QUESTION: Why do companies need learning strategies, and what are the implications of not having one? What organizations are successfully using them?

There are several meanings and applications of the term learning strategy. For the purpose of this question, we will define a learning strategy as a business plan that helps a company determine the type of training needed, the people who need it, the costs, and, most important, the return on investment. In short, the learning strategy helps the company develop a long-term plan for its training needs and secures a budget for future training.

Why a learning strategy?

A corporate learning strategy can encompass training developed for outside clients as well as training developed internally. Some of the benefits of a corporate learning strategy include

• Organization of training. A learning strategy can help track the training employees have received, how that training fits in with their overall career path, and what ROI the employee and the company received. Consequently, the learning strategy helps develop more personalized, efficient, and cost-effective training in the future. It also helps demonstrate what training works best for the company.
  
  
• Cost reduction. By planning ahead, companies reduce money spent on "throw away" training that doesn't provide follow-up or measure success.
  
  
• Long-term goals. The learning strategy helps the training developer evaluate what training works and what training will be needed in the future. In collaboration with company executives, training directors can use a learning strategy to link training to a company's mission and strategic goals. Another long-term benefit: A learning strategy helps distribute funding allocated for training.
  
  
• Competitive edge. In this competitive technology age, extra service provided to the client gives your company an edge. If your training program offers the client an extra perk (such as an online course to support a product), your company may come out ahead of the competition. A well-laid plan in the form of your learning strategy can help you and your company develop and retain that edge.
  
  
• Employee retention. Keeping highly skilled employees is tough in a tight labor market. A training program enhances an employee's skills and gives him or her the incentive and motivation to stay.
  
  
• Return on investment. Tracking the data from any of the above items can demonstrate your training program's effectiveness and how the company has benefited from it.

For many reasons, it makes sense to have a learning strategy. Haphazard training without a company-wide vision can result in wasted money and useless courses that don't benefit the employees or the company.

What organizations are using learning strategies?

A good resource for online learning strategies is Brandon Hall's report, "Building the Business Case for E-Learning: How to Translate the Benefits of E-Learning into Language the Whole Organization Will Understand." Available at www.brandon-hall.com, the report provides information on calculating the ROI of e-learning as well as case studies of organizations that have built e-learning into their business plans.

For more information about online learning strategies, check out the Learning Circuits article "What's Your Web-Based Learning Strategy?"

If you need examples that don't involve e-learning, a quick search on the Internet can provide learning strategies of many universities. (For example, Coventry University, whose learning strategy is available at www.coventry.ac.uk/structur/tlstrat.htm.)

Another great resource is the Organizational Learning Strategies: Action Learning Website, at www.humtech.com/opm/grtl/ols/ols2.cfm. The site is free, and provides corporate examples and related resources for the action learning strategy.

Published: April 2001