Things We Can't Out-Train Part 2: Misaligned Rewards

When what gets rewarded gets repeated, training alone won't help.

This article is part 2 of a series focused on problems that cannot be solved by training alone. Follow along to gather a toolkit that will help you determine where to say no to training requests that won't solve the problem and maximize your impact by saying yes to those that will.

There are issues in organizations where even the most awesome, perfectly designed training solution simply won't solve the problem. That doesn't stop stakeholders from asking, however. They generally haven't taken the time to do a full analysis of the reason behind the issue, they are stressed, they need a quick solution, and they believe training will help.

But if we provide a training solution that doesn't solve the problem, we essentially waste everyone's time and resources. For example, as described in part 1 of this article series, training alone cannot fix inefficient processes.

What gets rewarded gets repeated

Training also can't fix misaligned reward systems. In a simple description of classic human behavior, what gets rewarded gets repeated. If we know what to do to achieve a reward, we do the work to get it.

Reward systems can be used to motivate team members to perform or prioritize certain tasks. However, rewards that are misaligned can quickly do the opposite if a reward is administered for the wrong behavior/task or for performing a task in an undesirable way. Training cannot fix a misaligned reward system.

A tale of two tasks

I once worked with an operational team that performed two types of primary tasks. To boil it down, there were simple tasks and there were complex tasks.

The leaders of this team came to me to request training because the complex tasks weren't getting completed. They were just sitting in the queue and causing the team to miss turnaround time expectations and service level agreements. The leaders assumed the team members didn't know how to complete the complex tasks, so they came to the learning team to ask for help in creating training.

As we dug in to ask more questions and do a bit of analysis, it didn't take long to discover that the team definitely knew how to do the complex tasks. The problem wasn't a lack of knowledge or skill.

The problem was the reward system. These hourly employees received bonuses based on the number of tasks they accurately completed in a day. The complex tasks took longer to complete and there was a greater chance of error.

Team members didn't take on the complex tasks because they couldn't complete as many in a day, and they had a higher chance of making a mistake than when working on the simple tasks.

By taking on the complex tasks, the team members literally made less money.

The leaders worked with the compensation specialists to revamp the bonus structure. Once the rewards were aligned, the problem of complex tasks sitting in queue disappeared. No training needed!

Even if we had created the most awesome, engaging, interactive, hands-on training for the complex tasks, it wouldn't have solved the problem. The most fantastic and fabulous training solution couldn't change the bonus structure.