It’s time for the learning function to step up as a strategic business function in the organization. For too long, learning has been complaining about getting a “seat at the table” but failed to bring anything substantial to that table. Learning will be a key element for helping organizations find their way through the COVID-19 pandemic, its aftermath and whatever comes next.
The L&D function cannot continue to offer the same, one-size-fits-all, check-the-box learning. It must partner with the rest of the organization to fully understand and align with the company’s needs to meet its goals now — and in the future. Brandon Hall Group research finds that 54% of companies say L&D’s lack of alignment with business goals keeps them from achieving critical outcomes.
To remedy this, the learning function must:
- Align with organizational performance
- Become a center of performance consulting
- Gain an understanding of data integrity and advanced analytics
- Recognize the convergence of learning and performance
- Create learning focused on real outcomes
In general, learning must look at the strategic reasons for leveraging people, processes and technology, always with an eye on how it helps the business. Many organizations are making efforts in this direction, but there is a long way to go.
According to our research:
- Eighty-five percent of companies say that aligning the learning strategy with the business is either important or critical to achieving business goals.
- Only one-third of organizations believe their learning strategy helps them achieve business goals.
- Fewer than half (44%) of companies are optimistic about their ability to develop the skills required in the future and only 8% say they are completely prepared to do so.
To help foster this transformation of the learning function, Brandon Hall Group draws from our 27 years of experience in researching corporate L&D and advising Fortune 1,000 companies to launch the Certified Learning Strategist program.
Learning professionals who earn the CLS designation:
- Are positioned as business leaders with expertise in strategic learning and development.
- Develop broad capabilities to assume a variety of roles to leverage learning to improve business outcomes.
- Expand their ability to collaborate with a broad group of stakeholders across the enterprise.
The CLS program is a learning journey free of ratings or grades. It is focused solely on enabling learning professionals to learn and apply new competencies to drive business results in their organizations. Busy professionals can complete the certification at their own pace. And it is all done virtually.
The CLS program is not a certification that only benefits individual learning professionals. It can also have a huge impact on an organization by ensuring the learning function is filled with agile, strategic professionals who are keenly focused on meeting the needs of the business.
And Brandon Hall Group’s learning and development experts, with more than 120 years of collective experience, are available throughout the certification process to answer questions and provide support.
For more information, contact us at [email protected]
-David Wentworth, Principal L&D Analyst, Brandon Hall Group
For information on Brandon Hall Group’s research and how we can assist your organization, please visit www.brandonhall.com
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