This week our experts look at how to make inductions interesting and informative.
Question: New employees are given an induction on company history, products, standards, health and safety, work procedures, etc. the general tendency is for internal trainers to give presentations on these. What can be done to make these more like training programmes so people aren't falling asleep? Or should they be training programmes?
Graham O'Connell responds: Induction is very important but many organisations struggle to get it right. I am often asked how to improve an induction day (or two) that is filled with a rather dry series of presentations. There are three main issues here: content, style and the bigger picture.
Firstly, the bigger picture. Induction is a process that lasts weeks and months. It needs to be designed so that the new starter gets what they need when they need it. Cramming too much in too soon can result in overload, where an individual cannot link everything together and cannot retain what they are being told - this is one of the most costly ways to be ineffective. The process should be welcoming as well as informative, and should induct people into the desired culture as well as the current reality. The Americans call it orientation.
If you do have an induction course or event as part of that process then it is important to work out what is best covered at that event and what should be covered elsewhere, by the line manager for example. Company purpose, key HR issues, work practices and good organisational citizenship are all common topics. Sometimes speakers are wheeled in, which can be great if they are good speakers, know what they are talking about and can relate to the group. It sounds like you use trainers for this purpose, so the standard of presentation and facilitation should, in theory, be fine. In practice, the trainers often inherit a narrow and rather traditional view of what is possible. Some of the best inductions I have run have involved ‘go find it out yourself’ exercises (eg where two or three people from the group go and interview a member of staff, use the office library or intranet, or search various documents you have provided then report back to the rest of the group on what they have found; each small group looks at a different topic but hears everyone else’s report back). This is not just more interesting, it also sets a tone that people are expected to be self-driven and that interaction at all levels is welcomed. It also helps boost confidence and helps people for stronger bonds with their fellow new starters.
Although induction is a very particular type of training, I still think most of the usual rules apply. You should know what the needs are, it should be designed with the learner and learning in mind, and it should be evaluated against pre-agreed criteria. For a practical guide with some useful checklists try Induction Training by Michael Meighan.
Mike Ditchburn responds: There is no panacea here, however judging by the number of new recruits who are ‘thrown in at the deep end’ without any real induction, anything you do is beneficial.
We believe there are a number of key characteristics of a good induction programme, which include:
- It must be ‘owned’ by the line manager – it’s in their interests that the induction programme is effective.
- It must clearly cover the requisite knowledge, skills and behavioural areas.
- It should be implemented over a realistic timescale – just cramming information doesn’t help retention.
- It should be delivered through a variety of different methods e.g. classroom, one to one, activities, e-learning.
- It should ideally involve several people to give different perspectives/variety.
- It should ideally be an active experience.
- It should result in a portfolio of reference sources i.e. give ongoing guidance and tools to complement the initial knowledge transfer.
There are multiple ways of delivering an induction programme – to illustrate, here’s an example of what a leading utility company did:
- They developed a standard induction checklist for line managers to guide the process over the initial 3 months of employment.
- A 90 minute e-learning course was used to introduce the organisation – this included animations (for strong visual impact), audio, links to the company Intranet and activities to let new starters find out information from colleagues and other resources. The e-Learning course was undertaken in three 30 minute sessions./
- Interlaced throughout the e-learning course were activities. After completing the activities the results were discussed with the line manager who had a briefing document to help them guide a conversation (this enabled them to enhance the learning and support the new starter).
- Other events were planned such as health & safety briefings, one to one sessions for job related aspects and specific ‘formal’ induction review points.
The result – new starters who were supported through their initial period with the company in a way that made them feel individually important, helped them feel a sense of achievement and independence, and provided the tools for the line manager to help them discharge their duties.
About the experts:
Graham O'Connell MA Chartered FCIPD FITOL FInstCPD ACIM: Graham is head of organisational learning and standards at the National School for Government. He has particular responsibility for developing and promoting best practices in learning and development. A regular feature writer for professional magazines, he has had numerous articles published on topics such as organisational learning, training strategy, coaching and facilitation. You have probably seen Graham presenting at conferences too.
As a consultant Graham has 25 years experience in technical, management, trainer training and as an adviser to organisations on the strategic aspects of L&D. He has extensive overseas experience including working in countries as diverse as Russia and Bermuda, China and Kosovo. Graham still does some occasional tutoring on CIPD and University of Cambridge qualification programmes and runs occasional Masterclasses. He also runs a number of networks including the Strategic L&D Network (for Heads of L&D in the Civil Service), the Henley Public Sector Knowledge Management Forum and the Leadership Alliance Exchange.
Mike Ditchburn, MD of Bourne Training: Mike has worked for Bourne Training (part of the Redtray Group) since 1998, He has worked as a training and development professional for 15 years and held senior training management positions in the financial services sector and pharmaceutical industry. Mike is highly experienced in the delivery of learning to support change initiatives, and has been fundamental in developing strategy and implementing solutions to support e-Learning projects across a range of industry sectors.
Mike is an associate of the Chartered Institute of Bankers and has a Diploma in Management Studies. He is currently a member of the British Learning Association Quality Forum whose purpose is to direct the operation of the BLA’s Quality Mark Scheme. He has extensive experience of speaking about e-learning development and implementation, including speaking at the On-line Educa Berlin and World of Learning conferences. He has also had editorial articles published in E-Learning Age, The Grocer, IT Training and Training Journal.
