Stop calling it a knowledge gap.
Three weeks after launching a new cloud-based procure-to-pay system for over 400 employees, I found myself standing in front of a disgruntled stakeholder. The data was grim. Ticket rejection rates were rising, approvals were being bypassed, and shadow spreadsheets were multiplying like rabbits. Installing the $350,000 system was extremely difficult.
The training was a failure. We have a huge knowledge gap.
But I’ve been here before. So instead of scheduling a retraining appointment, I headed to the floor. I was sitting next to Maria. Maria is a tenured accounts payable specialist who has been flagged as “struggling.” Without saying I was looking, I asked, “Maria, could you please walk me through how to submit a standard purchase request for office supplies in the new system?”
She didn’t hesitate. She went to the portal, selected the correct cost center, attached the quote, selected the correct GL code, and submitted. She then explained, unprompted, that the three-way match would not be triggered until the receipt of the item was recorded. perfect performance. There are no errors. No confusion.
This was not a knowledge gap. Maria knew exactly what to do and why. She didn’t do it when no one was looking. This was Will Gap wearing a skill type costume.
As learning and development (L&D) professionals, we face this diagnostic trap every day. Stakeholders see a lack of performance and grab the closest label: “knowledge gap.” It is familiar, provides concrete solutions (further training), and absolves others of responsibility. But when diagnosed incorrectly, solving a problem that doesn’t exist wastes budget, undermines employee patience, and erodes trust. Let’s take a forensic look at what knowledge gaps actually are, what they aren’t, and how they can help companies solve real problems.
What actually is a knowledge gap?
A knowledge gap exists when an employee cannot remember or apply the steps, rules, or concepts required to successfully complete a task. This is a pure “can’t do” situation. You can confidently identify true knowledge gaps if:
Employees are unable to explain the “next step” in a workflow, even when instructed to do so. They have no idea what icons to click, what fields to fill in, or what steps to follow. They don’t know the business rules (e.g., “Purchases over $5,000 require board approval”). You have literally never been exposed to the information or your initial training did not create any retrievable memory. Fixing real knowledge gaps with L&D
If the gap is truly a lack of information, pull out tools to build cognitive structures. Use microlearning modules, step-by-step digital job aids pinned to your browser, hands-on sandbox exercises with realistic scenarios, and spaced repetition nudges. A follow-up clinic or 10-minute review video can work wonders.
If Maria were to stare at the screen and say, “I don’t know where to start,” there would be a knowledge problem. But she didn’t. So what was going on?
Scammers – what is wrongly labeled as a “knowledge gap”
Far more often, people know the process but do not follow it. Retraining them is like repeatedly teaching them the health benefits of exercise while ignoring the fact that their running shoes are sitting in the cupboard. This is the real culprit.
1. Will gap (motivation)
What is Maria’s real problem? The new system added three clicks and 45 seconds to a task she’s been doing for six years. In her mind, the old method was “faster” and “worked better.” She believed there was no personal benefit to changing and no compelling reason to care. She had the skill but no will.
It’s not a knowledge gap, so don’t train it. Please fix it with
She needs coaching that connects the process to a purpose that is important to her (“This will help us stop late payments to vendors that impact my colleagues”), visible leadership buy-in, and ultimately recognition for the effort.
2. Environmental gaps (broken tools and access)
Imagine an employee who successfully passes a training simulation. Then you get to your desk and realize that the system takes 15 seconds to load each page, or that you were never granted the Approver role in production. They find a workaround every time.
It’s not a knowledge gap, so don’t train it. Please fix it with
Ruthlessly and honestly audit system performance, user permissions, hardware, and navigation friction. L&D needs to be the loudest voice in the room: “No amount of training can outweigh a poorly designed interface.”
3. Leadership gap (shadow culture)
I once found an entire department bypassing a new CRM because the VP sent an email to the entire team saying, “Keep using the old spreadsheet until the bugs are worked out. It’s faster.” The vice president didn’t train 40 people in one sentence. When leaders model, reward, or ignore old behaviors, the unspoken rule that compliance is not really expected becomes clear.
It’s not a knowledge gap, so don’t train it. Please fix it with
A leader-first approach. Give managers talking points, make the process visible and up front, and hold them accountable.
As Edgar Schein taught us, culture is what leaders tolerate.
4. Confidence gap (fear of breaking it)
Some employees can perfectly recite a process but freeze in front of their keyboard. They fear making costly mistakes, crashing their systems, or being seen as fools on public digital trails. They would rather ask a tech-savvy colleague to do it “just this time”, but it ends up being forever.
It’s not a knowledge gap, so don’t train it. Please fix it with
Psychological safety. Create a safe sandbox where mistakes have no impact. We use a peer-to-peer “buddy” system and welcome questions publicly. Simply ask, “What’s the worst that could happen?” Exercise can help you understand fear.
5. Outcome gap (no feedback loop)
If an employee follows a new process correctly, but nothing happens, there is no approval, no faster results, no positive ripple effect, they stop. Similarly, if you skip a process and no one notices, that behavior is silently reinforced.
It’s not a knowledge gap, so don’t train it. Please fix it with
Immediate positive reinforcement. Can the system generate an automated message that says “Thank you, your request has been routed” with a fun fact? Can the manager identify and verbally evaluate the correct behavior for the first 30 days? Make the correct method a satisfactory method.
Skill vs. Will Diagnosis Matrix
Every time a stakeholder hands you a “knowledge gap,” map the affected groups onto this classic 2×2 matrix. This changes the conversation from “I need more training” to “I need a performance strategy.”
Quadrant 1: High Skill, Low Will (Cynic/Stubborn)
Maria lives here. They can do it, but they lack motivation. Training is an insult. They need a compelling “why,” coaching to deal with resistance, and visible leadership modeling. Turn influential cynics into solution co-designers. Quadrant 2: Low skill, high will (avid beginners)
This is the primary audience for training. They are enthusiastic, curious, and ready to learn. We put the best instructional design, structured practice, and feedback into it. They will be your future champions. Quadrant 3: Low skill, low will (people who are unconscious)
Don’t start with skills. Start with a raw, honest conversation about your purpose, how it relates to your career, and “what’s in it for me?” First ignite a small spark of will, then provide targeted skill building in micro doses. Quadrant 4: High Skills, High Will (Champions)
Nurture them. Give them advanced privileges and make them floor walkers or “super users.” Their positive influence on their peers is more valuable than any e-learning module. Remember them and keep their energy up.
This matrix is the most powerful tool for changing the mindset of stakeholders from “deploy more modules” to nuanced human-centered performance planning.
A call to action for business leaders (how you can actually help)
Stakeholders, if you are reading this, L&D cannot fix the will gap or the leadership gap with training videos. We need to collectively own an environment that maintains performance. Here’s the cheat sheet:
Lead with a “why” that resonates
Don’t force yourself to “use the new system starting Monday.” Say, “This will reduce payment approval time from 5 days to 4 hours, which means your vendors will be happy and you won’t be hounded by your financial institution.” Connect processes to individual or team pain points. Create a fear-free practice zone
Proactively ask your department, “Does anyone have concerns about clicking on the wrong thing?” Schedule a safe 30-minute guided exploration. We will standardize “investigating and learning” rather than perfection. Model the behavior you prescribe
If you ask your assistant to raise a purchase request on your behalf because you’re “too busy,” that message will be communicated loud and clear. That means the process is below you and privileges can circumvent it. One action on your part can undo eight months of change management. change the right way to the easy way
Partner with IT and L&D to eliminate friction. Can default fields be pre-populated? Can unnecessary approval steps be eliminated? If the system truly cannot be fixed, acknowledge it publicly, explain why, and co-create acceptable workarounds instead of allowing shadow processes to grow in the dark. Relentlessly strengthen and recognize
During the first 90 days, your most important task is to find people who are doing the right thing. “Hello, I saw you using the new sending workflow. I know it takes an extra minute. Thank you. It helps with data for the whole team.” Awareness is a better habit builder than any training module.
A final challenge to fellow L&D practitioners
The next time a project sponsor wanders into a meeting and declares that there is a “major knowledge gap” in the department, pause for a moment. Ask questions gently but firmly. “That may be true, but understand: What are employees actually trying to do? And what have we done to ensure their world supports the new behaviors?”
Then go to the floor and take a look. Let someone show it to you. Often it reveals not ignorance but a clunky system, lost incentives, or a quiet, rational rebellion against the leader who broke the rules in the first place.
Not everything is a knowledge gap. And the moment we stop covering every performance crack with more training, we evolve from order takers to true performance consultants. We earn the right to say, “Training didn’t fail. Let’s solve real problems together.”
What is the most surprising “not knowledge gap” you have ever discovered within your organization?
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