Do You Really Need Training? How to Identify the Right Solution

Sometimes the biggest challenge in Learning & Development isn't creating training – it's determining whether training is needed in the first place.

On the one hand, L&D teams are often understaffed, so important training gets pushed to the back burner. At the same time, training often becomes the solution to every business problem regardless of whether it will actually be effective.

You’ll hear people say, x isn’t happening, so we need training, even if they don’t know what’s causing x to happen in the first place.

Training is only one of many solutions available to organizations, and it isn't always the most effective one.

So, when is training the answer? And how can you find out before investing time and resources into a solution that might not work? In this article, we'll discuss:

• The Common Scenario: Training as a Blanket Solution

• Will, Skill, or Hill: The Cause of the Problem

• Conducting a Root Cause Analysis

Let's dive in!

THE COMMON SCENARIO: TRAINING AS A BLANKET SOLUTION

Throughout this article, we’re going to use this example:

You’re a program manager at a manufacturing company. For decades, your organization has utilized a paper process for maintaining manufacturing records. While this paper system has worked well enough in the past, the company is looking to minimize input errors, better manage files, and optimize the ability to look at trends and data.

About six months ago, the company rolled out new software to replace this paper process, along with training to teach employees how to use it.

Now, six months later, executive sponsors of the initiative are frustrated because software usage is down. Many people simply continued using the paper process rather than migrating to the new system. The sponsors tell you they want more training created to ensure everyone knows the system.

While this might not be your exact experience in your role, this is a highly common scenario. Many people automatically assume adoption of a new system, software, process, skill, or behavior is directly tied to the training the learners receive. As a result, when something goes wrong, they often assume more or better training is needed.

Now, don’t misunderstand me here – sometimes training is definitely the answer. I’ve made a career off these situations! The problem is, without more information, we don’t know whether training is really the right answer or not. Without the right data, you can’t provide your executive sponsors with reasons why training isn’t the answer, or perhaps at least not in the way they’re thinking.

So, how do you find out whether you need training? The answer lies in root cause analysis.

WILL, SKILL, OR HILL: THE CAUSE OF THE PROBLEM

In the corporate world, change is nearly constant. Processes are optimized, job titles fluctuate, headcount is added and reduced, projects and initiatives come and go. Every day has the potential to bring changes, large and small. Employees are not only expected to handle their day jobs but to navigate these ongoing changes, too.

In most cases, change comes as a result of solving a business problem. Organizations are always trying to optimize, to make more money for less effort, time, and cost. Pretty much every change you can think of falls into this category. While we can’t help employees handle every single change, we can help them with larger or more meaningful ones, especially when their participation is required.

This is actually where the idea for the name Phoenix Learning Solutions came from. The phoenix is known for being a symbol of transformation, and here at Phoenix, we develop training that makes change more manageable.

But training is only one way change is navigated. To determine the best ways for a given scenario, we have to look at the business problem and the employees’ current behavior, knowledge, and skills. For this article, we’re going to focus solely on situations where employees are expected but failing to perform, such as in our scenario earlier where employees are asked to use new software but aren’t. This is the type of situation where training is regularly requested but not always the most effective solution – or even downright unhelpful.

So, what should you do? Well, you want to look at the root cause of the employee’s performance. Why are they failing to do something? Who or what is causing it? To do this, you conduct what’s called a root cause analysis. The result will tell us vital information about the problem.

Many instructional designers use a simple model for mapping root causes into three categories: will, skill, or hill. These describe the type of cause and, by extension, what can be done about it. This concept comes from the Skill Will Matrix, created by organizational psychologists Paul Hersey and Ken Blanchard in the 1970s to assess employee motivation and performance. The “hill” part is a modern addition to this concept.

• WILL: A will issue describes a problem where employees know how to do something and have the means to do it but lack the motivation. Perhaps the change is perceived as too difficult. Perhaps it costs them additional time or frustration, so they simply don’t want to do it. Perhaps they find the change unnecessary or demeaning. If they were convinced of the benefits, they could do the thing.

• SKILL: A skill issue happens when employees want to do something but don’t know how because they don’t have the knowledge, tools, ability, or some combination of these. Perhaps they were never taught how to do it, or perhaps their initial training was incomplete or confusing. It’s also possible the new thing is truly outside the employees’ skill set. If they were taught how, they could do the thing.

• HILL: A hill issue occurs when employees really want to do something and know how to do it, but an obstacle is getting in their way. Perhaps they don’t have the time or resources to do the thing, so they truly can’t make it happen. Perhaps their leadership is telling them not to prioritize it. If the hill was removed, they could do the thing.

From this list, the only time training is definitely necessary is when it’s a skill issue. But for the other two, training needs are less clear.

Let’s use our previous scenario to diagnose the cause using all three types of issues and prescribe potential fixes.

• WILL: A root cause analysis reveals that employees aren’t adopting the new software simply because they prefer the paper process more. It’s simpler and faster. Using the system still requires them to write notes on paper and then transfer them into the software, nearly duplicating their efforts. Leadership is allowing them additional time for this process, but they’re frustrated by being asked to do more work.

THE FIX: The employees already know how to use the system, so developing training won’t help anything. Instead, employees need to be emotionally brought on board with the change. Senior leaders need to bolster them with the benefits of the software – and more importantly, how those benefits are valuable to the employees. Also, you can build a network of change champions, or employees well trusted by their peers, who back the software and can help spread the desire to use it.

• SKILL: A root cause analysis reveals that employees aren’t adopting the new software because they don’t know how to. The training they received initially was very short and all in eLearning format, so when they’re actually using the software, they can’t easily refer back to the training. The system itself isn’t very intuitive, and there’s nowhere they can reach out to for help.

THE FIX: New and better training is needed. In this case, the employees need something they can easily refer to at the time of need like a process guide. Depending on the complexity, they may need live training sessions or at least a forum to ask questions and receive prompt answers.

• HILL: A root cause analysis reveals that employees aren’t adopting the new software because their managers are telling them not to. Their managers prefer the paper process and think the change is unnecessary and slow. So, although the employees have the knowledge and desire to use the software, they're unable to act against their managers' direction.

THE FIX: More training for the employees won’t help this situation since they can already use the system but are being blocked from doing so. That said, what might work well is soft skills training for the managers to explain to them the importance of rallying behind corporate initiatives and following direction from senior leaders. Another solution is for senior leaders to hold department meetings with their managers to discuss the importance of adopting the software and holding their teams accountable to using it. Regular follow-up from senior leaders will be crucial for proper adoption.

As you can see, each scenario has a different fix, and training isn’t always the answer. In fact, in some of these situations, rolling out new training will be entirely useless! The work of Geary Rummler and Alan Brache, pioneers in performance improvement and organizational process analysis, emphasizes the importance of identifying root causes of performance gaps before implementing training solutions.

More often than not, the answer won’t be quite so simple as this and will require a combined approach, such as both training and more rallying from senior leaders. Even if training is the answer, it usually isn’t the only lever you should pull.

CONDUCTING A ROOT CAUSE ANALYSIS

Conducting a root cause analysis to see if training is required is a fairly simple process. It basically involves having conversations with different employees in the business to determine why the change isn’t happening and what would help them better succeed.

Here are some tips:

• Talk with Multiple Employees: This will depend on the size of the audience, but you’ll want to talk with at least several employees. If you talk with only one or two, it’s very likely you’ll end up with incomplete or biased answers. The more people you talk to, the more themes will emerge, giving you confidence in how you choose to move forward.

• Talk with All Levels: To really get a good understanding of what’s going on, you shouldn’t only talk with managers or only with individual contributors. Every level of employee affected by the situation should have a couple employees representing them. For instance, talking with at least 2 individual contributors, 2 managers, and 2 directors is a good start.

• Talk with Adopters and Dissenters: You don’t only want to find out why people aren’t adopting the thing. You also want to hear from the ones who are doing it. Find out what’s going well for them and why they chose to do it. The more angles you explore, the more complete of a picture you’ll get.

• Frame the Conversation the Right Way: This has the potential to be a very delicate conversation. You’re essentially asking why some employees are failing to do their jobs correctly. Because of this, you have to be very intentional about how you navigate these conversations. Start by ensuring the employee they’re not in any kind of trouble and that your goal is to help them. Explain that your job is to help provide the right tools or resources for them to be successful. Remind them that anything they don’t tell you can’t be fixed. If possible, hold these conversations face-to-face, preferably over coffee or lunch, to help put employees at ease.

• Keep Conversations Confidential: Unless the employee expressly gives you permission, don’t reveal any names to your project team or executive sponsors. If you want real, accurate answers from people, especially dissenters, they have to feel secure that there won’t be backlash for being honest. Make sure they know at the start of the conversation that their answers won’t be tied back to them.

• Ask Questions and Let Them Talk: You should do 10% talking and 90% listening during these conversations. Ask questions like what they think of the change, why they are or aren’t using it, what would help them to use it, and if training were going to be built, what would they like to receive. If they're giving short answers, gently probe for details, but otherwise, let them do the talking.

• Be Gentle: Some of their reasons might be difficult to discuss, such as in the example of their managers keeping them from using the system. You need to pull answers out of them enough to gather useful information but not so much that people feel interrogated or uncomfortable.

Remember that at the end of the day, everyone wants the same goal: for work to be efficient, simplified, fast, and effective. Your goal is to help the company get there by supporting the employees in whatever way will be most helpful to them.

WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR YOU?

The bottom line is, regardless of how it may seem, not all situations can be fixed by training. If you’re here on this page looking for training, the first thing you want to ask yourself is: Does the problem truly require training?

If you've determined that training will help you solve a business problem, we'd love to help! Start our intake form to discuss your training needs.

If, however, you aren’t sure, use this process to walk through a needs analysis! And if you need some advice, we’re here to help! Send us a message to get started.