Current State
Learning governance and learning strategy actually go hand in hand. It’s critically important because, in 2024, most of the top priorities for Moderate to Heavy Investment by learning teams are directly impacted by both strategy and governance.
Complexities
Learning governance and strategy are complicated by the need to ensure input from every area of the organization. Given that barely half (54%) of organizations feel their learning function is aligned or well-aligned with the needs of the business, there is a clear opportunity for improvement.
Consequences
Having a strong governance structure and a clear learning strategy offers several key benefits for companies.
Alignment with Business Goals
A well-defined learning strategy ensures that training and development efforts are aligned with the company’s overall business objectives. This helps ensure that learning initiatives are focused on developing the skills and capabilities that are most critical for business success.
Improved Efficiency and Effectiveness
Clear governance provides a structured approach to managing learning initiatives, including setting priorities, allocating resources, and monitoring progress. This can help improve the efficiency and effectiveness of learning programs, reducing duplication of efforts and ensuring that resources are directed where they will have the greatest impact.
Enhanced Employee Engagement and Retention
A strong learning strategy demonstrates the company’s commitment to employee development, which can help boost engagement and retention. When employees see that the company is investing in their growth and providing opportunities to develop new skills, they are more likely to be motivated and committed to their work.
Improved Performance and Productivity
By providing employees with the knowledge and skills they need to perform their roles effectively, a strong learning strategy can help drive improvements in individual and organizational performance. This can translate into increased productivity, quality, and customer satisfaction.
Better Risk Management
Effective learning governance can help mitigate risks associated with compliance, safety, and other regulatory requirements. By ensuring that employees are properly trained and certified, companies can reduce the risk of incidents, accidents, and legal liabilities.
Increased Agility and Innovation
A clear learning strategy can help foster a culture of continuous learning and development, which is essential for staying competitive in today’s rapidly changing business environment. By encouraging employees to acquire new skills and knowledge, companies can become more agile and innovative in responding to new challenges and opportunities.
Better Talent Management
A strong learning strategy can support talent management efforts by identifying high-potential employees and providing them with targeted development opportunities. This can help build a pipeline of future leaders and ensure that the company has the talent it needs to achieve its long-term goals.
Enhanced Brand Reputation
Companies with a strong commitment to employee learning and development often have a more positive brand reputation, which can help attract top talent and customers. By investing in its people, a company demonstrates its values and its dedication to excellence.
Overall, having strong governance and a clear learning strategy is essential for creating a high-performance learning organization that can drive business success and competitive advantage. It ensures that learning efforts are aligned, impactful, and sustainable over the long term.
Critical Questions
When evaluating learning strategy and governance, consider the following questions:
- Is our learning strategy and governance effectively supporting the achievement of our critical business objectives?
- Do we have the right governance structures, processes, and metrics in place to ensure that learning is efficient, effective, and impactful?
- Do we have a culture that values and supports continuous learning and development? Are employees actively engaged in learning?
- Are we staying ahead of the curve in terms of new learning technologies, modalities, and approaches? Are we being innovative and agile?
By honestly answering these questions, organizations can identify gaps and opportunities in their current learning governance and make targeted improvements to better support business goals. Ultimately, the goal is to ensure that learning is not just a “nice to have” or a compliance requirement, but a critical driver of business performance and competitiveness. Strong learning governance is essential for making that goal a reality.
Brandon Hall Group™ POV
Having a clear and aligned learning strategy and strong learning governance positions learning to have a powerful impact on the business. Here are four approaches to help move the organization in the right direction.
Align Learning with Business
Conduct a thorough analysis of your organization’s current and future business objectives, and identify the critical skills and capabilities needed to achieve those objectives. Ensure that your learning priorities, investments, and initiatives are aligned with these critical skill needs, and that you have clear metrics in place to measure the impact of learning on business performance.
Establish Clear Governance Structures and Processes
Define clear roles, responsibilities, and decision-making processes for learning governance, including senior leadership involvement and accountability. Implement standardized processes for needs assessment, design, delivery, and evaluation of learning programs, and ensure that these processes are consistently followed across the organization. Regularly review and optimize governance structures and processes based on feedback and results.
Foster a Culture of Continuous Learning
Actively promote and support a culture that values continuous learning and development at all levels of the organization. Encourage employees to take ownership of their own learning and provide them with the resources, time, and support they need to engage in learning activities. Recognize and reward employees who demonstrate a commitment to learning and apply new skills and knowledge on the job.
Embrace Innovation and Agility in Learning
Stay up-to-date with the latest trends and best practices in learning technologies, modalities, and approaches, and be willing to experiment with new ideas and solutions. Foster a mindset of innovation and agility within the learning function, and encourage collaboration and partnerships with external experts and providers. Continuously assess and adapt learning strategies and initiatives based on changing business needs and learner preferences.
By following these four strategies, companies can create a strong foundation for effective learning governance and strategy that drives business success and competitive advantage. Remember that building a high-performance learning organization is an ongoing journey that requires sustained commitment, leadership, and investment over time.
