Industry Insights

5 Signs Your Business Needs a New L&D Strategy

Posted by Slavina Pancheva on Oct 21, 2019 4:41:05 PM

Does your business need a new Learning and Development strategy? How do you know that it is time to shake things up and try something more effective? If your organization is experiencing any of the following symptoms, it might be time to explore new ways of engaging learners.

5 Symptons Your Business Needs a New L&D

 

1- Poor Employee Retention

If you are struggling to retain talented employees, yet feel that you are meeting their basic needs in terms of salary and benefits, ask yourself this: do employees feel that the organization invests in their development? Employees are more likely to be loyal if they feel that their company gives them opportunities to grow and develop, and for some it might also be a signal that a promotion is not far off on the horizon.

2 - Lack of Interest in Learning

If managers are reluctant to nominate their direct reports for L&D initiatives, and if learners are disengaged during the programs, it may well be that your organization needs a new learning strategy. In this case, senior leaders need to openly show their support for training initiatives, create clear incentives for managers and employees to attend them, and reward those who bring new skills and competencies back to the job. This can help stimulate a culture change so that the importance of learning in today’s VUCA world is properly understood.

3 - Transformational Changes Underway

If your company is undergoing a major transformation, chances are your learning strategy will need to evolve alongside it. L&D can be a powerful partner in transformation processes by helping to rapidly foster understanding and buy-in among employees and equipping teams with the skills they need in a newly configured organization. In these instances, it is vital that a critical mass of managers and employees are trained, so that the transformation takes place as smoothly as possible across the different parts of the organization.

4 - No Improved On-the-Job Performance 

This symptom is fairly obvious yet surprisingly common. In many instances, L&D initiatives are deemed successful because participants give positive evaluations at the end of the training course, and yet very little change actually occurs on the job. Providing learners with a great experience is certainly necessary but not sufficient in justifying an investment in learning. If you cannot measure improved job performance after training initiatives, it is time to change the training.

5 - Uninvested Leaders

Certainly, uninvested leaders are often a cause for learning & development initiatives to go awry, but this can also be a symptom of an ineffective L&D strategy. If your leaders pay lip service to the importance of learning but are not interested in the leadership development programs you offer them, this is a warning sign. In that case, it is probably a good idea to develop a new strategy, hand-in-hand with those leaders, to get them fully on board.

Need some advice?

If your organization shows several of these symptoms and you think it is time to shake up your L&D strategy, reach out to StratX ExL today for a free consultation with one of our expert consultants.

Leadership Development Trends Whitepaper

Topics: Leadership Development, VUCA

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