How To Tie Practical Skills To Your Desired Business Outcomes

Getting from here to there requires a road map. Especially when that destination is a business outcome that requires your entire team and L&D resources. Which gaps do they need to bridge to achieve the desired results? Which skills training tools can you use to get them from Point A to Point B? What’s lacking from your current online training strategy? And how can you emphasize the real-world applications behind the online training so that they actively engage? The key to tying skills to business results is full transparency and purpose-driven resources.

1. Break Objectives Into Tasks So You Can Identify Must-Have Skills

Objectives and goals are the finish line. They’re the product you’re trying to create. But there are a variety of components that comprise that whole. Specifically, tasks and skills that allow employees to achieve the desired business outcomes. For example, you want to raise your sales stats by 5% in the first quarter. This requires stronger negotiation and persuasion skills and enhanced product knowledge. Employees must also know how to complete the sales process according to company policies, such as step-by-step POS walkthroughs, as well as how to handle challenging customers and overcome their objections. These tasks and skills will be the basis for your training strategy, as they tie into the business results.

2. Conduct A Training Needs Analysis To Identify Gaps In Your Program

You know where you want to go…but what’s holding you back? Gaps in your current training program may prevent you from achieving the desired business outcomes. They’re the hurdles that hinder employee development and skill-building. Thus, you must conduct a training needs analysis to determine what’s lacking and how to address it moving forward. Maybe you need to invest in a new LMS or incorporate more real-world online training activities. Surveys, assessments, and LMS reports can help you shed light on the inefficiencies.

3. Use Simulations To Identify Skill Sticking Points

Multiple choice exams and questionnaires will only get you so far. The best way to launch an effective skills training program that links to your business results is through qualitative evaluation. Such as simulations that help you identify skill sticking points that prevent employees from achieving their potential. Monitor their performance to see what needs to improve based on the desired outcomes. For instance, a simulation reveals that your customer service team must brush up on their communication skills. Especially if you want to reach that target of a 25% increase in satisfaction rates this month.

4. Develop Skill-Based Certifications Based On Job Role And Department

Skill-based certifications up the accountability ante given that employees must complete the requirements to earn the achievement. And every certification ties into business outcomes that are high on your priorities list. You can even deploy certificates that are based on job role and department so that employees receive personalized online training resources. For example, your warehouse team tackles on-the-job safety and proper lifting gear. While your customer service staff has access to telephone etiquette and product knowledge certification online training activities.

5. Incorporate Branching Scenarios That Show Cause And Effect

Branching scenarios highlight the repercussions of not following policies and training inactivity. For example, one missed step in a task or failure to meet the customer’s expectations leads to negative consequences. As a result, employees better understand the cause and effect relationship between skill-based training and business results. These objectives are in place not only to benefit the organization but help employees enhance performance and avoid costly mistakes. Branching scenarios drive this point home by allowing them to see the outcomes in a risk-free setting.

6. Utilize Personalized Dashboards To Track Personal Skill Achievement

Some LMS solutions feature personalized dashboards that track everything from earned certifications to courses that are next on their training docket. You can use these individualized home pages to track skill achievement and how they relate to business outcomes. For instance, employees can see which badges they’ve already earned and how each badge ties into a specific objective or goal. You can also automatically display the training gamification leaderboard on their personal dashboard to spark friendly competition and boost motivation.

7. Launch A Gamification Badge-Based Program To Connect The Dots

Speaking of gamification, it’s also an effective way to emphasize the connection between skills and real-world objectives and outcomes. Of course, direct personal feedback and recommendations are essential for employee development. However, badges, leaderboards, and other game mechanics help them connect the dots more subtly. Not earning that coveted sales badge prompts employees to reflect on their performance and take charge of their growth. As a result, they access the online training library more often so that they can achieve the desired business outcomes. Even if their primary motive is to get the badge and show it off on their social media page.

Practical skills are a precious commodity in the corporate world. They lay the foundation for achieving business outcomes and desired results. But how do you encourage employees to evaluate their own performance and spot gaps, and then give them the targeted resources they need to hone their talents? Identify which skills and tasks are at the core of your business outcomes. Incorporate real-world activities to disclose areas for improvement and show cause and effect. Finally, utilize personal dashboards, certifications, and gamification to fuel their motivation and allow them to track their own progress.

Another integral link between practical skills and achieving your business outcomes is the right LMS; a Learning Management System that facilitates JIT learning, supports gamification and features certification management. Adobe Captivate Prime offers all these must-haves in a next L&D package. You can even request a free demo to see if it’s the right solution for your skill-based training program.

For more details, please write to Adobe Captivate Prime team at captivateprimesales@adobe.com.