Many of the ideas of management grew out of the latter stages of the industrial revolution, where there were careful measurements and a specification of results. Tasks were standardised, and managers saw their job as correcting people who didn’t follow the rules and procedures.
Our legacy today of this old management style is a legion of managers who think their job is to catch people doing something wrong. Instead, catch people doing something right, and make sure they know they are doing it right and therefore delivering quality.
The way an organisation approaches the issue of quality will impact whether learners develop a commitment to excellence, which in turn requires them to use what they have learned in training courses.
People develop a pride in their knowledge and skill set, and their ability to deliver quality, when quality is lauded i.e., when people catch them doing something right.
People with this mindset in a quality-focused environment will relish the opportunity to learn new skills and apply them.
What is the quality focus of your organisation and how can it help or hinder you when supporting and encouraging learning and subsequent learning transfer?
Do your managers seek to catch people doing something wrong, or catch them doing something right?
My best wishes, Paul
