Do As I Say, Not As I Do and Other Factors That Impact Training Program ROI...

Jim Kissane's Workforce Development Blog had a post about some interesting results of some surveys taken with senior executives and their training managers, "Bosses' attitudes undermine training initiatives" from management-issues.com.

The article cites a study done by the Ken Blanchard Companies in the UK that senior executives "more often than not have overly high expectations of their training managers, constantly demanding they turn out "empowered leaders" and "Developing future leaders" was the top priority for the majority of the organization they surveyed".

On the other hand, the survey also found these same leaders often set a bad example for other employees by refusing to attend the training, and show "no interest in sharing responsibility for ensuring training is valued and recognized within their company".

A study done by CO2 Partners, a Minnesota-based coaching firm in November 06, showed that "managers and executives almost always opted for "leadership development" when asked what kind of coaching or training they would prefer, even though they seldom knew what it was they were asking for" and revealed " an obsession with developing leadership rather than instilling better management skills".

The Ken Blanchard Company survey also revealed, "a lack of commitment and buy-in from top management" which was the "number one frustration among training managers, cited by almost half of those surveyed".

The article continued to cite  some of the respondents comments, "Many spoke of the inability for senior managers to be good role models and how they struggled to get them to attend courses. More than a quarter felt training was being directed at the wrong employees, either because those who needed it most chose to opt out of non-compulsory training programmes or because there were not sufficient financial resources to extend training adequately. Despite their poor personal example, senior leaders were all too willing to criticize their training departments, the trainers complained."

Things that make you go hmmmm. :)

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Dave Boggs
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