How High Performance Organizations Get the Most Out of Training

Best Practices from the Science of Training

Training works, if it is well designed.  Researchers have been studying training methods for 40 years now, and they've got robust evidence to show that done right, training boosts organizational effectiveness. NASA and the US Navy recently sponsored a study to find out what cognitive science, engineering, and industrial psychology have taught us in the last few decades. The project’s lead author, Eduardo Salas at the University of Central Florida, found that it’s crucial for training systems to be properly integrated into the organization. His report identifies the keys to spending training dollars wisely.

1.  It may seem obvious, but the first thing to consider is whether you really need training at all. Decide if the issue is actually structural or organizational. If it is, don’t waste time and money throwing training at problems it won’t fix.

2.  Do a needs assessment. What are organizational needs, and then what skills, knowledge or competencies are required to fulfill those needs?  Make sure that the training program is tailored to these needs.  There are lots of fads and glitzy technological delivery systems out there but only use training programs that have measurable effects on job performance.

3. Do a personnel assessment. Identify which employees have the greatest gap between  competencies and requirements and focus on those employees. Don’t train everybody unless there is a specific reason to.  

4. Make sure the training is suited to the needs of those whose skills need upgrading. Older workers, for example, may require a slower pace to master new technologies.

5.  Teach supervisors how to focus on training’s benefits and make sure it is regarded positively within the organization.  Introduce training as an opportunity to advance the employee’s career, not as a test or an indictment of his or her incompetence. On the other hand, don’t oversell it. Unrealistic expectations lower performance.

6.  Maximize learning by not overloading trainees with too much content. Focus on what is crucial to know and how to access the rest.

7. Teach error tolerance. Build in difficulties and challenges so that trainees have the opportunity to fail.  Good training teaches emotional as well as cognitive skills. Employees need to become comfortable with detecting and correcting their own errors.

8. Model proficiency and competence with the new material or skill, and make sure the training includes practice and feed-back. 

9.  Create ongoing learning by debriefing afterwards and linking trainees into communities of practice.

10.  Minimize skill decay by scheduling training as close to its application as possible. 

Read the Study: The Science of Training and Development in Organizations: What Matters in Practice  (free)
By Eduardo Salas, Scott J. Tannenbaum, Kurt Kraiger, and Kimberly A. Smith-Jentsch