If this transfer is neither optimized nor guaranteed, not only the position concerned by the mobility is at risk, but also the team.
Internal mobility and skills transferare two elements that are difficult to separate. Internal mobility refers to a change of position or professional development of an employee without changing company. It can be horizontal (without moving up in the hierarchy) or vertical (with promotion).
It's a win-win situation, with employees moving in-house and the company building loyalty, while reducing the risk inherent in recruiting externals, but one that is still unclear to HR. The company encounters various frictions in the implementation of an internal mobility program, and some internal mobilizations end in failure. A common example is managers fearing to release their employees at the risk of losing valuable know-how within their department. In such circumstances, one solution lies in the proper transfer of skills from a departing employee to his or her successor.
The transfer of skills consists in ensuring the transmission of knowledge between employees. If this transfer is neither optimized nor ensured, not only the position concerned by the mobility, but the whole team risks losing productivity. These transfers have become a new challenge for internal mobility.
So how do you successfully change functions internally without losing your employees' knowledge? Is the challenge of internal mobility one of systematic skills transfer? And finally, what strategies should be adopted?
In a competitive world, individualism tends to take precedence over the collective. Employees do not automatically share their knowledge. What's more, some employees don't share their knowledge wisely. Whether because they are unaware of it or because they lack commitment or professionalism, wasted knowledge is a reality.
Fully aware of the problem, companies are now focusing their strategies on collective intelligence. This concept is based on the ability to get employees with different profiles to work together. As a new management method, it creates a favorable collective climate that promotes group diversity.
In order to pool knowledge, managers are called upon to place greater trust in their employees. The process of internal mobility thus involves a shift from individual to collective value. This confidence in each individual's abilities is above all a guarantee of continuous improvement to optimize the mobility process.
The acquisition and transfer of new skills enables employees to exploit their full potential. As a result, it fosters cooperation within the team. Managers empower employees, promoting mutual aid, training and mentoring. In this way, employees take responsibility for the wealth of knowledge they possess!
Internal mobility can give rise to certain problems inherent to the company. The means of transmission may be inadequate, and knowledge may be lost from one department to another. Sometimes, organizations lack methods and tools to be used for the benefit of the collective. This problem systematically leads to a loss of knowledge in the event of internal mobility.
To ensure successful internal mobility, employers need to know how to implement engaging formats. In addition, the choice of methods, means and tools must enable employees to transfer their knowledge spontaneously. Managers can set up appropriate tutoring, training to formalize knowledge, and an easy-to-use, collaborative knowledge transfer platform.
To do this, the company needs to identify the employees to be integrated into the process, using a knowledge inventory. This will enable the company to identify the holder(s) of the right information. Four players in particular are involved in this process: the author of the knowledge to be formalized, the manager for validation and moderation, the HR team triggering all the passes and the learner recipient.
Offboarding is the management of employee departures. It takes place before the final separation between employer and employee, or manager and employee in the case of mobility. As a key process, offboarding provides operational staff and HR with a range of information. In short, we examine the methods and means that work and those that don't, including the procedure for transferring knowledge.
When it comes to internal mobility, most companies opt for a gradual offboarding process. Employees take on their new role smoothly, while continuing with their old duties. Unfortunately, this approach is neither effective nor popular. In fact, the transfer of knowledge and familiarization with the new position cannot be spread out over time.
In this case, it is necessary to set an official date for the cessation of the old tasks. Without being brutal, preparation is necessary upstream: documentation of the new tasks, organization of the transfer of one's own knowledge, a training process if necessary.
Training should focus on the transmission of knowledge and the acquisition of new skills. Perfect onboarding means, above all, systematically bringing the employee up to speed, while at the same time being able to bring a fresh perspective to certain issues.
Reverse Mentoring involves assigning a young mentor to a more experienced employee. It is the antithesis of traditional training (an experienced employee accompanies a beginner in his or her new duties). Used in the context of internal mobility, this process creates a genuine exchange between employees working in different worlds.
Knowledge transfer using Reverse Mentoring takes time and cannot be improvised. As a result, skill-holders need to be sensitive to the need for reciprocal knowledge transfer. A young employee can train an experienced employee in new technological practices. As for the experienced employee, he or she will be able to accompany and pass on the nuts and bolts of real-life experience. Based on a genuine win-win approach, reverse mentoring creates intergenerational links, while ensuring the perfect transfer of knowledge.
Finally, the systematic transfer of knowledge allows internal mobility to take place under perfect conditions. Other strategies and processes are also essential: collective intelligence, choice of tools and methods, offboarding and Rerverse Mentoring. These different tactics help to ensure the transfer of skills while improving employee and company satisfaction.
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photo credit: Christina @ wocintechchat.com
Sources
1: https://www.lemonde.fr/sur-la-route-de-l-emploi/article/2017/03/01/la-mobilite-interne-une-solution-efficace-et-motivante_5087424_5057453.html
2: https://www.editions-legislatives.fr/mobilite-interne#9
3: https://www.cairn.info/revue-questions-de-management-2013-1-page-69.htm
4: https://www.cairn.info/donner-un-sens-au-travail--9782100801107.htm
5: https://www.lemonde.fr/emploi/article/2017/05/17/le-numerique-au-service-de-la-mobilite-interne-des-entreprises_5128939_1698637.html
6: https://www.definitions-marketing.com/definition/offboarding-client/
7: https://www.definitions-marketing.com/definition/reverse-mentoring/
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