This is a wonderful, straightforward example of training and development in action. It’s a great execution of a simple employee training plan.
I had an opportunity to work with a new client and get their team members signed up for KLS, our KnowledgeWave Learning Site.
This was a smallish team, with just over 20 employees, and I was incredibly encouraged by the way they were incorporating online learning tools into their training and development strategy.
They asked each employee to do a simple self-assessment of their Microsoft Office skills. It was simple, yet sufficient for their purposes.
Using a checklist of various features and tasks in Outlook, Excel, and Word, each person figured out which features they have already mastered, and in which areas they have room for growth. This checklist was not for sharing nor for compensation; it was just to support one’s own growth, so there was little incentive to fudge the self-assessment.
Next, each person communicated with her manager or someone on the leadership team to identify which skills are most needed for her job responsibilities. This provided each employee with a personalized training plan, while KLS provides the learning opportunities to gain the skills.
The expectation is that employees will check in with their manager every few months to make sure they are on track in terms of their learning goals.
Wow. For just a few thousand dollars, they are going to get everybody on their team to step up a couple of notches in software productivity.
And as Liz Sheffield writes in a recent article for a magazine, “Development plans create momentum.”
Based on all the research showing the linkages between investing in employees and organizational success, I am confident that they will see this training and development effort supporting their organizational goals in a big way. I hope to be able to report back to you in 6 to 12 months on how well it’s going!