learning excellence and innovation benchmarking...

10th Annual Learning Excellence and Innovation Benchmarking Study Getting Started Guide

©2009CorporateUniversityXchange 1

10th Annual

Learning Excellence and Innovation Benchmarking Study

Getting Started GuideGetting Started Guide



TableofContents

AREYOUSTRATEGICALLYRELEVANT?.........................................................................................3

HOWHASTHISSTUDYHELPEDOTHERS?....................................................................................4

WHAT’SDIFFERENTFROMLASTYEAR’SSTUDY?......................................................................5

STEPSTOCOMPLETINGTHESURVEY............................................................................................6 STEP1:CompleteStudy...........................................................................................................................6 STEP2:AnalyzeResults ..........................................................................................................................7 STEP3:PlanforAction ............................................................................................................................8

APPENDIXA ............................................................................................................................................9GlossaryofTerms............................................................................................................................................9

APPENDIXB ......................................................................................................................................... 11WhatAretheSurveyQuestionsLike?.................................................................................................... 11

APPENDIXC.......................................................................................................................................... 13FrequentlyAskedQuestions..................................................................................................................... 13



AREYOUSTRATEGICALLYRELEVANT?Thereare4keyquestionsthateverylearningorganizationshouldaskitself–andbewillingtobebrutallyhonestwhenansweringthem–ifitwantstobestrategicallyrelevantwithinitscompany.

Ifyoucannotanswerallfourofthequestionsabovewitharesounding“YES!”,thenyouneedtoparticipateintheCorpU10thAnnualLearningExcellenceandInnovationBenchmarkingStudy.Filloutthestudytofindoutwhatpiecesofthestrategypuzzleyouneedtoimproveinordertomoveyourlearningorganizationtowardgreaterstrategicrelevance.

Question#1

Question#2

Question#3

Question#4



HOWHASTHISSTUDYHELPEDOTHERS?

TheLearningExcellenceandInnovationBenchmarkingStudyprovideshundredsoflearningorganizationstheopportunitytotakeastepbackinordertoseecurrentsystemsandprocessesclearlyandcomparethemtoglobalbestpractices.PastparticipantsoftheLearningExcellenceandInnovationBenchmarkingStudyreportmovingmajorinitiativesforwardbyusingbenchmarkingdatatosupport:

> Identifyinggapsinpracticesthatimpacteffectivenessandefficiency

> Buildingabusinesscaseformajorlearningandtalentinitiatives

> Fundingdecisionsfornewprograms

> Incorporatingresultsintoexecutivelevelpresentations

> Buildingexecutivesupportandadvocacy



WHAT’SDIFFERENTFROMLASTYEAR’SSTUDY?

PartnershipwithHarvardBusinessPublishing

Thisyear,CorporateUniversityXchangeandHarvardBusinessPublishinghavejoinedtopresentthe10thAnnualLearningExcellenceandInnovationBenchmarkingStudy.YouwillreceiveacomplimentaryselectionofHarvardBusinessReviewandCorporateUniversityXchangearticlesandcasestudiestohelpexpandyourthinkingandguideyourplanningaftercompletingthestudy.

MoreStreamlinedtoTargetKeyIssues

Thisyear’sstudyhasbeenstringentlyanalyzedtotargetcriticalissuesand,asaresult,theprocesshasbeensimplified.Thesurveyshouldtakeapproximatelyonetotwohourstocomplete(15minutestoahalfhourperquadrant),andyoucanreturntothesurveyovertimetocompleteit.

RealTimeResults

Toprovideevenbettervalue,wehaveaddedreal‐timeresultscapabilitytoCorpUAnalytics,ouronlineanalyticstool.Thisfeatureenablesyoutoanalyzeyourperformanceagainstindustryleaderssoyoucanpinpointweaknesses,informstrategy,anddevelopactionplansassoonasyoufinishthestudy.



STEPSTOCOMPLETINGTHESURVEY

STEP1:CompleteStudyAnycompanywithadedicatedlearningfunction/trainingdepartmentisaqualifiedstudyparticipant.(Thisfunction/departmentisreferredtoasLearningandTalentinthisguide.)Thepersonbestsuitedtofilloutthesurveyisthelearningfunction/trainingdepartmentleader,althoughpeopleinotherroleswhohavestrategicknowledgeoftheLearningandTalentoperationswouldalsobeabletocompletethesurvey.

A.RegisterOnlineatCorpU.com

B.GatherConfidentialBenchmarkingDatainAdvance

LearningandTalent’sspend(budget)forlastyear(PleaseincludeLearningandTalentstaffsalaries,outsideexpenditures,materials,services,etc.)

Yourorganization’stotalrevenueforlastyear Yourorganization’stotalpayrollforlastyear Yourorganization’stotalnumberoffull‐timeemployees

Yourorganization’stotalnumberoffull‐timeLearningandTalentstaff(Pleaseincludetrainingmanagers,instructionaldesignanddevelopmentstaff,administrativeorsharedservicessupport,andotherstaffassignedtoLearningandTalent)

PercentofLearningandTalentbudgetincreaseordecreasefromlastyear

B.Completethe4‐PartStudy(eachparttakes15‐30minutes)



STEP2:AnalyzeResultsYou can view your performance on the 10th Annual Learning Excellence and Innovation Benchmarking study in three ways: as an Effective and Efficiency Index (EEI), by quadrant, and by study question. To view any or all of these results, just go to CorpU’s Analytics tool and click on the appropriate tab.

A.ReviewYourCorpUEffectiveness&EfficiencyIndex(Compareyouroveralleffectivenessandefficiencytohundredsoforganizations)

Based on over ten years of best practice research, CorpU has established a set of best practice processes and methods that, if adopted, achieve two critical business impacts: Effectiveness (alignment and measurement) and Efficiency (organization and execution). Every question in this study is tied to one of these two primary impacts, and the resulting scores are plotted on the Effective axis (Aligned with Business Strategy Plus Measureable Impact) and the Efficient axis (Optimal Infrastructure Plus Cost Effective Delivery).

B.ViewYourRankingin12CriticalDimensionsofLearningExcellence

Drawing from over 12 years of research into what actually drives learning excellence, CorpU has identified the most important characteristics of the successful learning organization: 12 operational skill sets that collectively enable a learning function to effectively Align, Organize, Measure, and Execute (the four quadrants). The goal of this model is simple: to identify those areas that, if done in a consistently excellent manner, improve learning in order to improve business profitability.

C. Download Hundreds of Charts and Graphs of Your Results (To illustrate key points to your management team in PowerPoint, Word, or other presentation tools)



STEP3:PlanforActionBusiness plans are more credible and successful when built on a foundation of facts, data, and benchmarking, combined with insight from the most current academic research and business thinking. The 10th Annual Learning Excellence and Innovation Benchmarking Study helps you achieve this in the final step, “Developing Your Plan for Action.”

> Review your benchmarking data to determine opportunities for improvement. Carefully review each of the 12 dimensions and see where you are a Top Quartile performer and where your practices could improve.

> Read selected Harvard Business Review articles and CorpU research to help expand your thinking and guide your planning.

> Schedule your complimentary Expert Data Review to have a CorpU

benchmarking expert review your study and help better inform your plan.

> Develop your Plan for Action, informed by facts, data, benchmarking, and insight from the academic and business world.



APPENDIXA

GlossaryofTerms

Advisoryboardreferstoacommitteecomprisedofbusinessleadersthatprovidesdirectionandsupporttothelearningandtalentfunctionbutdoesnotoverseenorhavemanagementauthorityoverthosefunctions.Annualreportreferstoanypublication,whichsummarizesbusinessresultsfortheprioryear,includingthoseforallofthebusinessorthelearningandtalentfunction,asthecasemaybe.

Businessunitreferstoaportionoftheorganizationthathasadistinctprofitandlossstatementandhasfunctionsuniquetothatunitincludingasubsidiaryofalargerorganization.Functionreferstodepartmentssuchassales,marketing,financeetc.Governingboardreferstoacommitteethatoverseesandhasmanagementauthorityforlearningandtalentperformancethemajorityofwhichmembersdonotworkinthelearningandtalentfunction.KirkpatrickorLevel1,2,3,4referstoaframeworkoflearningmeasurementdevelopedbyDonaldKirkpatrick.Formoreinformation,onKirkpatrick’sFourLevelModelyoumaygotowikipedia.org.

LearningandTalentreferstothedepartment(s)thatfocusonemployeedevelopmentandactivitieswithintheorganization.

Operatingplanorannualplanreferstothelearningandtalentestimateofactivitiesandoutcomesforafinitetimeusuallyoneyearorless.

Organizationreferstothehighestlevelcorporateentitythelearningandtalentfunctionsserve.Performanceconsultingreferstoamethodologythatfocusesonidentifyingperformanceproblemsandtheirrootcausestodeterminethebestsolutiontoresolveit.

Phillips’ReturnonInvestment(ROI)ModelreferstoaframeworkforenhancedmeasurementoflearninginvestmentsdevelopedbyJackPhillips.Formoreinformation,onPhilipsROIModelyoumaygotowikipedia.org.

Strategicplanreferstoanyplantheactivitiesandoutcomesofwhichoccuroveraperiodofgreaterthanoneyearandfocusonmajordesiredbusinessobjectives.



Technicalreferstospecifictradesandknowledgerequiredforthosetradeswithinafunction.Web2.0referstoanewgenerationofInternettechnologiesthatenablessocialnetworkingtocreatevirtualcommunicationandcollaborationenvironment.

YoureferstotheLearningandTalentfunctionasawholeandnotyouindividually.



APPENDIXB

WhatAretheSurveyQuestionsLike?The 10th Annual Learning Excellence and Innovation Benchmarking Study questions are written to target practices within 12 dimensions of Learning and Talent. We group these practices into four areas of focus: Align, Organize, Execute, and Measure. Below is a collection of sample questions taken directly from the survey and organized by quadrant. Align

• Which of the following methods do you use to support the organization in developing its core capabilities (those that represent competitive differentiators)?

• Which of the following closely resemble processes you use to support strategic learning?

• Which of the following methods does the learning function employ to determine when one or more areas of the organization have fallen behind on a learning curve?

Organize

• In the past 12-18 months, which of the following steps have you taken to integrate governance into processes or systems supporting Learning and Talent activities?

• Which of the following has been the most effective approach for adding new technologies to your organization's Learning and Talent infrastructure?

• Which of the following methods are used to measure the value of the Learning and

Talent brand? Execute

• Which of the following describes activities in your standard process to design learning solutions? (Don't select an answer unless you can say you include this step in courses your team designs that are not off-the-shelf and deal with company proprietary information.)

• Which of the following strategic items are included in the Learning and Talent operating plan?

• In the past 12-18 months, what caused you to discover that a partner solution was a

better option than doing the work in house?



Measure

• Which of the following methods do Learning and Talent professionals practice regularly to define the intended impact of a strategic learning or development program?

• Which of the following leadership behaviors indicate that the organization culture is supportive of learning?

• Which of the following conditions that influence employee engagement have you

impacted directly through Learning and Talent programs and services?



APPENDIXC

FrequentlyAskedQuestionsForyourconvenience,wehaveincludedseveralanswerstoquestionsthatmightcometoyourmindasyoucompletetheCorpU10thAnnualLearningExcellenceandInnovationBenchmarkingStudy.

DoIhavetocompletetheentiresurvey?

In order to access your performance results, you will need to complete at least 80% of the study.

Isthereafeeforparticipatinginthe10thAnnualBenchmarkingStudy?

No, there is no fee for participating. This study is free for both CorpU members and non-members.

CanIparticipateifIamnotavailabletostartitforafewweeks?

We arelaunchingthestudyinOctoberof2009,butwewillkeepitopenlongenoughsothatvacations,businesstrips,etc.willnotbeabarriertocompletingthestudy.However,ifyoucan,werecommendthatyoustartnowinordertogetthemostvalueoutoftheprocessbyinformingyour2010strategy.

Whatarethe12Dimensions(12D)and4Quadrants?

Drawing from more than ten years of data on more than 800 companies, as well as over 12 years of research into what actually drives learning excellence, CorpU has identified some of the most important characteristics of the successful learning organization: 12 operational skill sets that collectively enable a learning function to effectively Align, Organize, Measure, and Execute (the four quadrants). The goal of this model is simple: to identify those areas that, if done in a consistently excellent manner, improve learning in order to improve business profitability.

WhatistheEffectivenessandEfficiencyIndex(EEI)?

Based on over ten years of best practice research, CorpU has established a set of best practice processes and methods that, if adopted, achieve two critical business impacts: Effectiveness (alignment and measurement) and Efficiency (organization and execution). Every question in this study is tied to one of these two primary impacts, and the resulting scores are plotted on the Effective axis (Aligned with Business Strategy Plus Measureable Impact) and the Efficient axis (Optimal Infrastructure Plus Cost Effective Delivery). The score is placed on a grid of four quadrants, and informs the participant the type of partnership with senior executives their score indicates:

1. Traditional Training Partner 2. Tactical Training Partner 3. Valued Business Partner 4. Strategic Business Partner

Howwillmycompanybenefit?



Early research on the connection between the EEI Index score and profitability among public companies is promising. Initial results indicate that companies with a higher EEI Index score perform better financially, and this implies that there is a positive correlation between Effective and Efficient learning processes and financial performance. With higher EEI scores reflecting greater profitability, organizations participating in the 10th Annual Benchmarking Study will benefit by being able to identify which specific dimensions of Effectiveness and Efficiency they need to improve, and then planning solutions to make those improvements. Steady EEI improvement should therefore reflect financial growth.

CanIgobackandmakechangestoquestionsIhavealreadyanswered?

Yes. All you need to do is access your study through the Analytics page, find the question response(s) you would like to change, and then make the desired changes.

HowlongdoIhaveaccesstomy10thAnnualBenchmarkingdata?

You have access to your benchmarking data indefinitely.

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