Latest Leadership Thinking
August 2006
Steve Barden – Head of Consulting
Learning Services – Utopia or Europa?
Surveys continually point out that the focus for training is for
it to be aligned with business strategy. So what does that REALLY
mean? How are organisations ensuring alignment? What does it mean
for providers of learning services? Does the trend towards outsourcing
of learning services suggest the perfect world is coming, or will
it be as relevant to you as Europa* is to Jupiter?
* Europa is the fourth largest of Jupiter's known satellites; it
is slightly smaller than the Earth's Moon.
Read more here …
Consider the issues which training managers now face. Training needs
to be more relevant, aligned and effective than ever before. This
means the historic approach of offering a course year after year
is no longer acceptable, it has to be totally aligned to today's
business needs. Continual updating and refocusing is the order of
today – demanding dynamic and flexible delivery models.
The fact is many learning functions are reinventing themselves to
be less curricular focussed and more services focussed. Best practice
is about delivering what the customer wants - and what organisations
want is a learning function that delivers the right training at
the right time, in the right place, and at the right cost. For some
organisations this has meant the use of one or more external suppliers
who can provide these criteria - and be accountable for the results.
Over the past year we have seen more contracts awarded for outsourcing
part of the learning functions of many organisations. Of course,
the outsourcing model is not new in many areas of business operation
– payroll, cleaning, legal and catering are typical examples.
But learning? Can this really be a viable option? Well, if you have
ever attended a training course run by an external organisation
or commissioned the development of an e-learning solution, then
you are already on the way. Where does this approach change in a
truly outsourced learning services model and why should it be important?
99% of our clients DO NOT have learning as their core business –
that is why learning services suppliers are engaged to develop the
performance of their people and support the key objective of getting
their business done better. In this world of continued pressure
on organisations to operate more efficiently, deliver more quickly
and manage their talent more effectively, learning has never had
a more significant part to play. Of course, using external expertise
has always been part of the equation but in our experience and research
we are finding today’s technological advances make it easier
to either augment learning and development activities or completely
outsource the learning function to established suppliers.
In this respect, it is hardly surprising that more organisations
are looking to externally source aspects of their learning functions,
and in particular their IT systems. Using an external supplier removes
much of the downside, and it is a reality that the majority of organisations
(particularly small and medium-sized enterprises) that have achieved
satisfaction with their LMS are using externally hosted solutions.
The ongoing opportunity is to deliver LMS/LCMS capabilities
technical and procedural. This is the key change in thinking, to
not just outsource the task of running a system but to procure the
service offered by the system; in this case the ability to provide
content and learning management to the precise needs of an organisation.
It should not be underestimated how significant it can be to properly
resource and sustain the service.
As a means to achieving business requirements, most organisations
outsource some of their training delivery – the live and the
online. They rightly expect service level agreements (SLA) to be
part of the assurance policy, as well as full and detailed metrics
to support their management information. Suppliers are expected
to perform as strategic partners and clearly have to build effective
partnerships if they are going to deliver the services, or capabilities,
that work in your environment with your people and your culture.
Learning service suppliers have to offer the full breadth of capabilities
if their offer is to be compelling and complete.
Whilst decisions about outsourcing are often driven by the desire
for cost-savings, it is wrong to forget the effectiveness angle
and the impact that a professional and focused supplier can bring
to making learning a more convenient and flexible partner in meeting
business objectives. A learning services supplier is process-centric,
not programme centric. It offers blended solutions, content, performance
consulting, administration and technical services to help their
clients improve performance. Learning organisations use technology
to increase reach and range -- not just to save money. Effective
learning services are not about ‘the place to go’ but
are about ‘strategic partnering with you.’ Now there
is utopia.
Blended
Learning Workshop
Epic Consulting is focused on building
the performance of our clients by providing practical advice on
all aspects of learning strategy, interactive design, blending,
implementation and evaluation.
For an initial discussion on how our consulting service could help
your organisation, please contact: consulting@epic.co.uk
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