[Research Report] The Reason for Lack of Results Despite Training and 1-on-1s Was Not "Lack of Effort on the Front Lines"

Cognitee Inc. (Headquarters: Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo; Representative Director: Rie Kono; hereinafter "Cognitee"), which possesses technology to quantify qualitative information, has released a research report titled "Performance Did Not Change With Just 'Education for the Front Lines'" using its proprietary patented technology in the field of knowledge representation as AI.

Many companies conduct daily on-site training by managers, including training, role-playing, 1-on-1s, and feedback. However, challenges persist on the front lines, such as "Subordinates' behavior doesn't change despite instruction," "Training doesn't lead to results," and "Quality of training varies by manager." Is the cause truly a lack of effort on the front lines?

This report analyzes the relationship between role-playing, manager feedback, changes after training, and performance, based on insights gained from sales and training analysis projects at multiple pharmaceutical companies. The results revealed that behind performance differences, there is a possibility of misalignment in what managers consider the "correct answer," as well as organizational evaluation criteria and training content, not just a lack of individual skills.

Was the instruction that should have been effective actually worsening results? Research Report Released

Research Report Here: https://cognitee.com/cog-review_story01

The Front Lines Worked Diligently, Yet Still Did Not Achieve Results

The cases covered in this report are not examples where the front lines did not engage in training. Rather, sales representatives themselves engaged in role-playing and training, and managers focused on feedback. Nevertheless, behavior that leads to results did not become established.

Generally, in such cases, it is often judged that "the individual's skills are insufficient" or "the manager's coaching ability is insufficient." However, the analysis results from this study revealed a deeper structure. The issue was not whether instruction was given, but rather what was considered good behavior, which points were addressed, and to what depth the instruction was provided. While the details are introduced in the main body of the report, the analysis revealed a "misalignment of evaluation criteria" that cannot be explained by mere volume of instruction or number of training sessions.

Segmenting the Root Causes of Performance Differences Through Cross-Scenario Composite Analysis

This analysis did not evaluate a single conversation or the results of one training session. By overlapping the relationship between individuals, managers, post-training changes, and performance, which cannot be seen from a single conversation evaluation, the factors behind performance differences were segmented.

As a result, issues that initially appeared to be "challenges with the sales representative themselves" were found to be potentially related to the manager's coaching content or the misalignment of evaluation criteria shared within the organization.

The detailed analysis results and how the root causes were segmented are introduced in the main body of the report.

Organizational Analysis with Reproducibility Difficult with Generative AI Summaries and Single-Point Evaluations

In recent years, initiatives to summarize conversations and create feedback using generative AI have been expanding. However, organizational improvement requires more than just commenting that "this conversation was good" or "this instruction was good." It is necessary to compare across multiple individuals, multiple locations, multiple scenarios, and multiple time points using the same evaluation criteria and examine the relationship with performance differences and improvement differences.

General generative AI summaries and single-point evaluations can lead to unstable evaluation criteria, making it difficult to ensure reproducibility in comparative analysis. Cognitee uses its proprietary patented technology, CogStructure, to structure and quantify qualitative information such as meetings, negotiations, 1-on-1s, role-playing, feedback, and reports based on pre-designed evaluation criteria. This makes it possible to grasp organizational misalignments that are difficult to perceive intuitively in a comparable format.

About Patented Technology CogStructure and Differences from Generative AI

Are the Data Collected Through DX Being Truly Utilized?

Many companies have accumulated various internal data, such as SFA, CRM, performance evaluations, training management, and 1-on-1 records, through DX initiatives and system implementations. However, accumulating data is not the same as being able to utilize it. Even if activity volume is visible on SFA, it's not possible to see what is being discussed in negotiations or coaching sessions. Even if training history exists, it's not clear whether subsequent manager feedback is leading to results. If the evaluation criteria themselves are misaligned with performance factors, improvement measures will also be misaligned, even if performance evaluations are accumulated.

This report presents an approach to "interpret" internal data and link it to performance improvement by combining quantitative data accumulated within companies with behavioral data actually exchanged on the front lines.

Data exists.

However, what that data means is not yet clear. By structuring and quantifying front-line behavior, Cognitee deciphers the meaning of internal company data and clarifies the points that organizations truly need to improve.

Content Introduced in the Report

This report introduces blind spots in front-line education observed in sales and training analysis projects at pharmaceutical companies. Specifically, it organizes the relationship between sales pitches highly evaluated within the company and actual performance, the relationship between manager coaching content and performance differences, and the reasons why performance did not fully improve despite improvements seen after training, based on analysis results.

The main body of the report offers insights into questions such as why performance does not improve despite conducting training and role-playing, why subordinate behavior does not change despite manager coaching, and whether evaluation criteria considered "good" within the company truly align with performance factors. It also organizes thinking for linking internal company data accumulated through DX to front-line improvements.

Research Report

[Research Report Overview]

Report Title

"Education for the Front Lines" Alone Did Not Change Performance

Main Themes

Manager Coaching Content, Misalignment of Evaluation Criteria, Root Cause Analysis of Performance Differences

Analysis Method

Cross-scenario composite analysis combining internal data and real behavioral data

(COG-SUITE utilizing patented technology CogStructure)

Report URL

https://cognitee.com/cog-review_story01

*This report is based on insights gained from projects at multiple pharmaceutical companies, and common trends have been organized. Due to confidentiality obligations, company names, specific conditions, and some implementation scales have been processed to prevent identification.

About "COG-SUITE" Used for Analysis

COG-SUITE is a service that analyzes qualitative information from audio and documents already existing within an organization, such as meetings, negotiations, and 1-on-1s, using proprietary patented technology to visualize factors influencing organizational performance.

It structures and quantifies "good sales," "good coaching," "good meetings," and "good 1-on-1s," which have traditionally been judged based on intuition and experience, at the content level. It clarifies whether the factors causing performance differences lie in front-line skills, manager coaching, environmental conditions, or evaluation criteria.

Analysis targets can be handled with existing data. This includes regular meetings, negotiation talks, appointment calls, presentations, 1-on-1s, role-playing, team chats, entry sheets for new hires, promotion essays, emails, reports, daily/monthly reports, and other audio and documents within the company. The report also introduces the flow of uploading such existing data, analyzing it with proprietary patented technology, and then linking it to the extraction of improvement measures and continuous monitoring.

COG-SUITECOG-SUITE Features

Cognitee Inc.

Company Name: Cognitee Inc. Purpose: To create a society free from cognitive biases through the power of technology. Business Description: Organizational analysis services using technology to quantify qualitative information. Headquarters: 1-1-2-208 Nishi-Oimachi, Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo 140-0015 Establishment: March 28, 2013 Web: https://cognitee.com/ Capital: 600 million yen (including reserves) Employees: 71 (including remote workers) Representative: Rie Kono, Representative Director Awards and Other: EY Innovative Startup, Enterprise Division Award (2019) 11th HR Award, Human Resource Development Division Grand Prize (2022) 22nd Japan Telework Association Telework Promotion Award, Excellence Award (2022) 3rd TOKYO Telework Award, Promotion Award (2023) Councilor, General Incorporated Association for the Promotion of Generative AI Utilization (2023-)