Oh, hi! I’m Hermie, the HR Hermit Crab.
We’ve already talked about the roots of the Knowledge-to-Performance Tree by Harmonious Workplaces as featured in TD Magazine and ATD, where an organization’s knowledge, experience, and institutional memory live.
We’ve also talked about the trunk, which helps that knowledge travel through formal learning, informal learning, mentoring, and other developmental experiences.
But knowing something and doing something are not the same thing.
That’s where the branches come in. The branches are the behavior enablers. They give people opportunities to apply what they have learned and turn knowledge into consistent performance.
If we look at each of the types of enablers as branches, the first branch is aligned behavior. Employees need to understand what they are expected to do differently and how those behaviors support the organization’s goals.
Another type of branch is coaching. People need help while they put new skills into practice. A training course might introduce the right behavior, but coaching helps people use it when the work gets complicated.
Recognition and reinforcement form another branch. When employees demonstrate the behaviors the organization needs, leaders should notice and reinforce them with rewards and recognition. Otherwise, employees’ basal ganglia – the part of the brain that develops habits – might take over, causing them to revert to the old way of working, especially when it is faster, easier, or more familiar.
The final branch is accountability. New expectations need to appear in everyday conversations, team meetings, performance measures, and leadership decisions. Accountability helps make the new behavior part of how the organization operates.
Strong branches help knowledge spread outward into the work. Weak branches leave all that valuable learning sitting in the trunk. Unfortunately, to cut costs, many organizations try pruning these branches. But this risks the loss of knowledge, skills, and abilities. If leaders wonder why everybody attended the training, but nothing changed, it might just “stem” from a lack of value-creating behavior enablers.
I’m Hermie the HR Hermit Crab, reminding you that knowledge does not improve performance until people have the support, reinforcement, and accountability to put it into practice. I’ve gotta go; I need to tend to supporting our company’s branches. Make change your friend! Bye!
For more Hermie the HR Hermit Crab, including books, cartoons, videos, and more, visit www.harmoniousworkplaces.com/hermie.
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