1 Discussion Question and 1 Summary

7 Transforming the Training Department into an HPI Function Chapter 6 illustrated the changes that are occurring throughout corporate America and their implications to HPI practitioners. These trends are driving the need for corporate training departments to transition into full-service performance improvement organizations. Training professionals are moving away from training as the sole solution for all human performance problems or improvement opportunities when, in fact, many performance improvement strategies are possible. Countless books, articles, college courses, conference presentations, and workshops bear witness to this trend. Such a transition does not occur rapidly and without challenges. In fact, it can easily take two years or more to convert a traditional training department into an HPI function—and perhaps longer, depending on the current status of the training department in the organization. Not only must the training department change and be prepared to offer additional HPI services, but the clients—internal or external—must recognize and value the additional services. This could prove to be quite a challenge in some organizations where the human resource function has enjoyed a less than stellar reputation. “How is it that, after 20 years of steadily developing professionalism and lofty vision, in many companies, HR is still regarded—rightly or wrongly—as the department where all good things come to an end?” (Finney, 1997). One need only read Scott Adams’ Dilbert comic strip featuring Catbert, the “evil” HR director, to get a sense of what many people in corporate America think of the human resource function and such related functions as human performance improvement, human resource development, and workplace learning and performance. One Approach to Transforming a Traditional Training Department into an HPI Department This chapter provides a rudimentary list of action steps that are needed to transform a traditional training function into a full-service human performance improvement organization. The order may vary somewhat for different organizations. The steps are shown in Figure 7-1. Figure 7-1 Possible action steps for transforming a traditional training department into an HPI department. Step 1: Gain and Maintain Internal Support for the Transformation Speak to those who have tried to lead a transformation from training to HPI and they will tell you that one of the biggest challenges is securing and sustaining the advocacy of the practitioners in their own training organization. The transition will require many in the training function to upgrade, or in some cases completely change, their skill sets. This can prove to be very exciting to some, threatening to others, and downright heresy to a few. It is critical to get the organization aligned and supportive of the change initiative. At this early stage, one way to build support is to create the vision of the transformed training organization collectively. It is important to identify the many benefits of moving to a full-service HPI organization. These benefits should include expanded opportunities for professional growth, increased credibility within the organization, greater variety in project tasks, increased skills, and many others. It is also important to capture those aspects of the transformation that are likely to prompt the most concern. Examples of such issues might include loss of specialization, lack of clarity in individuals’ future roles, and lack of experience with nontraining interventions. Addressing these concerns in an open manner will encourage the support of internal practitioners. Maintaining an open dialogue can dissuade “negative speak” that can escalate to internal sabotage. Negative “hallway talk” with potential internal clients could stall—or even defeat—transformation efforts. Too much enthusiasm for the transformation can hurt your efforts. Why? A shift in the functionality of the organizational unit takes time—time for your organizational unit to make the shift and time for your clients to understand and accept the change. Being overzealous by trying to do too much too fast damages your overall transformation effort. Building too much enthusiasm in your client base before you are staffed to respond, or trying to initiate HPI projects in organizations where you have not earned credibility with management, could also prove destructive to your mission. Therefore, it is important to establish a timeline for the transformation and establish consensus among those in the department for sticking to it. The remaining nine steps are suggested milestones for the timeline. Step 2: Transition to a Valued, Results-Based Training Organization Establishing the training organization as one that is focused on performance will help management recognize the function’s role in helping the organization achieve its goals. This will help to establish credibility for transforming the training function into an HPI function. Many training organizations today offer many internally and externally designed training programs. Managers and employees are accustomed to picking up the training catalogue and searching for the program that will provide the skills and knowledge they need to succeed in the workplace. That is one of the more optimistic scenarios. In many cases, the company course catalogue is an easy solution to the mandatory employee development effort of the company. Employees flip through the listing of courses, looking for interesting topics that may or may not have much relevance to their current knowledge or skill gaps or, more importantly, anything to do with their current job tasks. The role of traditional training departments has been to identify the training needs within the organization and to provide training opportunities that will help meet those needs. They often schedule the programs, manage registration and logistics, and, in some cases, even deliver the content. There are many outstanding training departments in corporations today that not only provide standard off-the-shelf training programs but also design and develop customized training for their organizations. In order to increase our value to the organizations that we serve, we must first offer training that is strategic, i.e., that aligns with the organization’s key business strategies. This means that we need to be very clear on what those strategies are. We need to be able to step into the role of analyst and determine those skills and knowledge that the workforce needs in order to achieve their goals. Then we need to design effective training that will bridge those gaps. Finally, we need to be able to quantify our impact on business results. To win the support of management to transform a training function into a performance improvement function, the training organization must first measure and publicize the effectiveness of their most recognizable human performance intervention—training. It is not good enough to just report the number of classroom hours delivered. The training department must measure and report the ability of the learning events to produce behavior change back on the job and the impact of behavior change in meeting the organization’s goals. This information is vital to communicating the training organization’s commitment to producing measurable business results rather than just filling classrooms. In general, the training profession has made significant improvements to demonstrate their training’s effectiveness in terms that business leaders can understand (see Figure 7-2). The Kirkpatrick model for evaluation, discussed in Chapter 5, has been historically used for demonstrating training effectiveness. Jack Phillips, of the ROI Institute, has written extensively on a fifth level—return on investment. The ASTD 2005 State of the Industry Report (Sugrue and Rivera, 2005) indicates that 91 percent of courses offered by leading-edge firms are evaluated at Level 1. Fifty-four percent of courses at these firms are evaluated at Level 2. Twenty-three percent of courses offered by leading-edge firms are evaluated at Level 3, and only 8 percent at Level 4 (see Figure 7-3). In general, organizations should conduct Level 3 evaluations for 20–30 percent of course offerings and Level 4 evaluations for 10 percent of course offerings. However, those are just guidelines. If your training department is having a credibility problem within your organization, you may choose to conduct Level 3 and Level 4 evaluations for most of your training initiatives until you firmly resolve the image problem. Why not 100 percent all of the time? The answer is that it is a practical matter of resources. We are operating within budget constraints; not just of dollars, but with limited training personnel to meet our organization’s needs. Level 3 and 4 evaluations can be time consuming to complete. Kirkpatrick Model for Training Evaluation Level of Evaluation Measures Answers the Question Level 1 Reaction Did they like it? Level 2 Learning Did they learn it? Level 3 Behavior Did they use it? Level 4 Results Did it make a difference? Figure 7-2 The Kirkpatrick model for training evaluation. Figure 7-3 Increase in levels of evaluation. Source: ASTD 2005 State of the Industry Report. However, being able to transform the traditional training function into a valued performance-oriented training function requires that professionals in the training department design and implement effective Level 3 and Level 4 evaluations. Chapter 8 provides several options for building this competency in the training organization. Successful execution of Level 3 and Level 4 evaluations also requires that management support the implementation of these evaluations by their own participation and by providing access to the employees whose behavior is being measured. If it’s quantifiable, you should also calculate the return on investment. This calculation clearly defines your financial value to the organization and is in the language of your customers. When the training department has a success story, publicize it. Describe it in newsletters, websites, e-mail, and presentations to employees and management. You can even submit the success story to a local or national trade journal. The communication should identify the knowledge or skill gap that existed, the structured learning event that was selected, the behavior change that was achieved, and the benefits received by the organization. The more success stories your department can share, the greater the confidence your customers will have that you’re committed not to just training, but to their overall business success. Once you’ve established that you’re both on the same team trying to achieve the same goal, you’ll have an easier time selling your services—not just training services, but other performance improvement services. Step 3: Educate Management on the Factors That Influence Human Performance A well-designed Level 3 evaluation not only can measure the behavior change that has occurred as a result of a learning event but also can determine what barriers to performance, if any, still exist in the workplace. Both data are important to communicate to management. The first part helps management recognize the training function’s commitment to follow-up and ensure that the new skills and knowledge transfer to the workplace. Identifying the remaining barriers to performance is the first step in educating management that training is not necessarily the sole solution to all performance problems. It gives you the opportunity to communicate the other factors in the workplace that can lead to less-than-acceptable performance. The ability to educate management requires the HPI practitioner to identify the myriad factors influencing workplace performance. These may include: Clarity of expectations Level of empowerment Completeness of data, information, or feedback available to performers when they need it and in the form they need it Quality of documentation Quality of job aids for simple, infrequently performed tasks Workplace design Organizational structure Conflicting, or nonexistent, consequences of performance Efficiency of work processes Employee ability By identifying organizational performance gaps, decision makers can take proactive steps to build a high-performance workplace (HPW), where individuals are supported in all ways to perform to their peak. You can establish yourself and your colleagues as the ones in the organization who have the expertise to bridge these gaps. Try to avoid HPI jargon like, “interventions” and “terminal objectives.” Rather, you should talk to the managers about “solutions” and “what’s most important” (Willmore, 2003). One caution: Many times, management sees most of these types of performance gaps as “their issues” to address. Be prepared for this attitude. Seeing the former training person as someone who can help them with these types of organizational issues may take some getting used to. Be patient, but diligent. Susan Fehl, an HPI practitioner who has over 25 years of experience in the field, says, “There are very few enlightened managers out there that realize that (human) performance improvement is a foundational piece to their business.” Part of our job is to help them not only to accept this role, but to embrace it and value it. Eventually, you’ll find a manager who will welcome your help. And that brings us to Step 4. Step 4: Obtain an Internal Champion To make a successful transition from a traditional training function to an HPI function, you first need to have a success story. Seek an internal champion—that is, a manager who has shown interest in the results of training offered in his or her organization or a manager who has shown an interest in factors influencing human performance. Choosing a manager who is one to two levels above you on the organization chart has proven to be successful (Fuller and Farrington, 1999). If you go too high in the organization, the project that gets defined may prove to be too challenging and complex for novice HPI practitioners. Too broad a project may require the involvement of a large population of nonbelievers—those who do not understand why trainers should poke around in the business process. For these reasons, “think small” on your first effort. You want a champion who will support the initial organizational analysis that will result in baseline measurements of performance and will also commit to post-intervention evaluation so you can measure the overall improvement in performance. Your champion should be ready to remove barriers that you encounter during the course of the project. The champion will also be a key partner in communicating the success of the HPI intervention. The key to maintaining the support of a champion is to form a partnership with him or her. You form that partnership by asking a lot of questions about their organization. What are the challenges that they face? What kinds of solutions have been tried in the past? What were the results of those solutions? What are the measures of success? How will we know if we’ve achieved our project goals? The HPI practitioner needs to demonstrate his or her true commitment to achieving the organization’s goals, and the champion needs to demonstrate his or her true commitment to the project. Step 5: Select an HPI Model Chapter 2 featured several models for HPI. It is essential that your training organization select a model that will be utilized by the new HPI function. While it could be argued that using only one model is too restrictive, it is critical at this stage of transformation that the organization gains a thorough understanding of only one HPI model and the procedural tasks accompanying it. Your organization must interface with the client base in a consistent manner. Settling on one model will encourage this. And remember, the model is to guide all HPI practitioners to follow the same process with the organization’s client. It’s not necessary to explain the model to the client. Your interactions with the client should be kept in terms that the client can relate to. “Effective performance consultants make sure that the performance model, language, and process don’t distract from the focus on the performance issues and business priorities that initially mattered to the client” (Willmore, 2003). The model you choose to operate within does not need to be taken right out of some textbook. In fact, most organizations find it a useful exercise to develop their own customized model for HPI. Keep in mind, however, that the model should include the following elements (Fuller and Farrington, 1999): Identification of a business need Determination of the performance required to meet the business need Identification of the performance gap(s) Determination of the root cause(s) of the performance gap(s) Selection and implementation of interventions to remove or reduce the root cause(s) Evaluation of performance to determine the success of the intervention This model will not only serve as the blueprint by which you approach all HPI projects, but it will also be the primary tool you use to communicate your function’s transformation to the rest of the organization. Over time—and with experience—the original model will most likely be modified to better fit the idiosyncrasies of the key personalities and corporate culture of your organization. Step 6: Determine What Services the New Organization Is Going to Offer Before a traditional training department can begin to transform to a human performance improvement function, it must define what that means. There are a host of interventions that a full-service HPI function can offer to an organization. It must be determined which interventions will be included in the service offerings. Of those, determine which will be resourced internally and which will be resourced utilizing external service providers. Mager (1992) cites several services that might be included in the newly defined organization (see Figure 7-4). Langdon, Whiteside, and McKenna (1999) cite 50 performance improvement tools that you might include as services in your new organization. The checklist appearing in Figure 7-5 will help you define the new organizational unit services. Here is a list of some of the services that might be offered by a performance-oriented full-service department. Needs analyses A review of organizational plans to identify needs for training and nontraining services. Performance analyses Onsite review to identify causes of discrepancies between actual and desired performance, with recommendations for solutions. Feedback review An onsite review to ensure that all tasks include sources of feedback to the performers. Consequence review An onsite review to ensure that all tasks include sources of feedback to the performers. Task analyses Onsite analyses intended to generate descriptions of actual and/or exemplary performance. Goal analyses A technique intended to assist managers in developing usable definitions of abstract intents. Organizational analyses A review of the organizational structure within and around a job, intended to determine whether the organizational structure facilitates or impedes peak performance. Documentation Manuals, and so on, designed to be used to facilitate job performance. Job/performance aids Design and development of items that will prompt desired performance. Performance management systems Development of mechanisms and procedures intended to ensure a supportive environment. Workplace review Onsite review intended to identify obstacles caused by awkward workplace design. Orientation sessions Sessions that allow people to become familiar with target concepts and information. Training sessions Sessions intended to teach people what they do not currently know but need to know. Coaching instruction Training sessions for nontrainers who will be expected to conduct on-the-job training. Figure 7-4 The full-service training and performance services department. © 1999, “What Every Manager Should Know About Training”. The Center for Effective Performance, Inc., 1100 Johnson Ferry Road, Suite 150, Atlanta, GA 30342. www.cepworldwide.com. 800-558-4237. Reprinted with permission. All rights reserved. No portion of these materials may be reproduced in any manner without the express written consent from The Center for Effective Performance, Inc. Step 7: Develop HPI Practitioners Just as additional competencies are required to transition from a traditional training function to a results-based training function, so too are new competencies required to transform into a full-service HPI organization. The initial HPI project will define priorities for development for your organization. Initially, you will want to develop one or two HPI practitioners. Your selection of these candidates should be based upon their enthusiasm to grow in their profession and their proven success at organizational analysis. Services We Offer Intervention Internally Sourced Externally Sourced External Source Options √ Sample √       360-Degree Feedback         Accelerated Learning         Action Learning         Assessment Center         Automated Resume Tracking System         Challenge Education         Change Style Preference Models         Cognitive Ergonomics         Communication         Compensation Systems         Competency Modeling         Conflict Management         Critical Thinking Systems         Cultural Change         Customer Feedback         Electronic Performance Support Systems         Employee Orientation         Expert Systems         Flowcharts         Fluency Development         Human Resource Information Systems         Job Aids         Leadership Development Programs         Learner-controlled instruction         Leveraging Diversity         Mentoring/Coaching         Motivation Systems         Needs Assessment         On-the-Job Training         Organizational Development         Organizational Scan         Outplacement         Partnering Agreements         Performance Analysis         Performance Appraisal         Performance Management         Policies and Procedures         Process Mapping         Recognition Programs         Reengineering         Results-based Management         Safety Management         Simulation         Strategic Planning and Visioning         Structured Writing         Team Performance         Teaming         Training         Usability Assessments         Work Group Alignment       Figure 7-5 A checklist for defining the interventions offered by an HPI function/department. As Jim Fuller (Fuller and Farrington, 1999) writes, “Potential candidates within the organization typically have backgrounds that are strong in either systems thinking or people development. If you must choose between the two, select the candidates with the systems thinking backgrounds.” Each HPI project that is launched will provide additional opportunities for the staff to develop new skills. See Chapter 8 for additional information on how to develop HPI practitioners. Step 8: Select the Initial HPI Project Once you have your champion and your newly trained HPI practitioners, you are ready to identify an HPI project that will allow the transformed department to demonstrate its value to others in the organization. Ideally, the initial project should meet the criteria described below. First, the project should provide an opportunity to improve performance that is easy to define and measure. For example, it should reduce injuries, reduce merchandise return rate, increase production, improve quality, or address some other pressing organizational problem—preferably one of high visibility and one tied to the organization’s strategic objectives. While efforts to increase empowerment or improve the leadership of an organization are outstanding HPI goals, these would not be wise choices for the initial HPI project, since they are more challenging to measure and more difficult to demonstrate short-term results. Second, the project timeline should be six months or less. Remember that the goal of the initial project should be to create a success story—and testimony from a credible manager that you can use to promote the desired transformation of the training function. The longer the project timeline, the longer it will take to achieve this transformation. Third, the project should be relatively straightforward and not complex. Keep in mind that, in most cases, HPI practitioners assigned to the project will be novices and will still be on a learning curve. Avoid projects that are too ambitious in scope and that have too many uncontrollable or politically sensitive issues associated with them. Fourth, the root cause of the problem or opportunity should be something other than—or in addition to—lack of skill or knowledge. Since a goal is to feature your organization’s capability to select and implement interventions beyond training, it is critical that your initial project be highly likely to result in nontraining interventions. These are guidelines and not absolute requirements for the initial project. Adhering to these guidelines will help your organization rapidly gain credibility for its new direction. Step 9: Demonstrate Success and Publicize It Many public case studies demonstrate successful HPI projects at major corporations (see, for instance, Rothwell and Dubois, 1998). Why not just use these to convince management to support your organization’s new direction? After all, if it was successful at Motorola, it will be successful in your organization, right? Managers are quick to point out how these corporations differ from their own. It is unlikely that you would ever gain support for your desired transformation by sharing these case studies with management. What is required to gain the support of management is an internal success story. Follow the HPI model that your organization selected in Step 3. It is critical to obtain baseline performance measures as your project commences. Success is achieved when the desired performance is achieved or improved in the workplace. Therefore, it is also imperative to conduct a postintervention performance evaluation to demonstrate the success of the intervention(s). In addition to measuring overall performance improvement, you should complete a cost-benefit analysis or ROI. To do this, track all costs—both direct and indirect. Direct costs are out-of-pocket expenses, such as the cost of materials or external resources. Indirect or opportunity costs are less easily measurable costs, such as the value of internal consultants and other resources used in the project that would be productive in other ways in the organization. Communicate to such key stakeholders as managers and affected employees both the improvement in performance that occurred as well as the results of the cost-benefit analysis. Organizational leaders must recognize that HPI practitioners can produce measurable results in the workplace with interventions other than training, and that they can do it in a fiscally responsible way. Use company newsletters, websites, e-mail, and presentations to employees and management. Share the success stories with anyone who will listen. When the success case is communicated, it should: Identify the problem or challenge Describe the intervention(s) that were selected Clarify the behavior change that was achieved Estimate the net impact on the organization’s goals and the return on investment projections Charles Harpham, a Six Sigma Blackbelt with Constellation Energy, says, “I feel like I’m valued more and more with every successful project.” The only way this happens is if the business leaders of his organization know about his successes. This is not the time to be humble. Be proud of your accomplishments, and be sure to share the role that others played in your success. Step 10: Gain Organizational Support for the Transformation When you are equipped with a successful case, you are ready to spread the word about your HPI function’s new capabilities. There are many ways to get the word out and thereby build support throughout your company. First, everyone on the staff must be capable of describing the vision for the new organization in 30 seconds or less. One effective way to solicit support for your transformation is informally via “elevator” or “water cooler chats.” These conversations tend to be very brief. Therefore, you must be able to succinctly communicate what it is that you are trying to do. Here is an example of an early-stage conversation: Chris: Barbara, what’s been going on over in your area? Barbara: We’re beginning to measure training’s impact on the achievement of organizational goals. A later-stage conversation: Chris: How are things in training these days, Barbara? Barbara: We’re trying to change our focus from one that just provides skills and knowledge to the organization to one that offers multiple solutions, in addition to, or in lieu of, training that helps our businesses achieve their goals. Chris: What’s wrong with training? Barbara: Nothing really, if the reason you’re not making your numbers is because people don’t know how to do certain aspects of their job, but we’ve found that many times, that’s not the case. In fact, training is a pretty expensive solution, so we only want to use it if we need to. We try to improve performance with less costly solutions, if we can. We use a systematic approach to analyze what’s really going on in the workplace and offer the most cost-effective solutions that will bring the desired results. As you can see, individuals can communicate the overall gist of the transformation from a training-oriented to a performance-oriented approach in just a few short sentences. Occasionally, people like Chris in your organization will show more interest. That opens the door to schedule some time to share the model and approach that you use to improve human performance, as well as your success story. Remember to lose the jargon and talk in terms of how you can help “Chris” with his or her business challenges. In addition to these informal opportunities to share what you are doing, seek out formal avenues of communication. You should “create a comprehensive marketing plan with the goal of creating mindshare and transforming the way [the training function] is viewed by the organization” (Spirgi, 2005). Newsletters, websites, e-mail, and presentations to managers and employees are all good ways to share your success story. Be careful not to promote the new approach beyond your means. In other words, do not solicit project work that you are not staffed to complete. Make sure that your communication includes your current and future capabilities to implement the model in other parts of the organization. Consider, at this point, changing the name of your department. Harless (1995), in survey research he conducted, notes that the word performance appeared in the names of many in-house departments. He cited the following list of department names provided by respondents: Human Performance Enhancement, Performance Systems, Performance Support, Performance Support & Training, Performance Design, Performance & Organizational Support, and Performance Technology. An argument against changing the title of a department is made by Sorohan (1996). She notes that some people—and especially managers—may become confused with such terms as performance technology and performance consulting. Sorohan states that “some performance consultants report that they’ve had more trouble winning support for the term than the practice.” You need to make the decision about changing—or not changing—the name of your organization to reflect your new service offerings based on your knowledge of your client base. Recognize that some in your organization might perceive the new model as infringing on the job responsibilities of others. When an executive at a Wall Street financial firm received a recommendation to expand the capabilities of the training function to include analysis of human performance, her response was that she expected her managers to be performing that function. She was not supportive of the concept to have traditional training people performing the analysis she expected from the leaders in her organization. In fact, it’s been suggested that it won’t be long before human performance improvement becomes part of the leading MBA programs. There may be other functions inside or outside of the human resource organization that perform similar roles. Organization development and quality departments, in particular, are just two of many departments that might regard themselves as already providing this service to the organization. It would be advantageous to engage these departments early in your process, share approaches, and determine if there are overlaps in your strategies to improve performance. Reorganization or merging of similar functions, either on the organization chart or virtually, may prove beneficial as time goes by. Alternative Paths for Transforming a Traditional Training Department into an HPI Department Other HPI authors have recommended similar, yet different, paths. Smalley and DeJong (1995) reflected on the transformation of their traditional HRD department at Amway and cited five phases in the evolution to HPI formulated by Harless (1992). These progressive stages included “conventional training, performance-based instruction, job-aided training, front-end analysis and measuring results, and performance planning.” Fuller (1998) described a five-step approach for preparing to transition to a focus on performance improvement. These were to: Determine who needs to be involved as advisers Form a definition of HPI Select a single HPI model to use Identify specific people who will perform the HPI work Position HPI into the organization, illustrating its benefits As with any road map, there are always alternative routes that can be taken. The 10 elements featured in this chapter are simply guidelines that can be modified to fit your organization. They are intended to help you identify a path that will successfully guide your organization from a training function to a human performance improvement organization. Common Mistakes to Avoid While there is no one right way to navigate the transition from a traditional training organization to a human performance improvement organization, there are some pitfalls that you can avoid when leading this transformation in your company. To list just a few: Don’t wait for the client to come to you; be proactive in identifying performance improvement projects. Don’t assume that you can make the case for transformation by citing external case studies. Don’t widely publicize the intended transformation before you can respond with resources. Do not treat the transformation as a project; treat it as an ongoing process. Don’t form a task force. Don’t form a project team. It’s an ongoing evolution that will be impacted by an ever-changing environment. The players will need to change depending on current needs. Don’t get discouraged. There will be setbacks. A champion may be promoted or leave the company. An emergency, such as a merger, could occur that will alter your focus. Or a host of other changes could occur that might have a negative impact on your course of action. Don’t speak of your transformation using human resource jargon. Use business language—language that your potential clients will understand (Graham, 1998). Don’t seek perfection. Make a judgment about how much change an organization can handle. Don’t try to sell HPI … just start asking the right questions. Don’t take on too large or too small of an initial project. You want a project that will have significant organizational impact and attain some visibility, without exceeding the capabilities of your young organization. Don’t ignore the naysayers—especially those within your own department. There is almost always value in listening to the objections of others. Some degree of truth is typically expressed and ought to be addressed. Don’t spend time selling the process of HPI. Focus on selling the potential for results. Don’t assume that having the support of the vice president of human resources will assure the support of line management. Don’t try to make the transition overnight. A change like this will take years to occur. Success Stories Many companies can serve as examples where a traditional training organization has been transformed into a full-service HPI organization. There are many more in the process, and still more that have yet to begin this adventurous journey. This section will share the transformation experiences of four companies that have successfully migrated the path to HPI. Mallinckrodt, Inc. Mallinckrodt, Inc. manufactures health-care products that diagnose disease, sustain breathing, and relieve pain. The training function at Mallinckrodt completed their transformation to a performance improvement organization over approximately a one-year period. Recognizing that their greatest challenge was to gain management’s support and confidence, they began their transition by building relationships with managers in the field. They asked managers many questions and listened carefully to their answers. They asked such questions as, “What are your issues?” “What have you done about it?” and “If you could change things, what would you change?” They did not try to sell a program or a process. Their intention was to convey that they were credible and wanted to be partners in business success. It was not long before they had managers valuing the new services and making new requests. Instead of getting phone calls asking for training, the department members were getting calls asking for help to achieve business goals. The new Organizational Development Department (formerly the Individual and Organizational Development Department) attributes some of their early success to their consistent use of an eight-step process, which they developed early in their transition. Additionally, they partnered with their clients to measure their success at both Level 3 and Level 4 (see Figure 7-3). As the demand for the department’s services grew, so did the department. The new, growing organization was staffed strategically. Practitioners with varied backgrounds and experiences were sought so that the overall organization could provide an array of services to the organization. This breadth of talent, together with the HPI department’s client-centered focus, has sustained its reputation within the company as a valued partner for success. Prudential Health Care Systems Prudential Health Care Systems made the transition from training to performance over an approximate two-year period. The key to the success was the dedication and support of the internal staff and upper-level management. The fledgling HPI function, however, suffered several setbacks in its progress due to management changes. Each time a change occurred, new managers needed to be educated and convinced of the merits of the new direction. Despite these challenges, the HPI function has successfully completed many projects. Steelcase Steelcase is the world’s leading manufacturer of office productivity furniture and services dedicated to providing high-performance work environments that help people work more effectively. A few members of the Corporate Learning and Development Department had the passion and determination to transform themselves into an HPI service organization known as Performance Planning Services. Their transition took approximately two and a half years. There were many challenges. One was ongoing clarification about how HPI could benefit and work in conjunction with existing human resource department functions. A second was getting the clientele of the function to think of it as something more than a learning resource. A third was acquiring the necessary resources that were in short supply throughout the entire human resource organization. Performance Planning Services credits its successful transformation to the existing HPI expertise and work ethic and to its selection of initial projects targeted to the middle of the organization—which proved to be neither too high nor too low in the organization. The members of the HPI function also believe that their success was due to the selection and use of one specified HPI model to provide structure to their work and the adaption of that model to meet the needs of their internal clients. Additionally, they found that Tom Gilbert’s performance matrix (see Chapter 2) proved to be an excellent tool to explain the concept of HPI to leaders. While members of the Steelcase Performance Planning Services group were mostly receiving requests for training and instructional design before their transition, today they find themselves responding to true performance analyses and recommending business-focused solutions for multiple clients within the organization. A true indication of their successful transformation is a recent move of the entire group from within the human resource organization into the corporate quality function, where fast action and results have traditionally been recognized by company leadership. Compaq The Compaq Services’ Information and Performance Solutions Group has been making its transition from a full-service training, development, and documentation entity into a performance improvement organization over the past three years. The original organization had an outstanding reputation for delivering high-quality training and documentation so, not surprisingly, these HPI practitioners encountered some early hurdles in convincing both internal management and internal practitioners that the shift in focus from training and documentation to performance improvement was advantageous. The successful transformation of the function is due to several factors, including the sheer tenacity of those who initiated and pioneered the change. Though the group experienced repetitive challenges—including a merger—the group recovered and continued on its path toward performance improvement. Another key to success was the development of the group’s own model for HPI, which group members use consistently within their organization. While the group notes a change in the actual deliverables offered now, the more notable shift is in the way that the services are offered. Group members address client needs and requests from a performance improvement viewpoint. Rather than being mere “order takers” for training, group members have become performance solutions partners who understand the client’s business, environment, and resources and provide the most appropriate combination of training and nontraining products and services to address individual and organizational performance. Assessing Your Progress As your department begins this transformation process, you may wish to take occasional pulse checks to see how you’re progressing. Appendix I contains an assessment instrument that you can use to assess your department’s success. It will help you and your clients determine how frequently and how well the department is producing outputs associated with human performance improvement work. Annually completing this assessment, or one similar, will help you monitor your progress and decide where to focus your efforts for improvement. Summary There are 10 possible steps that can be taken to guide your organization in the transformation from traditional training to human performance improvement: Gain and maintain internal support for the transformation Transition to a valued, results-based training organization Educate management on the factors that influence human performance Obtain an internal champion Select an HPI model Determine what services the new organization is going to offer Develop HPI practitioners Select the initial HPI project Demonstrate success and publicize it Gain organizational support for the transformation Ensuring that each occurs will increase your overall chances of success. 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