Communicating The Value Of A Learning Management System To Leadership

Demonstrating the value of learning is easier than you think! In a recent workshop with The Institute for Transfer Effectiveness, I demonstrated how! One workshop participant was designing safety training to help employees use Microsoft 365 strategically to prevent data breaches. She was struggling to capture the value of the program for organizational leaders to understand. I used an alignment framework that incorporates Rob Brinkerhoff’s 6 L&D value propositions and mapped out how to connect her learning program with metrics that matter to organizational leaders. Here’s what that looked like! Aligning learning activities, initiatives or programs to strategic business outcomes is like looking for the through line between disparate things: learning, human performance, departmental key performance indicators, and organizational metrics. This can feel nearly impossible. The glue that holds these seemingly disparate things together are Brinkerhoff’s 6 L&D value propositions. In the safety training example we started by identifying the most relevant value proposition for the program. In this case, it was Regulatory Requirements: a learning program designed to ensure employees are complying with industry specific rules and regulations. Then we connect the L&D value proposition (Regulatory Requirements) with the most relevant outcome for the organization. In this case, it was Net Profit. If employees are complying with industry-specific rules and regulations, this consistent practice will save the organization money in fines, lawsuits, or dealing with the unpleasant consequences of safety challenges (like a data breach). Then we must do the hard work unpacking what people will be doing to support the targeted departmental KPIs. If you’re struggling to figure out the KPIs, you’ll likely find them by asking department leaders what problem they are experiencing on a regular basis that they would like solved. In this case it was too many data breaches and too many outdated files on the server causing misinformation and inconsistent practices. I discovered that what people could be doing differently to support the desired KPIs was adhering to updated protocols on how to manage data and documents within the 365 suite. If people followed the protocols with 100% fidelity, departments would experience a reduction in data breaches. Now … we have the behaviors to target in our training program and the data to use to show the value of learning: Learning metrics: Training attendance and completion rates. Capability metrics: Percentage of fidelity to data and document protocols before and after training. KPI metrics: # of documents on the server that are outdated (being at 20% of lower), # of data breaches per department being at 1 or less annually. Organizational metric: Net Profit How will you use the 6 L&D value propositions and alignment framework to tell your learning value story? #learninganddevelopment #trainingstrategy #datastrategy

𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗼 𝗘𝗻𝗴𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝗦𝗲𝗻𝗶𝗼𝗿 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 𝗶𝗻 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 & 𝗗𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹𝗼𝗽𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗜𝗻𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲𝘀 🚀 Struggling to get senior leadership onboard with your Learning and Development (L&D) initiatives? It's a common issue. When senior leaders don’t prioritize L&D, these programs often end up underfunded and undervalued, which can stifle employee growth and hinder organizational progress. Here's how to make them sit up and take notice: 📌 Align with Business Goals: First things first, connect your L&D initiatives directly to the company’s strategic objectives. Show how upskilling employees can drive key business outcomes like increased revenue, improved customer satisfaction, and enhanced innovation. 📌 Show Measurable Outcomes: Create a metrics-driven approach to demonstrate the impact of L&D. Use KPIs like employee performance improvements, retention rates, and ROI to make a compelling case. Numbers speak louder than words. 📌 Highlight Success Stories: Showcase case studies and success stories within your company where L&D initiatives have led to tangible benefits. Real-world examples can be incredibly persuasive. 📌 Engage Leaders in the Process: Involve senior leaders in the development and delivery of L&D programs. When they have a hand in shaping the content and delivery, they’re more likely to see its value. 📌 Communicate Regularly: Keep the lines of communication open and regular. Monthly or quarterly reports on L&D progress, challenges, and successes can keep leadership informed and engaged. 📌 Leverage Technology: Utilize advanced learning platforms that offer detailed analytics and reporting features. This not only improves the learning experience but also provides data to support your business case. 📌 Foster a Learning Culture: Promote a culture where continuous learning is valued and encouraged. When senior leaders see a culture of learning thriving, they are more likely to support these initiatives. 📌 Tie L&D to Leadership Development: Emphasize the role of L&D in developing future leaders. Highlight how these programs can groom high-potential employees for leadership roles, ensuring the long-term success of the organization. 📌 Budget Smartly: Present a well-thought-out budget that clearly outlines the costs and expected benefits of L&D initiatives. 📌 Solicit Feedback: Regularly seek feedback from senior leaders on L&D initiatives. Engaging senior leadership in L&D is not just about gaining approval; it’s about creating a partnership where both parties see the value and work towards a common goal. By demonstrating the strategic importance and measurable outcomes, you can elevate the status of your L&D initiatives within the organization. How do you get your senior leaders engaged in L&D? Share your strategies below! ⬇️ #LearningAndDevelopment #Leadership #CorporateTraining #EmployeeEngagement #BusinessStrategy #HR #ProfessionalGrowth

Did you know that 92% of learning leaders struggle to demonstrate the business impact of their training programs? After a decade of understanding learning analytics solutions at Continu, I've discovered a concerning pattern: Most organizations are investing millions in L&D while measuring almost nothing that matters to executive leadership. The problem isn't a lack of data. Most modern LMSs capture thousands of data points from every learning interaction. The real challenge is transforming that data into meaningful business insights. Completion rates and satisfaction scores might look good in quarterly reports, but they fail to answer the fundamental question: "How did this learning program impact our business outcomes?" Effective measurement requires establishing a clear line of sight between learning activities and business metrics that matter. Start by defining your desired business outcomes before designing your learning program. Is it reducing customer churn? Increasing sales conversion? Decreasing safety incidents? Then build measurement frameworks that track progress against these specific objectives. The most successful organizations we work with have combined traditional learning metrics with business impact metrics. They measure reduced time-to-proficiency in dollar amounts. They quantify the relationship between training completions and error reduction. They correlate leadership development with retention improvements. Modern learning platforms with robust analytics capabilities make this possible at scale. With advanced BI integrations and AI-powered analysis, you can now automatically detect correlations between learning activities and performance outcomes that would have taken months to uncover manually. What business metric would most powerfully demonstrate your learning program's value to your executive team? And what's stopping you from measuring it today? #LearningAnalytics #BusinessImpact #TrainingROI #DataDrivenLearning