Learning and development programs are an essential component of today’s successful businesses. It demonstrates to employees that they are valued and appreciated, and that their development and growth are the responsibility of the company. That increases employee loyalty and satisfaction, as well as attracting talented new hires who want to work for a company with a strong L&D program and a strong learning culture. All of this will undoubtedly have a positive impact on the company’s revenue and customer satisfaction.
Any L&D program goes through different stages of development, and they are usually directly related to the company and business growth. Some may argue that there are three, five, or even more stages, but in this post, we will look at four major stages that can be seen in many companies’ journeys and across various business sectors.
Before we go through the four stages. Let’s look into the six main elements that can be used to assess the maturity of any L&D program within a company:
Stage I
The company is just getting started or is still in its early stages (100 – 3000 employee). At this point, there is no formal L&D program; however, some managers or leaders are making individual efforts by organizing team building activities every six months or a year.
Observations:
- Vision/mentality: L&D is a luxury (nice to have).
- No dedicated L&D budget.
- No career development plans in place.
- Learning time must be agreed upon with line managers but is not guaranteed.
- There are no or very few learning resources available.
- There are no metrics in place to measure the effectiveness of learning activities.
Stage II
The company is now in the growing or scaling up stage (3000 – 9000 employee). A formal training or L&D program was being developed at this point. It starts with a small team (1-5) and can grow to between (10-30) depending on how much the company leaders value L&D.
Observations:
- L&D is regarded as important but not as a top priority.
- A small investment is made to develop or pay for an LMS system.
- To facilitate and support self-paced learning, a learning management system (LMS) is used.
- The L&D team is responsible for maintaining the LMS and resolving any issues that arise.
- Learning content is created by the learning provider and focuses on the development of general skills or knowledge.
- Line managers determine how much time employees have to learn and develop their skills.
- There are only one or two learning activities available (events and self-learning).
- Managers provide feedback on employee knowledge and skill development during the yearly performance review.
Stage III
The company is still growing and becoming more organized. The company’s hierarchy grows from 9000 to 20,000 employees and 5-8 levels. At this point, L&D program decisions are crucial. It all comes down to the team’s talent, the budget, the resources, and top management’s vision and support.
Observations:
- The L&D program is a top priority for the company.
- A sufficient budget has been allocated to the L&D team to carry out activities for all company employees.
- The L&D team delivers and facilitates a variety of activities, including instructor-led training, workshops, simulations, on-the-job training, coaching and mentoring, and focus groups.
- Learning and development is the responsibility of the entire organization, not just the line manager.
- A monthly time set aside for employees to participate in an L&D activity.
- The L&D team includes professionals who work on developing in-house content as well as experienced trainers who deliver it.
- The L&D team, in collaboration with the line managers, creates a career development plan for all team members.
- Employees believe they are valued, and the company prioritizes their growth and development.
- The L&D team is capable of producing clear numbers and figures to demonstrate their performance, including KPIs and ROI.
- L&D receives assistance and resources from other teams and organizations within the company.
Stage IV
Slower company growth. The L&D team should be big enough to support employee development without being costly. Leaders know L&D is important, but they want proof it boosts employee growth, loyalty, and performance. Better performance means more revenue and satisfied customers.
Observations:
- Employees have the impression that they are success partners and that the company sees them as a valuable asset.
- Over time and with the right practices, the L&D team was able to establish an L&D identity in the company as well as a well-established learning and development culture.
- The L&D team delivers, facilitates, supervises, and supports many L&D activities that take place throughout the company.
- L&D leaders can create detailed reports for top management that demonstrate the value of the L&D program in business matrices.
- Enough Time, resources, budget, and guidance are all provided for employees to learn and develop their skills and capabilities.
Now it’s up to you to tell me whether this is a realistic analysis or not. What challenges did you face while developing an L&D program?
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