This 350-plus page study is a detailed analysis of trends and best practices in the management and operations of corporate training. The report is based on surveys of more than 800 organizations and interviews with approximately 100 learning executives over the last three years.

The definitive go-to resource for every corporate learning executive, the study identifies  the top 18 learning strategies that have highest business impact and 50 key characteristics of a high-impact learning culture. 

See the complete table of contents. (Above)

Background

This study builds on Bersin & Associates’ groundbreaking 2005 study on learning organizations – the industry’s first.   Since then, the learning landscape has dramatically changed. You’ll learn how business challenges, new technologies and deliveries, and the increased emphasis on talent management have significantly changed all aspects of corporate learning. 

Whether your organization has 500 or 50,000 employees, this study can serve as your primary reference for the best practices, examples, and considerations in the management, governance, and operations of corporate training.  You’ll discover ways to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of your programs and processes – and, just as importantly, increase the business value of your organization. 



Key Strategies and Best Practices 

• Leadership and Governance: What role should the CLO play? What are the characteristics of a highly effective CLO? How do you establish a sound organization and governance model? How do you build a business plan for learning?
• Learning Culture: Does your organization have a strong learning culture?   This research identifies the 50 characteristics of a high-impact learning culture, as well as the role of the L&D organization in building such a culture. 
• Organizational models: What functions should be centralized? Which functions should be distributed? How should resources be allocated?  Should you consider a corporate university model? Why and how is L&D becoming more centralized?
• Resource Allocation: How much investment (dollars and personnel) should you make in performance consulting, content development, technology, measurement, management, content delivery, and administration? Are you overweighted or underweighted in certain areas?  Are your staff resources organized optimally?
• LMS and Infrastructure: What is the changing role of an LMS? How can you evolve your LMS into a learning on-demand solution? How should you support and administer the technology? What skills and roles are needed? In this research, we identify the changing role and value propositions of the LMS investment.
• Measurement: How should you measure your training function? What should you measure? Does measurement improve effectiveness? How can you make measurement easy and repeatable? The study includes Bersin & Associates’ Impact Measurement Model™.
• Relationship with HR: How closely aligned should enterprise learning be with HR? What programs and initiatives should be tightly aligned? How should training be separate and distinct? What is the impact of a tight alignment? Does it create value or reduce value?
• Talent Management: What is the role of the modern L&D organization within integrated talent management? How do you build talent-driven learning solutions while remaining close to ongoing business problems? You’ll also find examples of new leadership development, career development, onboarding, and other talent-driven learning programs.
• E-Learning and Content Management: How should you organize to manage the development, deployment, and integration of e-learning? Does e-learning truly improve effectiveness? What functions should be outsourced? How do you build a learning architecture? How do organizations build content reuse and sharing?
• Learning On-Demand: How do you build an on-demand learning solution? What are the roles of social networking, wikis, RSS, podcasting, and other new deliveries? How does all of this impact your blended learning strategy? 
• Training Challenges:   How do you deal with the multi-generational workforce? How do you globalize your L&D function and programs?  You’ll find best practices and examples for these challenges, as well as for dealing with financial constraints and talent shortages. 
• Informal Learning: What are the key elements of an informal learning strategy? How do you build a strong learning culture?
• Business Alignment: How do you govern enterprise learning? What committees or other structures are most effective?  How do you effectively prioritize needs and identify programs with highest business impact?  How do you budget and plan while staying aligned with line of business needs? Should you charge back or allocate costs?
• Budgets: How do you manage the budget process? Should you recharge or allocate costs? What should you be spending on staff vs. programs vs. technology?
• Shared Services: How do shared services fit into today’s modern learning organization?  Which learning functions should be shared? 

You’ll Learn

1. How to organize your training function for maximum effectiveness and efficiency.  You’ll learn which operational functions should be centralized and which should be distributed and the strengths and weaknesses of different organizational models. 
2. How to implement effective and efficient processes for governance, planning, measurement, and business alignment.
3. How to build a learning architecture and adopt new forms of informal and blended learning, including learning on-demand. You’ll find best practices and examples of management, governance, and operations from many leading companies.
4. How integrated talent management affects L&D and how to organize L&D to support talent management strategies.
5. Valuable benchmarking information and best practices in globalization, e-learning content development, measurement, LMS and technology usage, and integration with performance management and career planning processes.
6. The critical role of learning culture and the 50 top 50 programs and processes  which drive a high performing learning culture.