Managers are a key element in the learning company of tomorrow. By supporting training, they contribute to positioning learning as a valuable resource and an integral part of business strategy, in particular thanks to Social learning. But in concrete terms, how do you put managers in charge of training?
In his book “Learning in Action” (2000), David Garvin points out that A company's competitiveness depends on its ability to learn and adapt. More than a simple adaptation, it is a question of building a true “learning company”.
Garvin insists on the crucial role of managers as relays in training. They are not just any managers: they are respected, excellent communicators, and who invest time in the development of their employees. Her book explores three key strategies for positioning these managers as central players in organizational learning.
The training manager
In this model of the trainer manager, training relay managers guide some or all of the training sessions in their areas of expertise. They thus position themselves as defenders of learning. These training managers therefore conduct some of the training in person, for example by animating explanatory videos or during face-to-face training sessions. If we transcribe this strategy to the reality of today's business, the training manager may be the one who leads one or more courses in his field, or even webinars, podcasts, etc. He can also be the training referent for his team in his field of expertise, if the team in question works on training on formats such as microlearning. Finally, he will be able to act as a trainer on a coaching model.
The “influencer” manager
Despite his name, he won't be found on Instagram, this one. Whether this influential manager occupies a central role or simply weighs on certain points, his contribution to the training strategy can be extremely valuable. Influencer managers who work in close collaboration with HR and training teams are the ones who are involved from the design of the programs or the training catalog.. This training relay manager can intervene to suggest content additions, themes or improvements, in order to ensure that the training available for its employees meets both their needs in terms of skills development, but also and especially with the company's objectives. In this context, it is therefore also interesting to have BETA test the training courses for said influencer managers, who will be able to provide a valuable perspective. Bonus: since they will have been involved in a design phase, the chances are much greater for them to focus on the fact that their employees actually follow and complete this (or these) training (s).
The storyteller manager
Here, it is not necessarily a question of making people cry in the cottages to encourage employees to train, although... To explain it simply, When a visible and influential manager within the company tells a personal story, the chances are high that the employees who receive it will remember it. This type of storytelling or Story learning can therefore be an interesting strategy to make the manager a relay of training. In short, storytelling personalizes the learning experience. Depending on the manager's profile, this approach can be a positive way to stimulate learners to learn, and/or come back to populate the training tools.
But in concrete terms, how can these managers be involved in training?
Definitely, David Garvin has the answer for everything! Of course, not all managers will be defenders of training, you have to make up your mind. As for starting managers, it is still important to give them the motivation to take over the training. Here are 3 ways:
- Give them the proofs (hear/read, the numbers) that justify that training does indeed have a positive impact on productivity and business goals. In short, prove to them that they are right to spend time there.
- Another motivating element: Make the commitment of their teams in training a performance objective. Said like that, it sounds a bit “pressure” but in reality, it is quite feasible provided that these managers are supported to develop the necessary skills, for example storytelling.
- Encourage a healthy competition between managers on this subject. In this context, gamification will be your best friend.
- Start small. No need for a revolution, just start with a small action and then see what happens. Ask managers to devote only 5 minutes per week (to the weekly update for example) to talk about training. Very quickly we will notice that these 5 minutes never really last five minutes, but rather 10 or 15, sometimes even an hour if the employees have annoyances or questions.
