Dive Brief:
-
There are so many brilliant choices in learning technology available today, but learning leaders need to be mindful of the tools they select that will deliver real business results, says Sarah Fister Gale, who writes for Chief Learning Officer.
-
In 2015, Gale advises that more than $6.54 billion was invested in new learning technology, and this represents a 300% increase since 2014. The 2016 Global Human Capital Trends report, released by Deloitte, indicated that 84% of executives believe learning is an important or very important workforce issue.
-
Dani Johnson, VP of learning and development research for Bersin by Deloitte, agrees. Johnson told Gale that companies must view technology as an enabler, not a solution to learning needs, and far too often companies invest in a new system without first deciding if it serves an actual business purpose.
Dive Insight:
To avoid making costly mistakes, experts advise to use learning systems that use existing corporate content effectively, and tap into powerful analytics to track business results. The recent Sierra-Cedar HR Systems Survey revealed that talent-driven companies are 1.5 times more likely to report learning results than other organizations, and they generate 1.4 times more revenue per employee.
The CLO piece brings up some very important points in a corporate learning environment that's growing increasingly complex. There are so many choices now for rolling out workforce learning programs, from the simple to the very extensive that it can be confusing and costly for companies. While some solutions promise results, it is up to each organization to invest in the right product(s) for real business results. Gale makes it clear that these results should be tied to company goals, including increasing revenues and performance metrics.
