What do you do if your strategic decision in Training and Development (HR) backfires?

If the L&D strategy fails, the audience covered under it may come away feeling dissatisfied. This flows up the hierarchy of the employees as the valuable man-hours invested into the program were put in with the expectation of the outcome which has not been reached. At this point connecting with all the stakeholders achieves multiple objectives. One, it helps in identifying, what went wrong. Secondly, conversations/FGDs with stakeholders may provide valuable primary data that can be used to refine or develop the next L&D/OD intervention. Lastly, engaging with stakeholders reassures them that L&D is not a tick-mark HR activity, that if there is room for improvement, efforts are being made to address and improve.

Root Cause Analysis is the first step to damage control or starting afresh. Let's say you have invested a lot of time, money and efforts to design a comprehensive L&D intervention but the desired objective is not being reached. Start zeroing in on problem right from the highest data available (usually either post assessment/feedback of the program). Do a Why-Why analysis. If the feedback score is low then which parameter is the lowest, why is it rated low, and proceed in this manner until you reach the root of the problem. This practice needs to be formalized so that after each intervention the results are fed back to improve the overall approach in next iteration. This also promotes a scientific and innovation driven approach to L&D.

After the data gathering and impact analysis, get back to the drawing board. If there is a large L&D intervention being planned which has long-term strategic repercussions, it is always a good idea to brainstorm with the team on : a) Objective b) Target Audience c) Approach After This is finalized, taking into account the data of the previous issues and concerns, brainstorm on what could go wrong. List all of the things that come up throughout the discussion and once done, address them one-by-one either through modification of communication strategy or approach to the intervention. Once all of this is covered, you have your next L&D strategy. This is an iterative process as your approach evolves through multiple L&D Interventions.

In my experience, if a strategic decision in L&D backfires, consider these 3 steps: 1. Conduct a Thorough Review: Analyze what went wrong by gathering feedback from all stakeholders. Identify the missteps in the decision-making process or in the implementation phase. 2. Communicate Transparently: Address the issue with your team and stakeholders. Honest communication about the situation, what you've learned, and how you plan to move forward is vital for maintaining trust. 3. Revise and Adapt: Use the insights gained from the review to revise your strategy. Be flexible and open to making significant changes. Implement a plan that addresses the shortcomings of the previous approach. ???? As always, gather feedback from your stakeholders!