The Problem With Off The Shelf L&D With Stewart Everson

The market for off-the-shelf content and programmes for the L&D profession is huge. This is despite it equating to next to no demonstrable return on investment. It’s seductive to think we can plug in a ready-made ‘solution’ but what does it really solve? And is our dependency on it going to be our downfall? KEY TAKEAWAYS The purpose of L&D has to be to make it easier for people to do their jobs. Anything that does not contribute to this is usually just a tick-box exercise. What is provided needs to create meaningful behaviour change. In most cases, a standardised training course doesn’t do that. If people are sent on mind-numbing courses, they tend to assume it is all going to be rubbish and just switch off to all of it. The examples used must be relevant to what each department does. A one size fits all approach does not work. Only 29% of people think that the online learning they have completed has been effective. Off-the-shelf training can be useful, but only in limited circumstances, Stewart provides some examples in the podcast. Asking people what is stopping them from doing their job is an effective way to identify training needs. BEST MOMENTS 'Until we understand the reason for poor performance, you can't really move the needle on it. ' ' I do think there is a reluctance to dig deep, we kind of fear what we might find sometimes, I think all organisations are guilty of that.' 'Unless there's a way to relate the material to someone's world, there's always going to be a mess, ' 'There is such an over-reliance on solutions that don't understand the problem. ' ABOUT STEWART EVERSON Stewart Everson Bio As manager of the National Bank Independent Network learning team, Stewart is responsible for driving the digital adoption of the company’s technology and ensuring employees have access to skills training and development opportunities, to grow their careers. EPISODE RESOURCES Nigel Paine’s work and resources - https://www.nigelpaine.com/ VALUABLE RESOURCES The Learning And Development Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-learning-development-podcast/id1466927523  L&D Master Class Series: https://360learning.com/blog/l-and-d-masterclass-home/ ABOUT THE HOST David James  David has been a People Development professional for more than 20 years, most notably as Director of Talent, Learning & OD for The Walt Disney Company across Europe, the Middle East & Africa.  As well as being the Chief Learning Officer at 360Learning, David is a prominent writer and speaker on topics around modern and digital L&D.  CONTACT METHOD  Twitter:  https://twitter.com/davidinlearning/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidjameslinkedin/  L&D Collective: https://360learning.com/the-l-and-d-collective/ Blog: https://360learning.com/blog/ L&D Master Class Series: https://360learning.com/blog/l-and-d-masterclass-home/