After conducting 100’s of critical thinking workshops and facilitating the analysis of thousands of real organizational issues during those workshops, my opinion is that too many HR managers fail to communicate the significant benefits from solving the real current problems participants analyze in our workshops.  When the person who owns the problem with the authority to take needed actions is kept out of the loop any insights are lost with any financial and effectiveness gains.

Think of the potential of showing that your Training Budget actually saves money and is not a cost center!   This can be a common outcome of the work paraticipants do during the workshop itself if structured to track results is established.

Are you interested in showing that training can be a net profit retention center? And second,   “If not, what barriers do you see in the communicating to stake holders about this?”

How do we know that action is not being taken on high impact problems?  After all it could be that fantastic things are happening when the participants return to their work duties and report to their manager.  We are confident this is not happening spontaneously because when we return to conduct the next class for the same company, a reprise a past fully analyzed problems are repeated.  The new participants often identify the SAME problems from previous classes!  The new analysis confirms the old.

We have many workable solutions to address this problem, but first HR needs to see it as a wise thing to do for them and their organization.

Let’s not leave “money on the table” while training budgets are cut, layoffs implemented, research funds disappearing, and rapid change affects every industry.  We want an internal champion for this most worthwhile cause.  No matter who we contact with our value proposition at a prospective organization, we get directed to HR or HRD. What is needed is a results advocate.

“Thinking clearly” is a competitive advantage one that can show immediate results.  Let’s work together to leverage what participants are discovering, like clockwork, workshop after workshop!.  Training can have a very large, visible and powerful impact on eliminating some of the most troublesome issues your organization is facing.  But the insights must move out of the classroom into where work is done and results tracked.

Guarantee!  Our training will return every training dollar x10 or our training is free.  Now it is your turn to step up to the plate.  I am asking not to waste the discoveries individuals are making in our workshop!  Together we can do this.

ADDENDUM: Here’s a theory that helps make some sense of this phenomenon of no action!  At www.infed.org/thinkers/argyris.htm the article: Chris Argyris: Theories of Action, Double-Loop Learning and Organizational Learning (key aspects of his thinking) seems to apply directly.  Argyris also has a book: Overcoming Organizational Defenses.

In brief:  Most organizations, especially unexceptional and poor performing ones, are Model I learners.  These are characterized by defensiveness, self-fueling processes, and escalating error.  Feedback loops inhibit detection and correction of errors.  The model one learning organization itself can begin to function in ways that act against its long-term interests.

[As I understand, Model I is based upon single-loop learning where the governing Values (objectives) are used to limit action to safely protect self and others unilaterally against change, to control the environment and the task unilaterally.  This so the organization can carry on its present policies and procedures.  Learning that threatens any of this is kept in individual memory and not organizational memory.]

Double-Loop learning occurs when error is detected and corrected in ways that modify an organization’s underlying norms, policies and objectives (culture?).  Model II learning organizations use double-loop learning.

[It appears to me that the leaders of such organizations have Theories-In-Use updated to be compatible with the evolving current reality as revealed by the experience of people solving problem, defining root causes, taking corrective actions and observing consequences.  Organizational memory is complete and accurate as reflected in the organization’s policies and procedures.]

To your future success!