Recent CIPD research accuses learning and development professionals of hanging on to “outdated” methods, such as classroom training.

But before ditching this in favour of what might be perceived as more flexible technological approaches, it is worth considering some of the benefits of the ‘classroom’ learning approach.

E-learning has long appeared to be on the cusp of dominating employee training, as it provides a platform that cannot be beaten for convenience and affordability and many organisations have incorporated it into their offering for that reason.

But many still value classroom training. It offers a personal interaction with a learning facilitator, networking with other participants and colleagues and can therefore be dynamic and thought provoking.

In fact many people simply learn better in a classroom setting. Most of us thrive on discussing a topic with other people, working through real life work issues and exploring potential solutions. Typing a message or post to somebody isn’t the same as verbalising a point of view and having to learn the skill s of actively listening to others, challenging and questioning, receiving feedback and gaining acceptance and agreement. The classroom setting allows for real time discussion and provides interaction that isn’t easily duplicated, even with the most advanced of technology.

And when classroom training is tailored to the organisation, it brings a peer group together and ensures a consistency of approach and an opportunity for collaborative working and team building, which you just can’t get with many other learning interventions.

When asked in the survey what methods are most likely to work, most learning and development professionals pointed towards training that is integrated into the normal course of their jobs. And this of course is the key point. No learning intervention works unless it is relevant, meaningful and critically that it is reinforced back in the workplace. Half of respondents (52 per cent) said that “in-house development programmes” were amongst the most effective ways of delivering training, while almost as many (46 per cent) cited “coaching by line managers”.

The “coaching by line managers” is a good example of where online learning would not be effective. Ensuring line managers have the skills to coach effectively is key to getting results from coaching and these skills are best developed through face to face interaction and practicing with others.

Labelling classroom training as outdated is a sweeping and ultimately unhelpful comment. It depends on how it is used and how it is supported back in the workplace. The interaction it provides is not easily replicated with any other form of learning and for that reason alone, it will always have a place in L and D provision. 

For some pointers on how a tailored approach with pre and post course support can bring tangible results to your business click here.

Head of HR at Google, Laszlo Bock announced to the New York Times last month that the company had identified that the qualities that make a good manager are not perhaps what they had initially imagined…

Google was a high performing organisation, able to select from the cream of well qualified engineers across the globe. But in 2009 they were alarmed to discover that staff turnover and exit interviews were increasingly citing ‘poor management’ as the reason for people leaving,   reinforcing the age-old HR adage that people leave their company because of their managers.
 
Google wanted to find out more about why individuals’ technical wizardry was not transferring well to the role of leading others.

In a project aptly named ‘Oxygen’, Google searched through results from staff surveys and a range of performance review data to determine what was needed to breathe new life into their organisation’s management performance.

The results they unearthed supported what many of us in learning organisations have long known - that technical expertise is fairly low on the list of qualities an employee looks for in their boss. What employees ideally want from their manager is more time spent managing and communicating, taking a consistent approach to performance management and coaching staff to support their career development.

These behaviours now make up the framework for the new management coaching system which Google launched in response to the findings. It claims this has already improved the performance of 75% of it’s managers, highlighting just how vital it is for managers everywhere to be measured on behaviour and management competence and not just technical ability.

It’s not easy being a manager – I know from personal experience.  But if January’s Management offerings are anything to go by many of us are making it harder than it needs to be. 

The high profile Sky Sports case has managers tackling a culture of inappropriate behaviour that should have been dealt with long ago and the Chief Exec at Carlisle city council is having to deal with some very heavy handed management by two of his team leaders attempting to manage performance via email. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-cumbria-12307749

Perhaps on that basis we shouldn’t be too surprised that the Government think we need two years to assess if a new recruit is right for our business!  Their recommendation is to increase the qualifying period for employees before they can make a claim for unfair dismissal from one to two years. http://www.recruiter.co.uk/1008389.article?cmpid=REC04&cmptype=newsletter&email=true
The danger in my eyes is that some already lax management practices will become even laxer if managers think they have longer to make their minds up.

There are some key steps that managers should be taking to manage effectively, but often just don’t….

• Discussing and agreeing specific expectations.  The vast majority of people really welcome having clear direction
• Having regular face-to-face meetings.  How many times do you hear people saying “Communication here is rubbish”?  What they usually mean is they don’t know what their managers expect
• Noting down agreed action points and reviewing them.  Why do so many people tell us things are talked about, but never followed through or reviewed?
• We all like to know if we are on track with something.  Why do so few managers give constructive feedback?

Good managers are those who do these things and do them on a regular basis.  That way...

• They and their team members know what’s appropriate and what is not

• People know the boundaries; when to have a few minutes to show interest in someone without affecting targets and productivity
• They know if a new team member is suitable long before two years and deal with it at the right time and in the right way

   

Despite the market place remaining a challenging one, we know that many forward thinking companies out there are still keen to invest in developing their people …but of course are looking for cost effective ways to do so.

So why would we be advocating less training? Well one way to get very tangible and very immediate results is to use more one to one coaching. Good coaching can make a world of difference to upping your team’s skills and raising motivation levels at the same time.

And it doesn’t have to be done by an external training company. Using the expertise you have within your organisation in the form of line managers can have a great impact on performance. The key is making sure those managers are equipped to coach effectively.

We see many situations where line managers intend to offer support to their teams, but end up “telling” them what to do. There are times when a directive style is the right approach, but for the most part a more questioning, coaching style will get people thinking for themselves and develop their skills more effectively. You get greater buy- in too… people tend to kick against being told exactly what do (think of your own reaction to a very instructive style of management!) 

So here are 5 top tips for Line Managers wanting to do more effective coaching…..

1. Remember 90% of learning happens on the job so there are opportunities for coaching all around us in the workplace.. we just need to look out for them.

2. Coaching is about asking questions. It develops problem solving skills and builds a more capable, self reliant team. The next time you are tempted to tell one of your team members exactly what to do next, just check yourself and try turning the statement into a question…”what steps would you take?” “What do you want to do next?”
3. Good coaching doesn’t have to be a planned sit down 30 minute session. Great coaching can also happen in a spontaneous 5 minute conversation when you have observed a team member dealing with a customer.
4. Listen carefully – there is no point in asking good thought provoking questions if you don’t give your team member a chance to think and answer. Be comfortable with pauses.
5. Coaching should not be a one off event but an ongoing way of developing your people. Start to make it a management style rather than something you just do to address a specific skill and you will begin to reap the benefits.

A recent survey has found that where employees are engaged and enabled companies can increase their turnover by five times… Isn’t that a compelling case to invest in some coaching capability??