Folks under the umbrella of training are tasked with solving problems. Maybe some key metric isn’t being met or an action is resulting in undesired outcomes. Developing strategies to optimize performance is really the bread and butter of our job. We absolutely love identifying problems, creating targeted interventions, and seeing behavior change.

But often, that’s not what we’re asked to do. Instead, we routinely field solution proposals. “We need a 2-hour workshop for ABC,” or, “They need to be retrained on XYZ.” Training professionals never start with solutions, but with questions.

The field of professional development is a child of behavioral science. We’re keen to observe, collect data, and perform root cause analysis. While an experienced designer might be able to quickly surmise that a 10-minute interactive module could address a given problem, or a seasoned facilitator could suggest they’d impact behavior by covering a block of content and activities in an hour, that’s because they’ve been doing it for a decade.

I get it. You found a problem, you want it a solution, and you want it now. You’ve got questions, sure, like “How long will it take?,” and “What’s it going to cost me?” But how certain are you that you’ve found the right problem?

A hospital was spending a boatload on transcription services. They rolled out new dictation software, upgraded computers, and bought expensive microphones. The training team provided self-paced and live instruction that covered how to use these great new tools. The medical staff office and marketing teams partnered to distribute flyers and the project timeline. The project management office was delighted everything was on track.

Plenty of physicians started using the new software. Some were really enthusiastic and were not shy about letting others know how easy it was. Documentation delays began to drop along with transcription expenses… everywhere except the Emergency Department.

Those stubborn ED docs. They just didn’t want to adopt the new tools. They probably thought the ED is different from other departments and that they couldn’t be bothered to switch. They probably thought their pace justified using phone dictation, and that they could get around to their notes whenever they wanted to. They were probably resistant to change.

Meetings were held, emails were sent, and the project team hotly debated what to do about the ED. Except nobody asked the ED docs. For two weeks.

When retraining was suggested, a trainer stopped by the ED and spoke to the docs on shift. Why were they so resistant? Well, the expensive microphones didn’t work, and exactly nobody in the ED has time to care about that. Why didn’t the microphones work? They weren’t plugged in. They had been dropped off and the cords draped behind the PCs, connected to nothing.

This is an extreme example. But when fielding solution proposals, training personnel often find that no one has spoken to end users or considered the myriad ways a workflow can break down. We need to start by asking questions and observing behavior. Consider these suggestions:

1. Speak to end users. If you think you’ve found a problem, you probably identified a list of suspects too. Talk to them! This doesn’t have to be a tense conversation. Just ask about their process, what they’re aware of, and what they think about the problem.
2. Consider workflow. A given step in any process has preceding and following actions. If there’s a breakdown, don’t just look at what’s broken. Look upstream of the break; not only the preceding step, but the steps that come before it as well.
3. Ask yourself what you want. Of course you want the problem to go away, but what’s really the goal? Is the goal seeing a specific behavior just for the sake of it, or can we tie the goal to specific, measurable outcomes?
4. Think of the options. If you decide to engage your training team, be prepared for questions. When they propose solutions, keep an open mind to all possible approaches. You might have your heart set on some printed material you can just pass out and call it a day, but maybe that’s an ineffective approach for your situation.
5. Understand training might not be the answer. Training teams can assess knowledge and develop interventions. They can evaluate workflows and spot roadblocks. But not every problem has a simple, trainable solution. Some issues result from entrenched behaviors emerging from organizational culture. While training can definitely target cultural issues, there’s a lot more at play than fixing any single problem.

Your training team would like nothing more than to solve all your problems. Help them help you by creating some distance and examining the issue from multiple perspectives.