Why Companies That Wait to Implement Learning Technology May Never Catch Up

Organizational learning is a vital process for any company, which uses various types of learning technology and centers on turning experience into knowledge that is utilized throughout the organization. The resulting knowledge transfer strengthens an organization and brings various benefits, including employee satisfaction, stronger leaders at all levels, improved productivity, and more.

But the effective practice of organizational learning can be difficult and expensive, especially since it requires the proper creation, retention, and transfer of knowledge. Each step is vital but requires a lot of time and resources to perfect, particularly if done manually.

That is where organizational learning technology comes into play. The evolution of technology and the workforce has created a greater demand for managers and executives to deliver effective learning experiences for their employees. Moreover, it must all be easy to use, understand, and manage to truly be effective.

However, despite the rise of technology and increased demand, it can be difficult to show the impact of learning technology on an organization. According to the IAB and Columbia Business School, 87% of executive decision-makers agree that capturing and sharing the right data is important to effectively measure their company’s return on investment (ROI). Yet, 39% admit they cannot turn their data into actionable insights.

Because the impact is so difficult to see, decision-makers often turn to learning and development experts with questions like:

• Why is corporate training essential for our company?
• What are the ramifications if we don’t engage in some sort of corporate training?
• Why does it need its own (and often increasing) budget?

The questions put a degree of strain on the learning and development department because it has to show results, just like any other department at a company. If it doesn’t, the department is likely to receive less attention or be discontinued.

In many instances, the main problem isn’t the process of organizational learning. Instead, training teams struggle because existing technology isn’t able to properly connect the data to tangible outcomes. Thus, even if positive results exist, they might not be noticed.

Companies that miss out on such results and do not properly implement organizational learning stand to miss out on a lot of benefits. That includes the aforementioned satisfaction, leadership development, and productivity. There are also decreased turnover rates, increased adaptability, and even higher profits and efficiency.

With so much on the line, companies cannot afford to forgo organizational learning, which is heavily dependent on effective learning technology. So, why are some unable to show real ROI with their current tools, and what can be done to change things?

The answer depends on the organization, with each having its own unique circumstances, tools, and potential deficiencies. The solution is to use prescriptive analytics to identify gaps in learning technology strategy, as seen with Administrate’s Scalability Index Assessment.

John Peebles, CEO at Administrate, comments, “There are many terrific learning tools and software out there, but the very practical challenge is that none of them were really created to work together – yet, they will be required to work together within your organization. Often, this creates tremendous manual labor for training teams, the labor they often do not have. That is where adopting a learning technology infrastructure with a consistent data model becomes a game-changer. Training teams remain able to select and use the learning technologies that best serve their organization’s learning and development needs while also maintaining an enduring learning tech environment that will connect with other crucial business systems, like HRIS or Finance.”

Identifying the unique circumstances of a business and selecting the right learning technologies to use is vital. Moreover, having the proper infrastructure to do so without excess labor makes a massive difference.

But there are plenty of ways to implement an effective learning technology strategy, which include optimizing training reports, automating communications to shareholders, and leveraging customized reports to show impact across departments. In general, automation is incredibly effective, implementing learning technology to improve various aspects and training operations.

In addition, upskilling the team’s data literacy is effective because it is a critical but often underdeveloped skill across organizations. In the same vein, improving data accuracy using training operations is highly important. Ensure that daily tasks are optimized to make the captured data more accurate.

Evaluating existing learning technology for agility is also effective. Identify the characteristics of highly resilient training software and explore how a unified tech stack might provide additional resilience. That is where a platform like Administrate comes into the picture.

Administrate allows all enterprise training operations to occur on a single platform. It is not only configured to a company’s individual needs but scalable and efficient, which are vital to a growing organization.

Implementing learning technology like Administrate allows for integration across business systems, insights on training needs, and the support needed to not only make training a success but a visible one. It is the existence of technology like this that puts companies without learning technology at such a severe disadvantage.

In fact, without the proper learning technology, a company will likely face difficulties scaling its training operations. They might even try filling the increasing deficiencies with additional staff and an ever-expanding team. However, doing so will be not only costly but also potentially ineffective. The true solution is investing in system infrastructure, and every day counts.