Training and Retraining Fails - How to Go About It?

Many training programmes fall short of targets and frequently fail to increase abilities, management prowess, or compliance over the long run. Likewise, some retraining efforts end up with more frustration than fruitful results.

For some people affected by poor performance, the trainer and the manager concerned will have to decide that in view of previous attempts to train (and no doubt other factors), no help is possible anymore. This may lead to a management decision to transfer, redesign the job, or – in an extreme case – dismissal accordingly. The trainer’s or performance coach's involvement in such decisions will naturally vary considerably.

The situation will call for the trainer or performance coach to analyse the nature of the person’s performance deficiencies and to decide whether training could make a significant and worthwhile contribution to an improvement in performance. However, the situation may require further consideration along the following lines:

i) Did the person possess the necessary entry skills? Without them,a person would be unable to cope with the demands of the job, leading to unsatisfactory job performance. Such a situation would suggest that either the selection procedure was at fault, or that the training programme had failed to take into account the person’s entry behaviour.

ii) Was there a clear understanding of the performance standards required? This has to be mutually agreed upon between the person, the person’s immediate superior and, occasionally, the trainer. Any ambiguities could lead to the not unreasonable charge that there is no basis upon which to assess performance.

iii) Did the person receive satisfactory job-related training? A contributory factor to poor job performance could be the lack of adequate training on the job.

vi) Did the person receive the necessary help and support from the working group? Many factors affect this and the answer may have many implications, both training and non-training.

v) Was there sufficient opportunity for challenge built into the job? Failure to provide challenging opportunities may reduce motivation and therefore lead to unsatisfactory performance.

vi) How accurate and sensitive were the ways of measuring performance?

vii) Was the person given sufficient feedback? Knowledge of results is an essential feature of training and job performance: failure to provide it will almost certainly lead to performance deficiencies.

In conclusion, there are many different reasons why employee training and retraining might go wrong. But, the majority of them are both predictable and preventable.