Glossary
Generative Onboarding (GO) is a scientific, data-driven approach to onboarding that helps new hires perform key tasks to a consistent standard by leveraging systems-thinking. The term ‘generative’ is used to highlight the self-improving nature of this approach, in which employees refine and improve the system as it’s used, meaning it requires minimal maintenance and improves itself over time. GO integrates guided workflows, dashboards, performance monitoring, and centralized expertise hubs to provide "just-in-time" support, enabling new employees to perform effectively from day one.
Traditional Onboarding is an outdated and often ineffective approach to onboarding new hires. It typically involves lengthy, one-size-fits-all training that delays proficiency, requires excessive handholding from managers, and leaves employees feeling overwhelmed and disengaged. This approach leads to high turnover, wasted resources, and missed opportunities, as new recruits struggle to hit targets and adapt to the company culture. Traditional onboarding fails to create the systems and support needed for employees to succeed quickly and sustainably.
Onboarding Ecosystem. An Onboarding Ecosystem consists of interconnected components designed to support a new hire’s success. It includes guided workflows for critical tasks, a centralized expertise hub for relevant resources, and performance monitoring workflows for real-time feedback, ensuring new hires receive the information and support they need when they need it.
Guided Workflow. A Guided Workflow is a step-by-step process that helps new hires execute business-critical tasks to a consistent standard. It includes "just-in-time" performance support, checkboxes to track progress, and a workflow owner responsible for updates. These workflows can be customized by teams over time to improve efficiency and create synergies.
Performance Monitoring Workflows are workflows that run parallel to primary workflows, enabling managers to assess the quality of tasks performed by new hires in real-time. These workflows ensure objective, real-time feedback and provide clarity for both managers and employees on performance standards and areas for improvement.
Expertise Hubs are centralized databases within an organization that consolidate and share specialized knowledge and skills. These hubs don’t necessarily store information (although they can do) but act as an index to quickly find information when it’s needed. Expertise Hubs enable employees to find the expertise they need to perform tasks effectively, fostering continuous learning and ensuring the organization benefits from collective knowledge.
Recurring Tasks are regular, cyclical activities that need to be completed on a set schedule, such as daily, weekly, or monthly. These tasks are supported by workflows that prompt new hires to perform "housekeeping" actions at the appropriate intervals, ensuring consistent performance and reinforcing best practices.
Reoccurring Tasks are tasks that happen irregularly but with a degree of frequency. Unlike recurring tasks, they don’t follow a predictable cadence but require guidance to be executed correctly each time they arise. Guided workflows support these tasks by providing performance support exactly when needed, ensuring consistent quality across different instances of the same task.
Just-in-Time Support refers to providing relevant assistance or resources at the exact moment they are needed during a task or process. Rather than offering generic, pre-scheduled training, this approach delivers guidance, tools, or information in real-time, minimizing disruption and helping employees perform efficiently. It ensures that support is available when it is most useful, promoting better outcomes and reducing unnecessary cognitive load for employees.