Week 3: Learning & Development

Why L&D matters (3 reasons)

1. Attract & retain talent
   
   

2. Achieve business results
   
   

3. Remain competitive

Onboarding vs Socialization

Socialization = the psychological process by which newcomers become organizational insiders

Onboarding = the organizational activities designed to support that process

Socialization starts during recruiting and continues long after formal onboarding ends

Two onboarding goals

Information: newcomers need role clarity - what to do, priorities, how work gets done, company values.

Relationships: coworkers provide both information and social support Misunderstanding company info costs UK/US businesses ~$37 billion/year

Delivering information: two "baskets"

Basic info (same for everyone): paperwork, IDs, email, policies - can be automated/self-paced

Job-specific info (trickier, less automatable): job requirements, expectations, company culture/language

Building relationships: team intros & cohorts

Team member introductions: someone must be assigned to greet + introduce the new hire on Day 1 (or before)

Cohort orientations: hiring several newcomers together builds wider networks, Google found ~12 people per cohort works best.

Peer mentors

Assign an "on call" person to answer questions & make introductions

Mentored employees learn more, fit better, and cope with stress better

Choose mentors who are well-connected & know the culture well

Your job as manager: Proactivity & Momentum

Encourage new hires to ask questions, observe, and seek feedback (= proactive behavior) - speeds up adjustment

Engagement typically peaks in the first 6 months, then declines - don't let onboarding stop early
First 90 days = especially critical; full socialization takes ~2 years

Manager's Knots and solutions

Very structured onboarding but no creativity? -> explicitly invite innovation, praise small creative risks

Considering online-only orientation? -> fine for basics, but pair with in-person discussion for subtle norms/politics

Why training matters (textbook examples)

Reduces errors/injuries

Attracts talent

Long-term survival

Formal vs informal learning & Training

Formal = structured training programs

Informal = self-reflection, coworker interactions, materials, informal mentoring - accounts for 75% of workplace learning

Training = a PROCESS: what happens before/during/after matters, not just the event itself

Hard vs soft skills

Hard skills = quantifiable technical skills (e.g. a software program, a language)

Soft skills = interpersonal "people" skills (teamwork, communication, leadership)

Instructional principles (Table 6.1 / slides)

Information: give the facts/concepts trainees need

Demonstration: show examples of the desired (and undesired) behavior

Practice: create chances to use the new skill

Feedback: give timely, diagnostic feedback with room to correct

Practice & Feedback are the two most often SKIPPED - and most important

Training Method Principle & Method

Methods matter less than when the principles are present.

Team training types

Team coordination training: how to work together

Distributed team training: working together across locations

Cross-training: learning each other's jobs.

Digital L&D trends (slides + textbook)

Mobile learning: ~47% of orgs use it; bite-sized, accessible anywhere

Social learning: ~59% of orgs use it, but only 24% call it effective; learning through blogs/wikis/video chat

Adaptive learning: personalized content based on individual skill gaps

Microlearning, spaced practice and Self-directed learning

Microlearning = training in short (under 5 min) bite-sized chunks via apps, followed by a quiz

Spaced practice (a little each day) beats massed practice (cramming) for long-term retention

Self-directed learning = trainees choose what/how fast to learn

3 Limits of self-directed learning

1. People are poor judges of their own skill gaps (e.g. grammar, logical reasoning)
   
   

2. Self-directed learners tend to use MASSED practice (less effective) instead of spaced
   
   

3. People are usually overconfident about what they've actually learned
   
   Some self-direction is good, but don't rely on it alone

ADDIE model - 5 stages

Analysis: needs assessment: what skills, who needs training?

Design: 4 steps: set learning objectives, plan assessment, set level/difficulty, choose delivery method.

Develop: build & test the actual materials

Implement: the materials into business practices

Evaluate: The impact, cost, effectivity and reflect.

Needs assessment - 3 types (What/Who/Why)

Task assessment (What): which tasks & competencies are needed for the job

Person assessment (Who): which individuals would most benefit, and from what type of training

Organizational assessment (Why/strategic fit): does training match company strategy & future needs.

ADDIE: Implement & manager's role

Implementation = delivering the actual program

Manager can add value by: enhancing motivation, framing the learning opportunity, demonstrating the trained behavior themselves

Motivating employees before training

Frame training POSITIVELY (helpful to your job/development) not negatively (remedial/fixing a flaw)

Learning orientation (wants to develop, tries harder, learns more) vs
Performance orientation (wants to look good, avoids risk/failure) - encourage the former

Voluntary training: more motivated, but may miss people who need it most Mandatory training: signals real importance, but no built-in motivation

4 Components to prevent Transfer or Training Loss

Support

Opportunities to practice

Performance feedback

Follow up

Lack of OPPORTUNITY to practice is often the single biggest barrier

Learning climate vs transfer climate

Learning climate = shared perception that learning is valued & supported

Learning transfer climate = specifically, that USING what was learned on the job is valued & supported

A strong learning climate is the foundation for a strong transfer climate

Post-training follow-up strategies (Box 6.1)

Debriefs: 1-on-1 reflective conversations

After Action Reviews (AARs): team reflects on what happened/why/what to change

Job aids: checklists/flowcharts to apply training on the job

Knowledge repositories: central database of best practices

Communities of practice (CoPs): voluntary groups sharing expertise across locations

Kirkpatrick's training evaluation model - 4 levels

Level 1 - Reactions: how trainees FELT about the training

Level 2 - Learning: change in knowledge/skills/attitudes

Level 3 - Behavior: are they actually USING it on the job (= transfer)

Level 4 - Results: business outcomes (profit, satisfaction, absenteeism, accidents)

Optional Level 5 - ROI: monetary benefit vs cost to the business

Kirkpatrick - the common mistake

Most companies only measure Level 1 (satisfaction surveys), sometimes Level 2

Only 10% of CEOs report receiving evidence of training's business impact or ROI

Evaluating past Level 2 is unusual - but you can't know if training actually WORKED without Levels 3-4

Best practice: start by defining the Level 4 goal, then work backward to Levels 1-3

Manager's Knots (Ch. 6)

Tiny training budget? -> lean on informal learning: knowledge repositories, communities of practice, coworker mentoring (costs time, not cash)

Employees resist mandatory training? -> do a person needs assessment first, then reframe WHY it matters for their future

High error rates despite good training content? -> check the WORK ENVIRONMENT: job aids, feedback, debriefs