Linking L&D to Strategy A practical guide

Linking L&D to Strategy It’s easy – all you need is to:  Understand the strategic context.  Know your organisational strategy.  Distinguish between which parts of L&D are strategic and which are operational.  Ask the right questions.  Implement strategic solutions.

Defining Strategy A plan of action designed to achieve a long-term or overall aim. Oxford English Dictionary A method or plan chosen to bring about a desired future, such as achievement of a goal or solution to a problem.

Company Strategy Finance Marketing Service/Product L&D and HR

Check Your Understanding Which of these L&D related themes are strategic in nature?  On-the job-training for current role  Leadership development  Induction and orientation  Executive coaching  E-learning compliance module  Communication skills training  Customer service training  Product training

Know Your Organisational Strategy Leave Your Ivory Tower  Befriend key decision makers.  Consider business from their point of view.  Accept you may not have the whole picture.  Leave the inferiority complex at the door.  Be prepared to position L&D in a wider context.

Ask The Right Questions It’s all about finding out the right information.  Speak their language.  Resist talking about L&D too early.  Ask strategic questions.  Look beyond the symptoms.

Check Your Understanding If an organisation has a choice to cut 10% of its costs or increase its revenue by 10%, which will improve the company’s financial reporting more? Do you know how much more revenue your organisation needs to counter each dollar spent on costs?

Ask Strategic Questions Ask a business related question before you ask a training question:  when looking at learning needs for the organisation  when identifying learning priorities Ask performance and potential related questions before you ask a training question:  when looking at the learning and development needs of the individual

Ask Strategic Questions What strategic questions might you ask when looking for a new leadership programme for your organisation?  Which leadership culture fits best with the desired organisational culture?  What type of leadership fits the business model outlined in the strategic plan?  How much autonomy will managers and staff have to make their own decisions?

Ask Strategic Questions What strategic questions might you ask when a manager tells you they want training for a high potential staff member.  Do you see this person moving to a senior specialist or a senior generalist role?  How will the skills of a manager change as your organisation evolves?  What is the likelihood of this company needing the same type of management in 5 years to what it needs now?  What are the transferable skills between this position and other positions in the organisation?

Asking the Strategic Questions What strategic questions might you ask when tasked with looking at options for a new performance framework?  What does the company value in terms of performance measurement?  How important is behaviour in relation to results?  What is the cultural split between competitiveness and cooperation?  What part will training have in achieving that performance?

Implement Strategic Solutions Be strategic in your choice of initiatives  Avoid the “best practice” trap.  Match your initiative to your culture  Be ready to justify your choices.  Use analytics wisely.

Best Practice - URRRRGGGGHHHHH Best practice only has meaning in terms of the context in which you are operating.  Just because it worked for someone else, does not (necessarily) mean it will work for you.  Just because it worked for you before, does not (necessarily) mean it will work for you again.  Managerial courage is just as relevant to L&D professionals as it is to CEOs and Executives.

Justifying Investment Learn how to use HR analytics strategically.  Know how to measure what matters.  More LEAD than LAG for performance measures  More ROI than “inventory”.  Take the time to evaluate your training (to minimum level 4).  Trust your decisions – or change them.

Reflection time Think about the last set of analytics you produced.  Did you measure what matters?  What measures did you communicate?  What might you do differently next time?

Key Takeaways  Leave your ivory tower.  Learn the language of business.  Ask strategic questions.  Avoid the “best practice” trap.  Distinguish between strategic and operational L&D (both are important but they are different).

Diane Edwards FNZATD FHRINZ IMNZ FFIN #didikiwi di-doodle.blogspot.co.nz