Wanted–A Learning Strategy

IN the past few weeks, a number of organizations have approached me with a common problem. They don’t know how to bring all their training efforts together, they lack strategy, focus and a unified vision.

Within organizations, training requirements are not shrinking; in fact, they are becoming more and more chaotic. To align training efforts with the strategic goals of an enterprise and create effective instruction, organizations need to link strategic goals with training delivery goals and methods. The organization’s strategic goals should guide the training direction.

Unfortunately, the state of many training organizations within companies is that they have multiple inefficiencies; no understanding of how all the training fits together, no handle on all the training employees are required to take and no direct link between training outcomes and organizational goals.

In the past these organizations have implemented too many quick fix solutions. This has lead to confused employees and difficulties in measuring training progress against organizational goals.

Organizations need to step back and take a more strategic view of the myriad of training requirements placed on employees.

One way to accomplish this is to conduct an analysis or audit of the existing training programs, courses and initiatives to highlight possible mis-alignments and identify opportunities for improvement. If done properly, audit and recommendation process provides a methodology for identifying the right types of training with the right delivery method in terms of cost, efficiency and level of recall and retention required.

To establish a strategy, five steps are required.
Step One: Define Strategic Knowledge Objectives
Step Two: Identify Courses and Material that Support Strategy Knowledge Objectives
Step Three: Determine Learning Paths
Step Four: Determine Right Delivery methods
Step Five: Implement and Monitor Plan

Each of these steps, done in a systematic way will help an organization get out from under the chaotic training requirements swirling around the organization. The most important is to define the strategic knowledge objectives…what objectives give your organization a strategic advantage? Identify those items and focus on those, with limited time and resources all training can’t be provided so choose only the high value.