Development programs.
E.g. leadership development.
How do you maximize the ROI of development and training initiatives?
A few thoughts.
The premise is that growth, whether in capabilities or character, should be
tailored to the individual, while also aligned to the requirements of their
team or organization, and ideally, fostered through on-the-job experiences.
How can you achieve this?
(have a) clear purpose:
Do you want to build certain capabilities at an acceptable level, or, move
capabilities form good to great?
(have a clear) clear ROI target: Is the initiative ....
Business enabling. i.e. Capabilities needed for an organizational capability
required for a must wins (e.g. anew business line, a culture, a value
proposition, a mindset, a business strategy).
Role greatness enabling. i.e. Capabilities required to achieve the
“Greatness Profile” of a role(s).
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Leadership levels enabling. i.e. Capabilities required by a hierarchical
level (e.g. defined in the leadership pipeline model, and often advocating
that success factors at one level become failure factors at the next level).
Meta capabilities enabling (e.g. individual efficiency, productivity,
capabilities that are the systemic root cause/common denominators/”20-80”
of other skills).
Execution enabling. i.e. Capabilities identified as Gaps in a certain
population, for example as part of a succession/engagement management
plan, an operational execution plan, or a change management plan.
(adopt a few) Principles with regards to the content of the
development programs.
Target the learners´ passion (i.e. Ownership, Desire and Beliefs). Chances
are that the rest will follow or will require less efforts.
Capitalize on people’s need to avoid cognitive dissonance, as a tool to
pull them into behaving differently.
Include the un-learning of models / mindsets / assumptions / paradigms.
Define the skills as a process, having steps for which the content needs to
be adapted to the context. For example, the people side of change process
or the process for building trust.
Differentiate the things required to reach the goal of the skills as opposed to
those required to avoid failing to do so. For example, Herzberg model of
motivation that differentiates increasing motivation vs avoid demotivation,
and that the things enabling these two separate goals are of a different
nature.
Customize. Each participant should have a specific developmental goal/plan
before the program and one after the program.
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Ensure the transferability into the real world. For example, use on-the job
assignments during the program. Involve stakeholders in the pre-program
360 degrees/assessment. Involve stakeholders in the post program action
plan design.
Set shared expectations regarding on-the-job assignments, that
are part of the development program.
For example, when scoping the assignment, define KPIs of its delivery and of
the expected learning.
Define what makes a task developmental. For example, it should be one or
several of the following: Be task that is a success factor or a failure factor,
unique or particularly crucial, for the performance in the targeted RGP™; Be
about leading or tackling in the organizational gray-zones; Be a high-stakes
challenge; Be a trigger for building insights.
Maximize the impact and learning of on-the-job action-based
learning.
Avoid that it become an add-on to doing the expected work. Instead, use
it as a means of achieving what is already defined as must wins.
Be ambitious and mission-critical. E.g. avoid the “conduct a study”
scenario, allow for real amount of decision-making authority, do not exceed
six-month, allow for “SWAT teams” / “Hot groups” that have the authority
and ability to move quickly within the organization to find new opportunities
and solve problems.
Incorporate an assessment and a feedback loop. Consequently,
structure time for personal reflection / feedback.
Be prudent in providing support. Indeed, figuring-out learning needs and
how to satisfy them is part of the developmental journey and the
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responsibility of participants. Identify individual derailment risk to
monitor/support during the program.
o “Link the outputs to “OE” and “OD”.
One of the outputs of any developmental program should be a
recommendation, by the participants and the stakeholders, about
organizational effectiveness.
Measure impact. Measure “Kirkpatrick levels 3 and 4”*, since they
are the best indicators of ROI and implicitly translate levels 1 and 2.
*(Did a transfer of learning to the job happen? To what extent participants
are applying what they learned to their work. Can they do what they were
trained to do? Was there an impact on business results? Are participants
using what they learned, and is it making a difference?)
(build a) “favorable” context, as part of the regular work
environment:
Institutionalize the disciplined and wide use of mentoring and of 360
degrees feedback.
Institutionalize the assessment of team’s functioning.
Ensure that all excel at “meta / core” capabilities such as giving and
receiving feedback, making it easy to give feedback,
Ensure that all excel at the ability to learn.
Train managers to be able to alternate between / use both, solution-using
focus or problem-solving focus, when tackling situations.
Train managers to think like coaches.
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Encourage managers to be comfortable with others having the answers
that they do not have.
Have stand-alone training modules, for the “knowledge” part of different
abilities. Classroom training can be used, but toolkits / books / online
modules are often sufficient.
Institutionalize 1 hour “workshops” focused on a specific ability or skill
(e.g. listen, convince, etc.).
Have dedicated actions aimed at facilitating networking, rather than
rely on development programs for this.
Use “delegation scorecard” that tracks the tasks delegated for
developmental reasons.
Use “Shadow cabinets”, at different levels of the organization. They are 1-
3 days workshops, where the sponsor/internal client is a regular participant,
and during which participants make key business decisions (prior to regularly
scheduled management team meeting that will tackle the decision).
Use “Extended leadership teams”, at different levels of the organization.
These teams are composed of identified successors, who are working as a
team to solve operational issues related to their current or future role.
Redefine the acronym SMART, applicable to objectives and tasks, should
be more than just about ensuring the clarity / precision. SMART should stand
for: Specific (i.e. Time-bound, Measurable ….); Meaningful (i.e. triggers as
strong desire for the objective in the role holder and his/her stakeholders,
and it is framed positively -i.e. what you want to achieve, not what you want
to avoid); Ambitious (i.e. about Greatness in the role); Relevant (Achievable,
Realistic, about Greatness in the role); Team focused (requires the
involvement of a team and/or contributes to the well-functioning of a team).
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Institutionalize peer-to-peer coaching events, to collaboratively resolve
business and leadership challenges that are real-life must-wins. For example:
“Premortem”, “After action reviews”, “Open space”, “Knowledge cafés”,
“Future search”, “Brainwalking”, “Cafezhino”, “Fishbowl”, “Hotgroup”.
Have a roadmap to build a feedback prone culture.
Institutionalize the evaluation of meeting by participants.
Institutionalize rotations and “role swapping” programs.
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