HR Managers, Are You Training For Skills, Knowledge Or Talent?
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HR Managers, Are You Training For Skills, Knowledge Or Talent?
Skills, knowledge and talent are the three elements that contribute to a person's performance. The most important difference between them is that knowledge can be taught relatively easily, skills are a little bit more difficult but talent cannot be taught.
By: Peter Mitchell
Skills, knowledge and talent are the three elements that contribute to a person's performance. The most important difference between them is that knowledge can be taught relatively easily, skills are a little bit more difficult but talent cannot be taught.
By: Peter Mitchell
In the process of training and development you have to be absolutely certain which combination of these three elements will meet the needs of the business. Whatever you do separate out these three elements because if you confuse talents, skills and knowledge you may end up trying to train for a potential level of talent that will be impossible to develop.
Skills are capabilities that can be transferred easily from one person to another and it is simple to set standards for them. The best way to teach a skill is to break it down into smaller steps, which the learner then reassembles step-by-step. The best way of learning skills is constant but guided practice.
Knowledge is basically what a person is aware of. Knowledge is split into two parts. Firstly, there is factual knowledge which could be described as, "things that you know." But also it includes stuff that other people know as well. In other words, it is easily shared, easily acquired and common to a lot of people. Secondly, there is experiential knowledge. This is understanding that you have collected from your experiences. It may differ from other people's experiential knowledge because it may have been acquired under different circumstances and subjected to a different interpretation.
Factual knowledge can be taught. Experiential knowledge is a lot less tangible and therefore much more difficult to teach. It is often the result of looking back on past experiences and trying to identify patterns and connections. Sometimes you are understanding practical things and other times you are trying to understand more conceptual things. Your self-awareness comes from having sufficient self-discipline to look carefully at how you come across to other people and reflecting on your experiences with them.
Talent on the other hand is totally different. Talent has been described as a recurring thought, feeling or behavior. One part of talent is the reason why some people are motivated to strive, why they want to push a that little bit harder. Another part of talent is how a person thinks, and how they weigh up alternatives and how they come to decisions. The final part of talent is the interpersonal part. Who do they trust? Who do they build relationships with? Who do they listen to?
These are the basic components of talent. No matter how much you want to be different, the recurring behaviors that your talent creates, will remain stable and familiar to you throughout your life. Because of their stability and familiarity it is unlikely that they will change dramatically. This must be borne in mind when considering training. How many times have we tried to train people to increase their talent in one area or another?
Skills are capabilities that can be transferred easily from one person to another and it is simple to set standards for them. The best way to teach a skill is to break it down into smaller steps, which the learner then reassembles step-by-step. The best way of learning skills is constant but guided practice.
Knowledge is basically what a person is aware of. Knowledge is split into two parts. Firstly, there is factual knowledge which could be described as, "things that you know." But also it includes stuff that other people know as well. In other words, it is easily shared, easily acquired and common to a lot of people. Secondly, there is experiential knowledge. This is understanding that you have collected from your experiences. It may differ from other people's experiential knowledge because it may have been acquired under different circumstances and subjected to a different interpretation.
Factual knowledge can be taught. Experiential knowledge is a lot less tangible and therefore much more difficult to teach. It is often the result of looking back on past experiences and trying to identify patterns and connections. Sometimes you are understanding practical things and other times you are trying to understand more conceptual things. Your self-awareness comes from having sufficient self-discipline to look carefully at how you come across to other people and reflecting on your experiences with them.
Talent on the other hand is totally different. Talent has been described as a recurring thought, feeling or behavior. One part of talent is the reason why some people are motivated to strive, why they want to push a that little bit harder. Another part of talent is how a person thinks, and how they weigh up alternatives and how they come to decisions. The final part of talent is the interpersonal part. Who do they trust? Who do they build relationships with? Who do they listen to?
These are the basic components of talent. No matter how much you want to be different, the recurring behaviors that your talent creates, will remain stable and familiar to you throughout your life. Because of their stability and familiarity it is unlikely that they will change dramatically. This must be borne in mind when considering training. How many times have we tried to train people to increase their talent in one area or another?
Peter Mitchell is a business consultant who has helped many businesses to lift their labor productivity in the workplace at little or low cost. His practical guide The Key To Productivity should be on every manager's desk and used to install your productivity improvement program. To find out more go to www.thekeytoproductivity.com.
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