Organizations rarely fail because of what leaders know – they fail because of what they don't know. Things like inconsistent standards, avoidance of difficult conversations, and an unspoken reluctance to adopt new behaviors can quietly erode results.
These hidden hazards hide in the gaps and are often missed by traditional employee surveys.
Forward-thinking L&D professionals are solving this through training solutions that transform required training sessions into organizational X-rays that reveal the hazards leadership can't see, including:
- Disconnected Feedback Loop – Leaders say, "My door is always open," but employees don't believe it. Employees are jaded because they've given feedback in the past and nothing changed. Result: Managers fail to get critical input from their team members, who are typically the ones closest to the work or customer.
- Conflict Avoidance – Things seem good on the surface, but there is underground tension. Difficult conversations are procrastinated or avoided. Result: At best, the same problems keep recurring. Worst case, unresolved issues escalate and cause significant cost or legal liability.
- Inconsistent Standards – Standards seem to apply to some people but not others, leaving employees with a "why bother" approach to important initiatives such as harassment prevention. Result: A perception that the organization favors some over others decreases employee engagement and increases the risk of liability.
- Communication Gaps – Organizational communication fails to reach everyone. Silos form inside the organization. Result: When not communicated effectively, organizational goals, values and expectations are missed or misunderstood. Important initiatives are thwarted by a lack of shared understanding.
Identifying Hidden Hazards
So how do you uncover these hazards before they become problems?
Through the training you're already required to deliver.
By embedding behavioral questions into compliance training, cutting-edge solutions like those from Atana reveal the gap between what employees know and what they'll actually do. Asked within realistic scenarios, these questions don't just assess learning—they expose the cultural barriers, unspoken concerns, and organizational blind spots that prevent behavior change from taking root.
The data gathered reveals critical insights into things like:
- How safe people feel sharing concerns or ideas
- Managers' confidence in having difficult conversations
- Employees' willingness to speak up against inappropriate conduct
- Whether employees feel valued by the organization
Atana's behavior-based approach turns required training into strategic intelligence. You'll spot the gaps between what leaders think is happening and reality, deliver training that yields KPI-moving insights, and become the L&D hero who reveals hidden barriers to success.
