SMR USA E-News - November 2007

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Greetings from SMR USA - by Jim Kirkpatrick

I have just returned from a most rewarding trip to Moscow, Russia. Workshop participants were extremely eager to learn how to leverage the Kirkpatrick Four Levels of Evaluation to not only improve their courses and programs, but to also maximize learning effectiveness and demonstrate the value of learning to the business. I met with two separate groups of learners that worked in a variety of public and private settings. Not surprisingly, they expressed similar training challenges as I have encountered all over the world - “how do we get people to apply (Level 3) what they learned (Level 2)?”, and “how do we demonstrate our value to the business?”. Fortunately for me (and them!!), the one and two-day workshops went a long way in addressing those two needs. The second day of the two day session - our Four Level Evaluation Certificate Program - involved small groups developing evaluation plans for local programs, and then presenting their plans to their colleagues. They were terrific!! They really understood the principles I was teaching prior to that, and the evidence was that they came up with great, practical evaluation plans. The good news for them is that they will be able to go back to their jobs and immediately implement what they learned!

If I had to summarize what we stand for at SMR and SMR USA, it is the effective execution of what we call the Business Partnership Model - bring together and aligning Training, IT, and HR with the needs and opportunities of the business. Our work in Russia is no exception. I had some time on my flight back to reflect on what had transpired, and view it in light of training and business needs around the world. Ideas starting popping into my head in regards to leveraging training to truly meet the needs of the business, and soon I had the outline of a survey / quiz that would help any professional to determine just how effective their training / learning function was at doing just that - meeting business needs. I have since worked it into a formal quiz, which I am presenting to you for the first time. I suggest you take a few minutes to complete it, after which I will debrief some thoughts for you to consider.

Please review the following 15 statements. Each is designed to address an important component in the formula for the successful execution of training in such a way that the bottom line is positively impacted. Objectively answer each with a “H - high”, “M - medium” or “L - low” depending on the degree to which your learning area is currently practicing each.

1.	My learning function receives frequent and relevant requests for learning interventions from line of business leaders in regards to their business problems, needs, or opportunities.
2.	We have a good process by which we are able to determine whether business requests are truly training-related versus other issues.
3.	Our program development processes are such that they align very well to business needs.
4.	When gathering needs assessment information from business stakeholders, our process includes negotiating expectations and identifying ‘what success will look like’ at Levels 3 (behavior) and 4 (results).
5.	We engage Subject Matter Experts in the design and development of our programs.
6.	Prior to training, managers/supervisors sit with participants and share expectations for training, and subsequent application back on the job.
7.	We utilize business leaders in the delivery of key programs.
8.	We establish specific job competencies, and weave them into training.
9.	We are able to effective use evaluation to eliminate ‘snags’ at Levels 1, 2, and 3, to ensure that training provides maximum value at Level 4 (results).
10.	We have conducted effective (training) impact studies in order to demonstrate the value of learning to the business.
11.	We effectively use Level 3 to discover if the lack of on-the-job application of knowledge and skills is caused by training or the culture of the business unit.
12.	We receive effective partnering from business managers and supervisors through effective feedback and coaching of their direct reports, in order to maximize the impact of training.
13.	We have developed effective job aids for both participants and managers to leverage what is learned in training.
14.	We effective utilize technology to streamline training and evaluation.
15.	We utilize effective presentation skills to be able to demonstrate the value of learning to the bottom line.

Now, score yourself a 3 for each “high”, a 2 for each “medium”, and a 1 for each “low”, then add them together. Below is a rough range that will tell you how well your training is currently being maximized to benefit the business:

45 – 40.	Excellent
39 – 33.	Very good
32 – 27.	Good
26 – 21.	Fair
20 – 15.	Poor

Not only does this provide you with an estimate of how well your training/learning function is meeting the needs of the business, but also shows you areas of your strengths and weaknesses. Finally, it shows you where it might be worth your time and resources to invest in SMR and SMR USA consulting to help “elevate your game”.