I recently asked a group of 10 training directors from the divisions of an $80 billion corporation about their measurement efforts over the last 12 months. Most had tracked participant reaction and classroom learning (Kirkpatrick's levels 1 and 2¹), but only two divisions had linked training to new behaviors (level 3). None had quantified the actual business results (level 4). The measurement efforts of this corporation were, in fact, typical of those I've encountered in other organizations.

Tried-and-true smile sheets and pre- and post-tests are valuable tools, but meaningful measurement demands greater insight into driving business issues.

Another problem is that sales executives tend to develop bottom-line myopia. They want to measure performance development solely by monthly or quarterly numbers, sometimes to the exclusion of all other indicators of performance.

One line executive at a large, high-tech company was focused primarily on tracking closed business. "To win in this market, our people need to be better negotiators," he said. He was right. But a deeper analysis revealed a more complex picture. His division's margins had slipped, competition had increased, and discounting had become a crutch that account executives used to close deals. Major accounts expected and got deep discounts, so the company's competitive allowance sustained the vicious cycle of discounting.

In that case, we discovered that the critical measure of the company's negotiation skills training was not the amount of closed business, but rather the reduction in the use of the competitive allowance.

Together, line and training functions must dig deeply into the underlying forces that affect revenue, customer or client relationships, and business results. There are no shortcuts.

How will you know your measurement project is focusing on the business results? One sure sign occurs when the director of training and the vice president of sales meet to talk about improving performance and growing the business. If that sounds unlikely, keep reading.

Lesson 2: Build a Bridge Between Line and Training

Meaningful measurement requires collaboration. Focus on your organization's business issues provides a shared purpose and a sense of mission. It is the most fundamental reason for building a relationship between line and training functions. So, why doesn't it happen more often?

I've observed an almost universal tendency: Training professionals don't initiate enough, and line executives don't participate enough.

For example, the training professionals at a medical equipment company asked me to help them devise a way to track the bottom-line impact of their sales training. I suggested that we get input from the vice president on what to measure, but they resisted. They said, "We want to have this done before we go to him." Not surprisingly, the measurement project never got off the ground.

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