Organizational
change almost always requires training the workforce in new skills or hiring
new talent with those skills already in place.
However,change management training alone does not ensure that the new skills will result in new behaviors. Here are two factors that must be considered in order for the
training to be transferred successfully on the job:
- To change an employee’s behavior, consider the employee’s mindset. You typically cannot transform a person’s work style from one extreme to another. Simply exposing a technical expert to sales techniques, for example, does not a salesperson make! Effective training should be thoughtfully targeted to employees whose personality type and vocational identity can accept and adopt new roles.
- Be sure to create the space in which employees can practice their new skills on the job. It takes extra time and energy to try something new. Plan assignments that directly link to employees’ responsibilities. Then measure competence levels and include performance coaching and a reward system for demonstrated proficiency.
