Get the Most out of your Learning Strategy with the Multi-Pronged Approach to Success
In recent weeks we’ve learned about the value of revisiting and refreshing learning programs to stay relevant and effective, and how to take learning strategies to the next level. While the answers are simple, there’s no silver bullet to finding an approach that works. As always, it’s going to involve a multi-pronged attack and it boils down to that classic triad we see cropping up all the time: people, process and technology.
It’s a premise reiterated in the recently released Brandon Hall Group report, State of Learning and Development 2016: Ready to Evolve. Distributed exclusively by Docebo, the report covers many recent trends, challenges and opportunities in learning management based on survey data collected from hundreds of organizations at different levels of learning maturity. It reveals a number of telling insights: for example, that too many organizations (62%) aren’t confident their learning management strategies are at all effective, and many organizations (25%) have either a rough, loosely defined learning strategy or else no strategy at all.
While covering other challenges for the market, the report turns us to the tried-and-true value of viewing challenges through the prism of people, processes and technology.
1.People
While there’s a lot to be gained and learned through external experts and sources, no one knows an organization better than those working within it. With that, companies need to ensure learning leaders leverage internal knowledge and expertise, but also have access to all parties at all levels, from the front lines to the executive leadership team. Leadership involvement will be essential to foster frontline engagement, a critical component of the journey from low maturity to learning and development excellence.
2.Processes
In addition to building a learning strategy that make performance results the desired outcome, as opposed to simply learning itself, strategies need continual revisiting and reappraisal to ensure they align with the current state of the business and its objectives. Also, it is important to avoid the trap of measuring for the sake of measurement. Too many organizations get caught in a metrics where a ton of data is collected for no good purpose. Businesses need to hone in on the right metrics, tie those metrics to essential business objectives, and use the data to ensure performance improvements are actually being achieved and, if not, what needs to be done to correct the situation.
3.Technology
It’s tempting to think one simple software rollout will solve all that ails you, but in reality technology solutions are only as effective as the people and processes using and supporting it. There’s also the changing nature of training and eLearning, and the fact that a substantial part of effective learning happens outside of traditional environments, such as classroom-based, instructor-led training. Adopted technology needs to reflect this, and adopted learning technology needs to enable informal and experiential learning to cultivate an effective blended learning approach.
Take your learning strategy to the next level and learn more about the critical insights and calls for change covered in Ready to Evolve by downloading it free today.