TRAINING EFFECTIVENESS & ROI
Sumaa: In what kind of interventions we should not consider ROI?
Me: If you don’t gauge ROI, most likely you wasted money on the intervention! Unless
you wanted it only to be an FYI or a constructivist approach.
ROI or more famously now, ROE (Return on Expectations) has got bright spotlight in
today’s transactional world. And why not, the Business Leaders want to know where
their investment (emotional & financial) is leading to.
ROI is simply to do with what one learns and so what one adopts; and a step further,
what is ultimately delivered. If you want your training intervention to be structured AND
progressive, focus on designing and implementing ROI plans. Anything else is just
plain awareness or entertainment!
Bhavesh: What steps/corrective measures need to be taken into consideration while
measuring or Defining ROI of a Training Initiative.
Me: One needs to identify and/or follow – 1) Readiness of learner(s); 2) Management
Support; 3) The expectations and whether they are achievable; 4) Appropriateness of
Methodology and Duration of the intervention; 5) Eventual gap to adopt and
demonstrate the lessons.
The prime goal of learning is application. Now, learning may happen in a personal
space, but the application needs much support and recognition of several factors. The
factors mentioned above are some of the very crucial ones.
Arun: What are the methods to measure ROI?
Me: Interviews, project-based assignments, pre and post questionnaires,
management ratings etc These methods differ from intervention to intervention and it
is upon the designer to pick what’s best. (Instructional) Designer must be aware and
extremely in sync with what’s required and what can be supported by the
management.
One cannot apply one-size-fits-all theory when looking for methods to measure ROI.
Stay innovative and experimental! However, it’s important here to understand
business leader’s expectations and the support management can extend to measure
ROI.
Malini: Is it possible to calculate ROI for Behavioural Skills training programs & what
would be the parameters in which it’s calculated?
Me: It is possible to calculate ROI for a behavioural skills program. The parameters
and indicators must be discussed and listed by the designer of the program and they
vary all the time. Tips – focus on what are the top two objectives, list the deliverables
and key indicators around them; now create parameters and add weightage to them;
here, consider how you want to create the ROI Gauging forum; and last but not the
least, always consider the time, space and support factor.
I personally believe, everything is math and science, even the behaviour we display!
To gauge ROI for Behavioural Skills, just focus on the entire life cycle of a learning
intervention: analysis->design->development->implementation->evaluation (ADDIE).
Rina: I have two questions. 1. We talk a lot about L&D professionals and what they
should know about training ROI. What about business leaders? What they should
learn about training ROI? 2. What should Training ROI score card or dashboard in a
company look like?
Me: The business leaders must know what is learning and what all goes into designing
an effective learning and the importance of their role in it.; About the dashboard, it
must enlist expectations, indicators, parameters, costs involved, pre and post
change(s) observed.
Well, am not saying Business Leaders should study Instructional Designing, am just
saying, they must understand the principles behind Instructional Designing – the
science that helps lay-out a complete Learning & Development plan! In that they must
support in outlining not only the competencies but also the indicators against the
competencies; and accordingly commit and support.