In pt 1 of this series we shared how the increased use and expectations of technology and digital have disrupted the way L&D works. As the business world moves forward, L&D runs the risk of falling behind if it doesn’t adapt its methods and mindset to a performance-first approach.

Agile approaches to Learning & Development can help you truly understand performance and capability gaps. For example, by working closely with employees to gain meaningful data, test assumptions, and build prototype solutions that can be improved (collaboratively with employees) over time. 

Adopting an agile approach means skillfully and attentively collecting data about your business, its priorities, the wider context in which it operates, where employees are at, and what needs to happen for the business to achieve its goals. 

This stands in stark contrast to creating courses to meet learning needs.

Read more in the ‘Transform your L&D with Digital’ white paper.

Use Meaningful Data to Impact Performance

Collecting data will better inform how L&D can positively impact business performance, the capability of its people and their confidence to deliver. Google took this approach to assess the merits of good management by looking at existing data, testing their assumptions, and building contextually relevant solutions designed to impact management in a way that resonated with its people. 

Identify Learning Needs by Testing Assumptions

How do you identify learning needs? First look at the data at hand that already exists in your organisation, for example previous employee engagement surveys. Find out what people think of the development opportunities that are available to them and their concerns about their own development. Make assumptions and test those assumptions in conversations.

Make it your business to know how people are developing themselves already: If you do not already support for example, the Marketing function, in developing their technical expertise and staying abreast of innovations, how are they doing so for themselves? If you see Senior Executives only once a year in programmes, how are they developing themselves in all manner of different topics throughout the year?

Strike up a conversation with as many people as you can about their business, their priorities and their development. For most, this will be the most obvious conversation to be having with L&D. However, this doesn’t need to be an exhaustive exercise that holds you back from beginning your L&D transformation but instead a new ‘business as usual’, where you’re collecting data, testing assumptions, and finding new ways to uncover valuable data to inform and challenge your assumptions, whilst uncovering advocates and collaborators across the business.

Get your free copy of ‘Transform your L&D with Digital‘ to find out more!

The next article in this series (pt 3) will share how to use a resources-first approach to influence the performance of everybody, every day.

Find out how to transform your L&D with digital. Get in touch with one of our L&D experts.