August 2023 Volume 5

OPERATIONS & MANAGEMENT

Summary Yes, it takes time to develop and deliver effective training. The Customer Service example provided took about 6 months to develop, which included numerous experiments of content and delivery approaches, which by the way is not uncommon – it’s never perfect from the start. Think of this time as an investment that will pay dividends for years to come. Consider the potential benefits of getting people capable of doing a process or job in 75% less time. You might even realize the benefit of reduced turnover. If you and your organization "can't find good help", consider the power of Job Instruction. You will not be disappointed. Drew Locher

In Step 3, the learner not just goes through the motions so to speak, but must recite the Important Steps, Key Points and Reasons from memory. This greatly helps with retention. And again, the learner is expected to provide a little more information each time. In practice, the learner may have to perform multiple iterations at each stage of Step 3. The learner must demonstrate the ability to do what is being asked of him or her before moving on. That is why we say, “at least four times.” What should be clear in the approach is repetition. Repetition is absolutely necessary to put anything to short term memory which is the immediate goal. When I explain the four steps or demonstrate it to others the most common reaction is that it is markedly different from instruction they have delivered or received. Excellent! Acknowledgment is the first step to improving one’s approach to traditional instruction. They will also tell me that they tend to jump to Step 4, assigning the new hire to an experienced person, and hope for the best. Reflect on your organization's approach to training. How does it compare to Job Instruction (JI)? How to Get Started An investment of time is most definitely needed to practice Job Instruction. Think of the number of 'jobs' that an organization has. It can seem like a daunting undertaking. To help, I suggest developing a Training Plan that reflects the priorities of the organization. Where do we have existing staffing issues? Where do we need to add staffing? Where do we currently have quality issues? Safety issues? Answers to these and other questions will help to identify priorities. Before the Training Plan is developed, selected members in the organization must receive training in JI. The TWI Institute in Liverpool NY provides standard programs on the topic, including a 'train-the-trainer' workshop. In fact, they have a short video that demonstrates the JI process as applied to a straightforward process, handwashing. A link is provided: https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=Fz5Ac4vNCSA At one company for whom I conducted the aforementioned exit interviews, took the information garnered as a call to totally revamp its training of new Customer Service personnel. Job Breakdowns were created for the various processes a newly hired Customer Service person is expected to perform. Modules were clearly defined. The most common scenarios a Customer Service person would encounter were created to be used in the training. This greatly accelerated the learning process and made the new hires gain confidence much sooner. The sequencing of content was completely flipped. Previously they initially focused on product knowledge (and their product catalog was quite vast) and later would work to develop the skills required to do the job; quoting, order entry, providing order status, telephone skills to name a few. And of course, a number of supervisors were trained in the JI method. While just four months into the effort at the time of this writing the results look very promising. Turnover within three months of hire has been reduced by 70%. Hopefully, the trend will continue.

Change Management Associates Email: drewlocher@comcast.net

Phone: 609-876-7936 www.cma4results.com

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FIA MAGAZINE | AUGUST 2023 34