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May 6, 2008

How To Create A Comprehensive,
High-Impact Learning Strategy
by Claire Schooley
for Information & Knowledge Management Professionals

Making Leaders Successful Every Day


For Information & Knowledge Management Professionals

May 6, 2008

How To Create A Comprehensive, High-Impact
Learning Strategy
by Claire Schooley
with Connie Moore, Erica Driver, and Jamie Barnett

EXECUT I V E S U M MA RY
Training departments in companies of all sizes are revamping their training and learning programs.
Why? Learning organizations must develop employee-centric, business-driven learning strategies that
guide the successful deployment of learning that is more contextual and more relevant to employees’
work. Workforce quality and productivity remains one of the most vital areas where an organization
gets significant competitive differentiation. Over the past five years, we have helped learning, IT, and HR
directors examine their training programs and infuse them with online learning. Now, with Learning
2.0 — wikis, blogs, social networking and other tools — coming into enterprises, as well as new, young
tech-savvy workers getting hired, information and knowledge management professionals (I&KM)
must develop learning strategies that combine multiple learning methods and approaches — including
classroom, online, and informal learning. This approach will encourage workers to gain maximum
proficiency in ways that best suit them and empower the workforce to drive business success.

TABLE O F CO N T E N TS
2 Why Develop A Learning Strategy Now?
4 How To Get Started Depends On Your Culture
And Organization
5 Don’t Miss The Nine Critical Elements Of A
Learning Strategy
RECOMMENDATIONS

15 I&KM Pros: Contribute Expertise And Drive
Consensus

N OT E S & R E S O U R C E S
Forrester interviewed nine organizations,
including Best Buy, blurgl, Harley-Davidson,
Hitachi, Liberty Mutual Insurance Company,
SkillSoft, Subaru, TeleTech Holdings, and
Wolseley N.A. We also spoke informally to a
number of other organizations with learning
programs.

Related Research Documents
“The Workforce Is Changing; What Are You Doing
About It?”
March 4, 2008
“The Forrester Wave™: Enterprise Learning
Management Suites, Q1 2008”
February 12, 2008
“Learning Director: Are You Ready For Your New
Role?”

April 10, 2007

© 2008, Forrester Research, Inc. All rights reserved. Forrester, Forrester Wave, RoleView, Technographics, TechRadar, and Total Economic Impact
are trademarks of Forrester Research, Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective companies. Forrester clients may make one
attributed copy or slide of each figure contained herein. Additional reproduction is strictly prohibited. For additional reproduction rights and
usage information, go to www.forrester.com. Information is based on best available resources. Opinions reflect judgment at the time and are
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How To Create A Comprehensive, High-Impact Learning Strategy
For Information & Knowledge Management Professionals

WHY DEVELOP A LEARNING STRATEGY NOW?
You may already have a training and learning strategy in place. If so, you may wonder “Why do we
need a new strategy for learning?” But think about it for a second. Your organization is continually
striving to meet changing market needs and rapidly evolving customer demands. And your hiring
plans may involve bringing in next generation workers who have vastly different IT experience than
your current workforce. Given all these changes, is your learning strategy keeping pace with the rate
of change in the business?
The business requires learning that is delivered to people in the context of their background
experience, the tasks they are trying to complete, and their business processes. A clear, concise
strategy for improving employee performance helps meet these needs, demands, and pressures. In
today’s world, the learning department must assume the responsibility and be held accountable for
developing skilled employees who can meet daily and long-term challenges and help increase the
organization’s market value. But learning professionals need a well-articulated strategy to execute
against. For example, you must make sure your training staff addresses strategic businesswide goals
as well as day-to-day learning needs. It’s a balancing act between tactical and strategic learning, and
both are needed in a successful organization. Here’s how training has evolved:

· Traditionally, tactical learning led the way. Historically, learning departments operated quite

separately from other parts of the organization. Training staff provided classes on standard
topics like desktop skills, compliance, company-specific applications, and organizational
procedures. C-level executives typically perceived training as a cost drain, often providing
limited budget to support learning activities, and questioned the value of the training
department to the organization. Generally, training experiences focused on tactical topics,
answering the question “How?” As in: How shall we train employees on that application?
What’s the best way to develop these lessons? How do we use technology to get the best learning
results? These are functionally-oriented goals focused on an individual or a department.

· Strategic learning is today’s mantra. Today, learning directors are tasked with developing

talent to meet organizational goals by providing learning experiences that will give employees
the skills that they need to execute on specific objectives, not just this or that software
application. For example, if a company goal is to have more satisfied customers who buy more
products, then the training department must work with the sales department and develop
specific sales learning modules or single concept, short learning experiences. These modules
give sales staff more product knowledge and selling skills within a set time period. The sales
staff evaluation includes a measurement component that determines the increase in product
sales or customer satisfaction after completion of the learning module. We spoke with a learning
executive of a major business process outsourcing (BPO) organization who confirmed this
approach with the comment, “I must run training as a business with a focus on ROI and direct
business results.”

May 6, 2008

© 2008, Forrester Research, Inc. Reproduction Prohibited

How To Create A Comprehensive, High-Impact Learning Strategy
For Information & Knowledge Management Professionals

· Training departments take a higher level view of learning within the organization. Your

training staff must step back from day-to-day content development and training schedules and
answer the question “What?” As in: What should we be doing to support the organization’s
goals for improved performance? What succession plans are in place to keep the organization
competitive? What overarching design for learning best matches our situation and our
workforce? What software capabilities do we need to best solve our learning and training
challenges? What is the best way to deliver informal learning into the Information Workplace?”1
Training activities must support the overall business strategy (see Figure 1). Tactical learning
will not do the job alone — strategic learning must lead the way.

Figure 1 Learning Becomes More Central To Company Processes

LOB

Finance

Executive
management

Operations

PAST

HR

Desktop
computer
skills

New employee
training
Classroom
training and
learning

IT

Marketing, PR

Basic company
applications

Compliance

PRESENT

LOB
IT skills
Finance

Legal
compliance

Desktop/
Executive

company
application management
skills

IT

Business
skills

Management
and leadership

Sales
Operations

HR

Learning

Onboarding

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© 2008, Forrester Research, Inc. Reproduction Prohibited

Marketing, PR
Source: Forrester Research, Inc.

May 6, 2008

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HOW TO GET STARTED DEPENDS ON YOUR CULTURE AND ORGANIZATION
There is no one “right” learning strategy . . . and there is no one right way to develop a learning
strategy. The best approach depends on your organizational structure, existing learning program,
organizational learning culture, and the value executives place on employee development. The most
powerful approach for your organization may be some combination of several options (see Figure
2). For example, an organization could develop a powerful learning program by combining a topdown, business-driven learning strategy with a bottom-up, IT-driven learning strategy, creating
significant workforce advantages over competitors. And of course, each approach comes with
specific challenges.
Figure 2 Learning Strategies
Strategy driven by . . .

Characteristics

Challenges

HR-driven learning
• Aligned to performance, onboarding,
strategy:
succession planning, and career
This learning strategy as part of development
HR’s overall human capital
• Prevalent in organizations that

management (HCM) initiative
have a strong HCM initiative
• Supported by VP for HR

• May become so employeefocused that larger business
issues and strategic goals are
not addressed
• Business units that need specific
training sometimes do not feel
supported

Business-driven learning
strategy:
This learning strategy is
developed by a corporate
learning group that is
centralized within the business

• Aligned to larger company goals like
improved brand recognition or
improved sales of Product A
•Prevalent in top-down hierarchical
organizations
• Supported by a C-level executive
(e.g., CEO, COO) who becomes the
driving force behind development and
implementation of strategy

• Difficult to get buy-in from all
business units for the learning

program
• If CEO does not support the
program, you face an enormous
challenge

Department-by-department
strategy:
A bottom-up approach that
addresses the learning needs of
each department in a more
decentralized or federated
model

• Aligned with individual department
needs
• A more tactical learning approach
• Prevalent in flatter and bottom-up
empowered organizations with
local control
• Supported by manager of the
specific business unit

• A long, slow process to reach
companywide implementation
• Difficult to get companywide
buy-in for an organizationwide
learning management system
(LMS), especially if individual
units already have their own LMS

IT-driven eLearning strategy:
A technology strategy that
incorporates online learning
and offline approaches into a
blended solution

• Danger of using online tools
• Aligned with IT and HR, an IT-driven
eLearning strategy is focused on using
because they are new rather
than because they are the best
technology tools for learning
• Prevalent in organizations where CEO
way to learn particular material
• eLearning staff may be
is a strong proponent of learning and
the ability of technology to aid learning marginalized from more
• Supported by C-level executive as a
traditional learning unit that
may exist in HR
separate unit or owned by HR and IT
jointly
• IT inexperience in eLearning
strategies and technology may
lead to the procurement of
ineffective and unwanted
eLearning tools

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May 6, 2008

Source: Forrester Research, Inc.

© 2008, Forrester Research, Inc. Reproduction Prohibited


How To Create A Comprehensive, High-Impact Learning Strategy
For Information & Knowledge Management Professionals

DON’T MISS THE NINE CRITICAL ELEMENTS OF A LEARNING STRATEGY
The bottom line: the training plan you develop, the varieties of learning approaches you integrate
into the offerings, and the communication process you create must show results in the form of better
performing employees. This is an ongoing journey rather than a process that you start and complete
in a few months. The order in which you approach the following learning strategy components will
differ depending on your organization’s characteristics. For example, the CEO may already support
a strong learning program or the business drivers may be so clearly defined that you don’t need to
spend time identifying them. No matter what your situation, make sure you address, in the order
most appropriate, each of the following nine key elements in a comprehensive learning strategy
including: 1) business drivers; 2) C-level support; 3) vision; 4) needs assessment; 5) business case;
6) plan and scope; 7) technology infrastructure; 8) marketing; and 9) evaluation and continuous
improvement.
Aligned Business Drivers Best Practice No. 1: Highlight Learning Issues That Align With Goals
As one retail learning leader we spoke with succinctly stated, “Your success is based on a learning
strategy that not only has C-level support but has linkages to the company’s strategic business
plan. Without the latter, you fail.” The most powerful drivers for developing a new learning strategy
relate to people engaged in practices or processes that are not working well and could benefit
from a learning program. For example, if you are a retail organization and the sales force does
not understand the products it sells, improving product knowledge is a strong business driver for
increasing product sales. It also aligns with the organization’s goal of increasing the bottom line.

Focus on the most significant business issues that learning programs can address, and list them in
order of importance to senior management (see Figure 3).
To assure business alignment, the learning executive must have direct communication with C-level
executives to understand the company’s strategy and highest-level goals and then work with the
learning staff to translate these goals into effective employee learning experiences. In organizations
that have strong autonomous departments with their own budgets for learning, the learning
executive needs continual communication with department VPs to understand each department’s
needs and to suggest ways that learning can assist.

© 2008, Forrester Research, Inc. Reproduction Prohibited

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How To Create A Comprehensive, High-Impact Learning Strategy
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Figure 3 Examples Of Business Drivers And The Learning Implications
Business drivers

Learning implications

• Compress time to competency or proficiency. The
time required to get employees up to speed in their
job takes too long and is too costly. The company
needs to streamline its processes.

• eLearning presents consistent content to learners
in a short time and adapts the pace and level of
content to suit an individual’s learning needs.

• Reduce cost. The high cost of current training
methods is not sustainable.

• Repeated use of online learning carries fewer
additional costs.

• Integrate dispersed workforce. The business’
success depends on breaking down cultural
barriers and getting employees across the
organization’s different geographies to
collaborate, share information, problem solve,
and inform others about successful processes and
procedures.

• Collaboration tools, especially those using video,
break down barriers and allow employees to learn
informally.

• Create quick and consistent response to constant
changes in information. Employees need to stay
up-to-date with the constant changes in the
organization to be effective in their work.

• User generated content increases employees’
abilities to share knowledge and participation in

the learning process.
• Learning objects allow easy swapping of new
content for old content. Rapid authoring tools
allow quick and easy content creation.

• Eliminate organizational silos to create a positive
organizational culture. Communicate across lines
of business to eliminate duplication of efforts and
drive innovation.

• Online communities, such as communities of
practice (COPs), focus on specific knowledgebuilding activities in the context of day-to-day work
activities to promote idea generation, community
knowledge, and professional identity.

• Develop an efficient, high quality workforce. The
organization needs easy-to-use tools, contextual
learning, communities, and the ability for
employees to learn informally.

• Intranet-based resources that employees can
access informally and on-demand help learners
keep up-to-date and provide information they
need to do their job.

• Reverse the trend toward flat — or even
declining — customer satisfaction. The business
needs a stronger relationship with customers.

• Online customer service training provides an

opportunity for employees to apply learning
immediately — on the phone, via email, etc.

• Change the dynamics that make a skilled
workforce difficult to attract and retain. With Baby
Boomer retirements and the recruitment pools
getting smaller, the enterprise must attract new
employees as well as retain existing knowledgeable
employees.

• Excellent opportunities for learning and career
growth attract new employees, especially young
workers looking for advancement.

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Source: Forrester Research, Inc.

© 2008, Forrester Research, Inc. Reproduction Prohibited


How To Create A Comprehensive, High-Impact Learning Strategy
For Information & Knowledge Management Professionals

Top Level Support Best Practice No. 2: Secure Sponsorship From An Executive Champion
Without top-level sponsorship, your learning strategy will not be successful because you will have
no budget and no executive encouragement for managers to value and support learning within their
departments. The two most common executive support scenarios we see are:

· The executive champion who drives the comprehensive learning strategy. This person (CEO,

COO) understands the importance of learning and is the motivator behind the learning strategy.
The executive believes that a comprehensive learning strategy makes a difference in employee
attitude and skills, job satisfaction, and retention. Most likely he or she believes in the intrinsic
value of learning and wants to know the results that indicate if employees are taking the training,
if they like it, and if they are more effective in their work. But this champion will expect some
cost analysis from the learning team before signing off on investments.

· The HR executive who champions learning as part of overall employee performance.

If learning is managed as part of human capital management (HCM), the HR executive
advocates for learning’s role in the talent management system that he or she directs. Learning,
performance, compensation, and recruitment are the four pillars of strategic HCM that drive
bottom-line business results, with the HR executive both the champion and a member of
the C-level management team. Some components of the HCM initiative include onboarding,
employee performance, career development, succession planning, and pay for performance. The
learning component is the glue that makes the system whole (see Figure 4).2

Figure 4 Learning Is A Part Of All People Development Activities
Learning
Recruiting

Performance

Compensation

Onboarding

Job skill
development

360º evaluation

Training

Succession
planning

Achievement
rewarded

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© 2008, Forrester Research, Inc. Reproduction Prohibited

Career
growth

Source: Forrester Research, Inc.

May 6, 2008

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The Vision Best Practice No. 3: Paint A Compelling Picture Of The Future State Of Learning
A vision statement helps stakeholders understand the depth of the learning strategy and gives them
a context for their thinking. At the highest level, the vision statement communicates the desired
future state of learning. When creating the vision statement, position the vision in the future
tense, and keep it short and simple. Tie the vision statement to any high-level business vision or
corporate mission statements and make sure it is in concert with any HR performance management
vision statement. The training group should craft a vision statement and test and refine it with
the executive champion and other key business stakeholders to make sure that it is realistic. The
vision statement may continue to evolve as you begin your needs assessment and business plan
development (see Figure 5).
Figure 5 Some Examples Of Learning Vision Statements
We will provide effective, efficient, and easily accessible learning resources to our organization’s employees.
Our learning products will be so embedded into employees’ work that work and learning will become one.
Learning will be a way of life in our organization.
We will provide a people-centered approach that allows employees to access the learning they need at the
time they need it.
We will provide learning experiences in short, contextual bursts rather than in long, boring classroom
settings.
Learning and talent management will be integrated with learning experiences tied to identified
performance gaps.
Both formal and informal learning will become an expected part of our learning fabric with the learning
mode determined by the individual and the job.
Employees will have the ability to learn and share knowledge and develop relationships within and
across the extended enterprise.
Our workforce will gain knowledge and skills through use of collaboration and informal tools such as wikis,
communities of practice, serious games, and 3D immersive environments.
Our learning program will meet the diverse needs of our distributed workforce.
We will accurately target and disseminate information to the correct audience, at the right time, in the

right amount, and in the desired format for performance improvement across our organization.
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Source: Forrester Research, Inc.

© 2008, Forrester Research, Inc. Reproduction Prohibited


How To Create A Comprehensive, High-Impact Learning Strategy
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Needs Assessment Best Practice No. 4: Analyze Your Current Learning Situation
The training team must: 1) collect data on the current state of learning within the organization;
2) determine what learning expectations employees have; 3) analyze how well learning supports
the goals and direction of the business; 4) determine if the learning methods in use (classroom,
mentoring, online, etc.) are appropriate for the employee culture; 5) find out what kinds of training
content employees access; and 6) determine what technology and tools they are using (see Figure 6).
As a learning executive or learning professional, you must have a rock-solid understanding of your
organization’s short- and long-term goals, but you must also know your culture and the day-to-day
employee experiences with learning throughout the organization. Use a variety of one-on-one and
group discussions, questionnaires, focus groups, and survey instruments to gather information from
a cross-section of employees including line workers, supervisors, managers, and executives.
Figure 6 Analyze Your Environment
Questions for gaining learning insights:
• What is the perception of learning by management and directors in different departments?
• What is the support for learning among line managers, directors, and senior management?
• Do employees perceive learning as a resource that helps them with work, a chore to get done, or an
opportunity to learn new skills?

Questions about how well learning is related to the business:
• How is the direction of your business changing?
• What are the causes of this change (technology, new workforce, international competition, etc.)?
• How are these changes affecting the learning requirements of the business?
• What is the flexibility and responsiveness of learning to changes within your business?
• What do your employees need to do differently or better in order to achieve those goals?
Questions about learning methods currently used for instruction:
• What learning methods are used (classroom, eLearning, blended, mentoring/coaching, on-the job,
internships, etc.)?
• What is the usage of learning (online and offline) throughout the organization?
• What is the perceived level of success or failure of existing learning?
• What are employee preferences for accessing learning?
Questions about the characteristics of the learning culture:
• What are the employees like at all levels of the organization?
• What is their openness and hesitation to engaging in learning experiences to reduce pain points
associated with their work?
• What are the different generations of workers? Are their learning expectations different?
• How does gender, race, language, etc., impact your learning needs and environment?
• Are yearly individual learning goals tied to the career development process?
Questions about the current state of learning content:
• What kind of formal courses exist in leadership, management, and other business skills?
• What regulatory and/or compliance courses are taught?
• What IT and desktop technology courses are standard?
• Is any informal learning provided (information aggregated in a knowledge bank, expertise location
wikis, blogs and discussion forums, podcasts, communities of practice, virtual worlds, etc.)?
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© 2008, Forrester Research, Inc. Reproduction Prohibited

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Business Case Best Practice No. 5: Justification For Spending Money
A good business case must justify the training investment in human capital and technology by
showing that the activity or program meets specific business needs in all parts of the organization,
even in multinationals with many cultures and different brands. Make the business case meaningful
to executives by showing a realistic plan with numbers indicating expected ROI and when this will
be realized. Forrester’s Total Economic Impact™ (TEI) is one methodology you can use to conduct
a comprehensive business case analysis.3 Often organizations already have some kind of learning
business case in place but are re-examining this to include self-paced online learning, blended
learning, and informal learning because of the cost savings that they provide.4
Some companies emphasize ROI while others emphasize softer benefits. If you can and if this is
required by whoever is signing the check, build a model to project real, quantifiable results. Estimate
your program’s cost-benefit ratio and break-even point. Model several ROI scenarios including costs
and risks and how you will measure the results over time.5 Determining ROI is easier if you are
dealing with hard dollars, such as an increase in sales of a product after the sales force has received
special training on it. But in general, determining the ROI of learning investments is difficult
and many executives accept data on how many people took training, what the drop-out rate was
for online courses, and what improvements in work performance are attributable to the learning
initiative. Look for ROI numbers in areas like:

· Technology (which can provide savings). Show how the use of technology speeds up critical

learning efforts, such as compliance and mandatory training, from months to days or hours
and helps avoid risk by providing testing, completion data, and the necessary legal reports. Justin-time sales training using rapid online authoring tools gets sales people trained faster than
classroom training and back on the street to generate additional sales revenue. If long-standing
courses need updates, new learning objects (small learning segments) can be swapped out for
older ones, eliminating the need to develop a whole new course. Using online learning also
eliminates costly travel by presenters and employees to central locations for classroom training.
Standardizing on one learning management system (LMS) eliminates the cost of duplicate
content and learning activities and minimizes contract negotiations, deployment costs, and
maintenance costs. The LMS also gives employees a tool to control their learning by giving them
more access to information.

· Testing out (to mitigate productivity loss). Increase employee productivity by allowing

employees to test out of training rather than spending time in unproductive learning sessions
going over content that they already understand. By using online learning tests, employees can
demonstrate their knowledge of a complete topic or test out of one or two sections and decrease
the amount of time away from the work tasks they’re being paid to complete. One learning
executive stated, “For my organization, this productivity savings analysis provides a huge benefit
and is very compelling to upper management.”

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How To Create A Comprehensive, High-Impact Learning Strategy
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· Worker performance improvements (improved productivity). The business case must

document expected increases in employee performance. For example, if customer support
personnel receive training on handling customer issues and then have context-sensitive
employee performance support systems (EPSSes) embedded in their major customer support
application, the business case must show how the formal training (course on handling
customers) and informal technology support will increase employee performance and customer
satisfaction results.

Scope And Plan Best Practice No. 6: How Will You Get From Here To There?
Lay out a learning growth story that you will develop with input from key stakeholders and
employees. Based on the learning team’s vision, chronicle how the organization will get from where
you are today to the future desired state of learning over a three- to five-year time frame. Include
technology, culture, and content development as well as governance. Your learning strategy should
describe:

· The technology you will use to enrich the learning process. If you rely mainly on classroom

instruction in your learning program, you should examine options and implement pilots using
technology. We’ve developed suggestions for adding technology to classroom-based instruction
and continuing to add additional technology approaches based on organizational fit (see Figure 7).

· The organizational culture, which can make or break a learning program. If employees,

customers, or channel partners don’t feel comfortable with the learning approach, then they will
not engage in the learning or will do it grudgingly with constant complaining.6 Anything new
requires time for people to feel comfortable. But most of all, you must ensure that people are
prepared through pre-training to engage in learning using technology. Give them opportunities
to try out the software, ask questions, and begin to see its value to them personally. Often,
people from multiple generations work in an organization, and some may not be as comfortable

or adventurous with technology.7 Have designated people in various departments or geographic
locations who can provide assistance when frustration threatens to boil over.

· Engaging content. Whether content is classroom-based, online self-paced, or blended learning,
it must be engaging and tied specifically to outcomes that are meaningful to the employees.
Boring, irrelevant content is typically the biggest complaint from employees. With content
development tools like Lectora, Raptivity, and Captivate, subject matter experts (SMEs) are
often tapped to create content. One caution: Make sure that an instructional designer works
with the SME to assure that the course design meets adult learning principles for content
development. Always design content based on its intended use. For example, if your authoring
team is creating a 15-minute training on the features of a new product that the sales force needs
to know tomorrow, a PowerPoint slide presentation that shows the most salient points may be
the most appropriate learning, especially if the slides are accessible through a handheld so the

© 2008, Forrester Research, Inc. Reproduction Prohibited

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sales person can take a quick refresher before talking to a customer. Content that has a longer
life and that presents concepts and more challenging learning will need a longer development
time, some engaging graphics, and animation to help the learner understand.

· The governance board that you will put in place. As you begin the process of implementing

your strategy, establish a board of directors from across the organization to guide your learning
team along the way. Choose people who know the business, collaborate well with others, add
value to decision-making, and guide you along the way. Members should include a high-level
executive or C-level champion, the LMS project director, IT decision-makers, HR and training
directors, and decision-makers from the business units. At a minimum, this board should meet
quarterly with email or teleconferences addressing issues between meetings.8 The learning
team takes action items from the governance board, and without appropriate governance, your
project is in jeopardy.

Figure 7 Add Technology To Learning
1. Classroom. Add interactive tools to classroom instruction, such as a blog or wiki as a follow-up to allow
participants to interact, discuss issues, solve instructor challenges, etc., between class sessions.
2. Off-the-shelf content. Examine predeveloped content available from content vendors that employees
can access via a URL for learning on topics like desktop skills or basic business skills. Use the content
providers’ LMS to record learning activity.
3. Custom content. Create organization-specific content using a rapid and easy-to-use tool (no code
expertise needed) in areas like compliance.
4. Virtual classroom. Use synchronous technology to present a live online session with screen data and
phone or VoIP discussion, or focus on collaboration, discussion, and targeted learning activities.
5. Blended learning. Provide an online self-paced learning module as prep for a face-to-face classroom
session. Follow this live experience with periodic meetings online (virtual classroom) to discuss learner
issues and experiences as participants implement learning from earlier sessions.
6. Informal learning. Examine some of the informal learning approaches (also called Learning 2.0) like a
COP for employees doing related work in dispersed locations, expertise location to find the expert when
one is needed, wikis for harnessing collective intelligence on a topic, or virtual 3D worlds for learning
games.
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Source: Forrester Research, Inc.

Technology Infrastructure Best Practice No. 7: Maintain A Strong Partnership With IT
The architecture framework must be an open, standards-based model that scales and supports
interoperability among different vendor solutions. These solutions must support interoperability
standards as defined by organizations such as The Aviation Industry CBT Committee (AICC) and
Sharable Content Object Reference Model (SCORM). Make sure that the IT staff is represented on
the learning governance board. IT must understand the importance of technology in the learning
program to provide sufficient support. To make sure you make the right technology decisions,
determine:

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How To Create A Comprehensive, High-Impact Learning Strategy
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· Any duplication of technology. To reduce costs, eliminate duplication, and streamline

processes, create a consolidation plan if multiple LMS applications are in place across the
enterprise. This is often a difficult process because each LMS has its loyal users.

· Portal needs for people to access learning. People typically access content from a learning

portal, which allows consolidation of information, formal courses, informal events, documents,
and videos into one easy-to-find location. People can personalize their individual learning page,
receive alerts of new learning modules appropriate for them, and also view the courses assigned
to them as well as those they have elected to take.

· Networking requirements. Make sure your network has capacity to handle bandwidth surges as
people access rich content like videos and serious games. Identify the necessary infrastructure
components, like a content delivery network (CDN), to support high-usage and rich-learning
content like interactive simulations and gaming, which most likely will be components of
employees’ learning futures.9

· The LMS with the right components to manage your learning process. An LMS is the basic

application that allows registration, tracking, and reporting on employee learning. It is part of a
suite of components that users gradually add to their LMS application. These include learning
content management systems (LCMS), which allow management of content as learning objects;
virtual classrooms, which are a synchronous learning component provided through integration
with a vendor; and collaboration, which allows discussion groups and informal interactions.10

· The content development and assessment tools to integrate with the suite. Learning

departments often create custom in-house content, and they need eLearning content creation
tools. Some LMSes have a built-in assessment component, but many learning departments
integrate other assessment products depending on the level of testing that they wish to conduct.
Make sure that these tools conform with AICC and SCORM learning standards.

Marketing Best Practice No. 8: Getting The Word Out . . . Continually
You are going to have to market quality learning offerings to the workforce, and keep the lines of
communication open between business units and the learning department. Continue pushing the
envelope and encouraging managers and employees to try new approaches and give feedback. One
learning retail leader we spoke with said, “Marketing is one of the most important success drivers.
A wonderful strategy will go nowhere unless you get the word out. Market! Market! Market! Never
underestimate the value of continual marketing, communication, and education.” You can market
your learning program by:

· Creating the final learning strategy document in a slide presentation format. You want the

presentation to catch people’s attention. Make the writing crisp, and keep words to a minimum.
Create a deck of approximately 25 to 30 slides using visuals, tables, and animations to explain

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ideas. Add an audio track so a variety of stakeholders can use the presentation package. This
format invites dialogue and interaction by encouraging feedback and input. Put the most critical
information in the body, and leave the rest for the appendix.

· Creating a communications plan and getting the word out to all employees. Create posters,

podcasts, blogs, and emails describing the learning strategy. Make it concrete with examples of
learning situations, especially the online learning that may be new to some employees. Continue
the marketing as some of the first products are announced. Have “lunch and learn” sessions to
introduce new content and, if this content is technology-based, help employees learn how to use
it. Train a resource person in each physical location who can mentor or coach others.

· Engaging your PR and/or marketing department in developing ongoing publicity. Have

material accessible in a consistent location like an intranet site, enterprise portal, or Information
Workplace and in heavily trafficked physical locations. Make these the employee locations for
information on learning. Put learning samples online, publicize them, and ask for feedback
through an interactive forum site.

Evaluation and Continuous Improvement Best Practice No. 9: A Continuing Journey
A learning strategy is a far-reaching document that details how the organization is going to facilitate
continuous improvement in its employees. Work does not end with completion and acceptance of
the strategy by the management. The strategy is an ongoing effort that will change and grow with
the business. IK&M pros must be flexible to meet needs as the business shifts. As one high-tech VP
for learning expressed it, “The goal is to support the employees and give them the expertise that
allows them to provide direct benefit to the business. That’s the bottom line!” Use these suggestions:

· Stay informed six to eight months ahead of any new initiatives. This will enable you to develop
appropriate training programs to support the new initiative. Some will be small like preparation
for a new application and some very large like integrating a new workforce after an acquisition.
The governance board and C-level sponsor work to keep lines of communication open.

· Talk directly to business units to evaluate the success of existing training and future needs.
Use surveys and questionnaires but be aware that candid discussions with directors, line
managers, and employees themselves often provide more useful information and direction.
Keep up an ongoing dialogue so you become a person that the business units know and think
about first when training is the issue.

· Assess employees’ satisfaction with the training. A telephone employee satisfaction survey of

a few employees in different units often provides great anecdotal data. Take a look at those who
did not finish courses and find out why (see Figure 8). One learning executive said. “Data, data,

data. We can all argue about exactly how to measure performance accurately, but if we are not
gathering and analyzing data, we will not learn and improve our learning program.”

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Figure 8 Summary Steps In The Learning Strategy Development Process
Identify the organization’s priorities.

Define the people requirements needed to support these business priorities.

Understand the current learning programs, including support systems, technology, culture, management,
and learning content.

Align the business goals with the learning processes.

Define a training plan that will guide and develop employees to deliver on business priorities.

Create a business case for implementing the learning solutions.

Implement the solutions with support from a high-level champion, an active governance
board, and a strong training department.

Evaluate the results, re-assess, and be flexible as the organization’s priorities change.
Source: Forrester Research, Inc.

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R E C O M M E N D AT I O N S

I&KM PROS: CONTRIBUTE EXPERTISE AND DRIVE CONCENSUS
While your knowledge of the learning field and the relationship between learning and
performance are critical, I&KM pros also must take on the role of selling ideas, counseling others,
and influencing business decision-makers. Generic benefits of learning are not enough; you must
show positive business return.

· Identify a few important business drivers that the learning strategy will address.
Choose those business drivers that relate to specific business processes or practices that will
benefit most from more effective training. Recognize opportunities where formal or informal
learning can help remediate.

· Secure strong executive management support before you build the learning strategy.
Whether you start with executive management support or have to secure this champion’s
support based off your learning department’s vision, don’t move on until you have a C-level

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executive who will go to bat for you and who believes in the importance of learning within
your organization.

· Make sure your business case is rock-solid. Make sure you have your business hat — not
your learning hat — on when you prepare the business case. Business acumen is important
since this is a document for management. Include the purpose and benefits, the risks, and
the cost-benefit analysis.

· Get IT support right from the start. Make sure IT is a partner. With the increase of informal
learning tools like blogs and wikis and the use of the Web for eLearning and collaboration,
IT needs to provide input on the existing infrastructure and changes needed to meet the
learning goals.

· Make learning an integral component of any talent management program. Work
with HR to seamlessly assess employee competencies and job performance, and then give
employees learning experiences that will increase their job performance. Talent acquisition
and rewards strategies must be part of the HCM equation as business executives and
managers beef up strategies to attract and retain employees.

· Lay out the future state of learning. Clearly articulate what your organization’s learning
will look like three to five years from now. Address the role of informal employee-centered
learning using a variety of technology. Discuss the integration between learning and work
and on-the-spot access to short snippets of learning to assist in the work process.

· Revisit and refine your strategy document annually. The document will change as
business conditions change and force the tweaking of an organization’s goals and objectives,
which will affect the learning content. The desired future state of the strategy document
must have built-in flexibility. Be willing to adjust as learning becomes more integral to the

organization, as technology advances provide more options, and as employees become
more used to directing their learning.

· Assure that the learning strategy is aligned with the IW strategy. An IW strategy delivers
a seamless work experience in a digital work environment that is contextual, visual, and
individualized. Make learning an integrated part of that work environment. This learning
alignment enables higher levels of information worker productivity and creativity.

· Engage your learner population in a dialog so they are part of the creation process. Don’t
forget to consult the learner — whether an employee, a channel partner, or a customer — and
find out what works, what needs changing, and what suggestions the learner has for making
the process more effective. Give employees opportunities to pilot and help refine learning
approaches.

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How To Create A Comprehensive, High-Impact Learning Strategy
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SUPPLEMENTAL MATERIAL
Methodology
Forrester interviewed nine companies who have created or assisted in developing learning strategies.
We also had discussions with about a dozen Forrester clients through consulting and inquiry processes.
Companies Interviewed For This Document
Best Buy

SkillSoft

blurgl

Subaru

Harley-Davidson

TeleTech Holdings

Hitachi

Wolseley N.A.

Liberty Mutual Insurance Company
ENDNOTES
1

The Information Workplace integrates “just-in-time” learning into the work employees are doing. See the
June 1, 2005, “The Information Workplace Will Redefine The World Of Work At Last” report.

2

In today’s hypercompetitive environment for attracting and retaining talented employees, business process
owners must have the ability to seamlessly assess employee competencies and job performance and then
give employees learning experiences that will increase their job performance. See the March 30, 2007,
“Learning and Talent Management Join Forces” report.

3

Forrester’s Total Economic Impact™ (TEI) provides financial analysis modeling. It is a careful study of costs,

benefits, risks, and future flexibility options associated with technology investment decisions. Forrester’s
TEI approach compares two options, such as the current learning environment and the desired future state
of learning. Although this process may take many weeks to complete, it provides a well-grounded financial
argument. For an example of TEI used to access value of eLearning versus classroom learning, see the June
22, 2004, “Justifying Technology for Training” report.

4

Self-paced online learning is often referred to as eLearning. Blended learning includes a mixture of different
kinds of learning modes such as online, classroom, on-the-job training, and virtual classroom. Informal
learning refers to tools like blogs, wikis, communities of practice, and expertise location where employees
learn from each other.

5

Case studies of organizations that have implemented eLearning show a significant ROI when the learning
is aligned with company goals. Using the sample calculation, firms can enter their own information to
generate a company-specific ROI. See the June 22, 2004, “Justifying Technology For Training” report.

6

Training programs often include partners as well as customers in addition to employees. Each group has its
own specific learning. Depending on the nature of your business, customer training can help drive repeat
sales, and partner training will make resellers, for example, more knowledgeable about a product and more
successful selling it.

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7

Tackling cultural issues requires giving individuals control over how they get and interact with learning.
For older generations, employees may be more comfortable taking a blended approach that includes some
classroom component for now (indeed perhaps even mostly classroom). Others may prefer something
that is 100% self-paced. Similarly, when it comes to collaboration, some are most comfortable reading and
participating in conversations via email while other folks might expect to be able to do the same using
Twitter, a microblogging tool. It is not technologically complex or expensive to provide a variety of such
options, and it is likely to give participants a greater sense of control and lead to much higher levels of
participation.

8

The board that is put in place during this learning strategy development should remain intact through the
LMS selection, the implementation process, and, ideally for ongoing learning development. See the October
24, 2007, “Put The Right People In Place For A Successful Learning Management System Implementation”
report.

9

Virtual worlds like Second Life, There.com, and more business-focused offerings are on the brink of
becoming valuable work tools. Major companies and public-sector organizations are investing heavily in

virtual world technologies. But it’s still early, pioneering days. See the January 7, 2008, “Getting Real Work
Done In Virtual Worlds” report.

10

An LMS is a critical application for today’s online and offline learning. For information on selecting an
LMS to ensure that it meets your business needs, see the October 24, 2007, “How To Select A Learning
Management System” report. For information on criteria for selecting the right LMS vendor, see the
February 12, 2008, “The Forrester Wave™: Enterprise Learning Management Suites, Q1 2008”

May 6, 2008

© 2008, Forrester Research, Inc. Reproduction Prohibited


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