There is something simple (not easy) that most providers and buyers of Smart learning services fail to maximise the value of. They miss the opportunity to benefit from using baseline measurements to empower better participation in development activities.
Let me use the example of developing a new salesperson, a common scenario for many organisations. Developing new salespeople can involve a fresh graduate with little work experience. It does not matter what support is provided; a person can only grow so much when starting from basically zero.
Often the unfortunate individual gets told he is going to join a programme. He is fearful, or otherwise busy. He may ignore the event entirely until it starts, or he may dwell on just how much he doesn’t know. He may have completed a questionnaire that confirms how bad he is at that time and that makes him fearful or ambivalent. He does not know how to convince a buyer or negotiate a complicated contract. He is young and has never done this before. This is hardly inspiring, and I am sure we have all been in a similar situation at some time in our lives.
We know intellectually that we cannot expect a novice salesperson to be ready to upsell to an executive quickly after one course. It took our best people years to get to that point. Without making the expectations realistic and relevant to the context, and indicative of our expectations, it is impossible to engage or examine this person fairly and not produce a dispiriting result.
So, we need a yardstick to measure progress, but we must be realistic and strategic in what we measure. Effective design becomes essential.
What do I mean by measurement? For 30-plus years, learning and development buyers have talked to me about measuring the impact of training investments. HR thought leader Josh Bersin counted more than 240 books on Amazon.com devoted to measuring training. Ninety-two percent of respondents in a survey he ran on the subject rated measurement as a top challenge.
I believe many people overlook measuring the right things. It is valuable but requires time to manifest. Measurement should be a starting point for development, not a judgement. Measurement should also help solve the challenges to effective learning.
Measurement should help people understand the importance of the learning they will undertake and why it matters. Measurement should show learners what good looks like, what would be different in their life, and how to apply new skills and capabilities. Measurement should also engage learners in the learning process, and create behaviour changes before learners join a class or workshop.
First things first: Measurement should be Simple, Simple, Simple.
In a world where the skills required for any job change rapidly, measurement should not be intense. Subsequent learning should be measured in terms of how quickly and how often the learner does new and better things. Surfacing information about what stage they are at with their skills, and actions to apply after the programme, makes more sense, so keep it simple and focused.
Going back to our new salesperson example, if I told him that he would need to convince a CEO after 12 weeks on the job, he is not going to be optimistic or even believe in the credibility of the learning experience to come. He will feel doomed to fail, as there is no way he can master that skill or behaviour so quickly.
However, if it is clear to him he will learn how to achieve something simpler (for example, make X number of effective calls or identify Y number of prospects), and that is how progress will be measured, he will feel more positive about the coming experience. Just by answering the measurement questions, he will understand how the programme will help.
Where to start with more realistic and inspiring measurements:
Go back to your Why. Remember, learning has one purpose: to help us become better at something. If we are not measuring this in terms of what we are expected to do, and our learning experiences do not explicitly cover applying it, we may not have the right programme in place.
Develop simple measures for what is meaningful. It is nice to learn that people had a good time, enjoyed the facilities, or had fun, but this is not the point. Simple and more observable measures ensure everyone is clearer.
Ensure the questions are thought-provoking. Measurement should not intimidate but rather create wonder. The purpose is not to tick boxes but to generate what-if insights from the start. Measurement should create “Aha!” moments that show better ways to do things and inspire commitment to learning.
The objective is for people to do the right things. Perhaps most importantly, if you measure only at the end of a programme, you miss the opportunity to influence and improve the programme outcomes before it starts and as learners progress.
Arinya Talerngsri is Chief Capability Officer, Managing Director, and Founder at SEAC — Southeast Asia’s Lifelong Learning Centre. She is fascinated by the challenge of transforming education for all to create better prospects for Thais and people everywhere. Reach her email at arinya_t@seasiacenter.com or https://www.linkedin.com/in/arinya-talerngsri-53b81aa
