Five Steps to Make Learning a Success in 2009

2009 will be a difficult year in both the private and public sectors. In tough economic times there will be more pressure than ever to perform - from individual employees through to the enterprise as a whole.

It is at times like this that the Learning and Development (L & D) department can play a vital role because L & D provides the fastest, surest route to improved employee performance and such improvements are quickly seen organizationally. Imagine the effect on your organization if production increased by 5% for no extra cost in the first half of the year. Or smarter working practices cut operational costs by 10%. Or sales teams made their targets without any assistance.

Such changes need not be confined to one group of employees. Using technological support, Learning and Development can now reach further through the enterprise than ever before. It is no longer necessary, for example, to pull vital, customer-facing staff away from their duties for lengthy classroom courses and it is even possible to extend training outside the enterprise to include partners and customers.

Any improvements in the performance of existing employees and partners go straight to bottom line, but they can only happen with the smart application of technology. In comparison with classroom delivery, a technology-supported approach to learning reduces costs and enables a wider reach, faster. In short, technology enables you to take already existing, locally used, learning materials and knowledge and put it to work throughout your organization.

This sort of effectiveness requires the L&D department to work closely with the executive and with management. Through effective collaboration, 2009 could be the year in which L&D adds value to the organization just when it needs it. This white paper describes how.

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