Enhancing Training Design With System Thinking
In the Instructional System Design (ISD) landscape, there are great benefits in adopting a systems thinking approach when crafting robust training programs. Chances are, you are already partially incorporating elements of this approach into your design process. This article intends to present compelling evidence for the value of systems thinking.
The Rationale For Incorporating Systems Thinking
The rationale behind incorporating systems thinking in Instructional Design lies in the fact that business organizations are intricate and dynamic social systems engineered to achieve specific objectives. In addition, the ADDIE (analysis, design, development, implementation, and evaluation) framework places significant emphasis on analysis in training development. Let’s dive more into systems thinking.
Two pivotal concepts within systems thinking are analysis and synthesis. These concepts are not mutually exclusive and can occur simultaneously without affecting each other's outcomes. Analysis involves breaking apart a subject into its fundamental components to understand its functions and attributes. Let’s apply this to the following business scenario.
Business Scenario: Analysis
In a midsize organization, the business unit requests training for all sales channels to adopt Oracle CX Sales as the new CRM. IT develops a custom-made CX Sales version to cover all organizational needs. The focus of the training is improving the agents’ sales performance. The organization operates in B2B and B2C business models, and they are classified as telemarketer, retail, and field agents. This important initiative forecasts a 10% increase in revenue by the end of the next year.
You can extract various elements from this case. They are learners, customers, SMEs, B2B sales teams, B2C sales teams, 10% increase in sales, and more. For instance, analyze the B2C agents. In the B2C training, there are three channels to consider: field, retail, and telemarketing agents. The retail and field agents need to become proficient in the Oracle CX Sales CRM. In contrast, telemarketing agents not only need to be proficient in the CX Sales CRM but also in the Oracle teleservice platform system.
Business Scenario: Synthesis
On the other hand, the synthesis process helps ISDs identify interrelationships between these elements. To illustrate, consider again the same business scenario, where, in a midsize organization, the business unit requests training for all sales channels to adopt Oracle CX Sales as the new CRM. IT develops a custom-made CX Sales version, and the focus of the training is improving the agents’ sales performance. The organization operates in B2B and B2C business models, and the employees are classified as telemarketer, retail, and field agents. The forecast is for a 10% increase in revenue by the end of the next year.
Let's partially apply the synthesis process here, so that its valuable benefits become clearer. The interrelationship between departments is often referred to as "cross-functional collaboration." The first step is setting up an appointment with the B2C sales management team. After a meeting with the team, it becomes evident that hiring 1,000 additional agents is necessary to achieve the organization's objectives. It indicates a potential need for additional training, specifically onboarding training. This example helps you see the potential that this approach offers in improving the detection of a project’s vital needs when performing a comprehensive analysis phase in your training. In contrast, failing to perform this comprehensive analysis could bring several negative consequences to the project and the team members, including disrupting workflow, increasing cost, decreasing motivation, lacking integration, etc.
Conclusion: Applying Systems Thinking In Instructional Design
In conclusion, it's clear that applying systems thinking offers great benefits. Among these, you can find:
- Focus on relevance
ISDs can concentrate on what's essential, ensuring that learning materials include only pertinent information. - Efficient resource allocation
ISDs can design strategies that allocate time and resources effectively, aligning them with learning objectives and the organization’s desired outcomes. - Alignment with organizational goals
ISDs can ensure that instructional materials are directly related to module/unit learning objectives, training objectives, and, ultimately, the organization's desired outcome. - Conflict resolution
Establish strategies to resolve possible communication or workflow disruptions caused by a disagreement. - Performance metrics
These allow for a clear understanding of the stakeholders' desired performance outcome, therefore creating realistic learning objectives and performance standards from which success can be measured. - Facilitate collaboration
Because other departments’ goals are incorporated, it validates how relevant they are for the success of the particular project. There's a natural motivation for them to actively participate in the effort of creating this training.
President Theodore Roosevelt captured it perfectly when he said, "No one cares how much you know until they know how much you care."
