In recent years, many terms such as “Training and Combat Instructor,” “Combat Training Instructor,” and “Supervision Instructor” have emerged. Their essence is supervision, which involves intervening in employees’ behaviors through certain methods, providing assistance and support to ensure the effective completion of tasks.
Supervision scenarios are quite common in insurance companies. The external partners of insurance companies do not have a base salary, and facing setbacks while seeking clients is a regular occurrence. Under such conditions, to maintain continuous motivation, constant encouragement is needed, along with a combination of reassurance and coaching.
I remember that over a decade ago, a certain insurance company established the position of coaching specialist, whose role was to continuously encourage external partners and provide support and assistance. For example, accompanying visits, supporting rural product presentations, hosting various meetings, and so on.
Nowadays, various industries are emphasizing the role of supervision because whether after training or during the execution of a project, to ensure the effectiveness of implementation and the achievement of final goals, it cannot be a loosely organized free occurrence, but should be a meticulously planned execution.
Embedded supervision needs to be fully integrated throughout this process. Sometimes, it requires sufficient communication and interaction to help individuals identify problems and find solutions. At other times, it is necessary to follow up on plans to ensure that individuals remain on the right track and do not deviate. Sometimes, tools and methods are needed to help individuals think more deeply about problems and identify paths to achieve their goals.
Thus, the core of embedded supervision is supervision, motivation, and coaching. It involves monitoring whether actions are being carried out according to plan, providing continuous care throughout the process, and even offering appropriate rewards for motivation. If problems arise, assistance must be provided, which can be quite broad, such as offering methods and tools, providing guidance based on personal experience, or seeking resources if one encounters something they cannot handle.
From a training perspective, it is essential to focus on the “70-20-10 rule,” particularly the 70%, as this is the core and key to achieving effective training implementation.
A laboratory in Maine, USA, once conducted an experiment called the learning pyramid, which examined how much learning content learners could retain two weeks after learning. The experiment indicated that if learners only listened to lectures, the retention rate was merely 5%. This aligns with Ebbinghaus’s forgetting curve, indicating that merely learning is insufficient to ensure practical application.
The role and significance of embedded supervision lie in the ability to follow up immediately after learning. By utilizing discussions, practice, or sharing, individuals can achieve deeper memory retention. Additionally, employing various tools and methods allows individuals to apply what they have learned in real work environments to improve effectiveness and efficiency.
I recall once partnering with Teacher Yang to teach a situational golf course at a bank. Teacher Yang conducted two days of lectures, which corresponded to the 70-20-10 rule’s “10%.” Subsequently, I went to several branches of the bank to follow up and coach the branch managers in applying the tools and methodologies learned in class. Within a week, several branch managers reported that the methods and tools from the class were very effective.
However, they also mentioned a problem: if it weren’t for my assistance in reviewing and guiding them through the process, they might not have used those methods and tools, as many details were hard to remember. In this process, I played the role of a supervisor, immersing myself in their work environments, thereby practicing the “70-20-10” dimension. Through this approach, learners can better grasp the learning content, and importantly, apply it in their actual work.
The role of embedded supervision is to help individuals transform knowledge into capability, truly achieving integration. This allows the entire process to be visually controlled, and ultimately, during reviews and summaries, it is clear to see the growth process of the supervised individuals.