Making Your Corporate Learning and Development Strategic
Are you searching for the most effective way to gain a competitive advantage? Strategic learning and development is one area should you put an effort into.
Put your focus on learning and development.
Time and time again when research is conducted on the topic we see that high-performing companies and organizations have one thing in common—a dedication to continual learning and development.
Download the free whitepaper The Strategic Value of Workplace Training and Development
L&D isn’t a one-time proposition that happens when you bring on a new staff member, or at least it shouldn’t be.
It needs to be an ingrained part of your corporate culture and strategy and you’re going to not only see improved performance, but also have less turnover and more satisfied employees.
In order to achieve this, it’s imperative that your learning and development is strategic and has a long-term focus. See how eLeaP can help transform your organization.
Consider the following steps to guide you through the process of creating an L&D strategy:
Look at Your Company’s Overall Long-Term Objectives and Trajectory
If you expect a culture of continual learning and development to be ingrained in your company’s very existence, you need to tie it in with your overall objectives. When looking at your organization’s future goals and plans, ensure you’re tying these in with how you plan to train and develop your employees. It’s important to align your business, HR and learning strategies to create a cohesive plan for your company.
Be Specific
When you’re considering learning and business goals you can think about the larger picture but you also need to get specific in order to know where to target your L&D efforts.
For example, if your goal is to increase your revenue by a certain percentage, outline this and then develop an L&D strategy that specifically addresses this objective.
Strategize from the Top
The most successful L&D strategies include not just the input but the full dedication of an organization’s top leaders. This is the only way the culture of a company is going to be one that’s focused on continual learning.
Along with getting leaders onboard, it’s often a good idea to include them in the development of the strategy.
Develop Based on Data
A strategy is just that—strategic. It needs to be based on data.
Look at a variety of data including talent management and human resources numbers as well as possible return on investment outcomes.
For example, look at your ROI for being able to promote internally based on your learning and development strategy versus having to look externally for talent.
Create Processes
While much of the work behind developing a comprehensive L&D strategy relies on larger themes, objectives and data, you also have to look at the very basic elements of how you’ll deliver training and development content.
Most modern continual learning strategies utilize eLearning, mobile learning or a combination of digitally-driven learning and instructor-led training.
You’ll have to assess the needs of your organization and then compare those needs with your available resources. Also when thinking delivery and implementation, consider the audience for whom you’re developing content.
Constantly Analyze
Any strong strategy requires continual analysis. You can look at smaller elements of analysis including the assessments and reporting available through your learning management system, and then over time compare this small-scale data to your larger goals.
The benefit of delivering training and development through a learning management system is the ability to quickly and easily make changes to content resulting from on-going analysis.
Has your organization committed to being strategic with your learning and development? If so, what methods are you putting in place to ensure your entire company is dedicated to the strategy?