Fort Hill Federal: Learning Transfer, Accountability and Results

Article Published on - Wednesday, March 10, 2010 at 12:23 pm No Comments »

Learning leaders across a broad range of public and private sector organizations estimate that less than 20% of training participants practice what they’ve learned long enough to change their behavior and deliver measurable results. Imagine, in these budget-conscious times, the outcry from Congress if one of your agency’s key programs was shown to have a success rate of barely twenty percent? Or, from a personal perspective, what if Walgreen’s filled just 1 in 5 of your prescriptions correctly, or UPS only delivered your packages on time one day a week?

In dollar terms, the waste is staggering. If a typical week of classroom learning costs $1,500 per participant, and management employees attend one week of training each year, then the “learning scrap” (training dollars + salary) from a medium-sized federal agency with 1000 managers exceeds $2.2 million dollars per year – not including the incremental value the learning itself was intended to create.

There are, however, organizations that buck the trend, that regularly translate their investment in human capital into real results for their internal and external stakeholders. Though their specific practices are varied, their overall approach is consistent – they leverage all of the variables in the departmental environment to create a culture of learning accountability. The key elements include:

- Treating learning as a process, not an event

- Proactively engaging participants and their managers in the process

- Systematically driving transfer and application during the post-class follow-through period through a combination of participant accountability and performance support from the organization.

Over the next few weeks, I’ll begin digging deeper into each of these key elements – sharing success stories and best practices from our research, as well as discussing the challenges involved in implementation. My goal with these notes is to begin a dialogue that helps you bring enhanced accountability to learning, and improved performance to your organization.

Let the conversation begin!

Steve Benjamin

Director, Federal Systems

Benjamin@forthillcompany.com


Fort Hill Learning Alert # 36! Getting Managers More Engaged

Article Published on - Saturday, February 27, 2010 at 12:16 pm No Comments »

Question:

I know that a learner’s manager has a big impact on whether training produces results. But it is hard to get them engaged! What can I do to get managers more involved so I can boost learning transfer?

Answer:

You are right. The research is clear: a learner’s manager can make or break the success of any training program. So it is absolutely vital to get them engaged and supportive.

The first step is to be sure that they know how important their role is. Many managers don’t fully appreciate the extent to which they impact the return on the training investment for their department. Have you shared the data with them about how important their support is? If not, do so. Be sure your communication answers the WIIFM question (What’s In It for Me?) by showing them how a modest incremental investment of their time and attention can pay big rewards for their department and reputation.

Second, be sure they know what they are supposed to do. It doesn’t do any good to just exhort managers to “Do more pre- and post-course coaching!” if they do not know what it is they are supposed to do. Our clients have discovered that one of the big impediments to getting managers more involved is that no one has ever been explicit about exactly what they are supposed to do. They discovered that when they provided managers with an easy-to-use process and practical tools, many more of them became successfully engaged with good results.

Click here to read more from the latest Fort Hill Company Learning Alert to find out how to get your Managers more involved in learning transfer. Also we would love to hear from you so please let us know your take on the subject below!


Part Two of Andy Jefferson’s Guest Spot on HCI

Article Published on - Wednesday, February 10, 2010 at 12:13 pm No Comments »

Wrapping up his guest spot on the Human Capital Institute Blog, Fort Hill CEO brings an insightful summary on driving learning transfer, and making the most out of your training events. Check it out here.


Fort Hill’s Andy Jefferson is featured on the HCI blog!

Article Published on - Tuesday, February 9, 2010 at 12:06 pm No Comments »

Check out the first of a 2 part series that Fort Hill’s own Andrew Jefferson is presenting on the Human Capital Institute Blog. Learn how to treat learning as a process, not an event, by clicking here.


Take a look at the latest FHC Learning Alert!

Article Published on - Saturday, January 30, 2010 at 12:05 pm No Comments »

The Fort Hill Company Newsletter is back with an all new issue where we answer YOUR questions on L&Ds best practices. Check it out here! Don’t forget to let us know the kinds of questions you’d like to see in the comments section.


The Science of Creating and Completing Development Goals: Part 2

Article Published on - Saturday, November 7, 2009 at 11:56 am No Comments »

Here is the second article from Michael Papay and David Timby that was published by Australia’s Get Me Learning Resources.

They focus on the best practices of getting people to create and complete their development goals by incorporating three key principles:

Employ Accountability and Support.
Set-up Automatic Reminders.
Reward Quick Wins.

Read the full article at: http://www.getmelearningresources.com/article-the-science-of-creating-and-completing-development-goals-part2#at


Fort Hill 2009 Best Practices Summit–Best of the Best!

Article Published on - Thursday, October 22, 2009 at 11:47 am No Comments »

Best of the Best

Fort Hill recently concluded its sixth annual Best Practices Summit. Fifty learning leaders from global companies attended to share best practices regarding transferring learning to the workplace and then turning it into results. Many well-known organizations presented including Agilent Technologies, Deloitte, Genentech, The IRS and others. Attendees also received a preview of Fort Hill’s completely new suite of follow-through and learning transfer tools, as well as the new interactive learning modules: Getting Your Money’s Worth from Training and Development and Learning as Competitive Edge.

Conference Highlights:

The conference theme was getting your money’s worth from training and development, with a core focus on learning transfer and behavior change. Sue Todd of the Corporate University Exchange lead off with a keynote address on “Branding Learning and Development” and managing the brand effectively for sustainability.

  • Nicole Roy-Tobin and Katie Coates of Deloitte discussed their effective use of The Six Disciplines model in support of their business strategy for improved performance.
  • Carol Wells of Genentech also focused on the use of The Six Disciplines and its strategic value as a common language that has strengthened Commercial Training and Developments relationships with the overall business.
  • Pete Cage and Mike Girone gave a lively presentation regarding the success of the Managing at Agilent program which used Fort Hill’s Results Engine® learning transfer tool to ensure that participants took post course action and practiced their new skills long enough to develop mastery.
  • Becky Bechtel from Air Products shared how she was able to deliver a high impact leadership program and then deliver ROI as an output.
  • Deb Gmelin from Humana gave a fascinating presentation of “Learning as a Go-to-Market Strategy,” utilizing The Six Disciplines model to design a public facing learning simulator designed to help solve some of the critical health care issues faced in the United States.

Day one of the Summit ended with a timely presentation by Jim Kelly, Chief Operating Officer of ING Direct that examined “What the C-Suite Wants from Learning and Development to Support the Business Brand and Strategy.” This was an invaluable peek behind the curtain of the executive suite regarding their perceptions and expectations about the learning function.

Day two of the Summit was equally exciting and rewarding. It opened with a keynote by David Allen of Getting Things Done fame. David was brilliant as usual and left the group with much to think about in terms of achieving their own “stress free productivity.”

  • Sandy Allred from McKesson presented her successful use of DevelopmentEngine® in her “Leaders Teaching Leaders” curriculum and the impact of manager support on learning transfer.
  • Laurie Cusic presented on Wyeth’s “Sales Leadership Effectiveness” process that found that ResultsEngine had increased engagement and connection to the learning during the six months after the learning event.
  • Carol Bonett from Morgan Stanley Smith Barney discussed her innovate use of The Six Disciplines of Breakthrough Learning model to design her Q-Up program which had a blockbuster impact on her sales managers’ performance.
  • Mike Stoyak of the IRS presented on the Service’s recent use of The Six Disciplines to completely redesign their Front Line Management Program and the value they derived from having the framework with a focus on business results, as well as a common language for their design team.
  • Mike Petersell of Pitney Bowes discussed his use of Friday5s® in support of their EDGE class and the fantastic goal attainment and learning transfer that occurred across both leadership capabilities and functional responsibilities.
  • Liz Dimitri of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts gave an inspired presentation on her Core Leadership Curriculum Program where she gave each of us a guided tour, using an ingenious gardening metaphor, of how she used Friday5s to attain great results from her participants.
  • Our wrap-up session was an examination by Dr. Roy Pollock and Dave Basarab on how Fort Hill’s learning transfer tools can support post-program measurement and evaluation strategies.

This year’s summit was our best ever. It was a unique opportunity to hear from experienced learning professionals about how they are tackling the issue of ensuring learning transfer and producing great business results. We at Fort Hill are deeply grateful for the time and energy devoted by all our speakers and attendees to make the Summit great!


Michael Papay is this week’s Fave Find!

Article Published on - Wednesday, September 30, 2009 at 11:45 am No Comments »

Thanks to Karen over at Australia’s Get Me Learning Resources for making Michael Papay and Fort Hill Company a Fave Find in their fantastic newsletter. Below, find an excerpt, and a link to the full article.

Fave Find
Our Fave Find this week is not a thing, it’s a person! We met Michael Papay of the Fort Hill Company when he presented at the AIPF Conference on the Gold Coast in July. Michael delivered an information packed, thought provoking session on “Getting Your Money’s Worth from Training & Development”. Of course, as soon as I read this in the program my interested was sparked as it’s one of the biggest challenges we face in the industry – how to demonstrate ROI and knowledge transfer from training. What impressed me most though, was the research that has gone into developing Fort Hill’s product, Follow Through Tools®. This product has been used by more than 90,000 learners in 48 countries to drive learning transfer and deliver business results, making Fort Hill Company a global leader in this field. So after talking with Michael, we decided to focus this newsletter on “The Science of Creating & Completing Development Goals”. Michael has very kindly written us two articles on this subject. The first is included below and the second will be published in the next edition of our newsletter. We have also featured a couple of Fort Hill publications from our webstore which are great practical guides for getting the most out of your training budget. Thanks to Michael for his contribution and we hope you enjoy the read!

Read The Full Entry Here


Virtual Six Disciplines of Breakthrough Learning Workshop

Article Published on - Wednesday, August 12, 2009 at 1:00 pm No Comments »

This year learning leaders have asked three questions. 1. How do we predictably turn learning and development into improved business results? 2. Leaders in large enterprises have asked how to break down the silos of separate learning organizations within the same company. As one leader said, “We have multiple learning tribes operating each with their own models and language.” 3. How can we get our people trained without needing to have them travel?

To answer these questions on Tuesday September 15th, 22nd, and 29th, I will be leading a Virtual Six Disciplines of Breakthrough Learning Workshop to answer that exact question.

Great companies like Deloitte, Kaiser Permanente, and Agilent Technologies use the Six Disciplines to maximize the value of the learning they deliver. The Six Disciplines gives their instructional designers a consistent language and methodology that requires that all elements of the learning process consider and work towards the delivery of increased business results. Developing and executing learning initiatives that support business outcomes are a requirement in this economy.

This workshop will be highly interactive and engaging. Participants will bring a specific program they are responsible for and by the end of the third session they will document the improvements that have made.

When I did a similar workshop in January, the evaluations where higher than any instructor led Workshop I have ever done. I was positively stunned by the improvements participants made in the programs they brought. In fact because it was learning spaced over time rather than just in one or two days, I think they may have made more progress than what we see after an on site workshop.

Attend this virtual version of the Six Disciplines Workshop to learn how to:

* Work directly with the author of the best-selling Six Disciplines of Breakthrough Learning.
* No need or cost to travel.
* Learn with and from other workplace learning professionals.
* Apply the Six Disciplines to priority learning initiatives.
* Visibly increase the results your programs deliver.

Each interactive workshop includes three 90-minute sessions taught by me, Cal Wick, founder of Fort Hill Company and co-author of the best-selling Six Disciplines of Breakthrough Learning and Getting Your Money’s Worth from Training and Development.

All sessions are delivered from 11:00 AM to 12:30 EDT. The three workshop sessions, workbook, coaching and 6Ds toolkits are included for just $495.

Click here to find out how you can increase the business impact of your training and development efforts.


See What People Are Saying About Getting Your Money’s Worth

Article Published on - Thursday, August 6, 2009 at 4:30 pm No Comments »

These days, when discussing training and development strategies, people often talk about Return on Investment, and what that means, and how it can be improved. Fort Hill Company is dedicated to helping businesses improve their ROI through innovative learning transfer applications, and management theories. Our most recent focus is how to engage managers in the learning process so that they provide the best environment for learning transfer and application.

Take a look at this glowing review of our newest book and soon to be e-learning transfer program, Getting Your Money’s Worth from Training & Development: A Guide to Breakthrough Learning for Managers and Participants from the Managing Director at HRD Central, Rowena Beresford. An expert in her field, Beresford shows how optimizing the maximum impact of learning transfer doesn’t end with the talent being trained. With follow through from management, as well as L & D professionals, the effects of training are guaranteed to continue to improve results long after the training team has gone home.