Implementing Successful Learning Programs
by Robb Powell
As the world moves to an increasingly fast-paced, service-oriented global economy, talent management tasks grow more difficult to complete. Yet, HR must find top talent, develop future leaders and motivate employees if their organizations are to succeed. To make matters worse, marketplace concerns come on top of HR-specific issues such as regulatory compliance related to HIPAA and Sarbanes-Oxley.
Given the increasing pressures and complexity faced by HR and talent management leaders, more and more companies are turning to learning and development as a way to improve performance. When executed according to best practices, a learning program can help HR leaders and companies they serve stay on top of their game.
However, before HR leaders can help create learning programs for the rest of the company in support of broader business objectives, they have a lot to learn about effective enterprise learning. HR leaders must understand where their companies are today and where they need to be tomorrow. It takes vision, hard work and a keen understanding of the inner workings of an organization to put these pieces together and to mesh them with appropriate learning interventions in a way that leads to successful business results.
Pave the Road Ahead
For effective enterprise learning to occur throughout an organization, executive buy-in is critical. The more executives from various departments and those at the top are involved and engaged, the more impact enterprise learning will have on the organization. HR leaders needs to, at a minimum, bring executives into the conversation. Executives must understand the bottom-line organizational impact for proposed learning programs and be given opportunities to commit to and become champions for enterprise learning.
To assure executive level buy-in, there are at least three fundamental barriers to overcome:
a) Alignment: Priorities vary from department to department, but learning efforts should always align with strategic company objectives. Talent managers should make certain they focus on these objectives when communicating with executives and creating development programs.
b) Performance measurement: Talent managers should be prepared to share with executives how they will measure the impact of learning programs on achieving company objectives.
c) Governance: An organization' s system of control, whether it's highly centralized or dispersed over multiple, far-flung locations, is critical to influence how learning programs are accepted throughout the organization.
Talent managers should take their organizations' governance models into consideration when selling learning programs to executive teams and identify communication gates throughout the learning process to keep senior leaders apprised of learning progress and ensure continued support.
Learning Content is King, Right?
Sure, content is king. But just like in chess, the king can't do much on his own. Identifying the skill gaps that hold a company back from achieving its objectives should be the talent manager's first step when developing learning content. It's an important knowledge-building step because it provides the foundation on which HR-initiated learning programs are built.
Next, talent managers need to determine how to measure learning impact. This benchmarking analysis can then guide the design of an organization' s learning programs, as well as content development.
It's also important for HR leaders to understand the options they have available when specifying content for learning programs. Depending on the organization, content may come from disparate sources and take a variety of forms. For example, a hospital may work with one vendor on clinical content and another vendor for the best content on coding and billing.
Choosing a learning partner can be a critical decision. Talent managers should learn as much as possible about vendor offerings, and in the case of learning content, what restrictions external partners may have around content development. Talent leaders charged with learning responsibilities should work with a partner that has expertise in performance improvement, and it's advisable to consider partnering with a full range of in-house content and media developers as well.
Whomever the talent manager chooses to help implement enterprise learning, external or internal partners must be able to blend all content to deliver a multisensory learning experience that can be used for both instructor-led and Web-based learning.
It's Not About the Bike
As Lance Armstrong won race after race, people wanted to know what kind of bike he rode, what kind of gears he used and what tires he had on his bike. His answer was always the same: It's not about the bike. Yes, he had the very best bike, they very best tires and they very best gears. But in the end, that's not why he won the race. It's the same with learning technology.
Technology has made tremendous advances in the past five years. Many learning technology providers offer a cornucopia of standard features for learning management systems. But chances are these features won't fit all organizations' needs right out of the box.
It is the HR or talent management leader's responsibility to learn as much as possible about the learning technology available in order to assist an organization in meeting its immediate and long-range business goals.
A good learning management system (LMS) solution supports a range of formats, including asynchronous or self-directed Web-based learning; synchronous, or live learning, instructor-led, Web-based learning; and traditional, classroom-based, instructor-led learning.
No matter which delivery mode is appropriate for a learning program, the organization' s LMS should be able to:
a) Synchronize with human resource management systems.
b) Provide robust virtual classrooms that facilitate whiteboard sessions, interactive project work, breakout rooms and online mentoring.
c) Automate, track and manage compliance training and certification programs from a single, global platform.
d) Manage course offerings, participant enrollment, testing data and more.
e) Design and deliver an unlimited number of assessments with automated testing and grading.
f) Organize and track personal transcripts and learning plans.
Talent managers should be careful identifying the right system provider: Some aren't interested in training employees to use the company's new training system, leaving them to struggle along as best they can to figure out the new technology. Look for a commitment from the provider that assures employees will know what they're doing once the system implementation is complete.
Attending user groups and trade shows and networking with peers are great ways for talent management executives and their staffs to stay informed about learning practices. In addition to learning about the technology, talent leaders should pay attention to solutions that facilitate their ability to provide meaningful business-performanc e measurements and aid development of business acumen. Recent studies show business leaders want their learning and talent leaders to be well-informed about the business areas they affect.
People, Process, Technology
Ever-tightening budgets are forcing many HR departments to fulfill training duties with less staff, and they must think and act creatively to provide the most qualified trainers with the least amount of resources invested. This puts a greater emphasis on distributing the learning function throughout the organization.
It is important for talent management executives and HR leaders to identify the key subject matter experts throughout the organization. Talent leaders need to identify the relevant departments responsible for establishing and upholding best practices and choose the appropriate trainer candidates based on who is performing those relevant tasks.
This also reduces the likelihood of conflict or disruption in the training cycle because the subject matter expert is doing the training and will be seen as a proponent of the training. In this scenario, train-the-trainer instruction takes on special significance because subject matter experts are not experienced trainers. As a result, staff may need to focus on training fundamentals first.
It's also important for HR leaders to share with company executives and managers that subject matter experts need time to work with the materials to be able to provide the best educational experiences. The expectation often is that experts can leave their jobs, train their co-workers and then go back to work. It's more than simply taking people "off the line" while they share their knowledge. Training the trainers is only effective if they're given the time to learn the new programs/systems prior to becoming the trainers.
In large organizations at the forefront of enterprise-learning best practices, learning functions are distributed widely for the greatest impact and effectiveness. Programs should strive for this wide distribution so talent managers can take advantage of all the knowledge and expertise that exists within the organization - not just in HR.
In the long run, the considerable up-front work of training the trainers and subject matter experts can help ease the burden of learning program management and provide the talent management team with more time for core tasks such as building skills, aligning practices and assimilating new employees in support or organizational goals.
[About the Author: Robb Powell is president of Gradepoint, an enterprise learning company based in Detroit, Mich
by Robb Powell
As the world moves to an increasingly fast-paced, service-oriented global economy, talent management tasks grow more difficult to complete. Yet, HR must find top talent, develop future leaders and motivate employees if their organizations are to succeed. To make matters worse, marketplace concerns come on top of HR-specific issues such as regulatory compliance related to HIPAA and Sarbanes-Oxley.
Given the increasing pressures and complexity faced by HR and talent management leaders, more and more companies are turning to learning and development as a way to improve performance. When executed according to best practices, a learning program can help HR leaders and companies they serve stay on top of their game.
However, before HR leaders can help create learning programs for the rest of the company in support of broader business objectives, they have a lot to learn about effective enterprise learning. HR leaders must understand where their companies are today and where they need to be tomorrow. It takes vision, hard work and a keen understanding of the inner workings of an organization to put these pieces together and to mesh them with appropriate learning interventions in a way that leads to successful business results.
Pave the Road Ahead
For effective enterprise learning to occur throughout an organization, executive buy-in is critical. The more executives from various departments and those at the top are involved and engaged, the more impact enterprise learning will have on the organization. HR leaders needs to, at a minimum, bring executives into the conversation. Executives must understand the bottom-line organizational impact for proposed learning programs and be given opportunities to commit to and become champions for enterprise learning.
To assure executive level buy-in, there are at least three fundamental barriers to overcome:
a) Alignment: Priorities vary from department to department, but learning efforts should always align with strategic company objectives. Talent managers should make certain they focus on these objectives when communicating with executives and creating development programs.
b) Performance measurement: Talent managers should be prepared to share with executives how they will measure the impact of learning programs on achieving company objectives.
c) Governance: An organization' s system of control, whether it's highly centralized or dispersed over multiple, far-flung locations, is critical to influence how learning programs are accepted throughout the organization.
Talent managers should take their organizations' governance models into consideration when selling learning programs to executive teams and identify communication gates throughout the learning process to keep senior leaders apprised of learning progress and ensure continued support.
Learning Content is King, Right?
Sure, content is king. But just like in chess, the king can't do much on his own. Identifying the skill gaps that hold a company back from achieving its objectives should be the talent manager's first step when developing learning content. It's an important knowledge-building step because it provides the foundation on which HR-initiated learning programs are built.
Next, talent managers need to determine how to measure learning impact. This benchmarking analysis can then guide the design of an organization' s learning programs, as well as content development.
It's also important for HR leaders to understand the options they have available when specifying content for learning programs. Depending on the organization, content may come from disparate sources and take a variety of forms. For example, a hospital may work with one vendor on clinical content and another vendor for the best content on coding and billing.
Choosing a learning partner can be a critical decision. Talent managers should learn as much as possible about vendor offerings, and in the case of learning content, what restrictions external partners may have around content development. Talent leaders charged with learning responsibilities should work with a partner that has expertise in performance improvement, and it's advisable to consider partnering with a full range of in-house content and media developers as well.
Whomever the talent manager chooses to help implement enterprise learning, external or internal partners must be able to blend all content to deliver a multisensory learning experience that can be used for both instructor-led and Web-based learning.
It's Not About the Bike
As Lance Armstrong won race after race, people wanted to know what kind of bike he rode, what kind of gears he used and what tires he had on his bike. His answer was always the same: It's not about the bike. Yes, he had the very best bike, they very best tires and they very best gears. But in the end, that's not why he won the race. It's the same with learning technology.
Technology has made tremendous advances in the past five years. Many learning technology providers offer a cornucopia of standard features for learning management systems. But chances are these features won't fit all organizations' needs right out of the box.
It is the HR or talent management leader's responsibility to learn as much as possible about the learning technology available in order to assist an organization in meeting its immediate and long-range business goals.
A good learning management system (LMS) solution supports a range of formats, including asynchronous or self-directed Web-based learning; synchronous, or live learning, instructor-led, Web-based learning; and traditional, classroom-based, instructor-led learning.
No matter which delivery mode is appropriate for a learning program, the organization' s LMS should be able to:
a) Synchronize with human resource management systems.
b) Provide robust virtual classrooms that facilitate whiteboard sessions, interactive project work, breakout rooms and online mentoring.
c) Automate, track and manage compliance training and certification programs from a single, global platform.
d) Manage course offerings, participant enrollment, testing data and more.
e) Design and deliver an unlimited number of assessments with automated testing and grading.
f) Organize and track personal transcripts and learning plans.
Talent managers should be careful identifying the right system provider: Some aren't interested in training employees to use the company's new training system, leaving them to struggle along as best they can to figure out the new technology. Look for a commitment from the provider that assures employees will know what they're doing once the system implementation is complete.
Attending user groups and trade shows and networking with peers are great ways for talent management executives and their staffs to stay informed about learning practices. In addition to learning about the technology, talent leaders should pay attention to solutions that facilitate their ability to provide meaningful business-performanc e measurements and aid development of business acumen. Recent studies show business leaders want their learning and talent leaders to be well-informed about the business areas they affect.
People, Process, Technology
Ever-tightening budgets are forcing many HR departments to fulfill training duties with less staff, and they must think and act creatively to provide the most qualified trainers with the least amount of resources invested. This puts a greater emphasis on distributing the learning function throughout the organization.
It is important for talent management executives and HR leaders to identify the key subject matter experts throughout the organization. Talent leaders need to identify the relevant departments responsible for establishing and upholding best practices and choose the appropriate trainer candidates based on who is performing those relevant tasks.
This also reduces the likelihood of conflict or disruption in the training cycle because the subject matter expert is doing the training and will be seen as a proponent of the training. In this scenario, train-the-trainer instruction takes on special significance because subject matter experts are not experienced trainers. As a result, staff may need to focus on training fundamentals first.
It's also important for HR leaders to share with company executives and managers that subject matter experts need time to work with the materials to be able to provide the best educational experiences. The expectation often is that experts can leave their jobs, train their co-workers and then go back to work. It's more than simply taking people "off the line" while they share their knowledge. Training the trainers is only effective if they're given the time to learn the new programs/systems prior to becoming the trainers.
In large organizations at the forefront of enterprise-learning best practices, learning functions are distributed widely for the greatest impact and effectiveness. Programs should strive for this wide distribution so talent managers can take advantage of all the knowledge and expertise that exists within the organization - not just in HR.
In the long run, the considerable up-front work of training the trainers and subject matter experts can help ease the burden of learning program management and provide the talent management team with more time for core tasks such as building skills, aligning practices and assimilating new employees in support or organizational goals.
[About the Author: Robb Powell is president of Gradepoint, an enterprise learning company based in Detroit, Mich