For most of the learning industry, Kirkpatrick’s four levels are synonymous with measurement and evaluation of training initiatives. Assessment of Reaction, Learning, Behavior and Results arrived on the scene in 1959 and has provided a solid foundation for understanding learner reaction, learning transfer and behavior change.
More than 50 years later, the science of measurement has made exceptional strides, including advances in statistical modeling and computing power that can handle complex mathematical calculations. By continuing to use Kirkpatrick’s methodology as the standard, the learning industry is missing the full advantage of this progress. The four levels gather historical data that is based largely on estimates and does not provide scientific intelligence for improving the initiative’s impact.
Kirkpatrick certainly deserves praise for blazing the path to evaluation of investments in training. Today, the field has evolved beyond this approach to incorporate scientific methodology and predictive analytics. The new dawn of human capital analytics uses information from throughout the organization and capitalizes on the power of advanced statistical modeling to isolate impact and improve future performance.
Kirkpatrick teaches that “learning professionals must link learning initiatives to business goals and prove their value in [the] new workplace.” Assessing the value of training by simply asking learners if they are using the new knowledge on the job is insufficient for executives outside the learning department. Kirkpatrick’s level four, which goes beyond surveys to obtain business results, begins to address the question of business impact. However, executives, particularly those in finance, will be inclined to attribute changes in business metrics to myriad other factors outside of the learning program. For example, if sales are up, credit may also be due to a great new advertising campaign, an innovative product line and attractive financing options.
For learning professionals to show the value of their work to the C-suite, they must speak executives’ language. Current work in human capital analytics can isolate the impact of a training intervention, but impact is an historical measure. The true value of analytics is in its ability to show precisely where—and with whom—an intervention had impact. This knowledge allows learning teams to make decisions about how to deploy a program for greater impact going forward.
For example, say your team deployed a sales training program to your retail salespeople across the U.S. By merely looking at sales numbers for reps who completed the training, you can see whether there was an increase in sales following the intervention, but you can’t determine whether training can actually take credit. However, if you identify control and test groups with similar environmental conditions, you can begin to see training’s true impact. Further, if you segment these findings by demographic groups, you determine a more precise reading of the impact.
To continue the sales example, say you learned that reps in small rural outlets showed a greater increase in sales than their counterparts in your urban markets. Now you have intelligence to improve the program—clearly you want to use the existing program for the rural outlets and probe deeper to determine why urban outlets don’t benefit. You could never gain such valuable information about your learners through surveys and general monitoring of sales numbers.
This example is only the tip of the proverbial iceberg of information you can gain by applying human capital analytics, and sales training is one of many types of human capital investments that can be scientifically evaluated. Pulling data from sources beyond the LMS—including operations, marketing, finance and HR—can also uncover unintended benefits of a training program. For example, you may learn that your new hire sales reps show a decrease in turnover compared to their untrained counterparts. Now you begin to understand how to use training to target other business pain points. Since you’ve already proven the impact, your future investments will be designed and deployed for a known outcome.
The field of human capital analytics would not be where it is today without the influence of Kirkpatrick’s four levels. Like all good scientific advances, progress in the field (and related technologies) has opened up a new opportunity to understand investments in people. Further, the time is ripe. There’s no denying that the past 50 years have brought enormous change to the workplace. The next twenty years promise even more—and faster—change. Corporate assets have shifted to the point that the intangibles, including employee skills and knowledge, comprise the majority share of a company’s market value today. Executive leaders are looking to their training departments to produce measurable value and contribute to strategic goals. Learning professionals have a tremendous opportunity to be vital contributors to business success, and human capital analytics can help pave the way.