If this transfer is not optimized or ensured, it is the position concerned by the mobility that is at risk but also the team.
Internal mobility and transfer of competences are two elements that are difficult to separate. Indeed, internal mobility refers to a change of position or to the professional development of an employee without changing companies. It can be horizontal (with no evolution in the hierarchy) or vertical (with promotion).
A win/win process, with employees evolving internally and the company building loyalty while reducing the risk inherent in recruiting external personnel, which is however nebulous in terms of HR. The company encounters various frictions in the implementation of an internal mobility program and some internal mobilities end in failures. A common example is managers who fear to release their employees at the risk of losing valuable know-how within their department. Under these conditions, a solution lies in the good transfer of the skills of an employee leaving his post to the person who will succeed him or her.
Skills transfer consists in ensuring the transmission of knowledge between employees. If this transfer is not optimized or ensured, it is first of all the position concerned by mobility, but also the entire team concerned that risks losing productivity. These transfers have become a new challenge for internal mobility.
So: how to successfully change functions internally without losing the knowledge of your employees? Does the challenge of internal mobility involve a systematic transfer of skills? Finally, what are the strategies to adopt?
In a competitive world, individualism tends to take precedence over the collective. The sharing of knowledge by employees is not automatic. In addition, some employees do not pool their knowledge wisely. Because they are not aware of it or because they lack commitment or professionalism, the waste of knowledge is a reality.
Fully aware of the problem, companies are now focusing their strategy on collective intelligence. Thus, this concept is based on the ability to make employees with varied profiles work together. A new management method, it makes it possible to establish a favorable collective climate that promotes group diversity.
In order to share knowledge, managers are required to place more trust in their employees. The process of internal mobility thus involves the awareness of individual value in favor of collective value. Above all, this assurance in everyone's abilities represents a guarantee of continuous improvement to optimize the mobility process.
The acquisition and transfer of new skills allow employees to exploit their full potential. As a result, it promotes cooperation within the team. Managers empower employees, promote mutual support, training and mentoring. Employees thus make themselves responsible for the wealth of knowledge they have at their disposal!
Internal mobility can cause certain problems inherent to the company to arise. The means of transmission may be inadequate and knowledge may be lost from one service to another. Sometimes organizations lack methods and tools to use for the benefit of the collective. This problem systematically leads to a loss of knowledge in the context of internal mobility.
In order to succeed in internal mobility, employers must know how to implement engaging formats. In addition, the choice of methods, means and tools allow employees to transfer their knowledge spontaneously. Managers can thus set up adapted tutoring, training designed to formalize knowledge, but also a collaborative and easy-to-use knowledge transfer platform.
To do so, the company must identify the employees to be integrated into the process using an inventory of knowledge. It will make it possible to detect the holder (s) of the right information. Four actors are particularly involved in this approach: the author of the knowledge to be formalized, the manager for validation and moderation, the HR team triggering all the assignments and the learning recipient.
Offboarding is similar to managing employee departures. It occurs before the final separation between an employer and the employee, or between a manager and an employee in the context of mobility. A key process, offboarding makes it possible to provide a set of elements to operational staff and HR. In short, methods and means that are effective or not are examined, including the procedures to be followed in the transfer of knowledge.
As part of internal mobility, most companies opt for a gradual offboarding process. Employees take charge of their new function smoothly while continuing their old tasks. Unfortunately, this approach is neither effective nor popular. Indeed, the good transfer of knowledge and the handling of the new function cannot be spread over time.
In this case, it is necessary to determine an official end date for the old missions. Without being brutal, preparation is still necessary beforehand: the documentation of new tasks, the organization of the transfer of one's own knowledge, a training process if necessary.
The training should focus on the transmission of all knowledge and the acquisition of new skills. Above all, perfect onboarding involves systematically bringing the employee up to speed while being able to provide a fresh perspective on certain issues.
Reverse Mentoring, or reverse mentoring, consists of assigning a young mentor to a more experienced collaborator. It is at the antipodes of classical training (an experienced person accompanies a beginner in his new functions). Used as part of internal mobility, this process makes it possible to create a real exchange between employees working in different worlds.
Knowledge transfer using Reverse Mentoring takes time and cannot be improvised. Consequently, skill holders must be sensitive to transmitting reciprocal knowledge. A young employee will thus be able to train an experienced person in new technological practices. The confirmed person will be able to accompany him and transmit to him the workings of the reality on the ground. Based on a real 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 be carried out in perfect conditions. Different strategies and processes are added and remain essential: collective intelligence, the choice of tools and methods, the implementation of offboarding and Rerverse Mentoring. These different tactics make it possible to ensure the transfer of skills while improving employee and company satisfaction.
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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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