Diagnose systematically

In our experience, companies are best able to build strong capabilities when they systematically identify the capabilities, both institutional and individual, that can have the most positive impact on the business. Objective assessments are an important tool in this process—and few respondents say their companies use such assessments now. These diagnostics not only help companies assess their skill gaps relative to industry peers but also help them quantify the potential financial impact of addressing capability gaps. By diagnosing these gaps in a systematic, objective way, companies can better establish a foundation for the effective design of learning programs that link learning results to the business and include meaningful, quantitative targets.

Design and deliver learning to address individual needs

The core principles of adult learning require that companies tailor their learning programs to employees’ specific strengths and needs, rather than developing a one-size-fits-all program for everyone. In our experience, the most effective approach to adult learning is blended—that is, complementing in-class learning with real work situations and other interventions, such as coaching and mentoring. The results suggest that all companies could take advantage of more novel approaches, such as digital learning (which can reach large groups of employees anywhere, at once), which has seen large scale adoption during this pandemic time and experiential learning (which links skill development to day-to-day work experience in a risk-free setting).

Align with and link to business performance

To be effective and sustainable, capability building cannot happen in a vacuum. Learning objectives must align with strategic business interests, and, ideally, capability building should be a strategic priority in and of itself. Making human-resources functions and individual business units co-owners of skill-building responsibilities and then integrating learning results into performance management are effective steps toward achieving this alignment. These actions will also ensure broad buy-in for learning success, at both the organizational and individual levels. To ensure that their learning programs have real business impact, organizations must focus on metrics, as our most effective capability builders often do. They must establish rigorous performance-management systems with robust metrics and then measure progress against clear targets, to know where and how skill gaps are (and are not) being closed.

Our Capability Building Offerings: