Recognizing The “Dead Horse” In Your Organization
There is an experience that is shared among employees across multiple organizations and industries. It is that training program or system that everyone knows is outdated and frankly brings minimal value, yet no one is taking action to scrap or recreate. It might be a compliance course that was recorded years ago, is missing information, or exists in a platform that people rarely use. This and other examples are what we call the “dead horse” of learning. However, despite being obviously ineffective, organizations refuse to “dismount” and make a change, wasting resources and disengaging employees along the way. In this article, we will delve into what the “dead horse” theory is and how you can recognize the real indicators of a failing training strategy.
What Is The Dead Horse Theory?
This theory has been named after the saying, “When you discover you’re riding a dead horse, the best strategy is to dismount.” You might have also heard it as “you can’t ride (or beat) a dead horse.” These phrases symbolize the futility of continuing to waste your efforts and resources on something that no longer works. In terms of an organization, a “dead horse” is any strategy, system, or program that has outlived its usefulness and only continues to exist out of habit. When it comes to learning specifically, it could refer to a training program that is outdated, incomplete, or non-engaging for employees.
How Does A Training Strategy Become A “Dead Horse”?
But what contributes to the failure of a training initiative, provided that it was effective at some point? There could be multiple reasons, but a common one is a change that hasn’t been accounted for. When organizations evolve, growing in numbers or entering a new market, old strategies may quickly become irrelevant. Similarly, neglecting to update training programs, not only to include new information but also for the sake of keeping them fresh and interesting for learners, can also lead to a “dead horse” of learning. Finally, the insufficiency of learning metrics may result in training initiatives losing their focus and becoming redundant.
5 Indicators Of Ineffective Training
Above, we explained the reasons that could cause one or multiple learning “dead horses” within your organization. However, what you might be more interested in are the specific signs that make failed training programs stand out. Let’s see what those are.
Decreasing Levels Of Engagement
The first and most obvious sign that your company has a “dead horse” that needs to be addressed is disengagement among learners. Employees may be skipping or rushing through modules, multitasking during courses, or outright refusing to complete a course. A decline in engagement can be reflected in low course completion and high drop-off rates, limited participation in learning forums, as well as lukewarm or negative feedback. Engagement is a crucial component of a successful learning experience, leading to better knowledge comprehension and application. Any downward trends require immediate attention.
Performance Isn’t Improving
The best way to determine the success of a training initiative is to observe the changes it brings to everyday tasks. If employee performance and efficiency are not improving in a significant way, it probably means that the learning program is not translating the material into actionable insights that employees can apply in their work. Identifying this issue requires businesses to pay attention to how training affects the progress of KPIs and performance metrics. Post-training assessments can also reveal a lot about knowledge retention, as well as reports from managers regarding behavioral changes in their respective teams.
Reactive Instead Of Proactive Training
Another indication that the “dead horse” theory applies to your organization is training programs that focus on combating issues instead of anticipating them. A company with a successful training strategy can see into the future and develop courses to prevent problems from occurring instead of constantly playing catch-up. If this situation sounds familiar, it likely points to a deeper misalignment between organizational goals and learning objectives. Clear indicators include training programs that are created in a hurry as a response to a specific issue, rather than a proactive measure.
Outdated Content
Modern learners are looking for engaging learning experiences that keep up with technological advancements, as well as their busy schedules. Therefore, when the content of your training courses is outdated, reactions will be resounding. The red flags that learners have the worst reactions to are outdated visuals, irrelevant examples, inaccurate information, or overcrowded slides that fail to retain their interest. The duration of modules is also something to keep in mind. Sessions that last over 20 minutes don’t cater to current attention spans and will likely lead to high drop-off rates.
Learning Has Become A Chore
The final indicator of a learning “dead horse” is a sense of obligation surrounding your organization’s Learning and Development strategy. In other words, employees have stopped viewing learning as an opportunity for growth and are only participating because they have to. Although often not immediately obvious, this mentality becomes more evident when you notice employees rushing through training courses to get back to work. Another sign is minimal or no participation in non-mandatory training activities. This is a particularly important indicator of the “dead horse” theory, revealing that employees see no value in learning and are adopting an apathetic stance that prevents growth and innovation.
Conclusion
The “dead horse” theory describes ineffective programs or strategies that organizations refuse to let go of, despite them draining their resources. Most companies have them, but few recognize them or take measures to fix the situation. Having a learning “dead horse” doesn’t necessarily mean that your company is failing, but rather that it is evolving. Identifying ineffective or irrelevant elements indicates a clear understanding of your organization’s dynamics, empowering you to take the necessary steps to effectively navigate change. To achieve this, pay attention to the signs we explored in this article to identify elements that are no longer serving their initial purpose and need to be updated or replaced.