The Importance of Assessment Combined with Targeted Training to Achieve Measurable Results in Leadership Development: A Case Study

Success in an American corporation is measured in dollars. Every department, no matter its direct relation to profit, is evaluated on its cost-effectiveness. For some departments, particularly sales and business development, their value to the company is evident when the numbers are crunched. A “successful” quarter in these departments is defined by higher profits, new business acquisition, or increased revenues. For other departments, such as marketing communication or human resources, the return on investment is less visible, but no less important. In human resources, dollars spent on training seem to disappear with no correlation to a profit/loss calculation. To satisfy bottom-line focused CEOs, human resources professionals need to be able to produce visible returns on investment for leadership development expenditures.

Given the lack of translation into direct profits, training expenses may be viewed by some executives as an easy elimination from the budget. This can be a fatal misconception. Today’s competitive marketplace necessitates that every successful business maintain an on-going and intensive training program to prepare employees for the next level of leadership. Companies that constantly educate and motivate their employees are more likely to retain those employees as time passes.

Developing Statistically Measurable, Targeted Training
In order to obtain executive approval for training expenditures, human resources personnel are left to wade through a market flooded with leadership training options, faced with a task that is three-fold: (1) determine the products that will best meet the learning needs of future leaders, (2) define the cost-effectiveness of training programs in order to obtain executive approval, and (3) justify the return on investment (ROI) of training expenditures.

Most options for training are interesting, but hardly measurable. Motivational speakers charge thousands of dollars for a few hours of pep talks that may not have a lasting impression. New books with catchy titles line bookstores promising to inspire readers to reach new heights. Studies show that training involving blended learning is best, but human resources staff is left to decide whom to train and in what areas.

 “Many companies execute routine employee performance reviews and study personality type indicators, to determine training direction, but these do not accurately show organizations their individual employee or group strengths and needs,” according to Paul O’Keefe, president of Edge Training Systems, Inc. “Only by using statistically measured assessments can we see the difference between perceived versus actual developmental needs to give organizations the ability to address competency gaps, direct coaching and training initiatives, and guide employees in achieving the business strategies of their departments and the overall mission and vision of the organization.”

O’Keefe has led Edge Training Systems to become the top producer of leadership and employee development solutions. With over ten years of experience in the field, Edge has helped to develop over 100,000 high potential leaders using statistically validated assessments. Committed to developing highly successful workforces, Edge features a comprehensive line of training material to provide organizations and their employees with the tools necessary to excel in today’s challenging work environment.

Incorporating assessments into a leadership training program enables human resources professionals to determine areas of proficiency and deficiency at the individual and group level, determine training direction, and track results. At the end of a period of training, the improvement in leadership skills can be statistically measured through testing and job performance evaluation. When employers begin with an assessment before spending on classroom or online training, they are provided with a complete picture of an employee’s leadership skill set and a clear path for learning without wasting precious resources teaching previously mastered skills.

The process for Edge’s assessment-based training program is circular. At the start of training, employees are given a pre-training assessment. This assessment validates knowledge through critical core competencies, skills and behaviors. In a multiple choice format, participants are challenged to differentiate between knowledge and performance. Simply put, the assessment determines what a participant knows and what a participant would do in an actual situation involving any of the areas of competency.

When the results are interpreted, it is easy to determine not only each individual’s strengths and weaknesses but also the strengths and weaknesses of the group as a whole. An action plan for learning opportunities can then be customized based on these results. Implementing the plan, employees receive training in both a classroom setting with facilitation and through e-learning. Employees then incorporate new skills into existing business strategies to achieve company goals. Finally, as with the pre-training assessment, employees are evaluated in post-training assessments.

This final assessment mirrors the pre-training assessment. Participants are asked questions in the same core competencies. The results are analyzed and compared to initial findings. Improvement is measured by comparing scores from previous assessments. Areas still needing attention can be addressed with further coaching, while areas of improvement should be monitored for continued growth.

Putting Assessments to Work
In a recent client case study, Edge put its strategy to the test. A regional bank with offices across the Southern United States chose Edge to assess and coordinate training for 200 employees destined to become its next generation of leaders. Edge began with KnowlEDGE for Leaders, a statistically validated, scenario-based assessment that is designed to measure what leaders know (and need to know) about effective leadership behavior. These behaviors directly correlate to eight core leadership competencies, which were identified through research and surveys of over 5,000 managers and employees as being critically important to a company’s success. The eight competencies include: coaching and counseling, communicating effectively, influence and negotiation, managing change, performance management, setting goals and standards, managing conflict, and problem solving and decision making.

Upon interpretation of the results, four of the eight competencies were selected for their learning opportunities. Aiming for 15 percent improvement in scores on the competencies, the bank acquired Edge workforce training videos addressing the areas of need, specifically: coaching confidence, leadership skills, conflict resolution and communicating effectively. Facilitators from the bank’s own human resources team led discussion and coaching. Employees were also encouraged to take advantage of easily accessible online training.

At the end of its training experience using Edge’s comprehensive system of products designed to help potential leaders close the knowledge gap, the bank employees enjoyed a 92 percent completion rate. The 180 bank employees who had attended the classroom learning sessions were evaluated again using the EDGE post-training assessment. Again, the bank experienced a positive success rate. Even though the bank opted to train in only four of the eight competencies, the bank surpassed its goal of 15 percent improvement in scoring by three percentage points. However, in the four areas of Edge classroom-trained competencies, improvements soared as high as 30 percent. By following Edge’s assessment-recommended training path, the significant knowledge transfer and behavioral change was readily apparent.

“The results we obtained from assessment to assessment in this case were out of sight,” said O’Keefe. “When employees know they’re going to be tested, they pay attention in the classroom. They model the behavior that they have been taught and soon it becomes part of each participant’s own leadership skill set.”

Designing Training around Assessments
As was evident in the bank case study, the assessment lays the foundation for learning. Where Edge steps up and provides unmatched service is in linking the assessment with developing supportive content. This link between assessing skills and designing targeting training is crucial.

One of the advantages of a statistical assessment is the ability to leverage data to bring the right group curriculum into play. Course content can be streamlined to meet the specific needs of an individual organization. Thus, companies can avoid a shotgun approach to learning, avoid wasting resources, and emphasize the areas of most importance.

Each course can be tied to a specific need within an organization. In the case of the bank, four area of competency presented opportunities for improvement for the group. Course content was tailored to address those areas. By using in-house facilitators, behavior modeling was directed toward common-place industry scenarios. As a result of the intensely focused training, post-training assessment verified improvement in the content area.

Once the content of curriculum is determined, creating a learning environment incorporating products specifically designed to address skill deficiencies and align knowledge and training with business goals assures maximum retention of information processed. Training can reach across the spectrum of learning styles with a variety of media by using a comprehensive system such as Edge provides.

The training begins in the classroom. The possibilities for training with a diverse group of participants are unlimited. Workforce training videos provide visual identification with common corporate concerns while addressing any number of the individual’s own areas with room for improvement. Larger groups can be divided into small groups for discussion, while individuals can be partnered for role-playing activities.

Adding to the myriad of possibilities in the classroom, coaching by either in-house or professional facilitators provides individualized teaching in a group setting. In-house facilitators can adapt training exercises to best meet the current environment within a corporation. External facilitators bring related experiences into the classroom while providing a different perspective. Edge firmly believes in utilizing experienced classroom facilitators to teach its materials.

“Regardless of the media or lesson, a credible client facilitator or an outside facilitator is crucial in helping employees to reach their full potential,” says O’Keefe. “By giving participants gentle-handed direction to achieve goals they capitalize on the effects of the content we provide.”

The coaching provided by a facilitator helps participants sharpen their skills with directed emphasis on particular areas. Providing goal-oriented focus and increasing motivation, coaching enables employees to recognize their strengths and play to them. Coaching also helps maximize performance by developing new behaviors to eliminate assessment-identified obstacles to success.

 “Classroom learning is the key,” says O’Keefe. “Leaders are developed in the classroom. By providing critical assessments, we can address each potential leader’s needs in the classroom and focus the training to strengthen that individual and measure the results following training.”

When individual needs are a concern, additional e-learning can be made available to expand their skills. E-learning mixes seamlessly with classroom facilitation of the core competencies. Developing leaders can participate in self-paced e-learning to build on existing strengths or further develop areas needing improvement by taking a targeted course.

In the case of the regional bank, the approach integrated Edge’s own system of blended learning, a comprehensive selection of products designed to deliver results and eliminate knowledge gaps in leadership competency areas. Workforce training videos were shown addressing each of the four core competency areas needing improvement. Enhancing the customized program, facilitation focused on modeling behavior regarding a specific scenario in the areas of competency. Coaching enabled participants to practice and grow confident in their newly acquired skills. And, opportunities to access e-learning reinforced the message at the learner’s convenience. This experience gave the employees multiple opportunities to learn and retain new skills.

On their own, each of these learning experiences are effective, together they are a force. Yet, even though classroom learning, workforce training videos, coaching, and e-learning all reinforce the leadership message conveyed, without directing training to specific areas as identified through pre-training assessments, their worth is vastly diminished.

As is proven by the regional bank case study, the only way to achieve statistically measurable success in training is by implementing a training system that incorporates pre- and post-training assessments with a custom-developed learning experience focusing on the areas of competency identified in the pre-training assessment.

Edge has cornered the market on providing a comprehensive system with built-in measurability enabling cost-effective leadership development with maximum results. When numbers count, Edge’s ability to identify critical gaps and deliver tailored learning gives companies the knowledge that their training program has value greater than the dollar. It’s the value of maximizing leadership potential.