This concept is sweeping the world of training. In the Philippines, our own Philippine Society for Training and Development is campaigning for turning the Filipino Trainer into a “Workplace Learning and Performance Professional” In the recently concluded PSTD convention, the organization declared this vision of the Filipino WLP professional:
“The Filipino Workplace Learning and Performance (WLP) Professional is a high-tech, high-touch professional. The Filipino WLP Professional’s creativity and innovation enables the use of technology to facilitate learning and performance improvements in the workplace. Accepting individual differences in motivation and learning styles, the Filipino WLP practitioner, with innately strong people skills, builds relationships and harnesses social interactions in nurturing organizational growth and development.”
Amidst this rather long vision statement is a clear desire to link learning with performance. A result that training professionals do not always achieve. The reason why learning fall off the cracks and fail to deliver the needed performance result is because of the disconnect between those in charge of the training initiatives and the ones who are responsible for managing performance. In many organizations learning and performance are put in separate boxes when they shouldn’t be.
This is where ExeQserve wants to make a difference. We want to continue offering performance-linked solutions to our clients. We want to get as intimate with our clients as possible to find out at the onset the performance expectations that are driving the training initiative. We want to make sure that program contents address these expectations. We also do not hesitate to give our bits of advice when we feel that there are other effective and efficient ways of addressing performance issues aside from conducting training.
We conduct our training with learners’ needs in mind, using highly interactive methods that also allow them to record as much of their learning as possible. We incorporate re-entry action plans in all our modules to be sure that our learners have some concrete actions to apply when they go back to the workplace. Sure, this approach eats up time but it is the best way we know how to help participants make sense of what they are learning and make a direct connection to what they have to do at work.
After each training, our consultants are tasked to prepare comprehensive reports that provide enough details for management to appreciate what transpired in the training. Our consultants make recommendations on how the learners’ supervisors can help them apply what they learned. We are also open to doing follow through sessions where we check on the learners’ experience in applying the skills at work.
All throughout the process, we make sure that our clients are apprised of any developments that need their attention. We value the partnership that grow out of our desire to help our client get the most return out of their training investment.
Call us to find out how we can help you bridge learning and performance in your organization.
Just a bit of clarification before I end this article; ExeQserve supports workplace learning and performance but we do not drive it for your organization. In order for this model to truly succeed, HR or Training and Development Department must lead the way and build the necessary partnership with other managers so they can bridge the gap that separate people’s knowledge skills and attitude with desired performance. If you need help in that area too, we can help.