Off The Shelf Friday Answer
Friday, February 6, 2009 at 5:00AM Off my shelf today, I'm grabbing Training Ain't Performance by Harold Stolovitch and Erica J. Keeps. And the quotable...
In general, workplace performance is more affected by environmental factors. The research suggests that 70 to 80 percent of workplace performance is affected by such variables as clarity of expectations, specificity, and timeliness of feedback, adequacy of tools, materials and procedures, and appropriateness of incentives and consequences including opportunities for career advancement - all examples of environmental factors. (p. 45)
Did you get the correct answer? Do you agree? What's your experience?
This is such an important perspective for learning professionals and managers to be aware of. Faced with smaller budgets or no training budget it is our responsibility more than ever to deliver what the workplace needs most. I've been going on and on for years about training not always being the answer. I know. I know. I make my living training, but you know as well as I, that sending staff to classes that DO NOTHING to improve their skill helps no one and is just generally a pain in my behind. For years I taught Dealing with Difficult People to groups of difficult people. Somehow sending them to a class ABOUT them would fix them? I leaned heavily on Rick Brinkman and Rick Kirschner's book Dealing With Difficult People. I was a happy woman again when I said, nope, I'm not doing it anymore! Of course, you'll find it on my list of services again, but this time with a disclaimer!
So it's time we learning professional types really focus in on performance. And as the research suggests, the environment needs more fixing than the people in it! Provide people what they need most to achieve the mission of the organization. It doesn't matter if that need is in the classroom, on the job, or even in a book. Just get them what they need. NOW!
Oh, and before you say there is no money to do X, take a look at those factors again and ask yourself how much it costs to provide people with clear expectations and information?
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Reader Comments (2)
This is a great post Katrina! Although I often see people struggle with bringing personal issues to work, I have to agree that environmental factors are huge. For me, there are two major things that I have found: staff need measures of accountability, and they need to be heard. My group wants a voice in what's happening in their work areas. I try to defer to them, or seek out their opinions whenever possible to give them ownership.
Maybe it's hard for us managers to admit the influence of environment on performance, because it puts so much accountability on us!
I think you may be on to something there!