Employee skills development: KIROI step 8 for leaders

Targeted organisation of employee skills development

Developing employee skills is a key task for managers in order to strengthen teams and organisations in the long term. This raises the question of how personal and professional skills can be promoted effectively. Managers need support in order to visualise individual potential and design customised development paths. Employee skills development is not just a theoretical task, but a living process that directly influences cooperation and results. In practice, there are various methods that managers use to systematically tackle this important area.

Individual support through coaching and mentoring

Coaching sessions provide an important platform for managers to analyse individual areas of development together with their employees and work on improving them. The focus is not on general standards, but on specific challenges in day-to-day work and the development of practical solutions. Mentoring complements this process through an exchange of experience over longer periods of time. It is particularly valuable when experienced employees mentor younger colleagues, thus developing not only specialist knowledge but also social skills such as communication and leadership expertise.

A practical example illustrates this:

KIROI BEST PRACTICE at company XYZ (name changed due to NDA contract) Here, a manager in the technology sector was supported over several months with customised coaching sessions. The aim was to strengthen communication skills in the team and actively shape the feedback culture. The manager was repeatedly given ideas on how to moderate meetings more constructively and involve employees in a targeted manner. The implementation of the impulses led to a noticeably better working atmosphere and greater team dynamics.

Targeted training and education in the workplace

Employee skills development is often supported by targeted training courses. The focus here is on practical training that takes place directly at the workplace. Such training can include, for example, dealing with new technologies or change management methods. In this way, the skills are better anchored because what has been learnt is applied directly. In addition, regular performance appraisals make it possible to identify potential and create targeted further development plans.

Here, too, practice shows valuable approaches:

KIROI BEST PRACTICE at company XYZ (name changed due to NDA contract) A skills development programme was implemented within a manufacturing company to train employees in digital tools and agile methods. Practical workshops and accompanying on-the-job training significantly increased efficiency and independent working. Employees reported back that they were better able to prepare for changing tasks, which strengthened teamwork overall.

Creating a culture of continuous learning

Sustainable employee skills development can only succeed if companies establish a corporate culture that promotes learning. This means that mistakes are not seen as failures, but are utilised as learning opportunities. Managers play a key role here by promoting the regular exchange of knowledge and encouraging employees to take responsibility for their own development. Individual development plans should therefore always be accompanied by discussions that highlight prospects and create motivation.

For example, counselling shows how important it is to have an open communication culture that enables continuous learning:

KIROI BEST PRACTICE at company XYZ (name changed due to NDA contract) An internal exchange between teams has been established in a service company. Employees pass on their knowledge in regular short workshops and report on their individual learning progress. Managers actively support this process and provide targeted impulses that strengthen the willingness to learn and the ability to innovate in the long term.

Digitally support employee skills development

The integration of digital tools makes employee skills development much easier. Learning platforms, digital assessments and online coaching offer flexible options for promoting skills regardless of time and place. Such formats are becoming increasingly important, especially in times of hybrid working models. Nevertheless, personal support from managers remains an important success factor, as feedback and reflection can only be achieved through dialogue.

An example from the IT sector illustrates this:

KIROI BEST PRACTICE at company XYZ (name changed due to NDA contract) A combination of e-learning modules and personal coaching sessions was introduced there. Employees were able to continue their training at their own pace and at the same time received individual support with implementation in their day-to-day work. This led to increased acceptance of the measures and more sustainable skills development.

My analysis

Employee skills development remains a complex and multi-layered task for managers. It requires careful coordination of individual support programmes, practical training and an open learning culture. The targeted use of digital learning opportunities can effectively support this process. It is crucial that managers see their employees as partners in a joint development process and support them in developing their skills. Clients often report that it is precisely the combination of personal support and practice-orientated offers that enables sustainable progress.

Further links from the text above:

[1] KIROI Step 8: Employee skills development for managers

[2] Employee competences How to evaluate and improve ...

[4] Skills development for AI - Platform Learning Systems

For more information and if you have any questions, please contact Contact us on the topic or read more blog posts on the topic Artificial Intelligence Blog here.