Shiny Objects Won't Save Corporate Learning

The trade of corporate learning is an interesting one...its one of the most easily distracted functions in the business. It seems that every new year brings with it a new distraction: Micro-Learning, eLearning, Distance Learning, Virtual Reality, Augmented Reality, Mixed Reality, Gamification, Learning Management Systems, Learning Experience Platforms...on and on and on...ad infinitum.

Over the years, I've attended my share of conferences...and despite the plethora of distractions...one question continues to rise above all the others during networking events and Q&A's with the industry's best and brightest: How do you measure the impact of your learning organization?

The reason the question comes up at conferences is because it also comes up in board rooms and meetings with our stakeholders.

Our stakeholders are spending their time, talent, and treasure hiring us to build out learning programs...and when they ask us what they're getting in return...most of the time...we fail to answer the question.

Its time that we start focusing on the "Why" of learning as much as we focus on the "How."

Here's four steps to get you there:

Step 1: Don't Let Perfect Be the Enemy of Good

A big part of the reason why we persistently fail to measure impact is because we over-engineer the study in an effort to make it perfect. What we inevitably find is that tracking down every cost, every benefit, and every metric is almost impossible. Instead of reporting what we can...we make no report at all.

This has to stop.

If you're part of a corporate learning function, you have an obligation (like the rest of the enterprise does) to return shareholder value. If you can't articulate exactly how you are providing value, the organization is obligated to reduce the investment in your function.

Some data is always better than no data. Learn to accept progress more than perfection. If you can't get everything, take what you can get, report your findings, asterisk the conclusion and explain (in detail) the data you weren't able to capture. What you'll often find is that your stakeholder will either help you go get the information, or invest in getting it to you.

Step 2: Measure Everything

To most enterprise leaders, a piece of good data is like a Lay's potato chip...you can't have just one. In every meeting where I've presented data to a functional leader, the request has always been for more...and that's a very good thing! This means your leader is engaged, and it also means you have their support to get more.

The journey to provide compelling data has to start with a first step. And you don't need data scientists to get there. A good place to start is simply measuring learning hours. The math here is pretty easy: Learning Hours = Class Length*Learner Count. So...if you have a 1 hour learning module that is completed by 400 learners...you've delivered 400 learning hours.

Once you've started measuring learning hours, you can start providing next level detail. Learning hours by function, Learning Hours by Instructor, Revenue Per Learning Hour, Cost per Learning Hour, etc. etc.

If you're looking for other metrics that are pretty easy to get to, here's a good list to start with:

• Net Promoter Score: What percent of your learners would recommend the learning to a peer? Mathmatically, NPS = %Promoters - %Detractors. (Promoters being 9's &10's, Detractors as 1-6...Passives not included.)
• Instructor Rating: Typically a 5 point Likert scale.
• Assessment Scores: What did the learners score against the assessment?
• Compliance: Of the population eligible for the training, what percent completed or attended?

Step 3: Build a Cadence of Reporting

Every good team should have a rhythm, and data is part of the music sheet. This applies to both your internal team as well as your stakeholders. Encourage everyone from your designers to your facilitators to find data to bring to each team meeting...you'll be surprised at what your team can bring you. Every member of your team should be empowered to track down the data they need to establish meaningful ROI studies.

You should also use learning data in performance reviews for each member of your learning team. How many learning hours did they deliver? How does that compare to prior year? What percent of learners would recommend the class to their colleagues? You'll find that your team will start to covet and curate meaningful data.

Step 4: Start Making Data Enabled Decisions

Don't be afraid to go where the data takes you. If you have a program that is loved by your internal customers, but data from the front-line learner shows improvement needs to be made...take the data to your stakeholders along with some recommended course changes. You will almost always find that your stakeholder will be willing to go where the data points them.

In our current economic downturn, more and more organizations will start looking for ways to optimize their cost structure. Learning teams that are unable to quantify their impact will find themselves with smaller teams, smaller budgets, and smaller impact.