When performance falls short, training is often one of the first solutions organizations consider.
Sometimes training is exactly what is needed. But sometimes the problem isn’t that people don’t know how to do the work.
They may understand what to do but have competing priorities. The process may make the desired behavior difficult. Roles may be unclear. Tools may not support the work. Leaders may unintentionally reinforce something different from what the organization says it wants. Or the measures themselves may drive behavior in the wrong direction.
In those situations, more training won’t solve the problem.
Start with the performance
Before deciding on a solution, begin with a different question:
What must people be able to do differently for the organization to achieve the result it needs?
That question shifts the conversation away from content and toward work.
Once the required performance is clear, we can examine what surrounds it. Do people understand their roles? Are processes aligned with the desired outcome? Do they have the right tools and information? Do they have the capability to perform? What happens after they return to the job? What do leaders reinforce? What gets measured?
Training becomes one possible intervention rather than the predetermined answer.
When training is the answer
None of this diminishes the value of learning. When people need knowledge, skill, practice, or feedback to perform successfully, learning can be essential.
But even then, the goal isn’t simply to transfer information. The goal is performance.
That’s the idea behind Performance First™: design learning around what people must actually be able to do, the conditions under which they must do it, and the criteria that define successful performance.
Look beyond the learning solution
Some of the most persistent performance problems cross organizational boundaries. A capability issue may also involve process design. A process problem may expose unclear roles. A role problem may be reinforced by competing measures or leadership expectations.
That’s why diagnosing performance requires looking at the system surrounding the work—not simply the individual performing it.
Before asking, “What training do we need?”, try asking:
“What is preventing the performance we need?”
The answer may lead to training.
And it may lead somewhere else entirely.