Training’s Empty Promises

What’s Wrong with Training?

Let’s cut to the chase: Training doesn’t work when it comes to changing behaviours. While organisations pump vast amounts of money into training programmes, hoping for transformative effects, the outcomes never match the investment. You’re probably wondering why. It’s high time we scrutinise what’s really going on.

What About the Hawthorne Experiment?

In the late 1920s, the Hawthorne Experiment was conducted at the Western Electric Hawthorne Works in Chicago. Researchers changed various environmental conditions for workers to see if productivity improved. To everyone’s surprise, almost any change led to increased productivity. It wasn’t the training or the changed conditions that boosted productivity; it was the fact that someone was paying attention to the workers – and their needs. It showed that behavioural change doesn’t stem from training sessions but from the environment and context in which people operate.

How Do Methods Differ?

Training often employs a fixed method, aiming to produce quantifiable improvements in performance. This approach assumes that humans are like machines: input a certain variable (in this case, training) and expect an improved output (better behaviour or skills). But unlike machines, humans have feelings, motivations, and personal circumstances that training methods can’t address. Where’s the psychology? Absent?

Is There an Alternative?

Certainly, and it’s not another fancy training programme. Changing behaviours often requires a more holistic, systemic approach rooted in psychology, systems thinking and group dynamics. That means looking at organisational culture, team dynamics, leadership styles and the paramount impact of “the system” (the way the work works). Engage with the issues that truly matter to people – their needs – and you’re more likely to see lasting change. Simply put, training in isolation is a lost cause.

What’s the Bottom Line?

Training won’t change behaviours. Whether it’s a disregard for approaches that consider the human element, or the illusion of improvement illustrated by experiments like Hawthorne, it’s clear that training isn’t the magical cure-all many believe it to be. The sooner organisations realise this, the sooner they can take steps towards meaningful change.