Is Training Anything More Than Putting Lipstick on a Pig?
By Michelle Malay Carter on April 2, 2008
A friend sent me a Financial Times article written by Sathnam Sanghera, a gentleman who was thrilled when his Icebreaker training course was canceled.? Even though I frequently play the role of trainer, I found it a funny article worth a read.
In the article, Sathnam cited these statistics:
- In 2006, Hudson, a New York company specializing in human resources, published a survey of 1,674 employees in which one in three workers said their last training program was not worth the time. Another 12 per cent went further, saying it was a total waste of time.
- A previous poll of 2,500 British workers conducted by the Industrial Society and Training magazine also painted a grim picture: only 2 per cent of people said their training covered new ground, while 23 per cent said the courses they attended were not appropriate to their needs.
Yet, US companies spend $51 billion on training each year. Sanghera offers the following explanation:
“People write nice things on feedback forms because they do not want to be horrible to someone they have spent a day playing games with.? Corporate training continues to boom because:
- people are told to attend by their bosses;
- people cannot help hoping that they might meet someone on the course they can flirt with; and
- sometimes it is nice to get out of the office, even if it means sitting in a classroom and being treated like a halfwit.”
The Training Cure-All
I think we throw training at employees out of desperation and ignorance.?? We do this in a noble effort to address all that ails organizations.?
You can put lipstick on a pig, but as soon as he returns to the trough, it will disappear.
The Root Cause of Dysfunction
Most dysfunction is not an issue of lack of knowledge or skills – for which training can be a viable solution – but rather, dysfunction is a result of piecemeal, inconsistent, and default organization design and leadership systems.
Even when employees are fortunate to learn new skills in a training course, they are often rendered useless when employees leave the cozy classroom cocoon and return to their dysfunctional work environments.
It’s the System Stupid!
Employees know they are not the problem.? Let’s stop treating them like they are. I’m OK. You’re OK. Let’s fix the system.
What’s the most ludicrous training program you have attended?? What’s the most ridiculous training course you’ve ever taught?
Filed Under Accountability, Corporate Values, Employee Engagement, Executive Leadership, Talent Management
Comments
7 Responses to “Is Training Anything More Than Putting Lipstick on a Pig?”
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[…] Malay Carter over at Mission Minded Management recently wrote a post asking “Is Training Anything More Than Putting Lipstick on a Pig?” She raises some good points there’s more to the problem than she admits. Although the […]
“Employees know they are not the problem. Let?s stop treating them like they are.”
Too easy an out for most managers – so, the problem will likely go on.
But pressing hard for a more honest look at the problem from all perspectives – sponsor, provider, and attendee – is a start. And this was an excellent presentation of the issue. Thanks!
Hi Jim,
Yes, you’re right. It is an easy out. We need to close the loopholes provided to managers in the current systems.
Thanks for stopping by and for the comment.
Michelle
Michelle – Brilliant post!
This part of your post is real powerful:
“The Training Cure-All
I think we throw training at employees out of desperation and ignorance. We do this in a noble effort to address all that ails organizations. ”
There is no arguing that most training is done in good faith and with the best of intentions.
However, training can’t fix the following:
1. The wrong person in the job in the first place. It’s like pounding a square peg into a round hole… some things just don’t fit.
2. People who don’t want to learn, develop, and change. Forcing change is tough, some people just can’t do it and it may be best they are helped on their way to find more inspiring employment elsewhere.
3. Fix all of an organization’s problems. As you say it’s akin to lipstick on a pig!
Training can:
1. Improve the skills and knowledge of team members who are willing to learn and improve.
2. Provide a positive return on investment if it is targeted to truly address the growth opportunities of an individual or team.
Great post Michelle, keep it coming!
Chris Young
Hi Chris,
Thanks for stopping by. I agree with your assessments. Training is invaluable for specific situations, but far short of a cure all.
Thank you for your comment and encouragement.
Regards,
Michelle
You spoke straight from my heart!
As a facilitator on outbound programmes, it is a continuing frustrating experience to find clients asking about location, exciting activities, accommodation arrangements, booze possibilities in the evening……. and perhaps a reluctant and general response when asked about training objectives.
It becomes a matter of concern if the outbound is a perk to justify a training bugdet without getting employees too shaken up, or if there is anything they actually hope to achieve in training by talking about everything except it.
It is a rare meeting where the focus of the meeting is on training more than 10 percent of the time.
In cases of long training relationships, exploring along these lines even throws up concerns about whether the leadership is comfortable leading the new and improved participants and how their discomfort initiates processes of regression at times.
Yet, it is the rare leadership that will invest themselves in a programme before “downloading” it to the rest of the people. Leading from the front is a concept. The risk to actually do it…….
Hi Vidyut,
Thanks for stopping by. I agree leading from the front is important. Training plays an important role in organizations when used under the right circumstances and for the right reasons. Too often, it’s not. Thanks for the comment.
Regards,
Michelle