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The 7 key areas for Running Learning & Development as a Business Enterprise.

 

Hey everyone.

I was thinking over the weekend "What makes L&D really useful to the business?".

With increasing pressure to deliver tangible results, it's important that L&D teams are prepared and able to align with the wider business agenda.

Your business may not have the resources or budget of larger corporations for learning and development activities, but to continue to grow they should not be neglected.

I have always thought that L&D is pushed somewhat into a backwater, as it is often considered as a nice to have, rather than a must have. Which is funny when you think that most companies will say "Our staff are our greatest asset." What a load of BS!

L&D is always the first area to get hit when there are any hiccups in the economy at most companies, where any budget is redirected to sales or marketing.

To overcome this stigma and become an indispensable part of the business, I truly believe that "Running Learning & Development as a Business Enterprise" that delivers undeniable value is the way to go, to provide business benefits that cannot be denied and attract the recognition we truly deserve.


Now, there are several meanings for the word "Enterprise" in the dictionary;


Okay, maybe not this, but it can be described as;
  • a systematic and purposeful activity
  • a readiness to engage in a daring activity: initiative
  • an undertaking that is difficult or risky
  • a business organisation
All of these are valid and can be applied to an L&D enterprise. So, what are the 7 key elements to consider to run your Learning and Development as a Business Enterprise?


When People work together within defined Processes they can create Products & Services for internal customers. When these three core elements of an enterprise work well, they will deliver Clear Perceived Value, which in turn drives favourable Behaviours (for example requests for repeat learning interventions or new more challenging ones), enabling the business as a whole to achieve its Strategic Goals and Results.

To support and accelerate this dynamic, it is essential the L&D business builds and maintains an Infrastructure of facilities, supply chain and technology to support it.

This is a straight forward construct and one any business leader can understand. So why do more SMEs not take this approach? In my mind it's simple; either they do not have the skills in house or have no idea of what their learning needs really are, or a combination of the two!

Surely, if we want L&D to evolve to be more than just an HR function, regardless of the budget and technologies available, the need to get this basic concept embedded into the business in a must.



Les Heath



Learning & Development Strategy Implementation Specialist

Comments

  1. hema25 June 2021 at 02:28

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