HOW PSYCHOLOGY CAN IMPROVE TRAINING
In the current economic climate budgets are being reduced, and it may be tempting to see training as an easy target for cutbacks. However, training is more important than ever during these times of recession.
Training should be seen as an investment, not only for the individual but for the business as a whole. Everything should therefore be done to make sure that the investment is worthwhile by ensuring the training programme is an effective one.
Research has shown that an employee that has had training invested in them is much more productive than one who has not. A good training programme can also boost morale, confidence and motivation; potentially reducing costs concerning staff turnover or absence.
Training should therefore be seen as an investment, not only in the individual but in the business as a whole. And everything should be done to make sure that the investment is worthwhile by ensuring the training programme is an effective one.
This article will look at providing some insights and practical tips into what you need to do to design and deliver an effective training programme. We will cover some of the insights from the world of psychology that can be useful at the different stages of the training cycle.
In this first instalment we will look at what the training cycle is and will give you practical tips around the first three stages of the cycle. We will then cover the following 2 stages in the next instalment but if you can’t wait, please feel free to give us a call.
THE TRAINING CYCLE
The delivery of a training programme is just one of several stages in a process known as the training cycle. If each stage is properly considered, it can result in both an immediate improvement in staff performance and encourage a culture of learning and development within an organisation. On the flip side, training which is misdirected or inappropriate to individual or organisational needs can actually be worse than no training at all.
The Training Cycle:
Psychology can provide insight into learning behaviour, motivation, engagement and measures of success. It can help identify the expectations of the organisation, assess the current level of ability of individuals and devise job relevant exercises. A good trainer will understand that training in itself is not automatically beneficial and that for training to be effective it must be based on proper assessment of the needs of the individual or organisation.
Step 1: Analyse Needs
Before the design or delivery of a training programme, it is crucial that time is taken to analyse and understand the specific needs and intended outcomes of training. A training needs analysis (TNA) is a review of learning and development requirements of staff. It considers the skills, knowledge and behaviours that the staff need, and how to develop them effectively.
A TNA can take different forms and how it is conducted is likely to depend on organisational factors such as size and structure. One approach is to speak to managers and ask them to identify any training needs through discussing problems, potential causes and possible solutions.
It is often useful to make use of structured interviews or focus groups to try to get these needs specified in concrete terms. There are psychological tools available which can be used to tap into the desired outcomes of training (for example, repertory grid analysis or the critical incident technique). Questionnaires can also be developed and used as a way of getting the opinions of a wider range of stakeholders.
The TNA is an extremely important phase as the whole training programme will be based on this. A training programme aimed at developing a specific ability (e.g. use of a new IT system) will be completely different from a training programme aimed at developing a generic skill (e.g. communication or team working). The wider needs of the organisation as well as the specific needs of individual trainees must be taken into account to ensure the next phases in the cycle are as appropriate, relevant and as effective as possible.
Step 2: Develop Objectives
The development of training objectives is closely linked to the TNA in that it is based on organisational need; however this stage is more focused on the intended outcomes of training rather than on gaps in current performance.
When developing objectives it is important to articulate exactly what it is that delegates should be able to do at the end of a training session. The more precisely this can be specified, the more focused the training can be.
A good training objective should state the specific behaviour or task that the trainee will be able to demonstrate after completion of the training. Ideally it should include an observable and measurable behaviour, refer to the conditions under which such behaviours will be performed and specify the relevant standard of behaviour which should be met.
Some examples of good training objectives might be:
‘By the end of this course you will be able to use behavioural indicators (behaviour) during competency based interviews (condition) to effectively assess candidates for a graduate level position (standard).’
Or
‘After completing this course you will be able to type at least 40 words per minute (behaviour) using a standard QWERTY keyboard (condition) with an error rate of less than 1 per 1000 words (standard).’
The setting of clear objectives or goals has also been shown to improve motivation; therefore it can be useful to share these with delegates before training takes place. If it is clear exactly what actions or behaviours will be possible after training, it is more likely that delegates will remain interested and engaged throughout.
Step 3: Devise Programme
Once you are clear about what needs you are tackling and what the objectives of the training are, you can start devising the programme itself. The design of a training programme should be based around the needs and objectives developed during the initial analysis phase. It is useful however, to consider some of the underlying psychological principles about learning behaviour. There is a vast amount of research into learning which can help to understand how individuals might respond to certain training techniques; in turn this allows us to identify the most effective methods for instruction. A couple of examples include:
The influence of others
A simple yet effective way of learning is through watching the actions of others and then ‘modeling’ this desired behavior. This is often the justification behind ‘on-the-job’ type training. However, in order for learning to be effective the opportunity to practice the skills in a safe environment must be given and specific feedback must be provided. Having the opportunity to provide feedback on anothers performance has also been shown to improve learning.
In developing a skill in this way the learner passes through a series of stages with each one producing performances which is more and more automatic. Training programmes are an effective way of facilitating this method of learning and are often more appropriate than informal ‘on-the-job’ methods as they provide a safe environment for practice and structured feedback mechanisms. It can be just as useful to observe behaviour indirectly, for example through the use of a video clip.
Presenting trainees with a ‘real life’ example in this way, allows them to observe the desired behaviour being carried out and provide feedback. Using good and not so good examples can also provide a useful tool for facilitating discussions. As a trainer, you are able to control the content of the clips to highlight certain aspects of behaviour and the contrast between good and bad. This allows trainees to model the good and avoid the bad.
Individual Factors
A good training programme should be able to take into account the differing needs of individuals. Although all participants may want to achieve the same outcomes from training, they are likely to have different backgrounds, perspectives and abilities, all of which can influence the effectiveness of a training technique.
One example of this is intelligence: Research shows that highly structured training programmes (those with a pre-defined sequence, where the trainer controls content, timing and feedback) are most effective for learners with lower intelligence. On the other hand those with higher intelligence tend to prefer and perform better when training programmes are less structured. Consideration of such individual differences can allow a training session, or parts of a session, to be more closely tailored to people's needs and preferences, thereby increasing engagement and improving outcomes. [Source: Warr, ‘Psychology at Work’, 2002.]
Undoubtedly there will be times when it is not feasible to accommodate everyone’s individual needs or preferences when designing group training course. However, having an understanding of the impact of these differences can help even when this is the case. For example, you may wish to divide the group up into pairs or smaller groups.
It might also be possible to run several versions of the same course, organising the attendee lists so that similar groups are kept together. It could even be possible to exploit such individual differences, for example, by pairing less experienced trainees with more experienced trainees.
The skills of the trainer will be very important here; when delivering the training programme care should be taken to develop an open relationship between trainer and trainees and to encourage questions to be asked. Such questions will help the trainer to determine the level of understanding and adjust the pace and delivery of learning material as appropriate.
In this first instalment we looked at what the training cycle is and we gave you some practical tips around the first three stages of the cycle. You can find the following 2 stages (Implement Training and Evaluate Training) here. If you would like to discuss more, please feel free to give us a call.
Article written by Helena Murray, Junior Business Psychologist, Mendas Ltd
