Analyzing Performance Problems: Is Training the Best Solution?
Too often we fall into the trap of chasing the latest shiny objects. In L&D that is usually a slick-looking tool or some new "game-changing" technology. The problem is when the important step of systemic analysis is skipped. (Which happens way more than it should.)
Sometimes the knowledge we need to appropriately apply all the new technology around us is not new at all. For example, Robert Mager & Peter Pipe introduced an excellent model for analyzing performance problems in their book "Analyzing Performance Problems" nearly 25 years ago.
Mager and Pipe’s model has the advantage of guiding a systemic and systematic analysis to determine solutions to performance problems. (Often it is NOT training.)
They emphasize cost-effectiveness in solving performance problems every step away, such as determining whether the performance problem is worth fixing at all, choosing cheaper non-training solutions over training solutions, and trying to identify simpler solutions.
Their Performance Analysis Flow Diagram is a must-see for anyone working in our field. Click through to check it out and notice how many options it serves up BEFORE you get to training.
About the Author
With over two decades of real-life, in-the-trenches experience designing and delivering learning experiences, Mike Taylor understands that effective learning isn’t about the latest fad or trendy new tools. Known for his practical, street-savvy style, Mike is a regular and highly-rated speaker at industry events and consults on organizational learning design and technology at Change 4 Growth in Columbus, Ohio. He is also a professor in Franklin University’s Instructional Design and Learning Technology graduate program. Mike holds an MBA degree from Ohio University and a master’s degree in educational technology from San Diego State University.