Is Training the Best Solution? Here are 7 Questions to Answer Before Training Your Staff! Training is not always the only or best solution to a problem. Investigating the root causes will open up a vast horizon of solutions that training is only one of them. Training is basically a potential solution to performance problems such as when your team’s performance is suffering. But jumping immediately to a training solution can either be costly, or simply ineffective. So analyzing performance problems should be your next step. This is based on the work of Mager and Pipe on Analyzing Performance Problems.

1. Is Training the Best Solution?
Questions to Answer Before Training Your Staff
Based on the work of Mager and Pipe on Analyzing Performance Problems
7
By Abdurrahman Q. AlQahtani

2. like medicine, training is used to cure a problem, but it isn’t the
problem itself (unless abused!)
Training is Not a Problem
Saying you have a training problem is like going to a doctor and
saying I have an Aspirin problem?
Training is usually a solution to a problem that you might have

3. Training is Not the Only Solution
On the other hand, training is not always the only or best solution
to a problem
If you have an insomnia, then taking a sleeping bill might not be
the solution. You may need to work on your sleep hygiene!
Investigating the root causes will open up a vast horizon of
solutions that training is only one of them

4. What Problems does Training Solve?
Training is basically a potential solution to performance problems
such as when your team’s performance is suffering
But jumping immediately to a training solution can either be
costly, or simply ineffective
So analyzing performance problems should be your next step

5. Analyzing Performance Problems
This is a progressive check list that poses questions you need to ask
yourself, your team, and/or your organization
This check list provides you with short circuits to potential
solutions to your performance problems
It saves you from jumping to potentially costly or ineffective
training solutions

6. I hereby promise to stay patient
throughout the following seven (7)
questions!
Promise me, please!

7. What is the Problem?1
State your performance problem or concern as a
performance gap
Performance gap is the discrepancy between what
should be done and what is currently being done?

8. Rude Customer Service Team
Example
Saying “my customer service team has bad
attitudes” doesn’t help you much
Instead: “My customer service team receive
customer complains with an aggressive tone, while
they should be politely answering their requests”

9. Okay, I have described my problem
as a performance gap
You promised to stay patient!
Can you cut to the chase please?

10. Is it Worth Solving?2
Evaluate your problem as minor with no real harms or major with
severe effects
If major/severe then describe consequences quantitatively and/or
qualitatively
This step helps you to (or not to) continue an extensive analysis of
the problem

11. Rude Customer Service Team
Example
It is a major problem since we have received
customer complains about how rude our customer
service staff deal with them
We actually have five recorded cases of such calls
where customers decided and terminated their
subscriptions with us accordingly!

12. My Team Come Late to Office!
Example
“my team come late to office, and sometimes
arrive an hour after the official time. We need a
training on discipline and time management”
If this is for a team of developers who work hard on
delivering software solutions for the company,
then it might not be a big of an issue
1/3

13. My Team Come Late to Office!
Example
It could be that they compensate their lateness by
staying extra time after the official working hours!
If this doesn’t affect software project delivery then
it might not be worth analyzing and trying to solve
2/3

14. My Team Come Late to Office!
Example
On the other hand, if this is a team who serve
customers and there are cases where customers
arrive and no one is there to serve them!
Then it gives you a hint that this is a worthy
problem to solve
3/3

15. Now, I’m pretty sure we have a
performance problem that is worthy
to analyze and solve
Wooo, not just yet!
Can I think of a training solution for that?

16. Can You Apply Quick Fixes?3
Think of basic solutions and hot fixes that could solve the problem
Three things to consider to help you find quick fixes:
Work goals and
expectations
Availability of
resources
Performance
feedback

17. Goals and Expectations
Example
With the service team arriving late and customers
wait for being served, It could be that service
window coincides exactly with working hours!
Shifting working hours one hour earlier can ensure
the team arrives earlier before customers are
allowed in
1/2

18. Goals and Expectations
Example
Problem fixed with a quick solution by changing
the goal of the team and rearranging the service
window
You could also clarifying the expectation that the
team need to arrive no later than say 30 min from
the official start of the working day
2/2

19. Availability of Resources
Example
A potential solution could be to arrange
transportation for the team, if they have issues in
finding ways to get to the office on time
This addresses a resource availability issue and
helps you solve the problem from a different angle

20. Performance Feedback
Example
How many times you have told someone about a
problem, only to discover that they didn’t know
about it?
If outcomes from poor performance are not visible
to the team, you need to give feedback on these
outcomes and they might just adjust accordingly

21. Well, my problem is bigger than a
quick fix!
Dadada… be patient, no training solutions yet!
I think I know this trainer who can help me condu…

22. Are Consequences Appropriate?4
Appropriate consequences means that desired performance is
encouraged and poor performance is discouraged
Raise a red flag if your environment has one of the following:
Desired performance is
discouraged or sometimes
punished
Poor performance is
encouraged or even
rewarded
Performance whether
desired or poor is simply
ignored

23. Is Desired Performance Punished?
Examples
Being a hard worker only gets you more work to do
Staying within budget results in slashing your future budgets
Wearing your uniform makes people laugh at how you look
Asking questions in the classroom triggers sarcastic answers
Asking clarifying questions in a meeting renders you stupid

24. Is Poor Performance Rewarded?
Examples
Arriving late to office means less work assigned
Yelling at others in meetings gets your point across
Rewarding a physician on how many appointments he scores, and
not how many cases he cures
Measuring a call center agent by how many calls he answers, and
not the quality of calls or solutions he offers to close cases
Rewarding a consultant on utilization rate, ignoring how much
was really accomplished

25. Is Performance Ignored?
Examples
Absence of praise in the workplace could mean that desired
performance is ignored
Absence of critical feedback could mean that poor performance is
okay
So desired performance is not repeated and sloppy performance
continues

26. That was insightful, thank you!
But our workplace does not have
inappropriate consequences!
I think you’re gonna hate it!
I’m getting excited, what is your next question?

27. Do They Already Know How?5
Answering this question simply saves you from training your staff
on something they already know
The signs that tells you it’s not about a skill deficiency are:
The team has done it before but
stopped doing it anymore
The team continues to do it till this
moment, but sometimes they slip
Provide Practice Provide Feedback

28. Did it in the Past but Stopped!
Example
A systems analyst knows how to conduct requirements analysis
and has successfully applied that in his past jobs
But when he joined your team, he didn’t do that anymore so
projects start with poor requirements in hand
It might be a matter of explicitly scheduling a phase in the project
for requirements gathering and analysis (opportunity to practice)
Will sending this guy to a course on Business Analysis help? No

29. Doing it But Slipping Sometimes
Example
Your personal assistant knows how to assemble the monthly
department report
Recently, she started doing that efficiently, but sometimes the
report styles and design are not consistent
She probably knows about templates and themes but she misses
to see the inconsistencies in her reports
Before training her on something she already knows, try giving
her feedback on the consistency of the report format

30. Well, it is for sure a skill deficiency
Good to hear that!
What can I do? I swear I’m not thinking about training!

31. Are There More Clues?6
Can you think of something that could solve the performance
problem before jumping to a training a solution?
Most importantly, try evaluating the following options:
Task
complexity
Job fit
Environmental
obstacles
Potential to
Change?

32. Task Complexity
Example
You are looking for fresh candidates to fill two vacancies in your
department
You have decided to interview applicants, only to find that you
have 200+ applications
The task is complex, and you need to simplify it. You could turn
into posing a way to filter through these applicants
Would a training on “interview skills” help the person in charge of
hiring? No
Consider asking applicants to submit a verified test score which
would result in lowering the number to 20+, for instance

33. Job Fit
Example
How many times you met a person who’s clearly not fit for a job,
only to see him suffer trying to create that fit?
Sometimes transferring a person to another job that fits would
relieve you from endless and useless training
A consultant who is better an account manager
For example: an accountant who is better as a consultant
A call center agent who is better a sales representative

34. Environmental Obstacles
Example
Training will not be a good solution when the environment is the
cause of poor performance
Obstacles can be: Lack of authority, or work overload
Conflicting responsibilities, or power struggles
Team conflicts, Rude management, or an atmosphere of inept
criticism
Removing these obstacles should be your target

35. Potential to Change?
Example
Sometimes a person doesn’t have the potential to change
In this case neither training nor anything else could help
However, it is important not to jump to this conclusion abruptly
Replacing with a person who have the skill or potential can be the
only solution
Two things to help you out: previous (and still valid) knowledge of
the person, and feedback from different prospects

36. Mmm… I cannot think of other
causes or clues!
Yes it is!
Please, tell me the following is going to be the last question!

37. Which Solutions Are Best?7
You have reached this far, because you either didn’t find solutions,
or have some and want to compare with a training solution
If worthy, conduct a cost-benefit analysis and weigh your options
out and see if training is a winning option
Remember that a proper training is a process not an event

38. Training is a Process not an Event
Where is the performance gap in the organization?
What knowledge, skills, and attitudes to bridge the gap?
Who have that performance gap so we can train?
Learning objectives and material
Training methods/techniques
Needs
Analysis
Design &
Deliver
Evaluation criteria and design
Act on feedback
Evaluation
& Feedback

39. I hereby promise not to jump to
training as a first solution
Promise me, please!
Never ever again!

40. Training is often best when:
The problem is clearly a performance gap
Performance gap is worthy and correct performance is critical
Performance goals are clear, resources available, and feedback is given
Appropriate consequences are in place for desired/poor performance
The employee doesn’t know how to perform as required (missing a skill)
Change is a potential, and environment is not the problem
1
2
3
4
5
6
Other solutions are ineffective or too expensive (such as coaching)7

41. That was thoughtful thanks!
Have Meaningful Trainings!

42. Mager, R. F., & Pipe, P. (1997). Analyzing Performance Problems (3rd ed.). Belmont, CA: Lake Publishers.
Saks, A. M., & Haccoun, R. R. (2013). Managing Performance through Training and Development (6th ed.). Nelson Education.
All background photos are taken by me using a Canon DSLR 650D, in King Abdullah Road, Riyadh SA
References:

43. http://www.slideshare.net/aqahtani
@alq_abdurrahman
http://sa.linkedin.com/in/aqahtani
http://knowledge-passion.com/blog
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Abdurrahman Q. AlQahtani - Consultant & Coach - aq@knowledge-passion.com