Every company has a strong interest in the personal and professional development of its employees. In larger companies, human resources development manages this process. In smaller firms, it is usually an additional task of the HR department. Why should companies invest in seminars, training, and other professional development events for their employees?
The obvious answers are:
To keep the skills and knowledge of employees up to date or to expand this knowledge.
To ensure that all employees in the company are aware of (legal) regulations and processes to standardize them and develop a quality standard.
These goals ultimately aim to increase productivity and reduce costs. This sounds cold and mechanical to me when it is listed so bluntly. I am glad that during good training sessions I did not feel that these things were the main focus. I had the impression that I was working on a topic in training that I wanted to further develop. In professional seminars, I was curious about how the content would flow into my work. I believe I am not the only one who feels this way.
Many employees see in further education opportunities for development offered by the employer. There are direct connections between satisfaction with training measures and overall job satisfaction. It is also known in personnel marketing that opportunities for further education determine the attractiveness of the employer and thus influence the choice of employer before hiring. Every employee is always happy about skills and knowledge that allow them to work faster, easier, or less stressfully. On the other hand, employees think about career opportunities, and further education naturally plays an important role here.
What about the issue of training transfer?
The human memory unfortunately does not work like a computer. It would be very nice if we could permanently store information and retrieve it as often as we want—especially when this information seems particularly relevant. Since this is not the case, we need pens and paper, smartphones, computers, and other technical tools that serve as extensions of memory. The brain is good at generating ideas but not very good at retaining many ideas at once. It is similar with new behavior. Sure, someone can tell us what to do. However, it usually takes a few tries before the new process is firmly established. Training transfer deals precisely with these two topics: retrieving learned information (i.e., learning retention) and applying new behavior in work practice. In my last article "Success Recipe Trainer Training Training Transfer", I presented the various definitions of training transfer in more detail and explored various explanations for training transfer. These explanatory models reveal several factors that influence training transfer. These factors can generally be divided into three groups: the learners/participants, the training concept, and the work environment. In this article, I would particularly like to highlight the work environment and the role of leaders for training transfer.
Training transfer and leaders
The leader plays a special role in promoting training transfer. Generally, leaders serve as role models for the values and attitudes of the company through their behavior. This also applies to further education—both for their own training as leaders and for that of the employees. Unlike trainers, leaders are present at the scene, spending more time with employees and knowing them well. Through their leadership role in the company, they also take on the role of supporter, as a leader can provide time, money, and other resources.
Zach Davis and his team provide leaders involved in Zach's development programs with information about the progress of individual participants and suggestions for action week by week. For example, if an employee has not yet engaged with the online content after two weeks, the leader can inquire whether there are problems logging into the system or if there is another reason. Zach also advises leaders to discuss the training topic during meetings or informal discussions in the hallway. Leaders should try to stay informed, discovering what is going well for individual participants and whether there are ideas on how to tackle the challenges of the training program within the company. The ideas are developed together with the employees. How this exchange takes place is less important (e.g., on the platform via comments and questions or in conversation with colleagues on-site). What is important is that participants do not feel left alone and discuss the further education.
Tip: Simple trick to involve leaders If a detailed report to the leaders seems too extensive for your case, you can make it even simpler: just invite the leader as a participant in your course and encourage them to view the short content each week. The leader knows what the employees learn and can engage and motivate them without reporting.
Leaders and trainers support each other in preparation and care
Trainers work closely with leaders because leaders have the opportunity to prepare and support the transfer during the various phases of training. This can begin, for example, before the training by rethinking training content, expectations, learning objectives, transfer strategies, and time resources, and planning them with the employees. In preparation, the trainer also occasionally needs to involve the works council. This is important for the acceptance of the training. If it is understandable how participants are supported, for example, through online accompanying measures, then there is a green light.
Here, it is important for the trainer to present which information is collected through online support, which evaluations are NOT possible, and how the planned measures (e.g., self-tests vs. exams) relate to training transfer. After training, leaders ensure that sufficient opportunities for implementation (i.e., chance to perform) exist. Regular feedback helps the training participant in setting goals and implementation. For participating employees, it is better if the leader on-site takes care of support while the trainer additionally assists. The leader knows much better about the topics and challenges in the employees' everyday work. After the training, the leader can consult with the trainer on whether it makes sense to implement further measures. This could be another in-person appointment, a meeting for individual coaching, a conference call, or even a webinar, depending on the topic and the goal of the event.
What contact have you had with leaders during training? Was there a support measure that particularly appealed to you? Share your experiences with us.
