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Central to many employers' learning ecosystems is a learning management system. Such platforms enable talent development functions to deliver training content, track learners' progress, maintain resources, generate reports, and so much more. The many LMS options on the market have varying capabilities and features from which TD can choose. Below, vendors offer insights and trends regarding the mighty LMS.
Coaching has always been essential to professional development. Historically, it only existed for leadership and was out of reach for average employees. However, companies are recognizing the critical role coaching can play in developing the entire talent population.
To bring coaching to the masses, organizations must embrace it as a tool within the larger learning ecosystem, not a separate, performance-related experience. For many companies, performance review conversations are the extent of their "coaching," but effective coaching is closely tied to learning.
Coaching often involves structured sessions where a coach guides the individual. That structure can include setting goals, learning objectives, and action plans in the learning management system to acquire knowledge or skills. Coaches provide accountability to meet development objectives. That ongoing relationship builds a continuous learning culture.
Coaches provide feedback to learners, identifying areas for improvement. Feedback is critical to the learning process, encouraging individuals to reflect on actions, adjust, and continuously improve. Coaches also provide guidance and encouragement along self-directed learning paths typically available in the LMS.
The benefits of coaching for all are clear, but this high-touch relationship is challenging to scale. However, the right LMS can help, providing tools to connect people with the right coach and maximizing the impact of interactions.
Aligning learning with business goals highlights a pivotal shift in corporate learning strategies, as outlined in LearnUpon's State of Learning Report. Traditional views of learning, once seen primarily as a means for enhancing employee engagement and culture, are evolving. The current focus is on aligning learning with key business objectives, a strategy essential for several reasons.
First, the alignment ensures that learning initiatives directly contribute to the company's strategic goals, enhancing return on investment. It facilitates the measurement of learning programs' impact and effectiveness, a crucial aspect for securing ongoing support and investment.
Second, aligning learning with business goals requires a targeted approach to employee development, focusing on bridging gaps that directly impact business needs. That not only increases employee productivity but also their contribution to the company's success.
Additionally, technological advancements such as artificial intelligence and automation are revolutionizing learning program delivery and effectiveness. Those technologies enable personalized, flexible learning experiences, accommodating various learning needs, which is essential for engaging employees in meaningful learning.
This trend marks a redefinition of L&D's role in organizations. It transforms L&D from a mere employee growth tool to a strategic asset driving business success. For more detailed insights, read State of Learning Report.
Every organization is exploring the scope and depth of what artificial intelligence can do to make work easier, better, and faster. But lost in the conversation are the people it affects the most: employees. L&D leaders must be focused and intentional about how that monumental shift is presented to their workforce to drive adoption and trust.
The L&D community has a massive responsibility to make sure AI is something their people get value from—not something that happens to them. But there's a gap. A recent poll found that 64 percent of managers said the biggest barrier to introducing AI to their staff is a lack of understanding of what it is and what it can do.
Workforces must be active participants in this shift. But staff, especially frontline staff, are busy, completing tasks without time for new tools. How can you help them understand the opportunities that exist by leveraging AI?
Look at what's available in your learning management system, such as microlearning and knowledge resource hubs, to help your people keep pace with change. With the right education, resources, and communication, organizations can ensure their workforces are active participants in—and advocates for the value of—emerging technologies such as AI.
Accurate tracking and reporting is a top challenge for organizations needing to train and upskill their workforces. Having an up-to-date understanding of employee compliance and competence is crucial, especially in highly regulated industries such as healthcare, public service, and finance.
L&D leaders, managers, and compliance officers need to be able to oversee the progress of an entire workforce, at any time, from any location. Whether they are assessing risk across the organization, confirming the certifications of a specific job title, or looking for completed onboarding checklists of a new-hire class, their learning technology should enable them to build the reports they need to find the information quickly. The key is ensuring your organization's learning platform enables managers to leverage standardized reports and dashboards as well as to create their own and drill down into specific data as needed. A learning platform should enable leaders to track progress accurately.
For learners, seeing real-time progress makes tracking personal development easy. An application with delayed course completions can slow down the employee (and the team), confuse management, and ultimately affect business outcomes.
Overcoming reporting challenges will lead to a more transparent understanding of L&D initiatives and the compliance, competence, and performance of your workforce.