Chief Learning Officer - October 2008 - (Page 37)

dents to the survey said they’d like to include performance-related measurements in their reports to the C-suite, and 53 percent of respondents would like to include business-based costs. Both are metrics that would be of interest to business-unit managers and executives. However, only 43 percent of respondents include such performance measurements — revenues per sales representative or number of resolved calls per representative, for example — in regular reports. A learning leader in line with the needs of the C-suite will look beyond ﬁll-rate percentages and the number of employees who have completed training when compiling measurement reports. They instead will learn to maximize their LMSs, HR systems and performance systems to pull out relevant performance measurements. Measure Efﬁciency Before learning professionals can begin to pull “hidden jewels” from their current systems, they need to know how efﬁcient — or inefﬁcient — they are. Operational efﬁciency is hardly a sexy topic, especially in corporate training, where delivery always has the spotlight. And because efﬁciency can be difﬁcult to deﬁne and achieve, it’s often overlooked. However, research points to the fact that efﬁcient operations are a key success factor for corporate training organizations. The more efﬁcient the training operations, the more budgets open up for training delivery and development. It is with this in mind that all learning leaders also must measure their internal efﬁciency. Where is money being misspent? Where are processes broken or cumbersome? Where are personnel hours being misused? What systems are being underutilized? With a comprehensive efﬁciency audit, learning leaders have the ability to bolster their measurement capabilities, allowing candid conversations about where resources are being used appropriately and which resources should be reallocated. No one can afford to ignore the value of operational excellence. Develop New Methods to Measure Informal and Alternative Learning According to Expertus, 55 percent of learning leaders rely on their LMS for learning measurement. However, in a recent webinar, Josh Bersin revealed that only 10 percent of corporate learning occurs in a traditional learning environment such as with an LMS. On the other hand, 20 percent of learning takes place when learners are seeking information in support of their work, and 70 percent of learning occurs through informal, on-the-job training. In August 2007, Forrester Research analyst Claire Schooley, with Kyle McNabb and Shelby Semmes, released research indicating that “informal learning continues to gain ground in the corporate training environment as instant messaging (IM), blogs and communities of practice ﬁnd homes in lines of business. Today’s workers enter the workforce expecting access to the same kind of tools they use in their personal life to help them do work. But there’s a disconnect; most organizations still spend the majority of their training dollars on formal learning even though most employees now learn primarily through informal activities.” Learning leaders who limit themselves to measurement of formal learning need to think bigger. They are missing out on the vast majority of learning that’s happening in the workplace. The C-suite and businessunit managers want to know how employees are learning — and what they’re learning — through wikis, blogs and other informal channels. But most importantly, they want know how these things are affecting the business. Chief Learning Ofﬁcer • October 2008 • www.clomedia.com 37 http://www.clomedia.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Chief Learning Officer - October 2008

Chief Learning Officer - October 2008 Editor’s Letter Connections Business Impact Best Practices Effectiveness Guest Editorial How Fast Is Your ‘B’ Team? Hampton Hotels CLO Profile Save the World, Make a Buck: Seven Ideas From the Nonprofit Sector Developing Leaders at Amnesty International Learning Measurements: It’s Time to Align Aligning Measurement to Business Success Training Employees With Special Needs How to Reach Disabled Learners Hands Off: Facilitating Informal Learning Who Owns Informal Learning? Case Study Business Intelligence Advertisers’ Index Editorial Resources In Conclusion

Chief Learning Officer - October 2008

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