The Problem With Groups

If training in groups is to produce predictable performance results, one must often assume that ALL learners in the group:

• Start with the same skills
• Must learn the same tasks
• Can learn at the same pace

Consider any group of individuals you know facing a technical challenge such as a new process or a new piece of equipment. Would you expect ANY of these assumptions to be true?

The Fundamental Dilemma

You can describe almost any training session in terms of:

• The list of TASKS to be learned
• The level of COMPETENCE expected in each task
• The TIME set aside for learning

You can fix any two, but the third will vary due to differences among individuals in the group.

Time-Driven

The plan for group training almost always fixes tasks and time. Competence will therefore vary among individuals. If the goals of the training are related to the needs of a business, some business objectives will be left unmet.

Focus on Performance?

If you want each trainee in a group to demonstrate the same level of competence in each of several tasks, you must allow learning time to vary with individuals. This makes it difficult to operate as a group. Perhaps the group is the problem.

Performance-Driven

Focus on Individuals

Most training aimed at developing or improving individual skills would produce better results at lower cost if done in an environment that accommodates differences in individual needs, goals, learning capacities, and learning styles. In such a self-directed environment it is the LEARNER, not the instructor, that decides what to fix and what to flex.

The training supplier creates an environment and provides resources to support learners. Instructors serve as counselors, coaches, and evaluators. The responsibility for success rests with the learner. Success for the learner takes the form of meeting the expectations, on the job, of supervisor, peers, or customers. The instructor may help the learner clarify and articulate those expectations, but ultimate responsibility rests with the learner.

Self-Directed

In a self-directed environment the learner decides which two legs of the triangle to fix and which one to flex. If time is scarce, the learner can decide between fewer tasks or reduced competence in some. The learner can postpone learning some tasks if not needed immediately. If competence in a certain set of tasks is essential at the moment, the learner must somehow find the time.

Can It Be Done?

Absolutely! I know of prominent companies that have been doing individualized technical training successfully for several years. These companies have discovered that learners' needs can be fully met in less time -- sometimes a fraction of the time -- when compared with group-oriented classes.