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NEWSECTIONCOUNTER INTELLIGENCEDesigning an effective trainingprogram for your associatesBy Joe Hajek“Is training making a difference to our bottom line?”This question is increasingly being asked of HR andtraining departments across many companies. And it’sdifficult to answer when the company’s approach totraining employees focuses on responding to events as theyoccur, such as adding a new product line or new businessprocess, or discovering missing skills necessary for a job. Toooften, the results from this approach measure mastery of thetopic rather than impact on the bottom line.The question becomes easier to answer when, instead,training is viewed strategically: “What skills and knowledgedo employees need to accomplish their jobs, and how doestheir performance drive overall company performance?” Aneffective way to answer this question is with a competencybasedlearning program. It defines the competence requirementsfor job performance, the training that can develop thatcompetence, and ties in with organizational performance.According to David Dubois’ “Competency-BasedPerformance Improvement: A Strategy for OrganizationalChange”, a competency is a skill, trait, behaviour, attitude orbody of knowledge required to perform a job. For someonein sales, competencies might include:• being able to accurately fill out a sales order;• being able to listen by focusing on a customer’s voice, askingquestions and confirming his request; and,• being knowledgeable about products carried.These may be satisfactory for job performance. Exemplaryperformance competencies are important as well. Showing acontractor how a new tool can save time and money can bemore valuable than simply showing the features of the tool.The more specifically defined the competency, the easier itis to develop training for it, and the more effective the learningwill be. For example, “Excellent customer service andcommunication skills” as a competency is simply too broad,too general. It is made up of many behaviours, attitudes andtraits. Targeting training to specific behaviours, attitudes andtraits enables tangible changes in performance that will leadto improved customer service and communication.To determine how important these competencies are to acompany’s overall success requires a look at business goals.The first step in developing a competency-based learningprogram is to understand the company’s strategic businessgoals and the initiatives for achieving them. From that, theimpact of training on these goals can be determined.Business goals define competenciesTwo important goals for electrical distributors are profitablegrowth and providing a positive experience for customers.Initiatives to achieve these goals might include providingpricing and service valued by customers, managing profitabilityin sales, order processing efficiency and managinginventory levels effectively—all of which require contributionsfrom all parts of the company. Training can have animpact on many of the competencies required for thesecontributions, so it is important to include them in thetraining plan.All companies have three great resources for understandingthe skills, behaviours and attitudes that are necessaryto produce job outputs at desired performance levels: 1)employees, 2) job descriptions and, 3) performance evaluationcriteria.• Employees know how jobs are truly performed.• Job descriptions contain responsibilities (outputs) andqualifications (prerequisite competencies).• Performance criteria provide the measurementof performance.Input from these three sources provides the necessaryrequirements for desired competencies. For HR and trainingstaff, it is essential to involve managers and executivesin competency definition. They can best articulate companygoals and how employees contribute. It is also an excellentway to show them the value of training their direct reports,linking job performance with organizational performance.Competencies should integrate across different job roles.Vertical integration supports career planning and leadershipsuccession, providing an intentional plan for employeegrowth into more senior roles in the organization.Horizontal integration provides for consistent mastery ofcompetencies or knowledge across multiple roles at thesame level in the organization, such as key company valuesor core leadership skills.Foremost in determining specific training activities is toconsider delivery methods that effectively produce the learningoutcomes required to develop the desired competency.Training adults is most effective when it is interactive. Tasksand behaviours relevant to jobs can be practised beforeemployees try it on the job. Other factors to consider indeveloping training offerings are:• Delivery methods that incorporate multiplelearning styles.• Space and resources that are sufficient to reach employeeswho may be scattered among several branch locations.• Core company values reflected in the subject matter.• Company culture that is supportive of employees practisingwhat they have learned on the job.Cost constraints are always present, so it is important toprioritize the defined competencies to maximize the investmentin training. Those competencies that are more criticalto business success, or that impact a broad audience, arelikely to receive a larger investment. Specific training oftenoverlaps multiple competencies, which helps maximize thetraining investment.The result of this effort becomes a list of training activitiesthat map out specific competencies. The curriculum/competencymap shows employees what is necessary to performNeed some helpgetting started?Electrical distributors can turn tothe National Association of ElectricalDistributors (NAED) for help. With thehelp of industry professionals, NAED’sEducation and Research Foundationhas created—and is validating—draftcompetencies for several distributorjob roles that can serve as a guide forcompanies designing their own trainingprograms. Publication of these drafts isplanned for the fall of 2008.Visit www.naed.orgsuccessfully in their jobs and how to develop their skills forimproved performance, career advancement and transition.For managers, it can show where training can impact organizationalperformance, making it easier to plan for employeetraining and address individual performance issues.Continued evaluation of the training program is essentialto ensure that learning outcomes provide the desired competencies,and development leads to improved employeeperformance. Ongoing review of the competency definitionsis also necessary so the organization can adapt to changingbusiness climates, which can change business goals. Newroles may be added or existing roles redefined, so competencieswill change.Developing a competency-based learning program is a bigeffort, but the payoff is even bigger. It is an effective way tomake sure employee training is focused where it should be,moving the company toward its goals and making a positivedifference to the bottom line.Joe Hajek is an instructional designer with the National Associationof Electrical Distributors (NAED), the association for the $70+ billionelectrical distribution channel. Joe fashioned this article aftera presentation he delivered at NAED’s HR & Training Conferencein October.Proudly Supporting OurDistributor Partnerswww.sylvania.comwww. mag.com • NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2007 • 25