As learning professionals, we fully understand that success in today’s ever-evolving job landscape — defined by shifting market dynamics, technological breakthroughs and changing consumer behaviors — relies on our ability to upskill employees, enabling them to keep pace with change today while gaining a firm foothold on the skills needed for success tomorrow.
Outside of skills that will continue to capture headlines like utilizing artificial intelligence (AI) and big data, cognitive skills like problem-solving, critical thinking, digital literacy and creativity are the skills that, according to the World Economic Forum (WEF), will continue to grow in their importance across all sectors in the years to come.
After all, if today’s fast-paced work environment demands anything, it is the cognitive development necessary (for individuals and organizations) to remain competitive and adaptable through change.
And, while the WEF also reports that 4 out of 5 organizations will — over the next five years — invest in learning and on-the-job training as the “most common” strategy to achieve their business goals, there are still many questions around the who, what, when, where, why and (especially) how we, as enablement experts, plan to maximize this effort and truly deliver for employees.
Personalized Learning: The Cornerstone of a Continuous Learning, Skills Gap-Closing Culture
We know that answering these questions begins, at least in part, through the development of a continuous learning culture that provides ample upskilling opportunities for employees, a must for the development of cognitive skills (or any skills for that matter).
And, yet, while each aspect of continuous learning is important (relevant program offerings, effective learning tools and resources, recognition of learning, etc.), the key building block of your approach should be built upon personalization for maximum impact.
By building an end-to-end personalized learning approach that defines the cognitive (and other) skills your organization needs for success, uses tested methods for assessing employees’ skill proficiency and provides recommended learning to close skills gaps, you will have all the pieces in place to direct learners (via personalized learning plans or AI-powered personalization tools) to the enablement they need, when they need it most.
What’s more, the data you collect becomes a vital resource for driving continuous learning and provides newfound insight for ongoing learning recommendations based on the identification of: skills gap trends affecting significant learning populations, year-over-year proficiency growth (or decline) among learners and (when contrasted against performance data) the skills that show the highest positive correlation to success.
Coaching and Mentoring: A Time-Tested Approach to Closing Cognitive Skills Gaps
With a personalized, continuous learning approach in place, you also break free from the use of traditional, “one-size-fits-all” learning models plagued by inefficiency and learner disengagement. Instead, you’ll be able to use your data-driven insights to customize learning and engage learners at the individual level.
Of course, the quality of your learning recommendations (personalized or not) needs to be maintained, but, if considering which type of learning to pursue, a very strong argument can be made for mentoring and coaching.
Coaching and mentoring sessions in the workplace are particularly effective in cognitive skill development because they use goal setting, problem solving techniques, self-awareness and reflection to drive the discussion forward.
And, while skills gap identification and personalized learning plans can help direct individuals (based on their needs) to your mentoring and coaching programs, data-driven performance reports can also be used during sessions help coaches and employees maximize their time together.
For example, reports detailing the participating employee’s skills gaps and customer relationship management (CRM) data remove the guesswork and allow coaches or mentors to guide mentees more easily toward finding their own solutions to the obstacles they face.
Through each session, participants are not only receiving guidance on closing cognitive (and other) skills gaps, but exercising their own cognitive abilities by breaking down challenges into manageable parts, analyzing data and problem solving with a trusted partner.
Mentors too, through the opportunity to collaborate and guide others, can greatly enhance their cognitive skill development journey. Some organizations also provide additional external mentoring opportunities.
In Closing
While improved cognitive skill proficiency will not solve all challenges employees face in the years to come, but, in a future increasingly dominated by automation and AI, our success will inevitably be tied in large part to our ability to innovate, adapt and problem-solve (with a human touch).
