Elearning! Dec-Jan

DEC 2014 -JAN 2015

Elearning! Magazine: Building Smarter Companies via Learning & Workplace Technologies.

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20 December 2014 / January 2015 Elearning! continuous learning to a secure social learning collaboration site on their corporate intranet. Further, the learning activities must also be aligned to business objectives. If learn- ing programs aren't aligned to the needs of the business, it's akin to training to play baseball but being asked to compete in ten- nis and expecting to see better results on the tennis court. The right learning program, one built on the foundation of a continuous learn- ing culture and aligned to business objec- tives, has great potential to decrease cycle time, reduce costs, and increase sales. Yet many organizations have not unlocked the full potential of their learning pro- grams to demonstrate business impact. According to Aberdeen, only "30 percent of organizations combine talent data with business data to measure the impact on organizational performance." In order to measure the results, the alignment needs to occur. In The Value of Learning: Gaug- ing the Business Impact of Organizational Learning Programs, the point is very clear: "If learning activities are to posi- tively affect organizational bottom lines, or even achieve high effectiveness, the strategies underlying them must tie to the specific results (outcomes) the orga- nization seeks to achieve." Learning leaders who desire to shif away from counting course completions to demonstrating business impact with their learning programs can do so by ensuring a tighter connection with business leaders in the organization. Te Corporate Executive Board (CEB) ofers advice for those trying to make the shif: "Te best organizations are oriented around three opportunities for shifing L&D; from simply building capa- bilities to infuencing the business: >> "Focus L&D; staf on the behaviors and activities that matter most. >> "Enable L&D; staf to efectively apply those behaviors and execute key activi- ties. >> "Utilize day-to-day work to develop critical capabilities." FROM LEARNING AS AN EVENT TO LEARNING AS A LIFESTYLE Learning is not a one-and-done event. To get ahead in life and on the job, we need to change our mindset to embrace learning weekly, if not daily. Continuous reinforced learning aligned to business objectives will give organizations clear competitive advan- tage. It's time we start asking, "Where will we take our organization tomorrow with what we learn today?" —Sources: McKinsey Global Institute ("Te World at Work: Jobs, Pay, and Skills for 3.5 Billion People," report, June, 2012); BHG ("Relationship Centered Learning: An Adaptive Learning Model Industry Perspec- tive," report, February, 2013); Hermann Ebbinghaus ("Memory: Contribution to Experimental Psychology," experimental study, 1885); Aberdeen ("Talent Analytics: Moving Beyond the Hype," research report, April, 2014); ASTD ("Te Value of Learning: Gauging the Business Impact of Organiza- tional Learning Programs," research, 2013); CEB (http://www.executiveboard.com/exbd- resources/pdf/human-resources/learning-de- velopment/Improve-the-Impact-of-the-LD- Function-on-Business-Outcomes.pdf ) —Te author is the senior marketing manager at Skillsof. 'When we look at designing a specifc program, we look at the ultimate business result that is required. In terms of revenue growth, in terms of proftability, in terms of customer satisfaction, in terms of employee retention, and employee engagement … that's how we align our learning programs.' —Madana Kumar, senior director of Learning & Development at UST Global

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