RESEARCH RESEARCH RESEARCH RESEARCH THE LPI RESEARCH COMPANION Guiding you through the maze of L&D research Issue No. 1 Sept 2015
THE LPI RESEARCH COMPANION Research, research, research! There are so many organisations issuing research into L&D trends and topics that it can be hard to keep up. Where do you start? Which reports have the data you re looking for? This is where the LPI Research Companion can help, by cutting through the noise and giving you the most relevant highlights and action points from the very best research the L&D industry has to offer. In this issue we look at the following four reports, published in the last few months: The 2015 Digital Business Global Executive Study and Research Project MIT Sloan Management Review and Deloitte The LPI Learning Survey The Learning and Performance Institute research into workplace learning Learning Trends Report 2015 Good Practice research into skills L&D: evolving roles, enhancing skills CIPD/Towards Maturity report on L&D skills As a learning professional, if something catches your eye we would encourage you to explore these reports more fully. So let s delve in...
THE 2015 DIGITAL BUSINESS GLOBAL EXECUTIVE STUDY & RESEARCH PROJECT About the research This study was carried out in the autumn of 2014 by MIT Sloan Management Review and Deloitte. It includes insights from individuals in 129 countries and 27 different industries. The study looks at digital transformation and compares organisations that are at the beginning of their digital journey with those who are more digitally mature. Eye-catching findings This research shows that organisations can only realize the true potential of digital technologies such as social, mobile, analytics and cloud if they integrate them to transform their businesses. Simply focusing on one, such as social, will have limited success. Changing to a digital organisation requires a change in mindsets, processes and cultures. This is about investing in technology and organizational capability, not just technology. Strategy is at the heart of digitally mature organisations they are five times more likely to have a clear digital strategy than less mature organisations. Lack of strategy is also the biggest barrier to digital maturity. Less digitally mature organisations tend to focus on technology as a means to end and adopt new technology for specific operational purposes. They do not focus on transforming the business, unlike digitally mature organisations. Respondents to the study said that employees want to work at successful digital companies. Process transformation is important here. For example, companies such as Walt Disney have shifted classroom training to an online platform where employees can access content when and how they need to. The reason for doing this is to support business agility, which the research shows is a key component of a digitally mature organisation. (contd.)
Finally, the research shows that leaders are expected to understand digital technology and use it. They must also listen and learn from how people use technology as this will provide more ideas for developing better internal processes. What to act on The report urges action in the following four areas: 1 Strategy Think about how you can move from technology as an operational enabler - improving customer service, for example, it becoming the transformational force in the business. 2 Leadership Ensure your leaders are equipped with the right digital tools as well as the right mindset to embrace digital transformation. 3 Culture Look at how you can move away from business silos to more collaborative ways of working. Collaboration is at the heart of innovation. 4 Talent development A critical element of digital transformation is having a workforce with the right digital skills so focus on developing those skills across all employees. THE 2015 DIGITAL BUSINESS GLOBAL EXECUTIVE STUDY & RESEARCH PROJECT http://sloanreview.mit.edu/projects/strategy-drives-digital-transformation/
THE LPI LEARNING SURVEY About the research In April and March 2015, the LPI surveyed 485 learning professionals who were either in-house L&D professionals (255 respondents), external L&D providers (146 respondents), internal training managers responsible for procuring training services (28 respondents) and others (48 respondents). The research looks at training preferences, buying intentions and L&D challenges. Eye-catching findings Overall, respondents to the survey are optimistic. They say they are seeing evidence of improvements in the economy. That will mean more spending internally on L&D as well as an increase in spending on external providers. In the last couple of years, spending on external resources has increasingly gone to consultancies. This marks a shift to more flexible resourcing being able to respond to market conditions without hiring full-time staff. A striking insight from this report is that L&D professionals continue to rely on face-to-face training. It is perceived as being the most successful form of training and the skills needed to deliver such training are plentiful. However, this form of training is in decline. There are real challenges around these new skills. To develop alternative, technology-based training initiatives requires people with a certain skills set. However, respondents report that these skills are in short supply.
What to act on This report paints a picture of a sector experiencing some growing pains. Shedding a reliance on classroom training is slow and difficult: this is about L&D weaning itself off its stock learning intervention. The question is: what does the next learning environment look like, what skills are needed to support it and how can L&D measure the value? This report suggests that there is slow progress towards technology-based approaches to learning. But this is the trajectory of travel and learners increasingly expect it. L&D teams need to have the skill and understanding to make technology a central part of the way training is delivered. THE LPI LEARNING SURVEY Full report currently only available to members of the LPI.
UK LEARNING TRENDS INDEX About the research This is the eighth edition of the Learning Trends Index from GoodPractice. The index captures the challenges facing 330 senior L&D professionals in the UK. Data was gathered in December 2014 and January 2015. Eye-catching findings The index provides a snapshot of who is doing what in terms of L&D delivery. The top five areas of focus for L&D managers are: 1) Leadership development (56%) 2) Talent management and retention (33%) 3) Industry-specific technical and professional skills (30%) 4) Management performance (26%) 5) Change management (22%) The report looked at informal learning and the 70:20:10 approach to learning. It found that 70:20:10 is being used by 44% of respondents, while 30% are planning to use it in the future. Some 46% of respondents say the approach is highly useful. Despite the fact respondents say on-the-job learning delivers lasting improvement in employee behaviour (69%), a huge 76% don t have a strategy for informal learning. Informal learning methods, such as online communities, remain an area of untapped potential with only 32% of respondents saying their L&D function intentionally uses online communities of practice to support on-the-job learning. (contd.)
On-the-job learning is provided in the following ways: 1) Providing high-quality performance support content (used by 80%) 2) Stretching assignments (used by 78%) 3) Assignments providing cross-divisional or cross-regional experience (used by 76%) 4) Planned participation in a new project or working group outside normal job role specifically for development purposes (used by 73%) 5) Exposure to other departments and roles (used by 71%) The shift to using more learning technologies is a big trend with 77% of respondents saying this will continue over the coming months and that spending on technology will increase in the coming six months (62%). More money will be spent on creating new content (58% of respondents) and on LMS systems (35% of respondents) Improving employee engagement is seen as the business driver which will have the biggest impact on the future direction of the function. This trumps cost reduction and technology innovation. And L&D believes it will have the impact it desires - 58% of respondents think L&D s impact on corporate performance will grow over the coming months. What to act on The report authors challenge what it calls L&D s overly optimistic perception of itself. It asks: If the function is performing so well, how can it take steps to first recognize that improvement might be needed, and take corrective action towards such improvement? Other studies suggest those outside of L&D are not so optimistic about the function s impact. The action point here is to collect evidence and unbiased feedback on the impact of the L&D function. Look at how to develop a process of continuous improvement and ensure team members have the right skills to meet the future needs of the business. (contd.)
The second action point is around informal learning. In order to realise the benefits, L&D teams must first have a strategy. Many don t have this. Formulate one, then look at interventions, such as online communities, that can help accelerate the take-up of informal learning. THE UK LEARNING SKILLS INDEX http://goodpractice.com/learning-trends-report-2015/
L&D: EVOLVING ROLES, ENHANCING SKILLS About the research This report has been produced by the CIPD and Towards Maturity. It pulls on data from 600 L&D professionals and the top deck of top learning organisations in the Towards Maturity Benchmark to identify the key behaviours and capabilities of a successful L&D function. Eye-catching findings The report starts by looking at alignment with the business. It reveals that top learning organisations are 100% aligned with business needs. Only 56% of L&D professionals say that their activities are aligned. Team size and available resources are no indicators of success. It is what is done with available resources that counts. Top learning organisations allocate more budget to learning technologies (35% of top deck organisations versus an average of 19% across all organisations). In the next two years, L&D professionals anticipate greater emphasis on the following skills: Social and collaborative learning facilitation Online learning/delivery Coaching/mentoring Content development Instructional design (contd.)
However, 47% of L&D professionals still rely on courses. And more than 50% are not planning to shift the focus of roles on to instructional design, content development, technology, performance consulting and data analytics. Top learning companies, on the other hand, are 50% more likely to focus roles on coaching and mentoring, technology and online delivery. There is a huge gap in what skills L&D considers to be a priority versus current in-house capability. For example, using social media effectively is considered a priority by 93% of organisations but only 15% have those skills in-house. Supporting learners online is a priority for 96% of L&D professionals, but only 36% have the right skills to do that in-house. The list goes on. What to act on Boiled down to its very basic message, this report urges L&D leaders to focus in on priority skills for now and the future. That means identifying what skills and capabilities your L&D function requires by considering the external factors that are influencing the role of L&D. Look at what is driving change in the business and look at how best your team can support improved performance. The data in this report suggest that L&D professionals know what skills they need but don t currently have them. So, evaluate your current skills and build those needed as a priority now and for the future. Embed processes for your team to learn continuously. L&D: EVOLVING ROLES, ENHANCING SKILLS http://www.cipd.co.uk/hr-resources/research/l-and-d-roles-skills.aspx
CONCLUSION When we set out to digest these four reports we didn t expect to find a common thread to run through them. But there is one and that is skills. Digital skills are at the heart of organizational transformation and the transformation of the L&D function. When four separate research reports tell you the same thing, it is time to sit up and listen. But digital transformation is not just about skills. It is about mindsets, strategy, leadership and culture. This represents a huge opportunity for L&D and these are all areas of the business that learning can influence. The Deloitte research gives some great insights from organisations at the cutting edge of digital transformation so use these insights to shape your thinking and approach. Although the shift away from classroom training is slow and painful, there is a desire from most organisations to adopt more technology-enabled learning. This should be seen in the wider business context of how technology can transform the business as a whole. Hopefully, the research discussed here will help guide you, your team and your organisation on your journey of digital transformation.
(C) The Learning & Performance Institute Learning & Performance Institute Westwood House Westwood Business Park Coventry CV4 8HS United Kingdom Tel: +44 (0) 2476 496210 http://www.thelpi.org Produced in the UK, September 2015 This document is current as of the initial date of publication and may be changed by Learning & Performance Institute (LPI) at any time. THE INFORMATION IN THIS DOCUMENT IS PROVIDED AS IS WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING WITHOUT ANY WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND ANY WARRANTY OR CONDITION OF NON-INFRINGEMENT.