Linking L&D to Strategy
A practical guide
Linking L&D to Strategy
It’s easy – all you need is to:
 Understand
 Know
the strategic context.
your organisational strategy.
 Distinguish
between which parts of
L&D are strategic and which are operational.
 Ask
the right questions.
 Implement
strategic solutions.
Defining Strategy
A plan of action designed to achieve a long-term or
overall aim.
Oxford English Dictionary
A method or plan chosen to bring about a desired
future, such as achievement of a goal or solution to a
problem.
http://www.businessdictionary.com
Company Strategy
Service/Product
Finance
Marketing
L&D and HR
Check Your Understanding
Which of these L&D related themes are
strategic in nature?

On-the job-training for current role

Leadership development

Induction and orientation

Executive coaching

E-learning compliance module

Communication skills training

Customer service training

Product training
Know Your Organisational Strategy
Leave Your Ivory Tower

Befriend key decision makers.

Consider business from their point of view.

Accept you may not have the whole picture.

Leave the inferiority complex at the door.

Be prepared to position L&D in a wider context.
Ask The Right Questions
It’s all about finding out the right
information.

Speak their language.

Resist talking about L&D too early.

Ask strategic questions.

Look beyond the symptoms.
Check Your Understanding
If an organisation has a choice to cut 10% of its costs
or increase its revenue by 10%, which
will improve the company’s financial
reporting more?
Do you know how much more revenue
your organisation needs to counter each dollar
spent on costs?
Ask Strategic Questions
Ask a business related question before you ask a
training question:

when looking at learning needs for the
organisation

when identifying learning priorities
Ask performance and potential related questions
before you ask a training question:

when looking at the learning and development
needs of the individual
Ask Strategic Questions
What strategic questions might you ask when
looking for a new leadership programme for your
organisation?

Which leadership culture fits best with the
desired organisational culture?

What type of leadership fits the business model
outlined in the strategic plan?

How much autonomy will managers and staff have
to make their own decisions?
Ask Strategic Questions
What strategic questions might you ask when a
manager tells you they want training for a high
potential staff member.

Do you see this person moving to a senior specialist or a
senior generalist role?

How will the skills of a manager change as your
organisation evolves?

What is the likelihood of this company needing the same
type of management in 5 years to what it needs now?

What are the transferable skills between this position and
other positions in the organisation?
Asking the Strategic Questions
What strategic questions might you ask when tasked
with looking at options for a new performance
framework?

What does the company value in terms of performance
measurement?

How important is behaviour in relation to results?

What is the cultural split between competitiveness and
cooperation?

What part will training have in achieving that
performance?
Implement Strategic Solutions
Be strategic in your choice of initiatives
 Avoid
 Match
 Be
the “best practice” trap.
your initiative to your culture
ready to justify your choices.
 Use
analytics wisely.
Best Practice - URRRRGGGGHHHHH
Best practice only has meaning in terms of
the context in which you are operating.

Just because it worked for someone else, does
not (necessarily) mean it will work for you.

Just because it worked for you before, does not
(necessarily) mean it will work for you again.

Managerial courage is just as relevant to L&D
professionals as it is to CEOs and Executives.
Justifying Investment
Learn how to use HR analytics strategically.

Know how to measure what matters.

More LEAD than LAG for performance measures

More ROI than “inventory”.

Take the time to evaluate your
training (to minimum level 4).

Trust your decisions – or change them.
Reflection time
Think about the last set of analytics
you produced.

Did you measure what matters?

What measures did you communicate?

What might you do differently next time?
Key Takeaways

Leave your ivory tower.

Learn the language of business.

Ask strategic questions.

Avoid the “best practice” trap.

Distinguish between strategic and operational
L&D (both are important but they are different).
Diane Edwards FNZATD FHRINZ IMNZ FFIN
[email protected]
021 123 2540
09 348 5234
#didikiwi
di-doodle.blogspot.co.nz