LearnaBytes

Photo by Element5 Digital on Unsplash

If you are a learning and development or training practitioner you will be familiar with the term learning needs analysis which is used to describe the process of accurately identifying what people need to learn. The process supports learning design, development, and delivery because it ensures that if you do develop a learning intervention then it is the right one because the learning needs analysis you carried out earlier would have identified what the learning intervention should focus on.

Learning interventions which could be a virtual or face-to-face course or an e-learning course or even a coaching intervention are usually aimed at dealing with knowledge or skills gaps. But there are actually more performance gaps than those two that we need to focus on for the purpose of developing and delivering learning interventions that work. Sometimes we need to be honest and realistic enough to admit that some gaps cannot be solved by a learning intervention.

What are these other performance gaps apart from skills and knowledge?

I learned about all the gaps from Julie Dirksen in her brilliant book titled – Design for how people learn.

In her book Julie identified the following gaps which can affect a person’s performance:

1. Knowledge gaps: gaps due to not having enough or the right information to do something.
2. Skill gaps: a gap that can only be filled by practice.
3. Motivation gaps: this is a gap that is present when someone knows what to do but chooses not to do it.
4. Habit gaps: a person may have the right skill, knowledge, and motivation and still struggle to do something because it has not become a habit for them.
5. Environment gaps: when the environment isn’t set up for people to succeed despite having the right knowledge, skills, and motivation.
6. Communication gaps: this is a gap that occurs due to poor directions or instructions.

A good learning needs analysis goes beyond just identifying knowledge and skills gaps. It must consider all the other gaps of motivation, habit, environment, and communication too.

This partly explains why a lot of training courses and learning interventions are ineffective because they are the wrong solution for the existing performance gap.

It may be beneficial therefore to think about these gaps as you go about providing any learning solutions.

In subsequent posts, I will look at each gap in more detail.

Photo by Tim Mossholder on Unsplash

When I started this blog my intention was to focus on writing about training and learning resources for leadership and management development, particularly for first-line managers and team leaders. The truth is, I did not enjoy doing it and I’ve come to realise that my core strength is designing, developing and delivering training and I want to transform this blog to now focus on writing about that. I’ve worked in that line of work for over 20 years and I still enjoy it.

I’ve also learnt a few things so from now on I want to write about what I’ve learnt, what I’m learning and what I am doing when it comes to learning, training and development. I’m still going to be writing about, and sharing content I design but the focus of the blog will now be more on those interested in designing, developing and delivering learning training and development.

I am aware that I may lose a couple of people who have read content from this site but if there is one thing I have learnt in life it is this:

We contribute and operate more effectively when we are doing it from our area of strengths and not weakness.

As you can see I have changed the blog’s name from Leadabytes to Learnabytes. At some point, the domain name will change too. I am looking forward to this new writing adventure where I now have the opportunity to share what I enjoy and do relatively well and I hope in some way I will be able to add value to people.

This week’s focus is on Developing New Managers. A lot of first-line managers will have stories to tell about how they were dumped into the thick of managing a team without any preparation and the struggles and challenges they had to go through before finding their feet. The good thing is, great managers are made and not born. But it’s still not brilliant being thrown into a role you are not prepared for.

Julio Zhuo who wrote the focus book for this week titled, The Making of a Manager, writes this about her experience of being thrown into the deep end of management with no experience or preparation:

I remember the meeting when my manager asked me to become a manager. It was unexpected, like going for your daily run and tripping over a pirate chest. Oh, I thought, how intriguing. We were sitting in a ten-person conference room, kitty-corner from each other. “Our team is growing,” my manager explained. “We need another manager, and you get along with everyone. What do you think?”…… It was only later, walking out of the room, that I thought about the details of what she had said, “I got along with everyone. Surely there was more to management than that. How much more? I was about to find out.

I’m sure most people don’t get their first management role that way, but the experience you go through in that first new role may be similar. Until you start a management role you don’t know what it is really like to be a manager and you only start finding out when you are doing the job.

So, here is how we will explore ‘developing new managers’ this week:

• Tuesday’s post will be a bite-sized virtual training activity that can be used to run a short session for new and first-line managers. It will focus on defining management and exploring three things managers think about all day. The title of this virtual activity is – THE WHAT AND WHY OF MANAGEMENT.
• Wednesday’s post will be an introduction to a great book on management by Julio Zhuo, a former senior manager at Facebook. The book is – The Making of a Manager. I will also share a 1-page summary of one lesson from the book.
• Thursday’s post will be a video titled – ’11 Habits of Highly Effective Managers’
• I am currently going through an online virtual facilitation course, so on Friday, I will share with you some of the key insights I got from the course. 

I really hope you find this week’s posts valuable. Thank you and have a great day.