“Learning & Development” is more than a buzz phrase. It’s become an integral part of strategic business planning. It not only creates an energized, engaged workforce, it mitigates risk, increases productivity and improves overall performance. What does this mean for a results-driven organization? A much happier bottom line.
Organizations are no longer asking “Should we employ a plan?” The question has shifted. Instead, they ask, “How do we implement a plan that will help us reach our goals?”
If you want to get started, but the idea of it leaves you overwhelmed, try these 3 low-risk, high-impact steps to jumpstart your plan.
Step #1: Find the Gaps
It’s one thing to set the goal, it’s another thing to get there. There are countless assessment tools designed to help you effectively measure and evaluate your employees’ skills and to shine the light on gaps where additional learning and development needs to be focused. To effectively assess skill gaps, try using 3 different types of assessment tools to collect objective data. Here are 3 highly effective assessment tools to help get you started:
- Create Key Performance Indicators (KPIs): Measuring the business impact of your employees’ performance is one of the most effective ways to identify skill gaps. KPI’s provide you with a clear benchmark and goal. To get started, identify your specific business goal and define what “success” in reaching that goal looks like (E.g. result, number). Next, determine the method by which you will measure the goal (ways to capture results and numbers). Finally, create your KPIs in SMART format (specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-bound). For example: Increase customer service satisfaction score from 82% to 89% by December 31, 2020. Use KPIs to measure and analyze employee performance, and determine where additional training is required.
- Assessments: Assessments are tools that will capture specific information pertaining to performance. These may include tests, quizzes, simulations, first-hand observation or roleplay. For maximum impact, use a combination of assessments appropriate to the goals and performance expectations of your employees. Click here to see some of the assessment tools that EANE uses to help customize the services and trainings that we offer.
- Feedback: Feedback collects real-time data regarding performance: Where it meets the mark, and where it doesn’t. Feedback can be collected from surveys, solicited directly from employees, or engaging in focus-group discussions. Feedback can also be collected from those on the receiving end of performance: customers, clients and vendors.
Step #2: Grow BIG by Starting Small
Rome wasn’t built in a day, and neither is an effective and strategic development plan. The key is to start simple by focusing on one key area within your organization. This might be a specific role (E.g. managers, supervisors, leads) or a specific department (E.g. Customer Service, Shipping). Be sure to perform a gap analysis to determine where additional training is required.
Step #3: Don’t go it alone
A strategic partnership with a qualified learning resource will take more than a load off your back. It will help guide you in the right direction and help you stay the course to get to where you want to go. The last thing any organization wants to do is spend countless time and resources and not see results. Reduce risks of going down an ineffective path by relying on a qualified learning resource, like EANE.
Join us for a free webinar on November 21st to learn more about how EANE is partnering with organizations to bring new and exciting Learning & Development opportunities to their teams in 2020.