Budgets, resource and time. Maximising what you have, when you have it.

CIPD Learning at Work Report 2023

One of the CIPD’s Learning at Work Report 2023 recommendations was that L&D teams should work smarter, not harder. The report found that access to headcount, budgets and increased engagement with internal SMEs has increased over the past two years. But significantly, L&D's workload has increased too.?

So how can L&D teams really work smarter, not harder?

In this edition of THRIVE LinkedIn Insight, we're exploring the ways in which you can best maximise your budget, resources and time.?

We'll look at how best to leverage the subject matter experts in your business for effective user-generated content, and the value of content curation over content creation. We'll also talk about how to harness the data at your disposal, and what it means to align your L&D strategy to your business goals.

Content curation not creation

Content chaos has been on the tip of people’s tongues a lot recently, so how do you get past that??

It's a delicate process and not an exact science. Curating a content library is no small feat, but by keeping your ear to the ground and listening to the needs of your business you can slowly build up a collection of useful resources.

This starts by identifying the problems you are trying to solve. Look into your business' issues and content gaps, and reflect on how these could be addressed with content. Once you have identified - and filled - those gaps, test the content with a pilot group if you are able to. Feedback will allow you to finesse as you observe how your learners interact with the content.?

Think about your strategy in terms of sustainability: To build on Kristina Tsiriotakis' housekeeping analogy from our last Insight newsletter, content curation can be compared to creating your perfect wardrobe. You don’t need to buy something new every time you put together an outfit. Why throw something valuable away? Much like that versatile pair of jeans, think about how the existing content in your catalogue could be repurposed for multiple situations - instead of constantly looking for something new.?

Remember: Good curation is an art and takes time, trial and error. Great curation is ever-evolving, ever-expanding and never finished. At THRIVE, we understand this intricate balancing act - and our Content Club service will equip you with the knowledge you need to cut through the noise. Instead of wading through thousands of resources without the expertise to guide you, let our team identify which pieces of content can solve the specific problems your business has. It's the extra pair of hands you need to steer you in the right direction.?

UGC & leveraging experts

We all follow accounts on Instagram, TikTok, and maybe Threads (if you even still log into it) that share insights and knowledge. (And, if we're being honest, the occasional dog picture.)?

But what can L&D teams learn from a user-generated approach to content? It's that the people within their organisations hold a vast amount of knowledge and skills that can be leveraged in the same way if they're empowered to share it.

Don’t do all the heavy lifting yourself; utilise your SMEs to create your content as well as curate it. Just like social media influencers, amplify content champions within your organisation who can ‘influence’ your team. This influence comes from the quality of information shared. The more useful their content is, the more people want to pay attention to what they're sharing.?

According to CIPD's 2023 Workplace Report, collaboration with peers in the workplace has increased from 30% to 36% since 2021. People learn best from others, so how can you create an environment of social learning, collaboration and knowledge-sharing alongside digital experiences??

When you think about the way social media effectively engages people with questions, polls, and comments, it's a no-brainer to apply this same user-generated interaction to L&D. When people are provided with the space to interact and learn from one another, it reinforces the content - just like influencers on social media.?

Harness the data

Alongside curating content and harnessing the power of UGC, data is your best friend and most powerful tool.?

Not every piece of content is going to be the most exciting or engaging on its face - but the fact is, it may be essential to your business objectives. So how do you get your learners to engage with, and ultimately demonstrate, the content you need to share??

By using the data at your disposal, you can establish how best to lead your learning experiences. Invest time in analysing which pieces of content had a demonstrable impact on your business, and work out how best to replicate that impact.?

Which format and length was the most popular? Does a video have more impact than a written piece of content? Dig down into what people are actually enjoying, and use that data to create long-lasting, engaging learning experiences.?

Your data should also be harnessed for other purposes, such as measuring success metrics or specific data points your business cares about.?

Think about where the relevant data is held, too. It may be that other teams in your business are collecting the information you need. This is where relationship building and collaboration really come into play. Perhaps your HR team has data on retention figures that may affect your onboarding journey, or can provide you with talent mobility data that will feed into your leadership development training. Look outside the box and share data across the business where you can.?

Business alignment

Speaking of data, it plays a crucial role when it comes to business alignment.?

Justifying your L&D budget to stakeholders can be difficult to do in a tangible way. It all comes back to what we mentioned at the top of this newsletter: Keeping your ear to the ground, and understanding what your business needs. What does the business care about, and how does your L&D content strategy align with these goals? More importantly, how do you justify your L&D budget to make sure your stakeholders are invested? To prove your L&D team's worth, you need to align with the business' objectives in a demonstrable way.?

It is essential to leverage data to tell the story. We can take a page out of retailer and THRIVE customer Ann Summers' book. They were recently able to showcase the true impact of learning when they identified a need to increase strike rates (sales) for their Buzz Fresh and Hosiery lines. They knew that their stakeholders would want to see an increase in strike rates for these lines, and also that curating an effective L&D strategy was the ideal way to get there.?

So they harnessed data and created a culture of experimentation. Partnering with THRIVE, they ran a series of experiments across their retail stores to see how L&D affected strike rates. Stores using the THRIVE Learning and Skills Platform outperformed those who weren't - and the overall strike rates increased from 14.8% to 23% across all regions.?

This approach showcased the transformative impact of their blended learning programme and proved to their stakeholders that L&D is an essential element of success. It all came from aligning with the business' goals, and using these goals to justify the L&D budget.?

What are your people really telling you?

Don't waste people's time - it's the most valuable resource. Collecting learner feedback ensures relevancy, and identifies opportunities for change.?

CIPD's 2023 Industry Report cited a 'lack of insight' as one of the top three challenges shaping workplace learning, and reported that only 50% of their respondents agreed they had a process in place for assessing learning impact. On top of this, only 55% had a process for using feedback to continually improve interventions.?

From these results, they surmised that the actual value of L&D is not measured by the course content itself, but rather by the learning transfer, application and ultimate impact that takes place beyond the L&D domain. And isn't that what it's all about: impact??

Without an understanding of what learners find effective, L&D teams are unable to properly shape an impactful learning strategy. By utilising feedback, you can ensure that both you and your people work smarter, not harder.?

What do you think?

How are the L&D professionals in your organisations working smarter, and not harder??

We’d love to hear your thoughts on how you maximise your budgets, resources and time - and if your current platform is not supporting this, book a chat with us to see how we can help you.