Andrew Wojecki

Moving the yardsticks of the learning event

Good little article from McKinsey on getting more out of your training programs. Covers all the basics, but I always enjoy reading on the topic. I'm becoming more curious how vendors and consultants see their role and value proposition in extending their tradional scope of focus beyond the formal training component. Particularly, consulting firms which some critics say are able to develop good strategies and initiatives, but struggle in ensuring success occurs through the implementation piece with their client. Interesting to see the productive tensions for all stakeholders, when the yardsticks for measuring the learning event get moved.

Set Moonshots for Metrics

Moonshots are big lofty goals, like when President Kennedy said we’d go to the moon. In the area of management, Gary Hamel has called for Moonshots in Management (HBR, Nov, 2009, pp. 91-98), cultivating a paradigm shift in how the future of the management profession must continue to evolve within the shifting social structures, technologies, and volatile business environments. Similarly, Jim Collins in exploring corporate strategy in Good to Great, likened moonshots to Big, Hairy, Audacious, Goals, or BHAGS, which become a “unifying focal point of effort, galvanizing people and creating team spirit as people strive toward a finish line” (p. 202, 2001). Learning leaders need to do the same for measurement within their own business contexts.

Moonshots and BHAGS become critical touchpoints in the narrative learning leaders must build for a transfer-driven mindset in their organization. Setting such stretch goals for ourselves, our teams, and our organizations, in better measuring the impact and value of the investments in learning, enables the business to accelerate forward. A movement from a train and hope, to an intentional and business-results mindset takes hold. Measurement is hard work, and it often does not involve flipping a switch off and on. That is why it is, continues to be, and will remain a dominant and prevalent theme in the corporate learning literature and consulting domains. Time, investment, and senior executive buy-in are critical in building a robust measurement ecosystem. Remember, from little things big things grow. Establish a blueprint and strategic plan of the initiatives and investments you’ll make over the next three years. Articulate how these investments align to and support the overall business goals your firm has targeted. Demonstrate the linkages between what you have done in previous years, achieved in 2010, and how these accomplishments integrate into your future plans. Overtime you can establish the foundation you need, the structure you require, and the accessories you desire: all in fulfilling the moonshots you set for measurement.

Predictions for corporate learning in 2011

This is my take on all the upcoming learning and talent predictions for 2011, stay connected for the updates as we wind down 2010.

Prediction 1

Learning Leaders will delete the term "learning journey" from their vocabulary, as they describe the history and trajectory of their learning organizations. Instead, you will hear Learning Leaders describe their "measurement campaigns." Firstly, we talk about learning too much. That's because we are in the fish bowl. What we talk alot about and still search solutions for, are action-oriented activities to sustain measurement and knowledge transfer. Measurement and knowledge transfer should not be treated as journeys. They are campaigns.

Did you ever run for class president in high school? I didn't. It seemed to hard. Well, measurement is hard. Particularly, in complex organizational structures. Learning leaders can learn from politics. Think about political campaigns and all the effort, energy, stakeholder engagement, communications, marketing, branding, compromises, and most importantly, compelling story-telling that are required to win. That's no different than winning the measurement campaign within your organization. Learning and measurement can be drowned out by competing priorities, resource constraints, and lack of organizational interest or will.

As you reflect and plan for 2011 don't frame it as a continuation of your learning journey, but rather, the beginnings of your measurement campaign.

If Learning is a Process, then building a transfer-driven mindset in your organization should be one to

It is clear that we leave learning on the table everyday, and we need to do something about it. Knowledge Advisors, a global learning analytics firm, has conducted research studies indicating that 60% of training is not applied back on the job. In the learning industry the term  “scrap learning” is commonly utilized to apply to this lost investment in learning. Clearly, we need to be more accountable, proactive, and transparent, with all of our stakeholders (employees, supervisors, HR, and the Business Line), in ensuring that learning sticks, new behaviors take hold, and employees return to a conducive environment to sustain business impact

Managing change is paramount, particularly, in large, complex organizations. These organizations can be highly disciplined, procedural, and risk averse.  When moving into the learning function of a large corporation, a mentor wisely advised me, “This place is like a large supertanker with a very small rudder. But stay focused on the rudder (focus on the right initiatives) because when the ship turns, it’ll go where you point it.” Applying that advice, learning leaders must maintain a resolute focus on the pivot point you are steering your learning team, and ultimately, business toward. Persistence, simplicity, demonstrated results, and relentless marketing of an impact and value focus will help transition your organization toward a transfer-driven mindset.

As learning leaders striving to deliver high-impact learning within our organizations, the topic of training transfer will continue to grow in its relevance. As we move to better support and sustain blended learning solutions to leverage the social, informal, and peer learning occurring within our businesses, the classroom may not be a priori. Many business executives have mental models ascribing training to be formal and four-wall bound. As we harness the continuum of learning occurring before, during, and after, this pulls the learning function outside of its traditional realm of ‘the training event.’ Taking an approach out of Clayton Christiansen’s playbook, learning leaders chasing transfer and business results, will disrupt the notion of the formal learning event as their raison d etre.