In accordance with Malcolm Knowles' well-known rules
of adult learning, training needs to be immediately
valuable to the employee.
Our challenge as trainers is to demonstrate
that we have effectively transferred the appropriate
knowledge and skills to the sales representatives and
that they in turn can apply what they have learned on
the job.
The Art and Science of Training
We are not far removed from a time when
measurable outcomes from training programs were the
exception rather than the rule. The dot com era spawned
great "art" in training programs but little
urgency to demonstrate the performance benefits of this
increasingly expensive "art." Today, we are
all well versed in Kirkpatrick's Levels of Evaluation
and Jack Phillips' ROI methodologies. But still we struggle
to operationalize these concepts. We are not certain
how to ensure that our Level 2 exams are valid; we don't
know how to develop reliable rubrics for skills assessment;
showing Kirkpatrick Level 3 and 4 results is difficult;
and demonstrating clear ROI is often viewed as impossible.
At Bristol Myers Squibb Co. we believe
that the key to success is not merely to measure but
to measure within the context of a measurement strategy.
The Need for a Measurement Strategy
Bristol-Myers Squibb is developing and
continuing to hone its measurement strategy. We are
doing this with the belief that establishing consistent
expectations will raise the bar across all training
organizations and ensure consistency and quality in
the performance our organization delivers to the company
and our customers.
Without a clear strategy around our measurement
efforts, we would not be able to establish a big picture
vision for the outcomes we are achieving, and instead
would be creating simple snapshots in time, which provide
little strategic value to the organization. In a company
that measures the success of its sales representatives
on behaviors as much as results, our Learning and Organization
Department is committed to providing clear evidence
that we are delivering the knowledge and skills our
representatives need to achieve our company mission.
Bristol-Myers Squibb believes that valid
and reliable measurements showing high levels of knowledge
and skills in a sales force provide a distinct advantage
to a pharmaceutical company. This evidence of organization
capability can be leveraged when it comes to joint venture
decisions or achieving other business goals, especially
when combined with market research data showing that
representatives are perceived by customers as credible
resources able to deliver accurate and relevant product
information.
Defensibility of data is a key issue in
any decision to measure the knowledge and /or skills
of a sales representative. While some organizations
may simply want to have a general idea of where their
strengths and weaknesses lie, others may want to make
employment decisions and leverage testing to raise organizational
standards of excellence. A validated and documented
measurement approach is essential when decision making
is involved.
Validation is more than just a way of
providing defensibility for the company’s protection,
it improves learning outcomes by increasing the quality
and relevance of testing in the learning process. By
having a number of qualified subject matter experts
review and validate each question on every test, we
believe our tests are much more likely to measure knowledge
essential for job performance. The reaction from the
subject matter experts has been overwhelmingly positive.
Some comments made after the process noted the resulting
tests were more direct and clear in their presentation,
trivial items had been removed, and the final test is
seen as more relevant by the test takers.
The Bottom Line: Create Clear Performance
Criteria and Measure Them
Once your organization has validated its
metrics, next, set clear performance goals using specific
and quantifiable indicators, and implement a measurement
strategy targeted to the critical data points. The difference
between measuring and measuring within the context of
an overall strategy is the ability to create and evolve
a performance dashboard showing continued growth and
a clear direction aligned with business goals. Without
objective measurements and data a company will find
itself unable to define its baseline state, demonstrate
performance improvements and ultimately differentiate
itself from its competitors. |
