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Entries » Blog » We CAN Measure the Business Impact of Learning

We CAN Measure the Business Impact of Learning

Created Feb 28 2014, 6:00 AM by Motorola Solutions

For learning professionals, it has never been easy to measure the business impact of our work. We know learning is critical in any organization. If we don’t learn, we can’t grow our knowledge and skills, and we can’t sustain or expand our business. It’s intuitive, yet difficult to isolate the exact contribution learning adds to business.

I have been on the board of Center of Talent Reporting (CTR) for over a year now – CTR is a grassroots effort in the learning industry with the goal of developing an industry-accepted and adopted set of measurement standards, much like the Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) in the accounting industry. Learning leaders across industries all want – and need – a methodical, reliable, repeatable and scalable way to measure the business impact of learning.

In the various learning industry events I have participated recently or will be joining, including Talent Management Alliance’s Human Capital Analytics Summit and the Knowledge Advisors Annual Analytics Symposium, the buzz is all about measurement.

Within Motorola Solutions, we have created our own Learning Measurement Maturity Model (M3) and in the last few years, we have evolved from the “Initial” stage to the “Managed” stage. (For more details on the concept of the M3 model and how it can guide learning professionals to set not just measurement strategies but business strategies, please see our white paper.) 

M3.png

Starting with internal learning measurement, we have spent a significant amount of resources setting up a consolidated data mart comprised of relevant business, people, and learning data from multiple systems. With a single view of learning activities and business data, we now have measurement dashboards that call out operational metrics so we can become a more efficient and effective learning organization.

SAMPLE DASHBOARDS (MOCK-UP DATA)

Dashboard.png

More importantly, we have begun diving into the business results: based on the company’s business goals, we have set learning strategies and developed learning solutions that will help learners acquire specific knowledge and skills and achieve those business goals. We are now in the process of evaluating the actual results accomplished by the learners, i.e. business outcome dashboards. With that data, we can fine-tune our learning strategies and maximize their impact.

As we link learning to the company’s business goals and results, we demonstrate the value of learning in tangible business terms, get management’s buy-in, and build our own credibility. Going forward, we will also start developing methods to measure the impact of learning as partners and customers engage in Motorola Solutions’ product and solution training.

Claudia Rodriguez is vice president of learning for Motorola Solutions, responsible for maximizing the performance of customers, partners and employees through innovative and results-driven learning programs. She also leads the Motorola Solutions Certification Program that recognizes learners for their technical or sales competencies with Motorola products and solutions.

Claudia will be a panelist at the Knowledge Advisors Annual Analytics Symposium, Tuesday, March 4, 2014 in San Francisco, California.

Motorola_Solutions offers online learning, instructor-led training classes or customized training delivered at on-site locations. Visit Americas Learning online here.

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