CHAPTER 6
The Success Structure for Designing, Deploying, Delivering and Evaluating the Learning Process

In this chapter we review a structure that helps to develop training in a way that builds value for the budget holder, enhances benefit to the participants and gives the central training management the business case to support the investment needed. This is more than merely trying to evaluate what additional revenues have been generated, or costs saved, or efficiencies improved as a result of a particular piece of training. It means that we need to look at the total process.

The training process

The planning, deployment, implementation, evaluation and reinforcement of training are complex even when working in a single culture. Line management, ideally assisted by the central training function, has to bring together resources from both inside and outside the organization, work across functions, fitting in with performance appraisal and talent recognition systems to plan and deliver the training and to ensure it produces results. For international management training the process is even more difficult and fraught with pitfalls.

The very challenge of this total process is often of such enormity that many organizations remain content to just deliver training activity on the assumption that some training must be better than none. However, the return on the investment will be considerably multiplied by using a structured, proven methodology to plan, manage, control and reinforce the training activity. The simple outline of this structure is shown in Figure 6.1.

Training must be relevant to the business. This relevance is determined by the business objectives and strategy, which identify how the business relates to its environment. The knowledge, skills, competences, behaviours and attitude needed to implement the strategy are identified. Relating these to the existing situation enables the competences gap that training needs to fill to be scoped. The training is then planned, implemented and evaluated and its impact should be manifest in improved individual, group and company performance. In turn this impacts on training needs and the training cycle continues.

Figure 6.1 The training cycle

It is important to highlight a number of issues:

• Training is not an altruistic endeavour to improve people. Its primary function is to improve company performance.
• Training occurs within the framework of company strategy and is one of the tasks involved in the implementation of that strategy and the achievement of company objectives.
• The identification of the impact of training on results achieved is fundamentally important. Sometimes this can be straightforward as, for example, with production line workers learning particular assembly procedures. Sometimes it is more difficult, for example assessing a course on enhancing cultural sensitivity. A distinction frequently made is between hard and soft skills training with the impact of the former being easier to assess than the latter.
• The training process is cyclical, not a one-off or a series of individual events. It only works if the process continues after and between training events.

The outline process shown in Figure 6.1 can be developed at a number of levels. For example, Figure 6.2 expands the 'planning, conduct and evaluate' part of the process by one level.

Figure 6.2 Planning, conduct and evaluation of the training process

Each part can be expanded several more levels. The resulting model is quite complex. To make it easier to understand we have developed and synthesized the total training process in one acronym.

SUCCESS is the name of this process and its application will lead to it.

But before explaining each part of SUCCESS, we will sketch out a model of the different phases through which the training function evolves against which it is helpful to relate the training process.

Levels of organization training commitment

Each organization is different in terms of its commitment to training. Some will see it as a key strategy for achieving and maintaining competitive advantage in the market. Others may view it as a necessary expense that should be kept to a minimum. From our work with many organizations we have observed that there are broadly four different training phases or levels, through which organizations tend to evolve over time. These are shown in Table 6.1 with a summary of the characteristics of each level.

The most basic form we call 'trainee driven'. At this level, all or nearly all training is induction training for new recruits at operator level and possibly first line management. Beyond this it is in response to individual managers asking to receive training usually by attending outside courses.

The second level, manager driven', places more emphasis on managers identifying the training needs, mostly by observation, of their subordinates and agreeing it with them. Training usually takes the form of attendance at outside courses with occasional in-house programmes.

Level three, 'TNA driven', is characterized by a more systematic attempt to identify training needs through some form of training needs analysis (TNA). A view is taken of the

Table 6.1 Levels of organization training commitment

job requirements and competence gaps identified. This process is usually co-ordinated through a central training/HR manager who will also be responsible for organizing the provision of training to meet the identified needs.

During the fourth level, 'strategy driven', the training is explicitly related to company strategy and both the short- and long-term impact of the training on results are assessed. It is seen as a key driver in achieving competitive advantage. Basically, the philosophy is that people are the limiting resource within the business. That is, human capital is the main inhibiter to the achievement of corporate abjectives. Therefore its value needs to be increased. Sustainable competitive advantage is subsequently created through having people consistently perform better than those in competitor companies. Training is the strategy that leads to superior performance. It is seen as an investment rather than a cost.

The model is applicable to companies operating in a single country and to multinational/global companies. As the latter tend to be larger and generally more sophisticated they will tend to be in level three or four, but not necessarily.

The attitude of operating management to training varies across the four levels. Management in organizations in level one tend to regard training as an unfortunate necessity that removes people from the workplace and negatively impacts on their productivity. They almost welcome negative reports about the training that their subordinates have attended as it means the likelihood of anyone else wanting to attend is reduced.

Level two manager attitudes are more neutral. However, of prime importance is that the training is directly related to the workplace and to the particular practical situation faced by trainees.

Managers in organizations at level three will be more positive about training but still tend to regard it as a cost. Some may feel a little resentful that thinking about and working on their subordinates' training now takes up a significant proportion of their time. The increasing power of the HR/training function within the company can also give rise to negative reactions.

At level four, training is embedded in the organization and perceived as a core activity. It is an investment that will pay back over a number of years just as an equivalent investment in a new factory would be expected to do. Indeed, training could be thought of as a 'virtual people factory'. These types of organization generally have a strong reputation for developing their people and are well respected. Managers will take pride in this reputation and seek to maintain and develop it further.

Although presented above as four distinct levels of training evolution, there is naturally some overlap between them in practice. However, the model is useful, and we will return to it later in this and future chapters, in order to identify the extent to which the training process described below is applicable.

The Success training methodology

All too often the implementation of training is perceived in terms of the solution rather than the business problem that the training will contribute to solving. For example, an individual may be prescribed a course on 'effective communications' because it is felt that they do not currently have strong skills in this area. Whether the training will make any difference to the results achieved by the individual for the business relates to whether it addresses the issues that will lead to improved results.

It therefore makes more sense to consider the business issues first and then the role of training in resolving them. For example, the business issue may be that the company has an unprofessional image in the market. Several activities including training may be required to resolve this issue, of which communications skills training could be one. Further, if the problem is a significant one it is probable that a number of people will need to be trained across a number of knowledge and skill areas, not just those who feel their communication skills are inadequate.

A well-structured approach will ensure that organizations both deliver the correct training - 'Do the right things' - and also conduct and maintain the activity to produce maximum value - 'Do things right'. This approach is summarized in the SUCCESS model a comprehensive description of the total training process. It provides a step-by-step guide to each element that the trainer should consider when designing, implementing, deploying and evaluating training. This powerful framework enables the trainer to develop and apply training that is relevant to both the organization and the trainees as well as facilitating the management of the whole process.

Each letter of SUCCESS represents one step in the training management process - Survey, Understand, Create, Conduct, Evaluate, Strengthen, Sustain. Each uses a specific set of tools and produces prescribed hard and soft outputs - the training context frame, training strategy, SOCMAT, action plans, participant records, learning and training evaluation reviews, implementation dashboard, training portfolio analyser. An overview of the process is shown in Figure 6.3. The stages are:

Figure 6.3 The SUCCESS training process

• Survey: to establish the context for the training activity and the business issues it will address, thereby ensuring it fits into the overall corporate priorities. This involves developing an insightful appreciation of the organization's priorities and strategies.
• Understand: to establish the training strategy, identifying the various forms of training that are appropriate to contributing to the resolution of the business issues. Key requirements are that training is a relevant input, that it addresses and contributes to the solution of the relevant business issues and that it is congruent with the culture of the organization.
• Create: to develop the course architecture and a detailed plan of training actions including courses, mentoring and so on, and the associated time-scales.
• Conduct: to put in place the training to deliver the learning. This stage includes developing a detailed plan for the implementation of the training. All the required information should now have been gathered. The training materials are prepared and the training implemented.
• Evaluate: to put in place procedures to monitor the business impact of the training and to measure the changes. This stage looks to establish the short- and long-term changes that the training has on the participants' attitudes, behaviours and the results they achieve.
• Strengthen: to implement methods that reinforce the training messages. This stage is concerned with the provision of support and assistance to the trainees to implement the learning in their daily work and change their behaviours. Importantly the operational and organizational enablers must be in place to allow the learning to be put into practice.
• Sustain: giving management the tools to ensure the learning becomes a part of the normal way the organization does business, providing the platform for further training and development. This stage covers the use of training events to build an organizational learning culture.

Each step of the SUCCESS process generates a number of tangible outputs, which are the inputs into the next step. These outputs are:

• Training context frame: in the survey stage, business issues to be addressed and the role of training therein are identified.
• Training strategy: in the 'understand' stage, the training methods that are applicable, their links to the management processes operating in the organization and the time-scale for implementation are specified.
• SOCMAT: In the 'create' stage, the objectives and main learning points from each session are detailed (see page 68 for further details).
• Action plans and participant records: in the 'conduct' stage, the actions that participants intend to implement following the training course and a record of participants' performance on the course are delivered.
• Learning and training evaluation reviews: in the 'evaluate' stage, the extent that each individual has achieved their learning objectives following the course and the overall impact of the training are assessed.
• Implementation dashboard: in the 'strengthen' stage, the extent of implementation and the extent to which the enablers have been put into place are monitored.
• Training portfolio analyser: in the 'sustain' stage, all the training made available is analysed to assess its impact on the implementation of the organization's strategy.

In turn this then feeds into the 'survey' stage, for the next cycle of training.

Applying the Success model to particular organizations

Readers will, while reading the previous section, have related the applicability of the SUCCESS training process to particular organizations with which they are familiar, and probably concluded that not all parts are applicable or even feasible in particular instances. Clearly the conditions that are present in unsophisticated training organizations, described as 'level one - trainee driven' in our model of organizational training commitment, are not conducive to the implementation of all but a small part of the 'conduct' stage of SUCCESS. On the other hand, organizations at 'level four - strategy driven' will be able to implement all of the elements of SUCCESS.

As a guide, Table 6.2 gives an indication of the parts of SUCCESS that are applicable in whole or in part to each level of organizational commitment to training.

The dilemma facing the HR director described at the beginning of this chapter becomes

Table 6.2 Application of SUCCESS to each level of organizational training commitment

clearer when put into the context of Table 6.2. The level of organizational commitment to training was at level two - management driven. In fact the role of the central HR function in training had only recently emerged and was still regarded with suspicion by many operational managers. It would therefore appear that there is little that could be done to get stronger buy-in from line managers to the training until the organization has developed further to level three and even level four. This would not be true. It should still be possible to show some link, albeit at an anecdotal rather than scientific level, between training, changed behaviour and results achieved. However, for reasons that are now apparent, the HR director would be unwise to expect this to have a major impact on the attitudes of the line managers, although it would probably be of more than passing interest to the finance director.

Through the remainder of Part II of this book we will look at each stage of the SUCCESS process and identify a number of tools and techniques for the trainer to use in developing and implementing training across varying cultures. Here, we are essentially concerned with structures and processes. In Part III we will address the very specific steps that trainers need to take to deliver exceptionally successful training in an international context.

Summary

Unless training of international managers is perceived to be generating good returns to the business, the holding of training events will tend to be an on-off activity mirroring the economic performance of the company. Four levels of organizational commitment to training have been identified - trainee driven, management driven, TNA driven and strategy driven. Companies evolve through these levels. Generally, multi-national companies will be more sophisticated and are likely to be at levels three or four although there are many exceptions.

Relating the training process to the company's strategy ensures a holistic approach and enhances the likelihood that it will deliver business results. Further, it will increase the buyin from line management to the training and generate greater support, which the HR director referred to at the beginning of this chapter perceived as a problem.

The acronym SUCCESS neatly sums up the seven steps to implementing the training process - Survey, Understand, Create, Conduct, Evaluate, Strengthen, Sustain. Each step has a number of specific outputs. The extent to which each part of SUCCESS can be applied is dependent on the level of commitment to training that the organization has reached.

Although SUCCESS is equally appropriate when managing local training processes, the need to apply it for international training, for reasons discussed in this chapter, is even more important.

Benchmark your organization

Readers will have subjectively positioned organizations they are acquainted with at one of the four levels of organizational commitment to training. To make a more objective judgement, answer the benchmarking questions in Table 6.1.

Tick the response to each statement that is nearest to your perception of the actual current situation.

For each tick in column A, score 1 point; B, 2 points; C, 3 points; and D, 4 points. Add up the number of points.

Action plan

• If the score is between 7 and 12, the organization is at level one - trainee driven.
• If the score is between 13 and 18, the organization is at level two - management driven.
• If the score is between 19 and 23, the organization is at level three - TNA driven.
• If the score is between 24 and 28, the organization is at level four - strategy driven.