"Training for Today's Needs"

Excerpt from Chapter 31: Link Training Investment to Business Drivers

“The most important thing any training department can do is to solve a business problem. The metrics of success were about the business outcomes desired, and had nothing to do with traditional training metrics such as number of students trained.” - Tom Kelly, VP Internet Learning Solutions, Cisco Systems

Conducting learning programs with no positive impact on individual or organizational performance is an empty, resource draining activity. Organizations that are experiencing high performance today may rationalize that learning programs are not needed. Yet without investing in future focused learning and development, these organizations are likely taking a high-risk approach. Learning initiatives must fulfill needs for current job skills and for future talent and performance needs; and must be linked directly to key drivers of the business strategy whenever possible. Put another way, an organization’s learning and development activities should disproportionately invest in the people that execute on the business strategy.