5 Quick Steps to Strategically Map Workplace Learning

This is the first of a series of “Quick Steps” that will empower learning professionals to align with their management’s and organizational expectations for training and e-learning. So, please keep coming back to read the next “Quick Steps” in upcoming blogs.

Many learning professionals believe business and strategic concepts are complicated. Let me share a secret with you…it isn’t. Senior management likes to keep things simple but recognize that they must quickly adapt to market and economic changes.

Senior management realizes that competitiveness and long-term sustainability comes through employees that are adaptable and possess relevant job skills. They also recognize that workplace learning is an essential element to making this happen. This is why workplace learning has an opportunity to play a prominent role…but only if it is able to respond and align to strategic objectives.

Here are five straightforward steps that you can initiate to ensure workplace learning takes a proactive role:

1. Analyze the mission and vision statement. These statements provide insight into critical areas requiring the support from workplace learning. Identify where workplace learning will have impact.
2. Review your organization’s performance framework. The framework outlines value-added activities, relationships among the primary perspectives, and how performance objectives cascade throughout the organization.
3. Build partnerships within the organization. Learn about the performance expectations of primary activities. Work closely with the stakeholders and treat their business as your own.
4. Align with “partners” performance metrics. Business unit managers are under tremendous pressure to meet specific performance objectives. Gain buy-in from your business partner ensuring that your learning solution aligns with their performance metrics.
5. Brush up on your knowledge of business, strategy and performance. Focus your professional development to help you to effectively work and communicate with various levels of management. Always explain how your learning initiatives deliver results in business and strategic terms.

By following these five “Quick Steps” you will be able to gain acceptance for your learning efforts and build credibility with your organization;s leaders.

Should you have some “Quick Steps” you’d like to share with other please forward them to me and I will be sure to post them to my upcoming blogs crediting the source of the steps.

Ajay M. Pangarkar and Teresa Kirkwood are founders of CentralKnowledge.com and LearningSourceonline.com. They are renowned performance management experts and 3-time authors most recently publishing the leading performance book, “The Trainer’s Balanced Scorecard: A Complete Resource for Linking Learning to Organizational Strategy” (Wiley 2009), and award-wining assessment specialist with Training Magazine. Help them start a, “Workplace Revolution” at blog.centralknowledge.com or contact: ajayp@centralknowledge.com