It is only good to learn. This is true, but also misleading. By offering a variety of learning materials, we believe that we are guiding our colleagues towards growth and improvement.
The completion rates are a good indicator of how much learning is being done. The board should be able to see that self-reported engagement in learning metrics, and the hours spent on content are both positive statistics. In this context, it may seem obvious to ask what learning is for. What more information do we need if people are learning?
We should still question this because we can only measure the impact of L&D on the business by looking at the results. Are we improving people? Do we make a difference in skill growth? Are these the skills that our organisation needs for success?
In this context, completion rates and engagement are irrelevant. What matters is to move the needle in terms of skills, by taking a close look at what skills will drive growth over the next few months and years. To achieve this, any organisation can take five steps to transform their learning function from a free-for all into a targeted and measurable resource that employees, managers, and leaders will see as a benefit in their daily work.
Start measuring impact instead of learning
Is it fair to refer to completion rates as a vanity metric? Perhaps. We can say that as long as the people are learning we are on the right track. Learning at work should be directly linked to output. L&D professionals can access the ultimate resource to measure output: line managers. Nobody knows better than line managers about the employees’ skills, their competencies and what they need to know in order to be successful.
We can focus on learning by identifying the key skills to improve. Does this salesperson require better negotiation skills? Is there a future leader in the finance team, who is ready to move up in their career but lacks a certain knowledge? Get the line managers involved and measure success by tangible measures: more revenue from increased sales or cost savings achieved by promoting the finance director instead of hiring one.
Learn without friction
Most people want to learn. Not only is it good for business, but also for their career. It’s almost always that they are busy. When it comes to a decision between completing a module of learning or delivering a presentation for tomorrow, the presentation always wins.
It’s not abstract, but targeted learning is all about the work. When specific skills and increased capability are the goal, it is easier to integrate learning into work flow. This learning module can be used to support and inform a future project. The module could help develop the above-mentioned negotiation skills before a big new business pitch.
It’s obvious that the employee will benefit – they can do their jobs better and advance in their careers. Managers will notice an improvement in performance, and CEOs will be able to see the impact of this on their revenue. When we make it easy for people to learn and apply it in their job context, they are more likely to do it.
Build capability, not content
There has never been so much learning content available: huge libraries are at your fingertips. While libraries are a great thing, they are not the only solution. In fact, the sheer volume of content might be the issue.
Mapping learning to key skills ensures that content is relevant for the user. Check-ins between employees and managers, or, if there is the capacity, between L&D and the manager, will ensure the right skills are targeted. AI can also create individual learning paths in a fraction the time that it would take humans to do. For the first time, it is now possible to curate for individuals quickly and on a large scale. On that topic…
AI can do the heavy lifting
Artificial intelligence is capable of doing things that we would all do anything to avoid. Virtual automation can automate laborious administrative processes. You can automate complex reporting. As we mentioned earlier, the curation of individual journeys through these vast libraries of content now takes hours instead of weeks.
This is just the most basic use of AI. AI agents are now able to coach people, roleplay scenarios with them in active learning sessions, and adapt in real-time to their skills gaps. AI has been a helpful assistant for a while, but now it is evolving into a hybrid coach/project manager, allowing busy L&D departments to focus on strategic thinking.
Create a culture in which learning is a daily habit
Learning is not a goal in and of itself. It’s a tool. People will stop learning if they feel they are constantly forced to put aside time to learn. When people are pressed for time or have a deadline to meet, they will put learning first.
If learning is incorporated into the work, and not just in any way but as part of the process that makes everything easier and more enjoyable, then its worth as a tool will become clearer. It is learning that will help you to prepare for a meeting with a client, launch a product, or give a large report to your board. It is not a distraction, but an enabler. When learning is aligned to workflow and makes a difference in the work that you do, then it’s not only an enabler of better work, but also career advancement and, by extension, better business performance.
L&D teams are often seen to be in a thankless position: they work on the margins, trying their best to guide employees through an overwhelming amount of content. By tying impact to learning, L&D teams can take the spotlight. They can demonstrate their value not only as advocates of learning but also as a support system that enables success.
It takes time and effort, just like anything worth doing. The journey is worth it and the results are clear.
