Competency or compliance - you choose

Compliance? Competence?

Earlier this year I had the opportunity to take on a consultancy assignment in deepest Africa. Before I could go, I had to complete an e-learning course around issues of health, safety and security.

As I found out, in some parts of the world safety and security are very important issues.

There’s a lot that can go wrong if you don’t know what you’re doing.

As you can imagine, this is a fascinating topic and the course could have been really interesting and engaging.

It might even have worked if it had been properly positioned and reinforced.

Trouble is, this was a compulsory course, followed by a very long test which I had to pass if I was to continue with the assignment.

The game became beating the system – passing the test with the least possible effort.

I failed in this respect because I didn’t pass the test first time round. Good job I had written down the answers to the more tricky questions, so I wouldn’t mess up a second time.

And, of course, I had forgotten everything I had ‘learned’ within a few days.

What could have been a highly intriguing exploration of issues likely to have a very real impact on my personal well-being …

… became a rather frustrating chore to be finished as quickly as possible.

To be fair, my client was, in this case, probably really looking to increase the competence of its employees and sub-contractors in dealing with issues of safety and security.

What they got was compliance, i.e. people who could pass a quiz.

Compliance training is carried out in order to meet a regulatory requirement or to reduce a risk of legal liability. Training must be seen to have taken place. Real learning is a bonus.

Competence-based training, on the other hand, is focused on performance – making sure employees can do their job properly.

Compliance training is designed to be as efficient as possible – that means cheap, quick and non-disruptive.

Whereas competency-based training is designed to be as effective as possible. In other words, it works.

So, why is compliance-based training not effective? Well, firstly it is compulsory, which causes resentment – a ‘teach-me-if-you-can’ mentality.

Compliance training tends to start with the assumption that you’re guilty (of discrimination, of poor security, etc.) until proven innocent, which causes defensiveness.

And most compliance training involves testing, which causes stress. Resentment, defensiveness and stress are not so good for learning.

“Practices that target managerial bias through diversity training show virtually no effect. In fact, research to date suggests that the training often generates a backlash.”

Professor Frank DobbinHarvard University

Compliance training can even do more harm than good.

•Learners are resistant so …

•trainers hate training it so

•they use e-learning instead so

•now learners hate e-learning

Compliance training also damages e-learning. Here’s why:

•Learners are resistant so

•trainers hate training it so …

•they use e-learning instead so

•now learners hate e-learning

Here’s why compliance training damages e-learning:

•Learners are resistant so

•trainers hate training it so

•they use e-learning instead so

•now learners hate e-learning

Here’s why compliance training damages e-learning:

•Learners are resistant so

•trainers hate training it so

•they use e-learning instead so

•now learners hate e-learning

Here’s why compliance training damages e-learning:

Provide positioning

To ensure competence, an intervention needs to cover all the bases. First of all it must provide positioning - a rationale for the training - as well as covering the underlying concepts and principles.

Provide positioning

Present the policies and procedures

It needs to present the policies and procedures clearly and simply.

Provide positioning

Present the policies and procedures

Provide worked examples

It should work through some examples.

Provide positioning

Present the policies and procedures

Provide worked examples

Allow for safe practice

And allow the learner ample opportunity for practice, safe from danger and from the risk of embarrassment. Here’s where simulations and scenarios come in handy.

Provide positioning

Present the policies and procedures

Provide worked examples

Allow for safe practice

Support application

The learner must be supported in applying what they have learned to the job, perhaps by coaching, by reference information available on demand, or through communities of practice.

Provide positioning

Present the policies and procedures

Provide worked examples

Allow for safe practice

Support application

Reinforce behaviour

And managers need to reinforce the new behaviours by modelling the skills themselves and by providing rewards through the performance management system.

Present the policies and procedures

By contrast, a typical compliance programme does this ...

Present the policies and procedures

Test knowledge of policies and procedures

By contrast, a typical compliance programme does this ...

Present the policies and procedures

Test knowledge of policies and procedures

This methodology is driven by managers who don’t understand about learning. They assume that learners are empty vessels just waiting to be filled.

As a result, most compliance training is like drinking from a fire hose.

Compliance training only works as a tick-box exercise – it doesn’t result in changed behaviour (and it damages the reputation ofe-learning).

To really make a difference, the emphasis needs to shift to competence: a more sophisticated and costly blend of activities, but with a strong chance of success.

Success really is worth striving for: less discrimination, fewer accidents, fewer security issues, fewer security lapses, fewer legal claims, fewer PR disasters.

Compliance or competence - you choosewas created by Clive Shepherd© Copyright 2009, Fastrak Consulting Ltd