One of the causes of reflection and also of frustration on the part of human management managers has to do with the behavioral evidence that we perceive in the jobs after completing a training process.
In many cases we perceive that there are high levels of satisfaction, joy and commitment at the end of a training event, however we verify that this effect was temporary, one, two or at most three weeks later, everything returned to its place.
These phenomena are not strange or unknown to those of us who have to deal with the training processes of adults in companies. This is what is commonly called the Alka seltzer effect.
In general terms, we can assume what this statement refers to and we will briefly reflect on it in these lines.
The idea is that once this model of reaction to training is recognized we can have a hypothesis about its cause and above all we try some actions that allow us to counteract these effects that are based on emotion and the temporality of its effects, from In such a way that we need to generate new actions that allow us to consolidate the management of training as a high-impact activity in the support and support of the fulfillment of the expectations of improvement of the performance of those who participate in the different programs or events of updating, improvement or training in the company.
The enthusiasm and joy manifested with which our employees leave after having listened to a good conference on a topic, be it for personal motivation or when a training program on a specific topic is finished and if the academic and learning experience has been positive because of a good methodology or because of an excellent speaker or for both reasons, it allows those who participated to become true promoters of the benefits of this type of training or seminar in the following weeks.
However, after a while we begin to observe that the enthusiasm diminishes and the purposes made begin to decline, in such a way that we return to the known routines and then we begin to suspect that the impact of what we saw in these training events was of little duration.
On this, it is important to consider that this is where the follow-up work with the participating group begins. On many occasions, the training management is satisfied with sending the officials to the different scheduled events and a monitoring, accompaniment and learning control scheme has not been designed.
In this sense, the effects of training must be permanent and evident in performance and productivity.
The follow-up actions refer to the need to identify, together with the training providers, the aspects, behaviors or knowledge that should be of special attention by the human management area, in order to promote spaces that allow participants In training events, keep as a point of reference the conceptual and contextual elements that will allow you to delve into the content viewed.
As practical suggestions to follow up on the training events carried out with the staff, the following are proposed, among others:
1. Weekly or biweekly meeting with the participating group for 30 minutes to talk about how they are applying the lessons learned in their daily work. Share difficulties and refer to the content seen in the training event.
2. Conceptual reinforcement to the group. After two months bring back the lecturer or facilitator of the process or in his place someone who also masters the subject in order to have a presentation for at least two hours that allows to refresh the concepts and obtain new knowledge.
3. Establish an accompaniment plan with immediate managers to review the way in which the transfer of learning to management is being carried out by the officials who participated in the event.
4. Establish, if warranted, a coaching process with some of the participants in order to strengthen some of the competencies identified as keys to the success of the management that is carried out.
5. Occasional interviews with participants. It is suggested that the training management and / or the immediate bosses have a weekly or biweekly informal and unstructured conversation about the way in which what has been learned is impacting in the on-the-job training event.
These suggestions, put into practice, can generate different reactions among the participants to the training events, since they will feel that they are not being abandoned in their training and training process and that there is somehow control over the importance of For the organization, that its officials participate in training programs that will result in measurable, measurable and observable improvement in management and results.
Following up on the training can also ensure that the initial enthusiasm is maintained and transmitted to others, since the example becomes a catalyst not only for daily performance, but also for maintaining a high level of productivity.
When we include in the training program a chapter dedicated to how we will follow up and accompany the training events, we will surely have positive results at the end of the process that are recognized by all, in such a way that we can leave behind the paradigms that we They said that the resources and time devoted to training have no way to be measured and that there is no way to know if this effort to train staff was worth it.
The monitoring, accompaniment and control of training processes in the organization is applicable to all types of instruction, from refresher courses through technical and administrative courses to personal growth and skills development. All training and instructional events must have a plan that allows the content to be internalized and made explicit in daily management.
Finally, I invite you to consider the importance of making training, whatever it may be, a space for transformation and improvement of skills and abilities for each of the people who participate in the events that we program with the intention of generating greater organizational development or a strengthening of human development.
