How Can L&D Deliver When the CEO Delivers a Capability-Led Business Strategy
Julie Fitzgerald, Organisational Learning Manager at Z Energy New Zealand, joins Blake Proberts on the Strategic L&D Podcast to talk about aligning learning and business strategy. Spoiler: it starts and ends with business strategy itself. Listen to the full episode above or watch below.
Key takeaways
“It’s a capability-led strategy. We look at what is it that we need to achieve? Where are we at now? And then what are we doing to build that capability?”
1. Capabilities = tailored learning.
Capabilities consider tools and systems as much as behaviours and proficiencies. (Side note: if you’re working with capability-led strategies, then you’re likely hiring people with the right skills off the bat, too.)
“The greatest gift we can give our people is to help them and support them [in learning] how to learn for themselves.”
2. Make your people learning facilitators.
The quickest way to embed learning in your culture is to make it accessible and engaging for all. Incorporate informal activities like lunch and learns with experts to bring it home.
“Often people are far better, especially at the pace of change, to tell me what it is that they need, rather than me tell them.”
3. Mix up your assessments.
Blending self-assessments with other forms of evaluation creates a holistic view of capability gaps, and gives learners a little bit of motivation, too.
“[Recognise] how people learn outside of work, and bring that experience into the workplace as much as you can.”
4. Make learning tech work for your people.
Focus on being nimble and creating relevant content with what’s available rather than investing in flashy, expensive solutions.
“When we’re describing learning outcomes, I’m really clear with stakeholders about what’s the strategy? What’s the outcome that we’re trying to achieve?”
5. Everyone has a part.
Get stakeholders to say what outcomes they need, so you can focus on what learning outcomes will change behaviours.
See more from our host: Blake Proberts
Hear more of the Strategic L&D Podcast on Spotify and Apple. You’ll also find us in video form on YouTube.
Related Reads on This Topic
How to Link Your Statement of Corporate Intent and L&D Strategy
Why you should care about your L&D team capabilities and how impacts your ability to align L&D strategy with business strategy…
Why Starting at the End of L&D Strategy Pays Off
Find out how lean L&D budgets often drive innovation, why self-directed learning won’t net results, and starting with strategic impact…
Avoiding L&D Value Debt and Investing in Strategically Impactful Initiatives
Discover how to have the strategic impact conversation upfront, prioritise training solutions and focus on solving business problems…