How to Manually Assign Capabilities to Cohorts (using Capabilities)

Even in organizations that have capability frameworks defining what success looks like, very few actually connect those frameworks to the people doing the work. And that means your people have no idea what to do to succeed in their roles. 

Mapping capabilities to cohorts changes that. It’s how you take your framework off the whiteboard and into everyday work. And if you’re using Acorn, you can do it in just a few clicks. In this guide, we’ll run you through how to map capabilities to cohorts using Capabilities. 

What is capability-to-cohort mapping? 

Capability-to-cohort mapping is the process of linking the skills, knowledge, behaviors, processes, and tools that deliver organizational outcomes (a.k.a. your capabilities) to specific groups of employees known as cohorts. These cohorts are customizable to your needs, whether they’re a department, team, or group of employees sharing the same job role. 

Why is mapping capabilities to cohorts important? 

According to Deloitte’s 2025 Global Human Capital Trends report, 73% of executives and 72% of workers agree organizations could do more to connect their workforce with opportunities to build experience. And the first step is to define the capabilities assigned to each employee. 

Sure, you could assign a capability set to each job role individually. But that’s tedious at best and impossible at worst, depending on the scale of your organization. That’s why now more than ever, we need tech to help enable capability mapping. Mapping capabilities to cohorts simplifies the job by assigning specific capabilities to all who are part of the cohort in bulk. It means you can create a group of employees who all do the same role, like salespeople or customer support reps, and assign them all relevant capabilities at once. 

Instead of telling a cohort what to do, capabilities show them how to do it, which: 

• Makes it easier to target learning to specific cohorts with specific capabilities, so people actually get learning relevant to them and their role. 

• Provides role clarity so expectations are transparent and performance conversations are constructive. 

When you align people around capabilities, you create a common language for success. People get the relevant learning opportunities they need, and managers get the insight they need to guide their direct reports. 

How to assign capabilities to cohorts 

What you need for this process:  

• Capabilities module turned on  

• A connected LMS, whether Acorn or otherwise  

• A capability framework, either your own or pulled from our Capability Library  

The ability to generate reports is limited to administrators, supervisors, and reporting officers.  

Step 1: Select manual capability mapping 

Navigate to your Capability Dashboard via the Admin menu, and select “Map Capabilities to Organizational Cohorts” from the widget on the right. 

Choose “Manually Map Capabilities to Cohorts”. If you have Acorn AI turned on, you’ll have a second option available: AI-Driven Capability Mapping from Job Descriptions. To learn how to use Acorn AI for Cohort Discovery and mapping, check out our guide here. 

Step 2: Select cohorts and capabilities 

Select a cohort from the list, or create a new one. If you create a new cohort, you just need to provide a name and description for it to start with. 

When you select the cohort you want to assign capabilities to, it will open a cohort editor menu. Select Add Capabilities and choose the capabilities you want to assign to it. 

Pro tip: We recommend around five capabilities for each role. 

For each capability you choose, you should select a proficiency level you expect individuals to perform each capability at. These proficiency levels are what individuals will be assessed against in their capability assessments in future. 

When you’re happy with the capabilities you’ve selected, click Confirm. You can revert changes under the cohort editor, or click Save Capabilities to apply your assigned capabilities. 

Final thoughts 

Capability-to-cohort mapping is how you turn strategy into execution. It’s the bridge between defining what great looks like and giving people the tools to get there. 

By assigning capabilities to cohorts in Acorn, you ensure your frameworks don’t gather dust—they actively shape development, guide decisions, and fuel performance. 

You can find more technical how-to resources, explainers, and definitions in our Help Center.