Jim Huggins and the Case for CBT:A Play in Four Acts

The Scene

Hill Industries: Producer of manufacturing plant machinery

New competitors have been able to develop high-quality products more quickly and for less cost

Hill Industries has streamlined the PD process– Flatter organization– Fewer approval steps– Fewer prototypes– Early involvement of manufacturing/marketing– More reliance on design and engineering

The Players

Jim Huggins: Instructional Design Consultant

Bob Werner: Steering Committee Chair

John Eggleston: Committee Member/Training Supervisor

Committee Members

The Plot

Jim has been asked to develop a training program

Jim’s recommendation: Hypermedia CBT

CBT has been implemented at Hill Industries, but less than 15% of the 15,000 employees have used it

Let’s go back…

ACT I:Meeting #1 with the

Steering Committee at Hill Industries

Flag

Red Flag #1

Committee members do not understand what a CBT is, based on Jim’s description

Familiar with classroom training

Cannot visualize what Jim is talking about

Red Flag #1

Come with an example

Discuss how other companies like Hill Industries have used CBT (Review literature, etc.)

What could Jim do better?

Let’s Continue…

Flag

Red Flag #2

Hill Industries has traditionally used classroom training

Committee members know there are problems with classroom training, but they would rather have problems they understand than ones they don’t (CBT is too much of a mystery)

Committee members don’t know whether CBT can be used to teach PD processes

Red Flag #2

Come with an example of how CBT has been used to teach processes (“Straw” – Rossett, 1999)

Be prepared to discuss potential pitfalls of CBT – and how they can be avoided

Apply change management techniques (Dormant, 1999)– Demonstrate advantages of change– Identify key peers that can influence others– Identify sponsors who can promote the change

What could Jim do better?

Let’s Continue…

ACT II:Meeting #2 with the Steering Committee

Flag

Red Flag #3

Committee needs more data on how CBT has been used in their particular industry in order to be comfortable with the idea

CBT supporters are making decisions based on opinions of others and a desire to embrace the latest technology

Red Flag #3

Select better examples – companies similar to Hill Industries

Help the committee make a decision for CBT based on whether or not it is the best delivery option – not just because it is the “latest thing”

Consider drivers & barriers (Rossett, 1999)

What could Jim do better?

Let’s Continue…

Flag

Red Flag #4

Committee does not understand how cost of CBT is typically high at the front end (design & development), but the recurring costs are reduced.

Red Flag #4

Show that while initial CBT development costs are high, the overall cost may be less than that for classroom training (travel, materials, etc.)

What could Jim do better?

Let’s Continue…

ACT III:Yet another meeting with the Steering Committee…

Flag

Red Flag #5

Committee appears to have made a decision based on lower cost and popularity of “new” technology, not real understanding of what the solution will be

Red Flag #5

A small, less complicated prototype could have been used to help visualize the CBT program

Committee could make a decision based on what would be actually be delivered, not just on the basis of the dollar amount and the latest trends.

What could Jim do better?

ACT IV:Implementation…the Final Act!!!

Flag

Red Flag #6

CBT is being implemented because of a top-down mandate from management; stakeholders are not involved early in the process.

No one is made responsible for making sure that employees complete the CBT – only that they have access!

Red Flag #6

Press for earlier involvement with the training coordinators so that they understand the importance of the CBT (as part of a blended approach) and embrace the solution.

Make someone accountable for ensuring that employees complete the CBT

Change Management

What could Jim have done better?

What Can Be Done at this Stage?

Find out what the 15% who are using the program like about it

Use their successes as examples, reward them Establish incentives for using the program or

disincentives for not using it Consider a hybrid approach where trainers and

those who have successfully used the program become mentors

Lessons Learned

When making a change, make sure that benefits are clearly understood

In any change effort, there must be buy-in from management and other stakeholders

Be aware of drivers and barriers in the environment; they can make or break any type of new program

Questions?

Thank You!

References

Dormant, D. (1999). Implementing human performance technology in organizations. In H. D. Stolovitch & E. J. Keeps (Eds.), Handbook of human performance technology (2nd ed., pp. 237-59). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass/Pfeiffer.

Mager, R.F. and Pipe, P. (1997) Analyzing Performance Problems. (3rd Ed. P. 75-77)Atlanta, GA. The Center for Effective Performance.

Rossett, A. (1999). First things fast. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass/Pfeiffer.