One of the great advances being brought into human development by technology relates to the significant improvement of the experience in training on competencies. Collaborators in organizations are tired of training programs with theoretical content that do not truly help them to improve their results or boost their career.
Part of the problems that these corporate schools face has to do with the fact that the training offer is broad but general and, therefore, it does not have a direct connection with the collaborator’s objectives and, thus, even though the contents have been gamified, they have not been able to translate into tangible results at the time of improving the person’ skills.
In order to respond to this challenge, we are seeing the emergence of new development tools, which take up key principles such as the segmentation of needs and the practice of skills as the central axis for the evolution of people. Based on these concepts, Competencies Gyms are being developed which, through the simulated exposure of people to the actual challenges of their jobs, with the support of practice and improvement tools, are achieving much better results and are gaining popularity among participants.
The gym has three key characteristics:
1. Even though it offers multiple tools, the participant can design his “exercise routine” based on his personal goals, which are aligned with his development plan, whether to improve his performance in his current position or to provide impulse to his career growth.
2. The development of the competency is conducted based on digital or presential simulators that allow the development of group or individual skills through direct exposure to the challenge, the feedback in real time and with the immediate practice of improvement tools.
3. The integration of tools during the “exercise routine” allows the collaborator to practice, make mistakes and take risks in a safe environment and with guiding mentoring, which opens up greater options for improving behaviors.
But the Gym is just a mechanism for making an impact on the improvement of competencies; in order for the formula to truly reach its maximum potential, it is key to prepare the collaborator’s leader as a coach for these improvements.
Just like in a sports team, the role of the coach can enable the “players” to go to the gym to strengthen the elements that they need. With the advantage of having a more strategic vision, leaders may lead their collaborators in a more concrete improvement plan that is measurable and specific, to go hand in hand with the implementation of the team’s objectives and, to this end, the coach-leader needs to focus on three elements to help the gym to have a greater impact:
1. The coach-leader defines, together with the collaborator, the most important needs for the collaborator’s development, whether increasing the level of a strength, modifying a behavior, or acquiring a new tool; the leader can ground the “what for” of this improvement, translating it into what he expects to see in the performance, but also in the benefit that the collaborator will obtain upon improving his skills.
2. The coach-leader measures the progress that the collaborator is making with his “visits to the gym”, so that he can provide immediate feedback on the effectiveness of the practices but, still more important, of the result upon the application of the new tools. This causes the evaluation of development to become much more objective.
3. Lastly, the leader-coach acquires a different dimension in the management of his team’s development, evolving from a paternalistic vision focused on strengths and weaknesses to a practical and concrete direction for measuring the impact of the improvement on the actual performance, through the application of tools.
To achieve this, the design of the development experiences becomes more challenging, the Organizational Development areas will have to evolve the focus and contents of their corporate schools and universities and change them into gyms with tools and practice routines that are aligned with the business plan.
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Editor’s note: Blanya Correal is an Industrial Engineer with over 25 years’ international experience in Human Resources and labor strategy in several multinational companies such as Coca Cola Femsa, Danone and Nissan. She has been recognized for two consecutive years as one of the 30 best CHROs in Mexico and she is in the top 20 of the ranking of the Most Powerful Women in Mexico according to Expansión magazine. Follow her in LinkedIn. The opinions published in this column belong exclusively to the author.
