I was on a podcast recently. After the customary introduction where I talked about my background and experience in L&D, management consulting, and sales enablement across product and service companies in the tech domain, the host asked me an intriguing question, "So how do YOU define enablement?"
"Interesting," I thought. He was not asking about organizational training or seller-focused enablement, which are my current focus areas, but about enablement in general. That is a related but a different conversation altogether. My mind immediately started brimming with words like business transformation, organizational change, training, awareness, communications, stakeholder engagement, change management, business alignment, process definition, and more.
The word "enablement" can mean many things—and the meaning can very well differ from one organization to another, or even one team to another. But there is one simple way to describe it and that is how I put it in my response to the host's question: "Enablement is an integral change function within an organization that focuses on equipping the workforce with skills, knowledge, strategies, technology, and resources needed to be successful, with the overall objective of increasing organizational effectiveness and efficiency."
Now that is a packed definition. Let's dissect it a little bit and talk about what enablement entails, how it is carried out, who is the target, and what the value of enablement is for an organization.
Enablement as a change function
The main objective of enablement is to help an organization meet its short-term and long-term goals in an effective and efficient way by arming its employees with the knowledge, tools, and information they need to accept, adopt, and sustain the change and be productive in performing their job duties.
The need for enablement in an organization can be triggered by several factors. These include:
- Macro-level business transformation initiatives that necessitate a change in the way employees within a company are organized and how they work. These initiatives could be related to a change in strategic direction, growth strategy, fiscal year goals, go-to-market approach, technology stack, mergers & acquisitions, and more.
- Micro-level change initiatives that impact distinct parts of an organization such as teams or roles. These initiatives may include changes to tools, systems, processes, operating procedures, roles & responsibilities, organizational structures, etc.
- Ongoing skilling and learning initiatives that aim to upskill employees in specific roles by arming them with relevant knowledge and information they need to do their jobs effectively. Such initiatives often include people development programs, leadership training, sales enablement, customer success enablement, and henceforth.
Key components of enablement
Depending on the type of change trigger driving the need for enablement, there can be various processes or workstreams involved in an enablement initiative. At a general level, these include the following.
Needs Analysis and Impact Assessment
This involves fleshing out the details of the trigger for enablement and defining the key business objectives that the trigger is expected to accomplish. It also involves identifying the impact of that trigger on the tools, processes, and resources (i.e., various roles and teams) within the organization.
Stakeholder Management
This workstream involves identifying and managing key stakeholders impacted by the change trigger. Getting the necessary executive buy-in and sponsorship needed to carry out the enablement initiative is a critical first step in this process. This is followed by understanding and managing the expectations, needs, and individual goals of key stakeholders to ensure that they are aligned with and supportive of the enablement effort.
L&D
The L&D workstream focuses on designing, developing, and deploying the appropriate training interventions needed to enable various roles within (or outside, such as customers) the organization that are identified as the target audience for enablement. Depending on the extent and type of change being addressed, the L&D team is responsible for identifying the best learning modality that fits the needs of the change and of those being impacted.
In some cases, the enablement training can look like a simple webinar, self-paced training, or a job aid. In other cases, it could take the form of a comprehensive hybrid learning curriculum with elements of self-paced, instructor-led, and just-in-time training built in, along with opportunities for practice. Regardless of what it looks like, the outputs produced by the L&D team are a critical component of the enablement initiative and are one of the most significant vehicles of change transformation.
Awareness & Communications
This workstream involves keeping all the responsible parties—including executive sponsors, stakeholders, and target audience—informed about the enablement efforts. Emails, newsletters, virtual or in-person roadshows, and live presentations are various ways in which this workstream keeps the key players informed about the who, what, why, where, and how of the enablement initiative.
Program Management
The program management (or project management, depending on the extent of change) function is focused on ensuring that the deliverables and timelines for all enablement workstreams are planned, managed, tracked, and deployed in a timely manner. This workstream is targeted at making sure that any risks, issues, and concerns are promptly raised and resolved, and continual progress is made across workstreams to meet the stated objectives of enablement.
Target audience of enablement
The target audience for enablement depends on what type of enablement initiative is being rolled out and who it is impacting.
Organization-wide changes, such as a transition of office productivity apps from one vendor to another (say from Google Suite to Microsoft 365 Enterprise), will impact the entire organization and make all employees who use these apps the target audience of the enablement initiative.
Micro-level initiatives, such as a change in the policy or procedures for handling customer complaints and escalations, will be limited to the roles that support that process, such as the customer support teams and their leaders.
Ongoing learning initiatives, such as planned product releases or launch updates, will primarily be aimed at the roles that require this information to successfully do their jobs, such as sales roles, solution engineers, or even customers who depend on that information to stay on top of their implementations and future needs.
Value of enablement
Enablement initiatives help ensure alignment to an organization's strategic objectives and vision and are a key contributor to the organizational growth. As an agent of change, enablement can help an organization pivot faster to meet the changing needs of market and customers. This allows the business to transform in a more agile fashion and meet its customer attainment and retention goals and revenue targets more seamlessly.
By equipping employees with the critical knowledge and tools needed to understand and manage change and perform effectively in their jobs, enablement initiatives help increase employee retention and support higher levels of work performance and job satisfaction.
Enablement initiatives often bring together different parts of the organization and give them an opportunity to contribute toward a shared goal. In doing that, enablement helps reduce silos between departments, increases visibility and transparency across teams, and improves the flow of communication between team members. This not only creates a culture of collaboration, it also fosters higher levels of alignment across the organization.
Let there be change
In the words of John Maxwell, "Change is inevitable. Growth is optional." Embracing change is essential for organizational growth. It paves the path for innovation, adaptability, and competitiveness in an evolving market. The role of the enablement function in an organization becomes critical in taking that change across the finish line and helping it stick. Enablement not only helps employees navigate transitions effectively, it also helps reduce resistance and uncertainty. It equips teams with the tools and support needed to understand, accept, and implement new processes or strategies, ensuring that changes are not only adopted but also sustained in the long term. By guiding employees through change, enablement initiatives help organizations minimize disruption and create a culture that is resilient and open to continuous improvement.
Learn to build your own Enablement Strategy
Join us at Learning 2024, December 4–6, 2024, in Orlando—and learn to build your own enablement strategy! Sessions like Build a Successful Enablement Strategy That Anticipates Future Needs and Becoming a Product-Led L&D Organization: Why & How will start you on the right path, with information, strategies, and new connections to guide you. Register today!
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