Performance as the output of Learning and Development – the case for breaking down silos
Learning and skills development have increased in priority for leadership. Automation, AI, globalisation and now the impact of a worldwide pandemic have all contributed to organisations reviewing what future skillsets are required in order to be competitive.
The Talent Trends 2019: Upskilling for a Digital World CEO Survey from PWC revealed that “79% of CEOs worldwide are concerned that a lack of essential skills in their workforce is threatening the future growth of their organization”, and the 2017 Linkedin Learning survey revealed that 90% of business leaders said learning and development is vital in closing skills gaps.
Evidence shows that employees undertake learning for work to acquire skills that can be used to help improve performance in a current job and to grow into new roles. In fact, 63% of working adults state they are extending their knowledge to achieve work-related objectives.
However, with 27% of L&D pros reporting that their CEO’s are actively championing learning, and only 8% of business leaders stated they could confidently see L&D’s direct business impact; Is it only employees who can see the direct correlation of their learning and their performance in achieving objectives?
The natural dovetail of learning and development into performance management needs closer attention.
When we think about learning, it’s a lifelong process and moves from memorizing concepts, rules, and grammar in school, to mastering and then applying skills. Performance is the output of that learning,and in a business environment performance is tracked through employees’ goals and objectives which are evaluated in a performance management system. There is no point in delivering learning and development if the skills and learnings delivered can’t be applied to an employee’s work!
Therefore, the two disciplines need to work in tandem.
At Bridge, we know organizations that integrate performance and learning management are:
● 3x more likely to improve employee results
● 5x more likely to improve talent management results
● 2x more likely to improve business results
With employee goals aligned to the business objectives, employees can see the impact of their work on the company. They can choose further learning and development to help them meet their goals, in turn integrating learning and development into the performance process. This integration between learning and performance management ensures that the learning is directly impacting the employee’s ability to achieve their objectives and in turn contribute to the business objectives. Employees feel they are invested in, they are upskilling to help their progress, performance and career and are more likely to stay invested in the organisation.
So, if your learning organisation is not connected with your performance management system, your CEO might be one of the 92% who can’t confidently see L&D’s direct business impact.
