LEARNING GOVERNANCE

For success to be achieved, top executives must be involved in governing the L&D function. A good practice for this goal is to establish a governing board comprised of five or more of the company’s leaders who act as advisors to the CLO and provide feedback on the execution of the learning strategy.

According to Mark Beckstrom in a Chief Learning Officer article, the definition of learning governance is simple and direct:

• Planning for learning
• Prioritizing investments in learning
• Managing those investments

As organizations increasingly view learning as a driver of enterprise value, enterprise-learning governance has become more strategic and important to an organization’s ability to thrive in a dynamic business environment. With this in mind, the Governing Board oversees the learning organization, sets priorities, and allocates additional resources as needed.

In addition, functional councils usually meet twice annually to set function-specific learning goals and priorities, and serve to connect the L&D function with other critical functions including:

• Marketing
• Finance
• Supply chain
• Information technology
• Customer service

These councils are usually made up of functional experts, led by the senior executive responsible for the department, and meet with learning consultants who represent the learning department. A council of professional development should also exist. It should define common professional development and cultural needs across the enterprise, and should provide a forum for identifying creative methods for professional development within the value set of the learning department.

Learning councils with specific characters and impact should be established as well. Key management and high potential types should be selected to serve on the council for a period of 2 years, with memberships rotating and ongoing. An executive staff member should chair the council and the group should formally meet once a quarter. A council for communications and marketing should develop and recommend communication programs for the learning department, which is a huge asset to the organization as a whole.

A VP of Finance would attend the finance functional council meetings in order to offer insight into current gaps and future requirements. In addition, the leader can commit to teaching classes to further ensure that the most important nuances are communicated and understood by participants. At a global medical device company, for example, the CFO taught finance classes via the Internet to underscore the importance of new enterprise software for global financial management. The CFO’s personal commitment and investment of time made the importance of the project clear to the organization.

According to Nick van Dam in an article for Chief Learning Officer, functional councils should also focus attention in three additional areas to ensure success:

• Develop Objectives – the council must set specific objectives at the enterprise level to help provide direction.
• Define the Scope – the scope of a learning council can be defined as narrow or broad, and include such things as developing strategic leaders, sharing and communicating best learning practices, and reviewing vendors.
• Determine the Operating Principles – examples include who should attend, how often they meet, and how decisions will be made.

Create a Centralized L&D Organization

It is difficult to manage a global learning organization when the responsibilities are diffused in business units, often leading to redundant efforts and no consistent method for measuring performance. To optimize L&D it must first be treated as a core business process and a core organization should claim ownership. Just as centralizing the IT organization is now widely considered to be a strategic best practice, the L&D management function is best managed as an umbrella with a senior executive responsible for achieving the goals and objectives.

The Processes

Learning management describes how individuals and managers identify training needs and programs that exist inside or outside the organization. It also describes the registration process and all details related to learning, including the launch of e-Learning courses.

Performance management involves setting individual goals in a way that is integrated with corporate goals, the monitoring of performance against goals, and providing a final rating.

Assessment management describes how the organization uses surveys, tests, assessments, measurement, and reporting systems to validate L&D objectives.

Competency management involves defining competencies for specific job roles such as:

• Knowledge
• Skills
• Abilities
• Other behavioral characteristics

The process further provides for the assessment of an individual’s competencies by themselves, their manager, or any other person that might increase the accuracy of the rating.

Alan Todd, CorpU Chairman of the Board