Shifting Focus from Learning to Performance

Using Gilbert's Behaviour Engineering Model

We’ve all been there. You spend countless hours and resources creating the perfect training programme, only to find out that it didn’t really move the needle on performance. It’s a bit like baking a cake and realising you forgot the sugar—something essential is missing.

That’s where the Behaviour Engineering Model (BEM) comes in. I first came across this in Thomas F. Gilbert’s fantastic book, Human Competence; I can’t recommend this book enough.

BEM helps us shift our focus from learning to performance. Instead of just making sure people know stuff, we ensure they can actually do stuff. Let’s dive into what BEM is all about and how it can make a real difference.

What is the Behaviour Engineering Model?

BEM breaks down performance into six key factors. These are split into two categories: environmental supports and individual attributes or behavioural repertory. By looking at these factors, we can figure out what’s holding performance back and how to fix it.

The Six Key Factors

Information: Do employees know what’s expected of them? Are they getting the feedback they need? Clear expectations and timely feedback are like a GPS for performance—without them, people are just wandering around lost.

Resources: Do they have the right tools and materials? Imagine trying to cook a gourmet meal with a rusty knife and no oven. Even the best chefs (or employees) need the right resources to do their job well.

Incentives: Are there rewards for good performance? People are a bit like cats—they need the right motivation to perform tricks. Make sure your incentives encourage the behaviours you want to see.

Knowledge: Do they have the know-how? Training should fill in specific knowledge gaps that impact performance. Avoid the “training for training’s sake” trap—focus on what they need to know to perform better.

Capacity: Can they physically and mentally do the job? Overloading people or not considering their capabilities is a surefire way to burn them out. Make sure the workload and job demands are realistic.

Motives: Do they want to do a good job? Aligning personal and company goals can turn reluctant workers into motivated performers. People need a reason to care.

An example of a BEM troubleshooting worksheet. Content adapted from the original shown on pg. 93 of Human Competence by Thomas F. Gilbert.

Using the Behaviour Engineering Model

Everyone loves a nice grid but, as reassuring as it is with its straight lines, bold headings, and easy one-glance readability, but it is important to consider how this helps us.

Diagnosing Performance Issues

The first step in applying BEM is diagnosing performance issues accurately. This involves a thorough assessment of the current performance landscape. Start by gathering data on how employees are performing against expectations. This can include performance reviews, manager feedback, and quantitative metrics such as sales figures, error rates, or customer satisfaction scores.

Once you have this data, map out the current behaviours and results within the BEM framework.

Are employees doing the right things but not achieving the desired outcomes? Or are they getting results but not through the prescribed methods?

This helps you identify where the real issues lie. Whether it’s in the information they’re receiving, the resources they have, or their individual capacities and motives.

Aligning Learning Objectives with Business Goals

Learning should be a means to an end, improved performance, not the end itself. Start by identifying the key business goals your training needs to support. This could be improving customer satisfaction, increasing sales, reducing error rates, or any other measurable outcome.

Then, align your learning objectives with these goals. For example, if the business goal is to improve customer satisfaction, your training should focus on behaviours that drive excellent customer service, such as effective communication, problem-solving, and empathy.

Ensure that every learning activity is designed to close specific performance gaps identified in the diagnosis phase.

Designing Performance Support Tools

Training alone is rarely sufficient. Employees often need ongoing support to apply what they’ve learned effectively. This is where performance support tools come into play. These can be anything from job aids and checklists to real-time feedback systems and mobile apps that provide guidance on the go.

For instance, if employees are struggling to use a new software system effectively, a step-by-step guide or an interactive tutorial could help them navigate the system more efficiently. Similarly, if customer service representatives need to improve their communication skills, a feedback tool that provides real-time tips during customer interactions can be invaluable.

Evaluating and Measuring Performance

To truly shift the focus from learning to performance, we need to evaluate and measure the impact of your interventions on actual performance outcomes. This means moving beyond vanity metrics like course completion rates and learner satisfaction scores.

Look at performance metrics that align with your business goals. Are employees applying what they’ve learned to achieve the desired outcomes? Are there measurable improvements in customer satisfaction, sales figures, or error rates? Use the BEM to track these metrics and continuously refine your training programmes and support tools to ensure they are driving real performance improvements.

It’s worth remembering that this doesn’t mean ignoring vanity metrics altogether. Many performance metrics can take significant periods of time to show meaningful change. Vanity metrics, whilst not showing us the end result, can be used to judge the immediate impact of our interventions. If nothing else, they can quickly alert us to any unintended detrimental impacts, allowing for a course correction before serious damage is done.

Implementing the BEM: A Step-by-Step Guide

The Behaviour Engineering Model is an interesting approach, proven many times over to be effective. However, you’ll only see its benefits when you lift it from the page and put it into action.

These are my tips for doing just that.

Step 1: Identify Key Performance Areas

Start by identifying the critical areas where performance improvement is needed. This could be specific tasks, roles, or processes within your organisation. Look for areas where there are clear performance gaps or where improving performance could have a significant impact on business outcomes.

Step 2: Gather Data

Collect information on current behaviours and results. Use a combination of quantitative metrics (such as sales figures, error rates, and customer satisfaction scores) and qualitative data (such as performance reviews and manager feedback). This will give you a comprehensive view of the current performance landscape.

There have been some exciting new technological developments here in the gen AI space. Tools such as Pecan AI and even good old Chat GPT can make organising, visualising, and analysing data quicker and easier than ever before.

Step 3: Map Behaviours and Results

Using the data you’ve gathered, map out the current behaviours and results within the BEM framework. Identify patterns and areas of concern. Are employees performing the right behaviours but not achieving the desired results? Or are they achieving results through undesired behaviours? This mapping process helps you pinpoint where the real issues lie.

Perhaps you can see how you can incorporate the BEM into your existing assessment and analysis processes… just saying.

Step 4: Analyse and Diagnose

Analyse the mapped data to diagnose the root causes of performance issues. Are there external factors affecting results? Are there knowledge or skill gaps leading to undesired behaviours? Use the six factors of BEM, information, resources, incentives, knowledge, capacity, and motives, to guide your analysis and identify the specific barriers to performance.

Step 5: Develop Interventions

Based on your diagnosis, develop targeted interventions to address the identified performance barriers. This might involve revising training programmes to close specific knowledge gaps, implementing new performance support tools to provide ongoing guidance, or addressing external factors such as resource availability or incentive structures.

I can’t help but wonder how many hours, weeks, or years of pointless training could have been avoided by fixing a resourcing or equipment issue. For a function that never seems to have enough time or resources, this is a pretty serious problem.

Step 6: Monitor and Adjust

Continuously monitor performance and make adjustments as needed. Use the BEM as an ongoing tool to track the impact of your interventions and refine them based on feedback and performance data. This iterative process ensures that your interventions are continuously aligned with your performance goals and driving real improvements.

Go Read a Book!

If you’re interested in getting a deeper understanding of performance improvement, pick up a copy of Thomas F. Gilbert’s "Human Competence." It’s packed with insights and practical advice on evaluating and enhancing performance.

Note: The above is an affiliate link to bookshop.org, which supports a range of independent booksellers.