When , training is a good idea and when bad !

December 24, 2018
When Offering Your Team Training Is a Bad Idea ! 

Every good manager wants their team to have the skills to succeed. So it makes sense to invest in training, right? Not so fast. 

Training can be powerful when it addresses an underdeveloped skill or knowledge deficit. But too often managers turn to training or formal learning when it won’t actually solve the problem it’s meant to. 
When is training worth trying? 
First, be sure your internal systems support the newly desired behavior. 
For example, training in proactive decision making won’t help employees if senior leaders make all the decisions in your company. Second, there needs to be a commitment to change. If your team isn’t willing to address a problem’s root cause, training won’t have the intended benefit. 
Third, the training needs to be connected to strategic priorities. If employees can’t see how what they’re learning relates to where the company is headed, you’ll waste your money — and their time.

Adapted from “When Companies Should Invest in Training Their Employees — and When They Shouldn’t,” by Ron Carucci