Learning Leaders Forum

Are We Missing the "I" in the ROI of e-Learning

ROI stands for Return on Investment and is the most commonly used financial calculation for determining the business impact of training projects. We calculate the ROI of a training project by first determining the total monetary benefit derived from the project such as increased customer satisfaction, staff reduction, productivity improvements, increased revenue, decrease costs, cost avoidance, or increased strategic advantage. Second, we estimate the total cost of developing and deploying the project. These costs typically include course development, travel, hotels, instructors, facilities and infrastructure. We then calculate ROI of the training project from these two numbers.

The Role of User Generated Learning Content in Workforce Learning and Development (By Mark Bower, trainingindustry.com, Fall 2009)

Most businesses know that if they could capture and utilize the best and brightest ideas of their

workers, there would be value in that information. As Blogs and Wikis are more widely utilized in business, we are seeing this potential realized. The technology and communication capability of Blogs and Wikis enable workers to easily share a wide range of information. An important category of this information is “user generated learning content” and this user generated learning content will be a key component in the way workers will learn and develop skills.

While having the perception as a leading edge learning tool, the Blogs and Wikis that enable user generated learning content are not a dramatic departure from the two primary ways workers have always learned. First, workers have always learned informally through peers, research, experience, and coaching. An example of this is the learning that takes place in the coffee room where workers share business problems and ideas with coworkers. This concept of informal learning is not new but receives more attention now with the increasing use of Blogs and Wikis in the workplace.

Guerrilla ROI: Building a High-Impact Project Portfolio

As the economic climate improves, and companies transition from a bottom-line focus to a top-line focus, businesses must respond quickly to new opportunities and changes in the landscape. In this ultra-competitive economy, enterprises are introducing products, services and processes at an accelerating rate.

Companies must respond quickly and effectively to opportunity. To be successful, they must rapidly respond to new opportunities and continually search for ways to maximize the impact of resources.

This faster pace influences all business functions, especially workforce learning and performance. Every function must maximize its resources to produce the highest-possible impact.

The Gestalt of Performance

The Gestalt of Performance Article

An associate of mine was telling me of a sales training project his company just completed. His client was introducing sales training to address shortfalls quarterly sales performance.  On a flag ship product line, the sales team was consistently not meeting its sales objectives and the client though training would be the solution. The project seemed straightforward enough.

As the project began and training objectives developed, it appeared only 50% of the training was focused on product knowledge and sales techniques. The remaining 50% was directed at navigating the complex administrative systems in place at the company and mechanics of actually placing an order.

I began to think about this. I had seen the same situation myself in previous engagements. That is, developing training to achieve a specific business objective only to have its impact diminished by other factors. In this case the complexity of fulfilling and ordering the product.

What are the issues in this situation? This is a question that has to be answered from a number of perspectives. Why a number of different perspectives? The answer lies in how your performance is measured.

Why Workforce Learning and Performance is Important

I walked into Starbucks the other day, looked to the menu, and didn’t see anything that looked good. So I ask the person behind the counter “What was a cool and hip drink everyone is drinking these days that I might like”. I didn’t get an immediate response so I thought perhaps the person looked at me and thought “There is no drink in the world that could make this guy cool and hip “ I didn’t like that idea to well so I thought perhaps they looked at me and said “Wow, this guy is already so cool and hip I couldn’t even begin to think of a drink that would improve upon that“

  

 

Finally it occurred to me the question was a bit obtuse so I rephrased the question to "I'm really not sure what I want but I would like something a little bit different than I normally have.  What would you recommend?"

There is More to Training Than Just Developing Courses

We have found the hour that a learner spends in training is only a fraction of the total time and resource that must be committed to support that hour. This is especially true in the age of learner directed training. The activities that must support that hour of training are numerous.

Here are some examples:

Learning Professionals: Don’t say Pedagogical in the boardroom

I often think that as knowledge workers and learning professionals we believe the sheer intellectual brilliance and insight of our ideas will carry the day and win support. But generally, this just isn’t true.  When we are selling our ideas, we have to remember a very important fundamental axiom. “The best idea does not always win. It is the best-presented idea that wins.”

Building a Learning Coalition

How can learning leaders form a true coalition of a diverse group of people with limited resources? By demonstrating how such an arrangement can add value for everyone involved.

The concept of building a learning coalition is interesting. There is a fairly large body of knowledge, research and documentation regarding the composition and characteristics of a coalition. The nature of a coalition becomes apparent when it’s contrasted with a team:

•  A team is a group of individuals with similar values, characteristics and priorities working toward a common goal.
•  A coalition is a group of individuals with dissimilar values, characteristics and priorities working toward a common goal. The members of a coalition forgo their own goals for the mission of the coalition.

Brilliant on the Basics – Using Process and Technology to Increase Business Impact

I was presenting at an ASTD Chapter Meeting last month. I began by asking this question. “By a show of hands, who has heard of Dr. Donald Kirkpatrick?” Almost every hand in the room went up. Next, I asked. “Who has seen Dr. Donald Kirkpatrick’s presentation on the Four Levels of Evaluation?” Not surprisingly, almost all the hands in the room stayed up. Finally, I asked. “Who has ever sung the Green Bay Packer fight song?” Almost every hand stayed up as you would expect if you have ever seen Don present.