Towards Maturity has just launched a new benchmark study looking at compliance training, particularly the ways in which learning technologies are used to support this. It should take about 15 minutes to complete and will be open until 8th May. Everyone who participates will get a free copy of the report when it is launched in July. If you're in any way involved in compliance training, I'd urge you to take part.
Which has got me thinking again about the whole nature of compliance training and what an ugly word 'compliance' is. Here's how Dictionary.com defined it:
With all these inferences, it is hardly surprising that compliance training is generally hated. Unfortunately it is the bread and butter activity for most corporate l&d departments and most e-learning companies too (it's not surprising that trainers, who hate delivering compliance training are only too happy to offload this work to e-learning, which has resulted in many people hating e-learning too!).
If we were cynical about compliance training, we would say that the goal is not learning at all, it is simply the ticking of boxes to satisfy some senior management dictat or the requirements of insurers. If this is true for your organisation and you can't see yourself changing it, I would run as fast as possible when anyone mentions the possibility of a new course.
But when you look at the subjects of most compliance courses, then they do seem to be quite important:
Which has got me thinking again about the whole nature of compliance training and what an ugly word 'compliance' is. Here's how Dictionary.com defined it:
- the act of conforming, acquiescing, or yielding
- a tendency to yield readily to others, especially in a weak and subservient way
- conformity; accordance: in compliance with orders
- cooperation or obedience
With all these inferences, it is hardly surprising that compliance training is generally hated. Unfortunately it is the bread and butter activity for most corporate l&d departments and most e-learning companies too (it's not surprising that trainers, who hate delivering compliance training are only too happy to offload this work to e-learning, which has resulted in many people hating e-learning too!).
If we were cynical about compliance training, we would say that the goal is not learning at all, it is simply the ticking of boxes to satisfy some senior management dictat or the requirements of insurers. If this is true for your organisation and you can't see yourself changing it, I would run as fast as possible when anyone mentions the possibility of a new course.
But when you look at the subjects of most compliance courses, then they do seem to be quite important:
- Stopping money laundering
- Avoiding mis-selling
- Promoting health
- Reducing accidents
- Promoting inclusion and equal opportunities
- Keeping confidential data safe
If I was running a large organisation, then there is no way I would regard box-ticking as an adequate response to any of these issues. And I wouldn't want blind compliance either - that's no way in which to run a modern business. I'd want my employees to care about these issues and behave accordingly. And that requires a very different approach to training that you normally find with compliance training.
So, first step is to change our terminology. We want employees to care, not comply. And that's a whole different ball game.
