NOVEMBER 2020HR TECH OUTLOOK8In MyOpinionCREATING EFFECTIVE TRAINING TO SUPPORT CHANGE INITIATIVESJoanna Siebert, Associate Director of Business Programs, UC Davis Continuing and Professional EducationByAs the pace and volume of change continues to increase in today's organizations, HR professionals, managers, and others are charged with providing effective training to equip employees with the knowledge and skills they need to contribute to positive business outcomes. Yet, whether we're integrating a new technology or improving a process, organizations frequently make mistakes that hinder learning and limit the viability of the change that's being introduced. Change management refers to a systematic approach for initiating and managing change, with specific attention toward helping people adapt so they can perform effectively. Employees often need and want training to acquire new skills and practice behaviors that will support the success of a change initiative.Whether you are an HR professional, business leader, or training designer and facilitator, it's valuable to consider common mistakes that arise at the integration point between change management and training design and delivery. Three Common MistakesRegardless of how much time, energy, and money we invest in a change initiative, it's easy to miss the mark for addressing learning and development needs. You CXOInsightsmay recognize some of these common mistakes:· We put too much emphasis on training to promote the development of new skills and behaviors, and overlook other aspects of change management that influence the success of a change initiative. · We under-recognize the need for training as part of change management, or fail to implement the right training at the right time.· Our approach to training doesn't integrate effective practices to support learning and changes in behavior.Success Strategies Avoid putting too much emphasis on training and not enough on other aspects of change managementTraining is pivotal because it helps employees develop skills and capacity to support a change initiative, but other aspects of change management are also instrumental for achieving success. We often fail to recognize the value of building a strong foundation for change, and instead presume that training will serve as both a catalyst and reinforcement for adopting a new process or tool. To successfully implement a change, we must first ensure that employees are aware of the initiative, including why it is needed and how it will impact their work. In addition to understanding the change, employees must also want to adopt the new tool or process. Individuals typically arrive at the desire to change on varying timelines and for differing reasons--and some may never get there--so this aspect of change management requires significant attention. What happens following training is also important. Once employees have learned new skills, we need to provide ongoing support by reinforcing the new way of working, making sure expectations are clear, addressing concerns about performance, and
< Page 7 | Page 9 >