Ann Herrmann-Nehdi

<div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: smaller;">By:  Cushing Anderson<br />
<br />
Every other month, IDC surveys Chief Learning Officer- magazine’s Business Intelligence Board (BIB)<br />
on a variety of topics to gauge the issues, opportunities and attitudes that are important to senior training<br />
executives. This month we look at the CLO outlook toward the coming year.<br />
<br />
Training executives are increasingly optimistic about the outlook for employee development in 2010,<br />
with 60 percent of companies feeling more optimistic about 2010 compared with 2009. Last year at this<br />
time, companies were experiencing a significant financial meltdown and the U.S. Congress was<br />
considering implementing a series of stimulus plans. Companies and their training executives seem to<br />
have passed through the difficult period and are more optimistic. For example, only about 11 percent of<br />
training executives are less optimistic about next year, compared with 25 percent who were less<br />
optimistic last year.<br />
<br />
The reasons for optimism are not surprising. CLOs report feeling that the economy may have turned a<br />
corner but that business conditions will never be the same even if the economy picks up. Nevertheless,<br />
training organizations and the wider enterprise report having a better understanding of what training<br />
topics have an impact on the bottom line and sharpen their focus. They also report they have learned less<br />
fat equals greater added value for the learning function, positioning training organizations to increase<br />
their relevance to organizational success. And, consistently, training organizations found themselves in a<br />
better position because their learning and development departments are now more aligned to their<br />
companies’ overall direction and they now have targeted goals directly related to and in support of<br />
business strategy.<br />
<br />
Companies continue to believe the economic crisis will impact the availability of capital for training<br />
investments and that cuts to budget and time to attend training will cause many to have to do more with<br />
less. Regardless of signs that the economy is recovering, many believe that training and development<br />
tends to lag behind the economic growth curve. But even those learning leaders who were less optimistic<br />
had something positive to say, reporting that while the amount of training done is likely to be less, they<br />
anticipate being more creative and learner-centric.<br />
<br />
Nevertheless, companies are expecting positive developments in the role the training function plays<br />
within their companies. Ninety percent of companies expect that training will be more aligned with<br />
company business objectives in 2010, and 75 percent believe that the perception of training within their<br />
company will be higher. Finally, 74 percent report that the quality of their training offerings will<br />
improve in the next year. All reasons to be optimistic about 2010.<br />
Increased Training Impact Expected<br />
<br />
CLOs’ ranking of activities’ impact in 2010 shows movement and shifts in rankings, though leadership<br />
training and competencies remain among the top. Instructor-led training — including both classroom<br />
and virtual classroom instruction — has moved up and is the most impactful training activity. Informal<br />
learning remains near the top, and self-paced e-learning has moved up. Three items new to the top 10 are<br />
mentoring, live e-learning and performance dashboards.<br />
<br />
When asked what they consider the most important activity their organizations tackle, CLOs listed<br />
leadership training; informal learning; self-paced e-learning; live e-learning; and instructor-led training.<br />
CLOs also continue to value learning management systems (LMSs).<br />
Key activities of significant impact continue to be:<br />
<br />
Leadership training. Leadership training continues to be a hot-button issue as companies work to<br />
support corporate succession initiatives. CLOs report that effective behaviors for strategy and<br />
execution at the top will drive the evolution of high-performance culture down and throughout the<br />
organization. Upgrading key leaders in an organization has become more important in light of<br />
talent shortages and an aging workforce. Companies need a pool of employees from which to<br />
select leaders, and leadership training is also one way to retain valuable employees. CLOs feel<br />
leadership training has significant impact for the preparation of the next generation of leaders.<br />
Many companies report that this is a new initiative: If they don’t have a formal strategy today,<br />
they’re likely launching a leadership development university, building an assistant manager<br />
program or launching an initiative on leadership with all managers.<br />
<br />
Informal learning. Informal learning has also become a key activity, and not only because of<br />
foreseeable economic hardships and formal training budget cuts. Many companies see informal<br />
training as the model to aspire to as training becomes integrated into everyday interactions and<br />
work culture. Companies see that most learning occurs outside of formal settings and that action<br />
learning and collaboration are vital areas of a learning organization. And even though cost-cutting<br />
measures have restricted other types of training, observing and active listening make it possible to<br />
learn more practical information. This often leads to more self-directed learning with road maps to<br />
completion and individuals taking responsibility for their own learning. Ultimately, CLOs report,<br />
it imparts more growth and makes learning more sustainable.<br />
<br />
Self-paced e-learning. Even though self-paced, asynchronous e-learning has been available for<br />
many years, it has not been widely leveraged for non-technology topics. But with recent staffing<br />
shortages and travel restrictions, CLOs report self-paced e-learning is gaining acceptance. New<br />
programs are leveraging self-paced e-learning extensively. In some cases, this is the first time selfpaced<br />
e-learning makes up at least half of the organization’s total training package. And as<br />
organizations adopt flexible work rules and work-from-home programs, this type of training<br />
allows those who work from home the ability to have access to these valuable learning<br />
opportunities.<br />
<br />
Live e-learning. As with self-paced e-learning, economic conditions are causing CLOs to<br />
consider alternative delivery methods that retain the essential characteristics of more traditional<br />
learning experiences, but at the same time reduce the need for travel or increase the availability of<br />
classes to non-local learners. They’re finding live online instructor-led training, which combines<br />
the benefits of the Web with the interactivity of the classroom, a great substitute. CLOs also see<br />
additional benefits where learning can be recorded, stored and utilized in addition to live learning.<br />
<br />
Instructor-led training. Instructor-led training is still valued for high interaction and early<br />
validation of learning transfer, capabilities and plans to apply knowledge. Some CLOs even<br />
believe it’s the only training that has any impact at all, and therefore organizations do not want to<br />
change the way training has been delivered in the past. Instructor-led training also has unique<br />
value in that that it supports building relationships that are an inherent part of workplace culture.<br />
<br />
LMSs. LMSs and knowledge management continue to remain important to CLOs, with LMSs<br />
leading the way as potentially the single most important learning technology investment for<br />
companies. They are seen by CLOs as the infrastructure that drives learning, making training<br />
administration more efficient and reaching more people through e-learning and reusable, standard<br />
content. Companies also seem satisfied with their current LMS; less than a quarter reported plans<br />
to change their LMS in 2010.<br />
<br />
Experiential Learning Requires More Attention<br />
<br />
CLOs think informal learning deserves more attention in 2010, as they did in 2009. Simulations and<br />
mentoring were also issues that deserve increased attention by the learning industry. Informal and<br />
mentoring-based instruction and simulations are all highly experiential — relying on real or simulated<br />
work situations to be the catalyst for valuable learning experiences. Some of this is based on the<br />
business climate.<br />
<br />
Either way, organizations have continued interest in evidence and proof that what they are doing is<br />
working, and this implies an increased focus on measurement. CLOs feel training has to directly<br />
contribute to mission accomplishment or the company’s bottom line in order to demonstrate their worth.<br />
At the same time, the learning industry, magazines, analysts and conferences must take a step back<br />
relating to some issues. Many CLOs believe podcasting is oversold because few people are auditory<br />
learners and it’s no different than cassettes or CDs from the past 15 years. At the same time, CLOs feel<br />
that wikis and blogs, for instance, may have less value than attributed in the press because the answers<br />
and information they contain are usually not precise enough for people to garner the exact answer to<br />
their problem.<br />
<br />
Learning groups are seeking ways to become more relevant to their constituents, and they see corporate<br />
universities, for instance, as part of an archaic model that drives inefficiency, primarily because<br />
corporate universities are too linear and formal learning-focused, CLOs report. For learning groups, they<br />
say, the emphasis needs to be on providing organizational learning in a variety of venues customized to<br />
the nature of the organization and its employees. However, CLOs feel that if corporate universities could<br />
be reconfigured in a virtual state, there might be more interest there.<br />
<br />
Predictions for 2010: Back to the Basics<br />
<br />
Much about this upcoming year is uncertain, and many CLOs see 2010 as another challenging year.<br />
Challenges from hiring to retirements and job changers will increase the importance of the training<br />
function. But less than 35 percent expect budget increases, and more than two-thirds of CLOs expect<br />
their organizations to do more training.<br />
<br />
Overall, companies believe the outlook for the learning function is similar to that of industries overall —<br />
it will be difficult, but there will be positive developments in the way organizations leverage and align<br />
learning, use tools and refocus on providing value to the organization<br />
Cushing Anderson is the program director of learning services at IDC. He can be reached at<br />
editor@clomedia.com.</span></span></div>