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Peter Stroh

December 2015 - The Public Manager

Systems Thinking for Social Change

Learning to thrive on paradox

You know better than anyone else that learning and development is an asset to your business. For your business leaders to recognize this value, it’s important to position L&D as an investment and show that the dollars you spend translate into positive business results.If you’re wondering how, this article looks at what you should consider when building an L&D budget and how to demonstrate the business impact of your training programs.Connecting the Dots Between L&D and Business GoalsKnowing what your team spends and the return on investment of your efforts is key. Put simply, your C-suite execs want tangible metrics. Although 77 percent of leaders say that upskilling is a priority for their organization, 60 percent of HR professionals feel that budget constraints prevent them from taking action. That’s according to the Bridge-sponsored Future of Upskilling and Employee Learning 2024 report. In practice, this means you must make a strong case for learning and development. So, what’s the solution? Further findings show that businesses need to see the impact of learning and development presented in a way that stakeholders across the business can recognize. As such, survey respondents who say L&D is an organizational priority are more likely to capture and use an array of metrics to share the value of their strategies. These include:Return on investment Employee productivityTalent mobilitySkills assessmentsPresenting a clear budget that outlines how your strategy will solve current challenges shows the value and signals to your organization that your team is closely aligned with its goals.How to Build an L&D BudgetAllocating your L&D budget requires careful planning and foresight to predict and adapt to current and future objectives. There are several approaches you can take to account for these needs.Analyze Past Performance and SpendingReview your budget over recent years, the items included, and the number of employees each year. These figures will give you a cost per employee for each year and show you any underlying trends. With this information, you can predict any near-future costs you might expect to incur.Benchmark Based on Industry StandardsLooking at average spending data in your market or industry can give you insight into what other teams are spending and where they’re using their budget. This method is helpful if your information has gaps or if you need to provide evidence that supports your investment.Anticipate Future Skills NeedsIdentifying the critical skills your organization needs today and in the future can help you build a budget based on high-priority employee development programs and associated costs. Focus on the upskilling and reskilling initiatives to close current and anticipated skills gaps and allocate spending based on the areas that will keep your organization competitive.Evaluate Your Organization’s ObjectivesYour organization has specific goals, and your budget must reflect them. Prioritizing budget spending based on the anticipated business impact shows your execs that investing in L&D will drive results through employee performance.Key Costs to Factor Into Your L&D BudgetList the items in your budget, including an estimated cost or existing spending for items you currently use. For example, account for essential items such as:Ongoing subscription fees for an LMSOne-time purchase and setup feesThird-party learning contentExpenses associated with in-person training External trainers and SMEsHow to Get Buy-In for Your L&D BudgetFocus on how these resources will positively affect performance per your organization’s strategic priorities. Below are some examples to help you communicate the value.Highlight the Potential Risks of NoncomplianceAlthough the compliance risks might be different for each organization, the reasons to comply are the same. Completing mandatory training keeps your business and customers safe and protects you from any legal or financial penalties. For instance, data compiled in an e-book by Bridge and its sister companies found that in 2023, the US Securities and Exchange Commission reported fines for financial noncompliance totaling around $5 billion. That’s where an LMS comes in.To make your business case, connect your organization’s specific compliance requirements to the financial penalties for noncompliance. For instance, using a learning platform can keep your organization secure by tracking certification expiry dates and automating enrollments.Demonstrate the Impact of Upskilling and ReskillingWhile compliance training and risk management are important parts of any L&D function, they are only a fraction of what learning can do. A deliberate strategy means moving beyond risk mitigation to show the true value of training and development. Training makes your people more proficient in their roles, which is why giving them opportunities to identify and take ownership of their career development and growth directly benefits your organization. In fact, Bridge-sponsored research finds that high-performing organizations are nearly four times more likely to excel in employee development.Aligning employee goals to organizational performance allows you to strategically deploy employee development and upskilling programs and track the business impact. To present these benefits, you’ll want to show evidence of where this training has led to greater application of skills and how it benefits your business as a result. You should also identify the costs associated with not addressing skills gaps.Connect Learning to RevenueShowing the link between L&D and ROI presents the potential value of your initiatives to stakeholders. For example, Gallup research illustrates that a lack of employee engagement costs the global economy a massive $8.9 trillion each year. According to a Bridge-sponsored report, providing employees with opportunities to learn and grow is one of the top factors influencing engagement.Show How Training Improves Employee ProductivityShare how training your people gives them the tools to perform their roles more effectively and efficiently. For example, one Bridge customer cut the average time to onboard new hires from nine months to just three. As a result, it saw a 10 percent increase in sales revenue and a 50 percent decrease in turnover. You should also highlight how the right learning platform drives productivity. Using an LMS to create and deliver relevant, actionable training that your people can access on any device means faster training completion rates and less time away from day-to-day tasks. Plus, learners are more likely to retain the knowledge they learn.Find a Learning Platform That Works for Your OrganizationSaaS management platform Zylo predicts that as of 2024, less than 20 percent of midmarket organizations use single sign-on apps and platforms. Without centralized visibility, findings suggest that these organizations are at greater risk of a cybersecurity incident.Outline the potential risks and costs associated with security breaches and how the right software solution can mitigate this risk. You’re more likely to get your IT stakeholders on board when you present a platform that reduces vulnerabilities by seamlessly integrating with your existing tech and giving them complete visibility.Review Your Tech NeedsWhen building your budget, consider solutions for trimming costs that also increase efficiency. For instance, if you deliver in-person or instructor-led training events to a remote or distributed workforce, you’ll likely find that e-learning can reduce your costs—especially when adding up costs like hotels, airfare, and venue hire! You should also look for ways to consolidate your existing employee development tools into an all-in-one corporate LMS.

What You Need to Include in Your L&D Budget

The increasing demand for upskilling and reskilling, paired with technological advancements, has paved the way for new learning methods that are restructuring how organizations approach employee development. With the uprising of digital transformation, staying ahead of the latest L&D trends is crucial for organizations aiming to create a skilled, adaptable workforce. Embracing Personalization in LearningOne of the most transformative trends in L&D is the shift toward personalized learning experiences. Unlike traditional, one-size-fits-all methods, modern learners crave content tailored to their unique needs, goals, and learning styles. By utilizing artificial intelligence (AI) and data analytics, organizations can create learning paths that adapt in real-time, ensuring employees receive the most relevant training exactly when needed. Adaptive learning technologies, which modify content delivery based on a learner’s progress and performance, are at the forefront of this innovation. These tools boost engagement and enhance retention, making them a cornerstone of contemporary L&D strategies. Microlearning: Small Bites, Big ImpactMicrolearning is another innovative approach gaining momentum. This method breaks down complex topics into short, focused lessons, making it easier for learners to grasp and retain information. By offering bite-sized content, organizations can meet the modern learner’s need for flexibility and quick access to information, making the learning process more convenient and less overwhelming. The shift toward microlearning aligns with the growing mobile learning trend, which allows employees to access training materials on the go. This is particularly important as remote work and global teams become more common, further illustrating the future of education technology in L&D. Collaborative and Social Learning Learning is no longer confined to formal, structured environments. Today’s workforce thrives on collaboration and knowledge sharing, leading to the rise of social and collaborative learning tools. Platforms that enable employees to interact, share ideas, and solve problems together foster a culture of continuous learning. Whether through discussion boards, peer-to-peer mentoring, or real-time collaboration tools, these methods promote active participation and build a strong sense of community within the organization. The power of collaboration is found in the content shared and the connections built across teams. These connections are the catalyst for achieving remarkable results and driving progress. Immersive Learning Technologies: The Future of EducationImmersive learning experiences are becoming increasingly common. Virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), and mixed-reality platforms allow employees to use simulations replicating real-world challenges in a safe and controlled environment. These technologies provide hands-on, experiential learning that enhances skills retention and builds confidence. Immersive learning is particularly beneficial in industries where practical training is essential, such as healthcare, manufacturing, and emergency services. The ability to simulate high-pressure scenarios without real-world consequences makes VR and AR indispensable tools in modern L&D. The Rise of AI-Powered Learning PlatformsAI is revolutionizing educational technology. From chatbots that offer instant support to AI-driven content creation, automation is making learning more efficient and accessible. AI-powered Learning Experience Platforms (LXPs) enable organizations to curate personalized learning paths, recommend content, and analyze performance data to predict future learning needs. This intelligent automation allows L&D professionals to focus on strategic initiatives, ensuring that learning aligns with organizational goals. By leveraging AI, organizations can foster a forward-thinking culture of learning that anticipates future skill requirements and addresses them proactively. The Future Is Now The latest L&D trends show that the future of learning is driven by innovation, adaptability, and a focus on personalized, collaborative, and immersive experiences. As organizations embrace these cutting-edge methods, they are better equipped to develop a skilled workforce ready to tackle today’s challenges and tomorrow’s opportunities. By adopting cutting-edge educational technology, businesses can ensure that their learning and development initiatives consistently drive success and expansion.

Revolutionizing Education: Exploring the Latest Trends in Learning

Burnout is pervasive in today’s professional world, particularly among leaders. In fact, DDI’s research reveals that 72 percent of leaders report feeling used up at the end of every day, with rates even higher among women and minorities. It’s no wonder given the relentless demands they face—balancing packed schedules, coaching teams, executing initiatives, and shaping strategy—all on top of personal responsibilities.Given these pressures, HR professionals cannot afford to ignore burnout. Its long-term effects can be damaging for your leaders and organization: retention drops, quality of work declines, and for leaders, physical and mental health can suffer.The good news is that burnout isn’t inevitable. By providing the right environment and tools, HR can play a critical role in supporting leaders and preventing burnout.Ahead, we’ll explore three important ways you can prevent leader burnout: cultivating psychological safety, providing personalized training and support, and developing a strong leader pipeline.Build a Culture of Psychological SafetyTo create a resilient workplace, begin with culture. An organization’s culture profoundly influences how people behave and feel about their work.Protecting leaders from burnout requires cultivating an environment where they (and their teams) feel empowered to give candid feedback, collaborate effectively, and voice dissenting opinions without fear of retaliation. These behaviors thrive in a culture defined by psychological safety, empathy, transparency, and ethical integrity. Between deadlines and high-stakes presentations, occasional stress is unavoidable. However, when organizations lead with empathy, they see higher employee engagement and productivity, and lower rates of burnout.HR should establish and maintain workplace norms that encourage psychological safety and empathetic leadership.Strategies for HR to foster a psychologically safe culture include: Consistently champion and reinforce organizational values.Model vulnerability and transparency from leadership. Implement processes for safe escalation of concerns. Hold all employees accountable for ethical standards. Celebrate actions that reflect the desired culture. Provide Personalized Development for LeadersDeveloping capable leaders is another powerful way to prevent burnout. The key? Start by assessing each leader's strengths and growth areas to focus on development needs.Today’s leaders can’t wait for comprehensive 360-degree assessments that only appear every few years. They need immediate, objective feedback on exactly what to continue doing and where to adjust to support their development. One-size-fits-all training that doesn’t target specific needs only contributes to their time crunch and burnout risk. With real-time assessment results, HR can provide highly relevant, targeted development, giving leaders tools and a safe environment to practice their skills ahead of challenging situations.DDI’s research has identified seven critical skill areas that are associated with lower rates of burnout: Empathy Coaching and Delegation Influence Leading Change Leading Virtual Teams Driving Inclusion Developing Future Talent HR is uniquely positioned to help leaders address skill gaps to not only improve their capabilities but also reduce burnout risk. Finally, consider incorporating peer learning into your development program. While leadership can be isolating, bringing together leaders who face similar challenges helps build empathy, strengthen networks, and encourage mutual learning and coaching for shared growth.Develop the Pipeline of Emerging LeadersA plan to protect leaders from burnout wouldn’t be complete without designing a strategy to cultivate future leaders within the organization.As experienced leaders become overburdened, HR can ease their workload by building a robust pipeline of emerging talent. Nurturing future leaders not only provides growth opportunities that retain top performers but also ensures a steady supply of skilled leaders who can step in and share the responsibilities. Try these strategies to strengthen your leadership pipeline: Leverage a strategic, data-driven approach to identifying high potentials.Identify and develop high-potential talent at all levels.Focus on leadership potential—not just performance—by carefully observing critical skills like interpersonal skills, coaching, and building trust. Roll out development initiatives to nurture emerging leaders, including formal training, stretch assignments, and coaching.ConclusionHR's role in preventing leader burnout extends beyond crisis management. By fostering psychological safety, offering tailored development, and cultivating a strong talent pipeline, HR can proactively build a sustainable, high-performing workplace where leaders truly thrive.For more on preventing leader burnout, visit our blog, Understanding Burnout Culture: 10 Ways Leaders Can Reduce Workplace Stress, and discover how leaders can fight burnout at work.

3 Keys for Preventing Leader Burnout

Knowing what skills your people have and what they need is an essential part of any upskilling and reskilling strategy. According to Bridge-sponsored research, it's never been more important, as 77 percent of HR professionals and business leaders consider talent development a top priority over the next two years. However, despite talent development’s importance, survey ﬁndings also reveal that less than half of HR teams currently match learning to future talent requirements or assess employee needs and gaps in knowledge.Let’s take a look at how developing a skills matrix can keep your talent management strategy in step with learner needs and business demands, as well as how to use AI-powered upskilling software to personalize your L&D programs.What Is a Skills Matrix?Think of a skills matrix as an inventory of your employees’ current abilities. By evaluating these skills and competencies and presenting them in a table, you can easily monitor skills gaps, ﬁnd your strongest performers, and ensure your people are equipped to undertake a project or succeed in their roles.A skills matrix is useful for quickly identifying and comparing people’s competencies and experience, allocating resources, and targeting L&D programs.The Beneﬁts of Using a Skills MatrixSome of the beneﬁts of a skills matrix include:1. Finding and Filling Employee Skills GapsKnowing what skills are required to drive organizational success means you can organize your talent and prioritize training programs based on demand.Mapping your workforce’s skills, capabilities, and experience levels makes it easy to spot any skills gaps across teams or departments, and then direct them toward learning and development opportunities they need.2. Assessing Employee PerformanceConnecting the work your people do to organizational objectives with a set of measurable goals reveals your strongest performers and the capabilities that drive organizational success.A robust skills framework can help your people understand what’s expected of them, showing them the areas in which they make the most impact and providing actionable steps for improvement.3. Incentivizing Learning and DevelopmentBeyond delivering mandatory training, a skills matrix can help identify employees’ strengths and career goals and connect them to meaningful learning opportunities. When your employees develop and grow, everyone beneﬁts. LinkedIn’s Workplace Learning Report ﬁndings show that people are four times more likely to engage in training when it’s connected to their career goals. And 87 percent of L&D pros say they show business value by helping employees gain skills to move into different internal roles.4. Workforce Planning and Risk MitigationAssigning tasks is easy when it’s clear who possesses the needed skills and competencies and who’s most experienced to undertake projects. With a view of skillsets across the organization, you can mobilize talent most effectively and tap into otherwise hidden potential. Additionally, you can guard against future disruption and anticipate changing needs by identifying high-potential talent who can step into business-critical roles and prioritize training programs for in-demand skills.How to Build an Employee Skills MatrixAssessing employees at scale requires a system for collecting, categorizing, and organizing these skills. Follow the steps below to build a skills matrix for your organization.Step One: Identify the Required SkillsWhether your matrix is focused across a team, department, or the entire organization, you must be clear about the essential skills each person needs to perform in their role.Start by compiling these skills and competencies with leaders and key stakeholders across departments, including both soft and hard, or role-speciﬁc. You could also review your company’s competency framework to identify core values and behaviors that your people should possess—but remember to keep the list speciﬁc and only include what’s relevant.It’s likely that some of these skills and competencies will be the same for everybody in the organization, while others will be more technical and role-speciﬁc.Step Two: Create a Scoring System to Evaluate SkillsOnce you’ve gathered a list of skills and competencies, you’ll need a way to rank and categorize proﬁciency and map it onto your matrix.A popular way to score and manage skills mastery is using a Likert scale. For example:ScoreRatingDescription1LimitedThe employee has limited knowledge or understanding of the skill or hasn’t yet had the chance to apply it.2BasicThe employee demonstrates the essential components of the competency or skill with the ability to develop a greater competency in a reasonable timeframe.3WorkingThe employee demonstrates experience using the skill at a necessary level to advance organizational objectives.4SeasonedThe employee effectively applies the skill in practice in most circumstances.5ExpertThe employee specializes in this area, showing consistent, superior application of the skill, even in unanticipated circumstances.For an accurate picture of employee proﬁciency, consider collecting and combining several sources of data, such as: Skills assessments Manager and peer reviews Employee self-evaluationsStep Three: Consider Employees’ Career GoalsAlthough including employees’ career goals and the skills they want to develop is optional, doing so can inform development plans and direct people to meaningful L&D opportunities.To uncover this insight, partner with your people managers. By making career and skills development a staple of regular manager-employee discussions, you’ll understand what motivates people and what skills they want to learn. You can use this insight to ﬁnd opportunities that develop these skills aligned with organizational goals.Step Four: Compile Skills Data in a TableAn Excel spreadsheet is a popular format for mapping skills data, and this sheet will give you a visualization of each employee’s proﬁciency level.You’ll plot this information using two axes, with employee names on one and a list of skills on the other. Then, you’ll populate the sheet using the data you’ve collected.Once you’ve built your matrix, you’ll have an overview of each person’s abilities, strengths, and weaknesses. You can sort these skills into categories based on tasks and projects, ﬁlter to ﬁnd gaps, and use them to inform employee development plans.Step Five: Keep Skills Matrices Up to DateUp-to-date skills data is a must for tracking growth over time and prioritizing skills needs. To get the most out of a skills matrix, you’ll need to review and update your data regularly to reﬂect your people’s current skills, proﬁciencies, and certiﬁcations.How Dedicated Employee Upskilling Software Can Streamline Skills AssessmentsHere are some ways an all-in-one learning, development, and upskilling platform like Bridge streamlines creating and managing your skills matrix and keeps your data accurate and up to date.1. Creating a Single Source of Truth for Employee SkillsA dynamic skills taxonomy is the foundation of any skills strategy. However, gathering data to present an in-the-moment picture of your people’s skills takes time, and skills inventories quickly become outdated as employees continue to learn and grow.An LMS allows you to swiftly identify, group, and measure the skills within your organization, giving you a transparent and agile framework from which to build.Using a learning, development, and upskilling platform with AI to combine your existing employee data with external labor market data gives you an accurate, ever-evolving, and easy-to-visualize view of competitive in-demand skills and where they exist in your organization.2. Assessing Employee Skills and CompetenciesOnce you know what skills your people have and what’s required, you’ll need a way to ﬁll any gaps with training and development and measure learner growth.An L&D platform gives you a single destination to conduct performance conversations, record employee one-on-ones, and share skills feedback and recognition. With AI, you can take this a step further by helping people identify the skills they need to grow and recommending competencies based on their roles.3. Personalizing Employee DevelopmentMapping skills using an AI-driven taxonomy keeps learning targeted andgrowth-oriented with minimal administrative input. Once learners know what they want to develop, you make their growth actionable and measurable by connecting them to employee development plans and assigning tasks and training.However, formal training programs are only one way to strengthen your talent pool and close skills gaps. You can also harness these skills and insights and direct learners toward gigs, projects, and mentorship opportunities that put these skills into practice.

How to Create an Effective Skills Matrix With the Help of AI-Based Skills Suggestions

Torch is the people development platform that fuels growth through the power of trusted relationships. This demo will demonstrate that by combining coaching, mentoring, and peer learning with scalable technology, Torch helps L&D leaders design, manage, and measure employee growth. Leading brands like Genentech, American Express, Allstate, and Reddit use Torch to create growth experiences that employees love, develop stronger managers, and, ultimately, drive better business outcomes.
 
During this demo, you will learn how to:

Democratize coaching, mentoring, and peer learning across your organization with a variety of flexible formats so all employees can access these growth-accelerating experiences.
Use Torch’s highly flexible and configurable platform to help you ensure experiences are aligned to your initiatives, competencies, and cultural values.
Leverage Torch’s core products and assessments to move beyond self-reported data to help organizations and their leaders measure true behavior change and ROI.
 


DEMO: Torch: The People Development Platform

Torch taps into the power of human connection to fuel leadership development, retention, and engagement. By combining coaching, mentoring, and peer learning with the latest behavioral science, Torch helps organizations manage their learning and leadership development programs with powerful technology.
Torch works with some of the world’s largest brands, such as American Express, Allstate, and LinkedIn. But what makes Torch different? Torch is:

Accessible. Torch democratizes coaching, mentoring, and peer learning across your organization with a variety of flexible formats so all employees can access these growth-accelerating experiences.
Aligned. Torch ensures experiences are aligned to your initiatives, competencies, and cultural values with a flexible and configurable platform.
Measurable. Torch provides ways you can measure true behavior change and ROI with core products and assessments that move beyond self-reported data.

By pairing scalable and flexible technology with cutting-edge behavioral science, Torch helps L&D leaders solve these challenges so they can create highly engaging, relationship-based experiences that develop stronger managers, create growth-minded cultures, and drive business performance. 

As talent leaders, we can easily sit around and commiserate about the challenges facing talent acquisition. But we can also rise to the challenge. New data can help us peer into what separates mature, leading talent functions so that we can improve our operations and outcomes, and examples from innovative talent teams can help us build stronger relationships with stakeholders and business leaders.
Data from Lighthouse Research & Advisory’s 2021 Talent Acquisition Trends study shows that talent teams that prioritize the use of data and evidence are three and a half times more likely to be leading and proactive strategic partners, not passive order-takers. This session will share examples, stories, and data to help illuminate the path forward in one of the most challenging and complex talent environments that talent leaders have ever seen.

During this webinar, you will learn:

What technology gaps companies experienced and how they overcame them
How organizations are making use of recruiting automation tools and how they benefit from them
Why talent mobility is a leading practice for talent acquisition teams
The differentiators for mature, data-focused talent teams and what they can teach the rest of us
 


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