At the beginning of LDT 513, I already understood that training was not always the answer. What changed throughout the course was my understanding of how much evidence and how disciplined an investigation needs to be before I can confidently determine the right solution. Needs assessment has changed the way I view the role of a learning designer. Our responsibility is not simply to create effective learning experiences; we must first determine whether learning is actually the solution. This requires defining the performance gap, gathering evidence, identifying root causes, and separating what the data tells us from what we think the organization should do next. In my current role at American Express, one of the most important things I have learned when speaking with a client is to listen to their entire need rather than jump to conclusions and start thinking about solutions after hearing only the first 90 seconds of the conversation. The same principle applies when stakeholders b...
I sit at my desk enjoying the satisfaction of having just completed a new-hire training program for Bitloom’s sales team. The feeling does not last long. A Slack message from my manager appears: he has just left a meeting with senior leadership, and they are demanding that we develop a communication-skills training program to address two major concerns: delayed customer support response times and poor service quality. The request is clearly a high priority, and leadership appears convinced that inadequate communication skills are causing both problems. However, my responsibility as the Lead Learning Designer is not simply to deliver the requested training, but to determine whether it will address the actual performance need. Christensen’s Performance Improvement Process Model emphasizes that performance-improvement work should begin by verifying the need rather than immediately accepting a proposed intervention. Similarly, Stefaniak explains that statements such as “we need training” d...