FEATURE STORY
Closing the Loop on Learning Performance
IMPROVED PLANNING CAN HELP ORGANIZATIONS ENSURE THEIR E-LEARNING INITIATIVES ARE GETTING RESULTS.
Summer 2005
By Kirt Wilson

Measuring the effectiveness of training and employee development is key to top organizational performance.Most support operations have training programs and most have performance reviews; however, very few integrate these into a system that ensures results.

While this is true for both technical and soft skills, soft-skills development is the most difficult to manage. This is seen as the most intangible type of training, yet it can deliver the greatest results. Improving customer service and communication skills in your frontline support staff is the most effective way to build organizational performance through improved customer satisfaction, improved time-to-resolution, as well as improved renewal rates.

In fact, the Service & Support Professionals Association (SSPA) Benchmark Study shows that support users rank soft skills a close second to technical skills in determining their overall level of programs, and most have performance reviews; however, very few integrate these into a system that ensures results.While this is true for both technical and soft skills, soft-skills development is the most difficult to manage. This is seen as the most intangible type of training, yet it can deliver the greatest results.

Improving customer service and communication skills in your frontline support staff is
the most effective way to build organizational performance through improved customer
satisfaction, improved time-to-resolution as well as improved renewal rates. Plus, bettertrained employees tend to be your top performers and are quickest to adopt new skills. But this same data shows that most companies are not effective in managing training and employee development programs. These companies report that softskills/ customer service training was difficult to acquire, manage, and measure. In addition, these companies say that it is difficult for them to ensure the effectiveness
of the training systems currently in place. Add to this the reality of shrinking budgets and relentless costcutting pressures, and the scope of the problem becomes clear: Everyone wants better training and development, but no one can figure out how to create a system that effectively serves employees, managers, and the bottom line.

BENEFITS OF A CLOSED-LOOP MODEL
Solving the training management problem requires a system that translates business
strategy into actionable skill development and assures skill application in the workplace.
Such a system fully addresses the training needs and financial realities of the modern service and support organization, while getting maximum leverage from existing training systems and resources. This approach:

• Ensures the effectiveness of training
• Aligns all training and employee development investments with business goals
• Facilitates business impact and/or ROI calculation
• Identifies training resources that are performing and those that are not The closed-loop model for managing is a best-practice model. Studies strongly
  advocate managing your training using these basic principles:
• Rank top business goals
• Determine the specific performance needed in support of top goals
• List competencies and skills that lead to needed performance
• Manage against key competencies throughout the closed-loop model from assessment, training, concept testing, and observed application of skills

HOW THE CLOSED-LOOP MODEL WORKS
Business goals, strategies, training, and performance reviews are separate and disconnected activities in most all service and support operations. This model is simply integrating all elements and planning for the desired outcome.
Each element of the model leads naturally to the next in a repeating cycle to foster
continuous development and improvement.

Strategy/Learning Plans
The process begins with the development of Group Learning Plans that address the
training/learning needs of each identified group within your organization. Group Learning Plans reflect the strategic thinking in support of key business/organizational
goals. Groups may be organized by product supported, level, team, locale, or other logical categories. Competencies and learning resources are organized to support
each of your identified groups.

Next, Individual Learning Plans complement the Group Learning Plans, allowing for additional needs of each staff member. This also empowers the individual to take ownership of his/her development path with input from their manager/ supervisor. Individual Learning Plans can also support specialized or collateral duties of an individual.

Training and Coaching
With Learning Plans in place, the focus shifts to the actual training and coaching process.We map training resources to the key competencies.We start with existing
training resources and source additional training content to fill gaps.

Testing/Confirmation/Certification
Once training has been delivered in support of the necessary skills/competencies, it is
essential to confirm the conceptual knowledge and understanding of the individual.
In simpler terms; do they get it? Some training programs have a testing component,
but very few extend beyond testing. This is a problem. There is no confirmation
that the skill has been applied on the job.

Observed Application of Skill/Competencies
Just because someone understands a concept, there is no guarantee that the transition
from concept to application will take place.Without this critical step it is not possible
to determine yield.

Skills and competencies must be integrated into all aspects of the learning management cycle. This is especially true of soft skills or customer service skills.When training and development involves any kind of behavior change, the success rate is usually low. This is almost always the case when the process does not follow-through to the observation.

It is essential to ensure that the transition has been made from concept to application.
Done in a timely manner, this step can ensure that you foster a supportive, rather than punitive environment. Supporting an individual with skills application can often be addressed with a coaching model. If a group is struggling, then a more organized
approach is appropriate.

RESOURCES
Trade associations, like The SSPA, The American Management Association, The American Society of Training Developers, Society of Human Resource Management, all
offer help to support members in better managing their staff and organizational development efforts.While most associations are not training providers; they are aligned with members’ goals in optimizing their development efforts.Additional resources include:

• Skill/competency models
• Certifications
• Training Standard & Best Practices Committee
• Training management tools: Skill Track
• Directory of training resources and providers.
  

These associations and resources can be found at their respective web sites at www.thesspa.com, www.ama.org, www.astd.org, www.shrm.org.

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