9 Lessons from Design Training in Big Orgs

Finding the Right Balance in Training and Development

Training and development are crucial components of any organization’s growth and success. However, finding the right balance between training and development can be a challenging task for organizations. In this blog, we will discuss some key considerations for finding the right balance in training and development.

Between Free and Compulsory Sessions

Organizations often struggle with whether to offer free or compulsory training sessions. While free sessions may seem like a more attractive option, they can be less effective in promoting learning and retention. Compulsory sessions, on the other hand, can be met with resistance from employees who feel that they don’t have the time or interest in the subject matter. The key is to strike a balance between the two by offering a mix of free and compulsory sessions. Organizations can offer free sessions on topics that employees are interested in, while compulsory sessions can be offered on critical skills or knowledge areas that are necessary for the organization’s growth and success.

Industry-Specific Examples vs Other Examples

Training and development sessions often use examples to illustrate concepts or practices. One challenge is whether to use industry-specific examples or other examples that are more general. While industry-specific examples can provide context and relevance, they may not be as relatable to employees who work in other industries. Other examples can be more universal, but may not provide the same level of context. The key is to strike a balance by using a mix of both industry-specific and general examples.

Team Building vs Awareness Building

Another challenge is whether to focus on team building or awareness building in training and development. Team building can help foster collaboration, communication, and trust among team members. Awareness building, on the other hand, can help employees develop a better understanding of the organization’s goals, values, and culture. The key is to strike a balance between the two by offering training sessions that can achieve both objectives.

The Right Metrics

When measuring the effectiveness of training and development, organizations need to use the right metrics. Satisfaction or attendance metrics alone may not be valid indicators of success. Instead, metrics need to be connected to the organization’s transformation and growth goals. Additionally, organizations should ask good questions such as:

• What does success look like when we train 600 people per year?
• Do we have the right data that tells us that this is needed?
• How much are we willing to invest?
• When we did the training so far, was this successful? If yes, why? If not, why?
• What do colleagues want, in terms of training?
• What do colleagues expect, in terms of training?

Don’t Rely on Third Parties to Deliver Training

One mistake that organizations make is relying on third-party trainers to deliver training sessions. While external trainers may have expertise in a particular subject matter, they may not be able to connect with employees or provide the same level of motivation and learning experience as internal facilitators. Organizations should invest in training their own facilitators to deliver training sessions that are tailored to their organization’s needs and culture.

Great Training Experience is not just the Training Itself

Finally, a great training experience is not just about the training itself. Organizations need to provide accessible, easy-to-use platforms, build buffer content, allow for open dialogue and capture insights, and use exercises to capture how people feel about the business or where they see the business in terms of design maturity or their own maturity. Training can also be used to do active research about colleagues’ needs and wishes, providing a sounding board for senior management. Upskilling people will only work with a defined, dedicated program with measurable outcomes and the place, space, and time for people to trial the methods in real-life projects.

Main insights

• Checking satisfaction or related metrics is only valid if it’s connected to the organization’s transformation
• Asking good questions can help guide training efforts
• Don’t rely on third parties to deliver training: Motivation and learning experience stay and fall with the facilitator
• Training can provide team visibility: Use training to sell teamwork, process, and thinking to senior management
• Training can be used to do active research about colleagues’ needs and wishes: Use exercises as a warm-up and a way to capture how people feel about the business or where they see the business in terms of design maturity
• Upskilling people will only work with a defined, dedicated program with measurable outcomes and the space and time for people to trial the methods in real-life projects

The #changechronicles is a growing collection of written work by Roman Schoeneboom, that covers but is not limited to #designleadership, #designops, #mentoring, #projectwork, #storiesofimpact, #sessioninsights, #training-by-doing, #opinionpiece, #teamsupport, and #changemanagement