“Send everyone through training!” 
 
The call echoes through the halls of many organizations today.  And when performance issues persist after training, you hear “Send them through again!”  What actually is the problem?  Training is not the giant band-aid to fix every problem.  Like an over-prescribed antibiotic, training becomes more ineffective every time it is misapplied.
 
The effects of the misapplication of training seem harmless, but when you look at the big picture, you see the results of this overuse are extremely damaging and costly.   When training is applied to a problem it can’t solve, the credibility of the trainer is damaged, employees spend time away from their jobs with no consequent improvement in performance, and the organization wastes valuable resources on the development and delivery of instruction that doesn’t solve the problem. 
 
How do you know when training is the appropriate answer?  According to Seth Leibler, CEO of CEP, The Center for Effective Performance, “Performance Analysis is the key to diagnosing workforce performance problems and determining realistic solutions.” 
 
Dr. Leibler suggests that you turn to experts like CEP to conduct a performance analysis of the critical work gaps in your organization.  A performance analysis provides valuable information such as: 

• Monetary cost of performance problems to your organization
• True causes of performance problems --lack of skill, lack of motivation, lack of accurate supports like systems and information
• Realistic and economically feasible solutions, including “fast fixes”

Based on the results of the analysis, it is easy for you to determine whether the performance problem can be solved through training or not.  For instance, if the analysis determines that employees occasionally perform correctly, then you know that they do have the skills and training will not solve the problem.  If, on the other hand, you determine that employees could not do the job even if their life depended on it, then they do lack the skills and training can at least partially solve the problem.
 
“Applying training to a problem that it can’t solve negatively impacts your organization on many levels,” says Leibler.  “We at CEP are experts in helping organizations diagnose and solve performance problems through training and non-training interventions.  We have found that when organizations make the investment upfront on a third-party opinion, they save tremendous amounts of money in the long run.”
 
The workforce performance experts at CEP apply state-of-the-art, research-based tools that can help your organization identify and solve performance problems.  For more information, go to www.cepworkforceperformance.com or call us at 770.458.4080.