Self Development Toolkit

Follow Up with Reinforcement
Train-to-Ingrain is not the first concept to focus on the imperative for follow-up reinforcement.
Broad and Newstrom in Transfer of Training (2001) were the first to stress that trainers, managers and trainees need to work as a partnership to make lasting improvements in performance. Their book outlines the many actions that can be taken before, during and after training to contribute to learning transfer.
In The Six Disciplines of Breakthrough Learning (2006), the authors refer to a concept called “Phase 3,” first introduced by Zenger, et al (2005) in an article about learning transfer called “The Promise of Phase 3.” They are referring to the follow-up actions that are needed after preparation (Phase I) and training (Phase 2) in order to transfer learning to workplace performance.
					Brinkerhoff and Apking in High Impact Learning (2001) stressed that performance improvement needs to be considered an ongoing process, not an event. The main thrust of their work is to acquire or design only training programs that will address shortfalls in business results.
The contribution of Train-to-Ingrain to this body of knowledge is to: Distill the best of these concepts into a practical method Expand the notion of “Phase 3” into a plan for supporting reinforcement as an ongoing aspect of everyday work Focus on the essential role the direct manager has as the primary coach in this process
Your organization will need assessment and training programs that are: Focused on the behaviors needed in the workplace Compatible and integrated with each other Designed to support ongoing feedback, continued learning, coaching and accountability during reinforcement
Theoretically, an organization may use any robust feedback technology and any excellent training program, whether off-the-shelf or developed in-house. For leadership, sales, service, team and other interpersonal skill areas, 20/20 Insight GOLD is an ideal assessment system for Train-to-Ingrain because it provides quantitative and qualitative measurement of areas of performance that are otherwise hard to measure. It’s also economical enough to be used for reinforcement; it features relatively inexpensive permanent individual licenses, permitting frequent feedback and repeat measurements at no extra cost. In addition, 20/20 Insight is a 360-degree feedback platform that can be easily customized to support any behavior-based survey.
Flexibility and customizability are important requirements because the performance measurement system needs to be compatible with and integrated with the training program. In practical terms, the performance feedback survey needs to exactly describe the desired behavioral outcomes that are the focus of the training. A feedback platform like 20/20 Insight can be quickly customized to present the behavioral objectives of any training program.
A superb example of this integration of learning systems is the way organizations use 20/20 Insight GOLD in concert with the Vital Learning Leadership Curriculum - Leadership Essentials and Leadership PLUS. Both are behavior based, both fully support the requirements of an ongoing process of reinforcement, and both are fully integrated with each other. Your organization will need to select assessment and training solutions that meet your needs. However, if the requirement is to make permanent improvements in the performance of line leaders, it’s hard to imagine a suite of assessment and training that is more compatible with the Train-to-Ingrain process.
					For more information, contact ALD, Inc. at 208-762-1322 or email us at info@ald-inc.com