In part 1 I explained that there are 5 principles to ensure you get maximum vale from your training assessments. The first 2 that were covered are as follows
1) Align purpose with situation
2) Context is king
Here is will outline the next 3 principles:
3. All Assessments Are Created Equal
All assessments need to exhibit evidence of reliability and validity. You need to be sure you are consistently measuring what you are supposed to be measuring and that the results reflect what is happening in your workplace. Simply compiling a set of questions using training objectives or best practices does not necessarily guarantee both conditions are met.
Reliability indicates the assessment questions and associated rating scales consistently differentiate participants with higher levels of skills application from those with lower levels. Validity indicates there is strong evidence to support the use of the assessment results in the workplace (i.e., the results reflect the skills application level in the organisation.) Assessment questionnaires should be tested prior to using them and/or have a testing component built into the assessment process.
4. Achieve Active Support and Communications
Assessment preparation, planning and support as well as regular communications will improve the success of your assessment project and help identify the obstacles and challenges that could diminish the value of the assessment results (e.g., low participation rates, apathy, participant confidentiality/anonymity and ambiguous/irrelevant questions). Following assessment development and delivery best practices is important; however, planning your actions to achieve active, continuous executive support and to encourage and motivate participants is also critical.
5. Establish WIIFE – What’s In It For Everyone
High participation and stakeholder support are essential. Assessments must be perceived by all stakeholders as providing value and a means to achieve their desired outcomes such as the following:
– Executives want business results;
– Human Resources/Learning and Development Professionals want to provide valuable learning opportunities to improve employee competence,;
– Organisational Development Professionals want to develop a supportive organisational environment to improve employee effectiveness; and
– Employees want relevant training and development opportunities to help them achieve success in their organisation.
When you keep these five principles in mind, your assessments can provide extraordinary results to help all stakeholders achieve their desired outcomes. These five principles will provide the framework for the remaining articles in this series. The next article will focus on how to achieve senior executive support for your training application assessments and ensure the assessment findings offer valuable information to help executives provide the support employees need to successfully apply the skills learned in training.