Original scientific paper
How to Maximize and Measure Learning’s Contribution to Business Results
Željko Šundov
; Karmen poslovno savjetovanje d.o.o., Zagreb
Marina Gregorić
orcid.org/0000-0003-0741-2908
; University College of Economics, Entrepreneurship and Management “Nikola Šubić Zrinski”, Zagreb
Abstract
The biggest challenge in the future will be establishment of processes and creation of a model for the development of small and medium enterprises and promotion of entrepreneurial and staff skills through structured training. Every training department today faces the question of how to prove its worth or quantify its contribution to business results and organizational success. With current business downturn this is no longer just a philosophical question. A clear and credible response is critical to the entrepreneurial levels of funding, priority and visibility of your learning initiatives. Due to todays economical situation there are two ways to think about different industries. One that are still continuing to grow and hire, and other struggling to survive and cutting their costs and workforces. Growing industries need new employees and they need them up to-speed quickly. They also need employees due to attrition and often high turnover rates. Industries that are struggling are looking at how to get work done with fewer employees as often critical organizational knowledge has left or is leaving with outgoing employees. Purpose of this paper is to show how we will use Learning Paths proven metodologies to fast-track rapid development of industry-based job-skills to quickly fill skils-gaps and anable companies to deploy a productive trained workforce in far less time than through conventional curriculum-based training. We ll show also how this method creates enormous opportunies for entrepreneurs, companies, associations, economic development leaders and others to leverage the power of Learning Paths to create jobs, retrain workers, address skills-gaps and build stronger local and national economy. Learning Paths apply lean process engineering techniques to the skills development challenge. This enables businesses to benefit from much faster (up to 30-50%) development of new hires, beyond competence to proficiency, and existing staff to achieve greater levels of productivity. Almost as a spin off benefit, managers are equipped with tools to facilitate, quantify and maintain improved performance, and individuals get the opportunity to take control of their own skills development. As with lean process improvement, we ll show how the learning paths approach breaks down the skills development path, all the way to proficiency, into its component steps. Each step includes a learning outcome or demonstration of proficiency and chunks up training to be delivered just before it is applied, rather than all at one time, introducing milestones, or check point events to review progress and make any necessary adjustments. All done in a 4 stage process for each learning path: 1. Define proficiency 2. Map Current Path 3. Accelerate the Path 4. Implement and Measure The key point however is that the Learning Pathways approach allows people development to be measured for both its effectiveness and return on investment to the business which we ll show in so called ROI LP calculator.
Keywords
ROI on development; proficiency; learning path; driving waste out of development
Hrčak ID:
134607
URI
Publication date:
1.6.2014.
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