Chris S is asking how one can measure a corporate learning program. I
take it from his comments that the company has had a bad financial year,
and management is re-evaluating the relevance of the
training/learning/empowerment efforts. Chris needs to know how to evaluate
a learning program without connecting the learning to bottom-line results.
This is parallel to the questions being asked in the "Wheatley Dialog" in
that he is looking for a high-level assessment or analysis tool that does
not use reductionist methods. Look at the whole, not the bits and pieces.
You may not like this, but I think you have to ask your clients
specifically what the learning program has done to make them better at
doing whatever they are charged with doing. If a manager has had staff
pass through the program and cannot identify any gains, then there is a
question about what the training is doing. If, on the other hand, a
manager can define clearly why the training program benefited the
performance of the group through improving the performance of individuals
or teams, then you have clear evidence of how the program contributes.
Efforts such as the Wheatley Dialog may ultimately provide some direction
on the higher level perspective, but until then, you will have to get
feedback from those whose staff has undergone training.
--Rol Fessenden LL Bean, Inc. 76234.3636@compuserve.com
Learning-org -- An Internet Dialog on Learning Organizations For info: <rkarash@karash.com> -or- <http://world.std.com/~lo/>