The pandemic served only to highlight the importance of business agility in the increasingly dynamic world of work, and investing in people grants organisations the flexibility to cushion the blow of change.
An organisation that taps into the potential of its people has an infinitely more transparent view of itself compared to an organisation that defines its people by their job roles. Learning and development that is tailored to the individual can result in a joint vision of success for both business and employee.
Using an AI-powered, personalised people development platform is the next level up from simply feeding a computer information, and it could revolutionise training and development within an organisation
Let the tech do the work for you
Imagine conducting a survey on employee job satisfaction for 1,000 employees. When processed by your HR team manually, it might produce insights like '80% of employees feel they are being managed well', or '60% of women feel they are given equal opportunities as their male counterparts'. These insights might be accurate of the organisation, yet they remain vague, can be slow to process and lacking the detail and 'so what' factor.
Feed that same information through a computer, however, and the results would be fast, far more specific and require next to no manpower. Leaders would have a clearer idea of where exactly to target improvements, ultimately making their efforts more meaningful and successful. While technology may not have a ‘human touch’, the insights it can offer could prove to be indispensable to an organisation.
Using an AI-powered, personalised people development platform is the next level up from simply feeding a computer information, and it could revolutionise training and development within an organisation. When implemented in an accurate way, for example through the use of a complex skills ontology that delivers hyper-personalised training materials, it can have a huge impact on employees in helping them achieve their career goals.
Through machine learning, the more active the employee is in their development, the more specific the suggestions will become
Through a skills ontology-based platform, employees can input their skills onto their profile, as well as outline the skills they wish to develop. The platform can then filter through its learning content and suggest courses, webinars, and other forms of e-training to help that particular employee reach the next level of their career journey.
Through machine learning, the more active the employee is in their development, the more specific the suggestions will become. No longer do HR need to attempt to spot skills gaps in their companies, the AI-powered platform would make these abundantly clear, and even suggest appropriate candidates to train to fill them. With the time and effort that an AI-powered skills platform would save, the opportunities for innovation are limitless.
Be a business of skills, not a business of roles
While leaders believe that the skills outlined in their job roles are satisfactory for the running of their business, they are in fact leaving a wealth of knowledge and competencies untapped. Employees could possess skills outside of their job description that aren’t taken advantage of by the organisation because they are simply not known about.
Employees could possess skills outside of their job description that aren’t taken advantage of by the organisation because they are simply not known about
By restructuring an organisation around the skills of its employees, where job roles are fluid, and learning and development are actively encouraged, companies will have a better understanding of their workforce.
Using an AI-powered people development platform will clearly outline employees’ competencies, continually updating them as they progress on their learning journeys. This information will allow leaders to make quick, well-informed decisions about their business as well as give their employees ownership of their own development.
So, what’s to gain?
Offering endless learning material is not true personalisation. Flooding employees with content will cause them to become overwhelmed and distracted. Leveraging AI and machine learning to filter through a library of material to match content to individual employees is the key to true personalisation.
Employees will feel empowered by having control of their own development. No longer do they have to rely on scheduled, generic training sessions, but instead can complete relevant training at a time that suits them. This empowerment will, in turn, increase the overall productivity of the company. As employees continue to learn and develop, as will the bank of skills within the company, and the subsequent potential for growth and innovation.
With the benefits of personalised learning and development programmes clear, now is the time for companies to begin investing in their people
Employee morale will improve, and success will be shared between individual employees and the company as a whole. With employees able to see potential career development, as well as the steps they need to get there, internal mobility will also increase, allowing companies to train and retain the best talent.
Leaders will also benefit from the flexibility and agility of their workforce as the world continues through the current digital revolution, the upskilling and reskilling of their workforce forming a part of their risk management plans.
With the benefits of personalised learning and development programmes clear, now is the time for companies to begin investing in their people. The skills that were needed yesterday won’t necessarily get us to tomorrow.
Learning and growth should be embedded into the very culture of the business, undermining every business decision. Let AI and machine learning provide you with the data to take your company to the next level.
