If you've been in the learning and development field long enough you know it is changing rapidly. Classroom training according to some is becoming the exception rather than the norm (although I still believe it has a large part to play), technology enhanced learning is becoming more common because of the availability of free and cheap tools and loads of companies are coming up with learning delivery technology tools. In fact there is so much talk about delivery that you almost feel as if not knowing the latest tool is a cardinal sin for a LAD (Learning and Development) practitioner.

While I appreciate the necessity to embrace the latest technology, I do have an issue with a lot of the noise around being the 21st century learning function and using social, mobile and virtual learning. By themselves they are just tools and just because you use them does not mean that you are actually delivering learning. Yes you may succeed in delivering efficient learning to more people at less cost, which is good especially if that is your goal, but is the purpose of learning delivery being met by using the latest learning gizmos? Don't get me wrong learning technology tools of themselves are neutral, its how they are used that matter. And all this goes back to one main question, What really is the purpose of learning and development? My answer - an organisational resource that exists to support the organisation to achieve its objectives through the use of learning. In other words we as LAD practitioners deliver learning and development initiatives to help the organisation achieve its objectives.

Another way to put this is that learning and development must be aligned to organisational strategy. That is why I believe that every learning funtion whether it consists of a single LAD practitioner or a team must have a learning and development strategy (some call this a learning strategy while others refer to it as HRD Strategy). I refer to a LAD Strategy as a top level plan of how learning and development is going to support the organisation to achieve its objectives. Ideally such a plan will outline the key objectives that the learning and development function will pursue to ensure that they are an organisational strategy enabler rather than a cost centre that just consumes resources and has no impact on the business.

So my question is do you have a LAD strategy for your organisation and if you don't why? Also a LAD strategy does not have to be some voluminous 100 page document that you spend a whole business quarter creating. Think lean and agile. It should be a short document that is constantly being updated to reflect organisational changes. One that is easy to communicate and one that you can implement given the resources you have. A LAD strategy has four components which are:

1 - Creating the strategy: This will involve understanding what the business wants to achieve, identifying required organisational capabilities, identifying what skills and knowledge are necessary to develop the organisational capabilities and planning the what, how, when and where of delivering the necessary learning initiatives.

2 - Communicating the strategy: Documenting your strategy and finding the most effective and efficient way to communicate it.

3 - Implementing the strategy: Implementing the necessary learning initiatives. This is the operational level of learning analysis, design, development, delivery and evaluation.

4 - Review the strategy: Evaluating the progress and success level of the strategy, identifying lessons learnt and making necessary amendments to it.

This is not a sequential process. In most cases all four stages will be happening simulteaneously.

So that's a quick summary of my view and thinking on LAD Strategy. In my next post I will deal with the first stage, creating the strategy. Please your comments, views and experience with learning and development strategies will be appreciated.