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For Better Training, Stir the Pot During my early years in engineering, I took as much training as I could convince my employers to pay for. Since I mostly worked for small companies, this usually meant that I was the only person from my company at the training. During introductions, I would size up the other participants and pick one or more of the others to ‘hang out’ with, especially during any group activities. I tried to pick someone who sounded like they had an interesting job or background. Frequently the classes would have a large number of participants from a single company, and I noticed that they usually stuck together, even in class. The downside was that during training they rarely shared with the rest of the group. The better trainers I encountered always tried to split up these groups, and the resulting experience was better for everyone involved. This type of self-segregation occurs even when a training course is being delivered for a single company, sometimes even when you’re training employees from the same department. For example, I recently completed a 30-hour, 10-week training program in quality management for a small company. The class consisted of nearly two dozen employees from five different departments: quality engineering, design engineering, manufacturing engineering, production and purchasing. During introductions, I noticed that each department sat down together, even putting an empty seat or two between themselves and ‘the other guys.’ When we started our first small group activity, aimed at identifying strengths and concerns of the way the company operated, the departments naturally stayed together to talk. Each group reported back pretty much the same thing: ‘Our department is strong and competent, and the problems all come from the other departments.’ It was definitely an ‘us against them’ situation. I gave them a break during which I rearranged the groups, mixing up the departments, so they had to work with one another. After the break, I gave the new groups the same basic question as before. This time the results were far different. The groups began to analyze their situation from the perspective of the company rather than their own departments. I had ‘stirred the pot’ and changed what was happening. From that point on, the training had a better, more active and open feeling. You can accomplish the same in your training programs. Find out in advance who will be in your training, and what their jobs are. At the first meeting, watch for the natural groupings; then when you start hands-on or small group activities, stir the pot. You’ll like the result. |
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