Training: Meaning and Purpose

Your training should be meaningful. I mean purposeful. Do I mean both?

Meaning (logos) is how something or someone is defined. It is the intention or reason for doing something. Purpose (telos) is the fulfillment or consummation of the meaning. The former intends, the driving force, and the latter accomplishes. Neither is the same but both are important for your training.

What is Meaning?

Scenario: You are tasked with creating a training for a group of construction workers. The meaning of construction training would be "because you care about the safety of your team."

Meaning correlates to values. Most trainings are because you may value your customers and you want to provide them excellent customer service. You value your business and want to make sure you give top-notch performance because it is a reflection of your business.

The gag is, that what may be meaningful to you, may not be significant to your team or employees. We know this as subjective. This could be due to the lack of holding the same values or understanding of experiences. Communication can bridge this gap between training and the receptivity of employees. We want this because when employees can grasp the meaning they are more inclined to display:

Intrinsic Motivation: Meaningful training often taps into a person's intrinsic motivation, where they are driven by a genuine interest in the training. This contrasts with extrinsic motivation, which is primarily driven by external rewards like money or status.

Alignment with Personal Goals: When training aligns with an individual's personal and career goals, it can be seen as a stepping stone toward achieving those aspirations, enhancing the sense of meaning in the training.

Continuous Learning and Adaptation: In rapidly changing fields, jobs that require continuous learning and adaptation can remain more meaningful because they challenge individuals to grow and stay engaged.

If you haven't grasped the overarching concept of meaning in your training by now, let me give it to you. As the creator of training, you do not have to care about the training (although, it will help you be positive towards it and not resistant), but you want those who will engage in the training to find, understand, and even bring their own meaning. There is a reward for the company and compliance.

What is Purpose?

Scenario: In order to implement the meaning of the construction training, you have to have an end goal. Because you care about the safety of your team, you decide that the purpose of the training "will be to limit the amount of injuries during operation of equipment."

The purpose is to equip employees with knowledge, skills, and abilities. It implements meaning through action. Purpose allows employees to perform their jobs. It is motivating due to its relevance. There is retention in what is being conveyed and employees are more satisfied when their training has a clear purpose. Purpose can be correlated to job satisfaction and retention of employees. Not only are employees benefiting from the purpose of training but the business as well.

Innovation and Adaptation: Purposeful training can foster a culture of innovation and adaptability within the organization. Employees who understand the purpose of their training are more likely to apply their learning to solve new challenges and drive innovation. This leads to the next major fact.

Compliance and Risk Mitigation: In industries with regulatory requirements, purposeful training ensures that employees are well-informed about compliance standards and best practices, reducing the risk of legal issues or safety incidents.

Measurable Outcomes: Purposeful training programs often have clear, measurable learning objectives and outcomes. This allows organizations to assess the effectiveness of the training and make improvements as needed.

Overall

Meaning and purpose complement each other in an interconnected but distinct way. Meaning as mentioned is subjective, while purpose is objective. By ensuring that your training has meaning and purpose, the organization empowers employees to excel, promotes innovation, is adaptive, and improves job performance.

Jonassen, D. H., & Strobel, J. (2006). Modeling for meaningful learning. Engaged learning with emerging technologies, 1-27.