Let’s assume you have done an effective job of defining which skills are needed on the job to succeed, you have identified the critical few skill gaps for each team member, and you have a targeted program in place to teach those skills to your target audience. So far, so good.
But all this effort will be for naught unless you also have
a solid plan for ensuring the transfer of training from the classroom to the
workplace. You need to care about adoption.
Make sure that:
- the employees, their bosses and the leadership team fully understand the benefit of the skills for them both personally and professionally…how the new skills will improve their performance on the job and contribute to the overall goals of the business.
- there are people and processes in place to support adoption. You need coaches, rewards, consequences and supporting systems, practices, tools and structures that align with what you are trying to accomplish.
- you and other managers are fully prepared to lead by example with the behaviors you seek in your employees.
