ACTION PACKED LEARNING

Dear Reader,

Here's something on learning which everyone feels is natural yet take it on in the far from natural manner.

Happy Reading,
Regards,
A.S.Prasad

Action-Packed Learning

by Scott Blanchard and David Witt

The concept has been around since the 1970s, but cohort-based action learning programs are enjoying newfound popularity in executive development programs, thanks to modern training design's ability to make instruction more applicable on the job while simultaneously building and strengthening relationships in an organization. This type of event is a more effective way to enhance development, particularly at senior levels.

Many talent managers believe that if they really want to get to know their employees, they should go off and do something with them, either traveling or working together to solve a common business problem. Cohort-based action learning uses this same principle to bring executives together around a common issue in a way that promotes learning and builds relationships - even across business units. Action learning provides a one-two punch that enriches the classroom experience while simultaneously creating a bond among participants. This combination can speed development and create connections that otherwise may never have occurred because the executives did not have a chance to work together on a daily basis.

Not Just a Training Gimmick

Cohort-based action learning also is a great way to provide context and build relevance into an executive development program. The challenge for HR and training professionals is to make sure they use the technique properly. Action learning is a high-stakes, high-reward strategy that can pay off handsomely when done right, but it also can fail miserably if participants perceive that it is being done solely as a training gimmick. This is especially true when creating programs designed for high-potential executives, who, by their very nature, can quickly become impatient with learning they do not perceive is relevant and applicable to their future career aspirations. This type of learning must have strategic significance to current or future business challenges. To make sure the action learning projects they create will succeed, talent managers should begin by answering two key questions:

1. Will it teach participants skills they can apply immediately? While the focus of the program may be long-term executive development, it is important that the design include elements that are immediately actionable back on the job. The goal is to drive performance today and tomorrow.

2. Will participants have a tangible and business-relevant experience? The best designs mix a combination of theory and practice.

Answering these two fundamental questions will help talent managers get off to a good start. A focus on two additional components - context setting and after-training support - will create the opening and closing bookends that result in a good training design.

Context and support may seem like well-known components of good learning design, but the reality is that instructional designers often focus more of their attention on how best to promote the acquisition of knowledge and practice of skills. While the acquisition of skills, testing and the demonstration of learning are always important parts of any good development design, for an executive group, context and support need to be especially strong to show relevance and drive focused application back on the job.

This means talent managers and learning professionals may have to spend more time than usual at the beginning and at the end of a training session. At the beginning of a program, it's important to connect the dots for participants both individually and organizationally. On an individual level, this means showing participants how the upcoming program will personally make them better leaders, more skillful and able to lead at a higher level. From an organizational standpoint, it means connecting the learning explicitly to key strategic business objectives.

Both contexts are important. When people can see upfront how a development exercise can be useful, they listen more intently, imagine application immediately and ultimately learn more effectively.

Good post-learning strategies include making sure there is a support plan in place once participants return to work. One of the biggest reasons most learning is never applied is because no one supports or even asks about the new information when a participant returns to his or her job. Even though it can be uncomfortable when working with an executive group - some may query the need for such learning in the first place, and others may resent standard learning follow-up procedures because of the time involved - talent managers should drive on-the-job application by holding participants accountable for using what they have learned. For a high-powered executive group, asking senior executives to help "check the homework" is one way to make this happen. In addition to accountability, ensuring participants have access to support materials, coaching and other tools they may need to successfully apply new skills can facilitate on-the-job learning application.

High Stakes at Skanska

One organization that has enjoyed success by implementing cohort-based action learning is Skanska USA. For more than three years, Skanska has used cohort-based action learning as a key component of its executive development program.

At Skanska, each manager invited to participate in the executive development program is selected by a member of senior management from a pool of executives working in geographically dispersed business units around the world.

Because a majority of the leaders selected for the development program are responsible for lines of business often approaching more than $100 million, it is critical that the program be focused and impactful. At Skanska, this means selecting content and employing a training design that ensures executives are learning in areas that truly matter to the organization. It also means that any action learning module must be more than an isolated learning event and instead be designed to help the business move forward.

For John Benson, senior director of leadership development for Skanska, who is leading the project, helping to move the business forward means focusing the executive development program on two goals. The first is to help develop the skills future leaders will need to be successful in a changing business environment. The second is to build a deeper sense of cooperation across the organization as part of an initiative called One Skanska. At Skanska USA, growth through acquisitions has created a need to bring the newly acquired parts of the company closer together. Therefore, a desired outcome for the executive development program is to identify solutions for how to better enable collaboration between disparate parts of the organization.

The dual focus means creating a program with strong, relevant content taught in an environment that brings a group of leaders together. The design also has to be rigorously managed, with participants demonstrating that they have learned and applied the content. "It is not a program for part-timers," Benson said. "The participants spend a great deal of energy and time on the work, including preparation for final presentations to the entire U.S. management team. It is a high-stakes learning environment which provides an immediate seriousness about the education."

Emphasizing the importance and usefulness of the learning can help bring out the best abilities of everyone involved.

"You don't just put executives running $100 million [worth] of business in the room for 10 days and expect them to simply listen and absorb," Benson said. "Rather, you must provide an education and experience which matches their level of expertise and stature. They deserve our utmost respect, but we must also be willing to push them if we are to have a real impact in their leadership abilities and an impact on the future direction of the company."

Sticking Your Neck Out

For talent or learning executives who are considering adding an action learning component into their next executive development design, there is one additional question to ask: To what degree is the learning department willing to stick its neck out to pursue a high-risk, high-reward training design?

The answer to this question may be part of the reason for action learning's on-again, off-again use during the past three decades. Not everyone is willing to put in the time and apply the rigor necessary to be successful. In some cases, a strategy to minimize the impact on the executive participants' time - rather than ask them to do more - can seem like a safer, more prudent approach to promote engagement or acceptance. But this type of sentiment can backfire, as it may hobble a program's effectiveness from the start.

Talent and learning leaders need to have a great deal of confidence that any action learning component they design - especially for high-potential leaders - is really going to stand up to the pressures an executive may bring to it. They must be willing and able to defend it. For talent managers who are ready to step up to that challenge, it is important to learn from others' experiences before beginning.

Action learning can be hard to implement. It's risky, and it requires a lot of time and energy to manage, but at the end of the day, it is an effective way to dramatically improve engagement levels in the classroom, promote connections across the organization and ensure learning application back on the job.


[About the Authors: Scott Blanchard is executive vice president and David Witt is program director for The Ken Blanchard Companies, a provider of training and organizational development services.]