer or in a classroom is over.

To encourage commitment and results it is a Learning Journey we are going to design, not a separate training event. The learning journey is designed to make the participant improve and for the organization to follow the progress, behavioural change and results of the employee.

So, back to the trending “learning” organization. Let us learn – with a clear purpose, goal and expectation on what this investment in time and money means to both the employee and organization.  Furthermore, let us start with a good learning journey design and a platform that makes it tangible!

Learn more!

Would you like to know more about designing a learning journey? Read more about our Brinkerhoff Certification – for High Performance Learning Journeys®!

A pandemic has arisen all around the world. And no, we are not only talking about the Covid-19 disease, but we are also talking about the pandemic of systemic racism – at the workplace, at our homes and in society. So how do you change someone’s mind and behaviour? Steve and Allison Mahaley, Red Fern LLC, has created a digital learning path based on the High Performance Learning journey methodology to help organizations interrupt the system of systemic racism. 

In the news

It’s alarming.  We, globally, are witnessing a pandemic unfold as of this writing – a pandemic that disproportionately affects people of color and other minority groups.  While we may be thinking, rightly, of the COVID-19 disease, there is another pandemic that has been gripping the US since its inception – that of systemic racism[1].

In the US

The murder of George Floyd (and others) has turned the spotlight on deadly racism[2] here, but other countries around the world are certainly not immune to this particular disease.  In fact, there are long and terrible histories of racial domination, exclusion, enslavement and marginalization all around the world.

Organizational impact

It would be comforting to think that the external context of systemic and ongoing racism does not affect our organizations – our workplaces, our teams, or our collective performance.  Of course, that would be naïve.  Studies abound that point to the advantages that inclusive environments have for performance[3], and the power of psychological safety[4] to unlock trust and innovation within teams.

It’s personal

We believe everyone is somewhere on a continuum of awareness, acceptance,  understanding, and engagement on issues of systemic racism. We also believe that it is important for leaders to help others move along this spectrum toward more inclusive work cultures which in turn, will lead to more inclusive communities. Many people are ready to do something about racism but are unsure where to start. We believe that every place is a good place to start – there is no ‘bad’ starting point.

Everyone is invited to learning and do more.  Simply activating curiosity to learn more about the experience of others, and more explicitly connect one’s values to one’s actions can turn into powerful motivation.  Once the values of inclusivity and human understanding are elevated, it is important to understand the field of play – the dimensions in one’s life and work where they can act as agents for change.  We have identified four such dimensions:

• Personal: Deepening one’s own understanding and knowledgebase about unconscious bias, historical and current context of racism
• Work: Forging authentic cross-cultural relationships in the workplace that are rooted in mutual respect
• Inner Circle: brave conversations we can have in our families and with friends regarding race
• Outer Circle: The work we do civically to disrupt and change the systems that have been revealed

What to do

Changing patterns of thought and behaviour takes time.  This must be a journey of personal insight, growth and action.  We have designed what we term a ‘personal high performance learning journey’, borrowing heavily from the work of Prof. Robert Brinkerhoff.  In fact, we have used the structure and components of high performance learning journey design to create courses designed for the would-be ally[5].  These courses are open to the public, and tailorable to our corporate and non-profit clients.

The common denominator

It begins with the individual, declaring their intentions, understanding context, becoming acquainted with their own bias, and then building a skillset for productively interrupting the systems that (often unwittingly) limit opportunities and performance.  Yes, public declarations by CEO’s of opposition to racism[6] are welcome, but the real work of anti-racist action begins at home, with you, and us.

Learn more at our upcoming webinar with Steve and Allison!

Register for our upcoming webinar: Powering a Personalized Learning Journey for Anti-Racist Allies

Curious about how you can build your own learning journeys? Learn more about our High Performance Learning Journey certifications program here!

Sources:

[1] https://theconversation.com/weve-been-facing-a-pandemic-of-racism-how-can-we-stop-it-140284

[2] https://theconversation.com/white-nationalism-born-in-the-usa-is-now-a-global-terror-threat-113825

[3] https://www.mckinsey.com/business-functions/organization/our-insights/why-diversity-matters

[4] https://rework.withgoogle.com/print/guides/5721312655835136/

[5] https://myredfern.com/open-enrollment/the-white-ally-toolkit/

[6] https://qz.com/work/1864328/ceo-statements-on-race-matter-more-than-you-think/

Talk of learning journeys in the world of training and development has become so commonplace that it is easy to lose sight of why we are making this shift.  Let’s take a moment to remind ourselves and get to the essence of why we should build learning journeys… and in particular, why we should build high performance learning journeys. Spoiler alert: it’s not because they are easy or require less effort.

Perhaps it is easiest to begin by considering what the alternative to a learning journey is. In terms of training design, we usually describe the polar opposite of the ‘learning journey’ as the ‘learning event’.  A learning event might be anything from a couple of hours to a few days; the only uniquely defining characteristic is it’s ‘stand-aloneness’. Sure, there might be an invitation with a nominal description of the purpose and goals. There might even be an action plan at the end. However, all the action really happens (and is expected to happen) in the event itself. Participants see their responsibility as turning up and paying attention. After that, they have done their bit!

At this point, I would like to add a disclaimer. I am writing this blog post making the assumption that there is at least some sort of wish, desire or outright requirement for a participant to use their learned knowledge to benefit the organization they work for – why else would the organization invest good money in such an initiative?

Why do participants not use their knowledge?

So, with my disclaimer out of the way let’s consider the chances of the event-based approach reaping benefits for the organization. The research of thought-leader Professor Robert Brinkerhoff has repeatedly shown over several decades that participants of stand-alone learning events are unlikely to use their knowledge and skills in impactful ways. There are several reasons for this; here are three of the key ones:

1. Identifying the most impactful scenarios to use new knowledge and skills is by no means easy or obvious – especially for soft skills training like communication or diversity and inclusion. Finding powerful ways to use new skills requires ongoing dialogue and discussion.
2. When the daily workflow runs counter to the application of new skills – guess what gets deprioritized? Yep, application of news skills every time… UNLESS the participant’s supervisor is also invested and ensures priorities are guided towards the application of new behaviours.
3. Sustained behaviour change will require support, encouragement and feedback to help participants develop and feel confident using their new skills in their real performance environment. Without this support, participants that experience difficulties on their first application attempts will likely give up.

Design training for results

So, if we want to see more results from our training initiatives our training designs need to a) help our participants to identify the most impactful application scenarios, b) include the participants’ supervisor as an invested stakeholder and c) provide repeated opportunities to practice and receive qualified feedback in the performance environment – all of these design characteristics indicate a more process driven approach… more of a learning journey.

Importantly, this definition of a learning journey is not just breaking the event into smaller pieces and stretching it over time – that approach just takes a longer time to produce no impact for the organization. No, our definition of a learning journey puts the focus on the bits ‘in between’ the learning events. These are the bits where participants traditionally struggle and need support. These are the bits where the business impact is created.

Improve the business impact with extended reach

Traditionally, learning professionals and training designers have been reluctant to concern themselves with what happens ‘outside the classroom’ because of their limited reach; i.e. once the participant has left the classroom, the learning professional has no influence or control and can therefore not take responsibility. However, by employing combination of performance focused learning journey design principles with a learning transfer platform like Promote, it is entirely possible to not only extend that reach but to significantly improve the degree of business impact.

Learn how to build high performance learning journeys

So how do you start creating learning journeys and business impact with a measurable result?

• Watch the webinar: Uncovering the truth about Learning Journeys – stretching on more than time
• Learn more about our High Performance Learning Journey certification program
• Download our Impact study to learn more about the impact of learning journeys and the HPLJ method