Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/131821
Learning Relocation • Competency development. Perhaps the most logical point to Do learning programs align with development? Various business process management and consulting firms have created learning maturity models to help companies more effectively design, implement, and evaluate learning programs. While the maturity phases differ slightly from model to model, the core components remain the same. Companies strive to move from offering reactionary or ad-hoc trainings to developing programs that are active, collaborative, and effective in orchestrating corporate talent development. • Career aspiration development. The average U.S. job tenure in The Development Differentiator • Succession planning. Regardless of efforts, employee turnover connect learning and performance, employees can get insight into skills they need to develop and select training programs accordingly. 2012 was 5.4 years, according to the Employee Benefit Research Institute. Companies should support career aspirations within an organization to avoid, or at least minimize, job-hopping among employees. Alignment of training with career development puts an investment behind development. Development is a common theme in most talent-related maturity is inevitable. However, by weaving learning management into processes and often the differentiator to moving to a more succession planning, HR professionals and other executives can advanced level of maturity. In fact, proving that a learning program identify the training that needs to be in place to ensure succession has impacted talent development should be considered a best practice and a way to evaluate the program. But in order to support plans are effective. • Talent pool analysis. In some cases a large subset, or entire talent development through learning, companies must work to workforce, might need access to a specific training. Talent pool or truly integrate learning with other HR and talent management group development helps executives determine when overarching processes. training is needed and can facilitate the program. • Certification compliance. Integration at this point enables Most companies use talent management software, such as a companies to better organize and report on mandatory training compensation solution or performance management system, or certifications. to streamline and organize HR processes. And as companies increasingly understand the value of effective training and While companies have trained employees for decades, a formalized certification, more and more are deploying learning management learning function within organizations emerged with earnest in systems. In fact, according to the Bersin by Deloitte Talent the early 1990s. From that point, companies became more effective Management Systems 2013 report, the learning management in aligning learning with corporate development, in many cases systems (LMS) market is reaching $2 billion worldwide. by integrating learning management systems with other talent LMS tools are used to manage the logistics of learning programs— course creation, registrations, schedules, trainers, etc. Talent management solutions track workforce needs, employee evaluations, skill gaps, succession plans, and company-wide competencies. The interactions of LMS and talent management systems provide HR professionals with real, tangible insight as to the specific training programs needed to ensure a productive workforce that can contribute to or sustain company success. Some LMS and talent management software does integrate at a technical level and features development planning tools and activity wizards to ensure that appropriate trainings are management technology. Social learning, built on the notion that employees learn best by observing others, has also gained momentum as companies have found new ways to leverage collaboration solutions. Via collaboration technology, employees can engage with internal experts on any number of topics as well as share their own insights. Social learning tools often include video or other content that can be refined and segmented for specific needs. Looking ahead, learning will become more productive and customized from employee to employee as well as more granular as administered to the right employees to support development. companies pinpoint specific skills needs. Not only will the number Some learning management software and talent management of channels by which employees complete trainings and learning software is accessible by both employers and employees, spreading activities increase, but also the breadth of programs and amount accountability for learning success across the organization. of training content available will grow. We will see a shift from employees going to training programs to instances where training Where Learning Touches Talent programs and teaching moments will be delivered to employees Regardless of tight integration between software systems or when and where they want to learn. informal integration, learning management intelligently fits into talent management processes at a few points: Rania Stewart is senior product manager at Peoplefluent APRIL 2013 | www.hrotoday.com [47]