Learning Readiness Survey

Organizational Learning Readiness Survey

This checklist will provide insights into your organization’s readiness to engage in effective workplace training. It is NOT a scientifically designed instrument, but is based on the collective experiences of several professional trainers and OSHE professionals. It could serve as a useful indicator and suggest options for improvement.

Answer each question according to your initial impressions. Rate each question according to the table provided and review the results according to the suggestions in the legend. If you want a more detailed evaluation, have individuals at several different levels in your organizational hierarchy complete the checklist and compare the results between levels. A healthy learning organization should demonstrate strong agreement between higher and lower levels throughout the survey. Where gaps exist between levels, important opportunities for improving learning readiness and organizational communications may be evident.

Select the best answer for each statement. When complete, add the points for each response given. Refer to the legend at the conclusion of the checklist.

Note: A printer friendly version of this survey has been made available for you at the bottom of this page.

1. Our training programs always start with a clear statement of what the learners are expected to learn, where it fits into their job and why that fit benefits them personally.

2. No training is allowed in our organization that does not consistently compliment our established philosophical beliefs about training.

3. A primary curriculum task in our organization is the verification that learning goals for a training program agree with the expectations on the shop floor.

4. If a gap is detected between the learning goals in a training program and what the organizational culture is receptive to, the training program will not be implemented until that gap is resolved.

5. No training takes place in our organization that is not clearly and directly linked to known organizational goals.

6. All organizational training is designed on the principle that insists on helping learners master the skills/knowledge, rather than putting too much content into a fixed training schedule.

7. Training effectiveness in our organization is measured primarily by the amount of learning that transfers to the job.

8. Any return-on-investment evaluations of training in our organization include some consideration of the socio-technical factors that good or not-good training have on overall training effectiveness.

9. An important part of our training evaluation process is the evaluation of whether the actual needs of the learners were met in the training program.

10. Whether or not management credibility in enhanced is a major component of our formal training evaluation process.

11. Generally speaking, organizational managers see 'training' as a means of communicating their commitment to organizational goals and values.

12. Our instructional delivery policies require that learners have opportunity to use new learning immediately following the training session.

13. Training in our organization is always designed to ensure that the instructional environment closely resembles the actual working environment.

14. A fundamental component of all instruction delivered in our organization is a requirement for learners to receive frequent and non-threatening feedback on their learning performance throughout the instructional session.

15. Instructors in our organization are expected to provide positive feedback on learning performance throughout their training activities.

16. Prior to implementing a training program, steps are taken to verify that the learning goals in the program are consistent with the actual learning level of the target learning group - that is, not too high, nor too low.

17. Instructors here recognize that their training skills are a reflection of the organizational values, and are highly skilled in providing instruction that accurately reflects actual job/task requirements.

18. Instructors in our organization are not only technically expert, all are required to have professional development training in adult educational principles and processes as well.

19. Our organization would agree with a training definition that says the ultimate purpose of training is to 'equip learners with skills and knowledge that enables them to be fully contributing partners with the goals of the organization.'

20. Our training effectiveness metrics do not rely heavily on training days or training contact hours.

Total Points	Summary & Recommendations
>100 points	This is likely an adaptive, learning organization, able to accommodate a rapidly changing economic and cultural milieu and move quickly to new market opportunities and threats.
75-99 points	This organization is doing reasonably well, but most likely has some work to do on one or both of curriculum or evaluation cycles.
60-74 points	Average, but not a particularly adaptive organization. Unless the culture changes, this organization will be less and less able to deal with economic and social changes that are impacting every organization today and for the foreseeable future.
<60 points	Traditional organizational culture not suited for 21^st century business and cultural environment. Crisis management is – or will likely become – the norm, because of the gap between organizational values and the emerging socio-cultural values of the emerging workforce.