The Concept of Operationalizing Training Can Realign Post Pandemic Business Trends - Part I

This article consists of a few parts. But before we can get into the complete details and techniques of how to operationalize training, we need to lay the groundwork that will allow us to build upon our foundation of operationalizing training in our next few articles, so your integration efforts are productive and effective.

History of Operationalizing Training

Operationalizing Training is a new concept within the business world. However, it has been applied for several years within the US Military learning environment. After the span of a full military career and having led training efforts for the US Navy and the US Army, the purpose of and focus for operationalizing training became clear, was simple to implement, but required teamwork, collaboration, and drive.

The US Military established the conditions, and highlighted the necessary resource investments needed for the creation of a culture within the ranks that supported a career-spanning learning environment. As efforts progressed, the military realized the importance of protecting its modernization phases and windows in part, through learning, to help build the military of the future, and improve operational readiness.

Part of this strategy is known as "operationalizing training", a concept that cements a culture of ownership, accountability, and training management. Operationalizing training also targets core competencies that are being taught at the learning institutions, practiced at home station, and validated in a real-world environment. With slight modification, the same can be applied to the modern-day company or business.

The approach is not rocket-science, it is tested to be tried and true. Accountability, ownership, and alignment are all critical success drivers for the operationalizing of training.

I have written the upcoming series of articles in a manner it can be effectively applied within the business world to drive improved learning and post training performance improvement and sustainment.

What is Operationalizing Training?

Operationalizing training is an effective strategy designed to help learning professionals better support employees throughout the learning process, in a manner that helps improve post training performance, and assists employees in meeting performance outcomes and expectations.

 Now that we know what Operationalizing Training is, let’s talk about what it is not. Operationalizing Training is not a means for managing lower performers out of the business but is a means for helping them identify areas of opportunity and create a plan to achieve success. It is not used as a disciplinary tool – nor should it ever be viewed as such. However, it can help identify learning opportunities throughout training and on the job, so management and/or leadership can effectively coach and develop their team members.

In this series, we will be provided with:

• An understanding of how to effectively operationalize training,
• Identify the benefits that come from operationalizing training,
• Introduce strategies that can effectively operationalize training,
• And identify the positive impacts that can be experienced by our new and tenured employees, no matter the learning intervention employed.

You may be scratching your head wondering what does operationalizing training have to do with new hire, tenured, and leadership training and development. If you are in the BPO space, you may also be saying to yourself, is this not the reason why we have nesting? My response to these questions is, not really.

When we say operationalizing training, we are talking about managing learning in such a way that our efforts align effectively with post training expectations and outcomes. In other words, aligning with the company’s mission, vision, business objectives, or in the call center industry, with the programs key performance indicators (KPIs) which can include QA, ASA, CSAT, NPS, AHT, ATT, Abandon Rate, and more. For a sales organization the KPIs could be win Rate, conversion rate, average deal size, customer lifetime value, quota attainment, pipeline value, etc.

Operationalizing training is a method of converting non quantifiable or abstract training efforts and activities into quantifiable performance outcomes. Through operationalizing training, we are able to effectively study new hire behaviors and learning trends that otherwise defy quantification. Finally, operationalizing training allows us to better understand and assess new hire and tenured employee behaviors, productivity, and motivation.

It is the responsibility of the learning professional to know how to leverage and engage this powerful strategy. By doing so, employees receive some of the most powerful learning and performance benefits, the most evident benefit of operationalizing training is it provides employees with a sense of empowerment, because they feel more confident about what they have learned throughout the learning process. Learning retention is significantly improved due to direct involvement, and learners clearly understand what is expected of them. This in turn leads to an innate ability to achieve post-training performance levels more effectively, and improved customer satisfaction levels.

Operationalizing training promotes open channels for effective coaching and development of employees throughout the learning experience. It provides leadership, human resources, and talent acquisition with invaluable information for helping them in the overall hiring, selection, and post training development processes; as well as promotes a more team centric working environment where key decision makers proactively work together for the betterment of the employees. If your organization is people centric, this is the model that can best support your vision and direction.

Operationalizing training provides simple strategies for ensuring the most current know how and know why of process execution are always a part of the learning process and will validate every employee’s ability to perform their job in a way that gets things done successfully, to help the organization be more successful.

Start Journaling

In this series, it is important you use a learning journal as you transition through each part of the series. Important questions will be asked throughout the series, questions that will provide you with the time to think about what you are reading, and then document your thoughts and ‘ah ha’ moments.

• Document any KPIs the learning team, and the employees are accountable for and need to achieve.
• Next, list the competencies you need to become proficient in to ensure you are effective in your operationalizing training efforts. List the questions you should be asking yourself, that will help you better support improvement in each of the competencies.
• List three things you can do to better to support improvement in these KPIs and/or competencies.
• Identify and document what you need to do better, to ensure strategic alignment of these efforts, and the expected outcomes for you and your employees on the job.
• List the relationships you need to develop and/or maintain to help you get your learners to where they need to be. If you do not have all of the key stakeholder relationships developed, document who you need to develop a relationship with, how you are going to develop that relationship, and set a timeline in place to accomplish these tasks.
• Once you have uncovered and documented all your strategies for moving forward, list how these strategies will help you be a better learning professional. What value will be gained from your implementation of these strategies. What value do your strategic partners, new hires, tenured employees, clients, customers, and the organization receive because of these efforts.  

What's Next

In the next article, Operationalizing Training Part two, I will discuss 'Time to Proficiency' and how it impacts a leadership's ability to effectively put an operationalizing training strategy in place. Every learning professional, operations manager, or business leader needs to be well versed in time to proficiency and understand how to influence its outcomes.

Within the United States Special Operations Command (USSOC), time to proficiency is paramount. As a result, the five levels of Special Operations Forces (SOF) Truths were developed. Each can be applied to today's learning and business environments. Each truth ensures special operators are trained, and prepared to take on missions that carry with them high risk, high value. Everything SOF does is aligned with the SOF vision, strategies, and goals, so they are able to be prepared to support the U.S. Government's pursuit of influence and strategic advantage around the world.

Kind of sounds like a business plan for almost every corporation out there, doesn't it.

Stay tuned for Part II.

© 2017; Allen Larsen, Operationalizing Training