make training a priority.
by roman h. kepczyk
quantum of paperless
for many firms, the ability to identify, standardize and implement best practices is the last remaining competitive advantage in business today as communications tools and access to technology have become available to everyone.
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to take advantage of the continuous stream of innovation and opportunities, firms must adopt a “learning culture.” this requires a formal process to capture and standardize best practices in every department within the firm so that every person can take advantage of them.
all firms have personnel who are 10 percent, 20 percent or even 50 percent more productive than other team members. these individuals have figured out how to optimize the firm’s processes and the use of the applications to service clients more efficiently. unfortunately, these people sometimes leave and that knowledge and experience leaves with them, so the solution is to have them document their best practices. a procedures manual should be developed for every department within the firm so they can capture firm knowledge, which would be placed on the firm’s intranet as the first major step toward knowledge management.
firms must then have a formal training program to ensure that new hires meet the minimum production standards for core applications and a continuing training process to educate them on the specific applications and procedures they will need to be successful in their positions. they should also poll their personnel annually about what areas of training may be needed. many firms develop a needs assessment form for their training curriculum as part of overall learning initiatives.
while larger firms (usually more than 75 personnel) have the resources to designate a person in the training coordinator role, smaller firms must allocate hours to specific personnel to manage the firm’s training program. it is critical that these people be given chargeable credit for working on these projects, otherwise they will be pushed down the priority list. by allocating specific hours and reviewing progress on a monthly basis, the firm can also make those personnel accountable for their training responsibilities.
recommended actions:
- have firm personnel complete a learning needs assessment form with the goal of developing a standard curriculum and a departmental curriculum.
- designate hours and accountability for the firm’s learning program and end-user support.
one response to “‘learning culture’ requires standardized processes”
francoise munger
a great tool that can be used is community of practice. many studies have been done on this subject and support the value of this learning activity. sharing tacit knowledge between team members and within teams could be a great way to enrich a firm body of knowledge and improve rapidly members’ performance.