The goal is to be a business unit that has a substantial contribution to the organization, and an impact! To do so means both knowing what it takes to achieve impact and then making that a part of the standard operating procedure. That’s part of the longer-term story of the role of learning in a 21st Century organization. To be fair, the learning unit in many organizations currently is in a less-than-impactful state. The characteristics of the traditional state of affairs can include: using courses as the only tool in the quiver, taking orders for courses and delivering without evaluating the ..read more

Moving from minimal impact to documentable improvements on behalf of the organization isn’t always a straightforward journey. In particular, it’s seldom a single step. Organizations can have several different initiatives with different priorities. They might be simultaneously doing some ‘information’ presentations and also have others that are intended to achieve outcomes. Further, it can be the case that it may be difficult to obtain any evidence. The shift requires having a strategy. To put it simply, the journey has a few important, and related, steps. First, the change needs to be ‘sold’ t ..read more

If we’re going to design for impact and then measure the outcome, how do we do this? It starts with what we’re trying to achieve, and then it comes down to applying what we know of learning science to the design of a solution. We need to be systematic in process, while practical in application. Initial Analysis What is needed upfront is an appropriate analysis. Too often, we can decide to offer a course when the solution is otherwise. Even before that, we need to ensure there actually is a problem to be solved, and that we’re targeting the right one, before designing an intervention. A perfor ..read more

Creating impact is fraught with danger. For one, we could find out that what we’ve been doing isn’t working. That would look bad! It also means we have to stand up to our stakeholders a bit and argue that we can’t just do ‘school’, and that it could take a bit longer and cost a bit more. Heck, they don’t care what we do anyway, so why bother? So how do we ensure that we’re not having an impact, and stay in our comfort zone? Take orders We should continue to build the courses our customers ask for. If they trust us to build them, why would we want to challenge that? Certainly, we know how to t ..read more

In the latest episode of the L&D GoBeyond podcast, Amit Garg engages in a compelling conversation with Clark Quinn, Chief Learning Strategist at Upside Learning, delving into the intricacies of designing for learning impact. As part of the ongoing season focused on learning impact, the episode provides valuable insights into understanding, managing, and optimizing the impact of training intervention. Clark Quinn challenges industry norms by championing evidence-based practices in learning and development. The discussion critically assesses the strengths and weaknesses of existing models, e ..read more

The gold standard for evaluation is achieving an impact on organizational metrics. Here, we’re looking for a change in outcomes that suggests that learners have applied the learning and it’s influencing the organization as a whole. The goal here is to identify a particular measure that isn’t where it could and should be. Then, you target an intervention, design it to achieve the outcome, and then measure it to see if it’s achieved. Situation The client in this case was a major international airline. However, while mental health was a serious issue in the industry, this particular organization ..read more

As you move up the level of impact from learner evaluations, a level beyond learner evaluations is what learners can do after the experience. You can look to see what you’re achieving pre-determined performance objectives. Ideally, you want to see if this performance is sustained and achieves an impact on the organization, but not all organizations are ready. In this case, the organization was looking to achieve a measurable increase in ability, not just a high rating. Situation The corporation here was a global technology firm. They produce recognized suites of technology solutions, integrat ..read more

In a recent installment of the L&D GoBeyond podcast, host Amit Garg skillfully guides listeners through an insightful conversation with Will Thalheimer. Will, Ph.D., MBA, a distinguished consultant, speaker, researcher, and founder of Work-Learning Research, shares his extensive expertise in instructional design, training, and consulting. The episode unravels the tapestry of research-based practices, the importance of learning interventions, and Thalheimer’s approaches to learning evaluation. Will challenge industry norms by emphasizing evidence-based practices. The heart of the discussion ..read more

There are a variety of ways to measure impact. Theories suggest what the proper data should be, but reality has a bad habit of intruding. This leads to a variety of ways to determine impact, with increasing value. Some are indirect, others are more direct. We should choose ones that we can collect data on, but also always be looking to up our game. A starting point A core framework is the so-called Kirkpatrick model (with caveats about the legitimacy of the claim to fame). Here, there are four levels that are assessed: Level 1: what did performers think of the intervention? Level 2: were th ..read more

To have measurable impact requires designing solutions to achieve change. That means we have to go beyond our folk beliefs about learning and look to what the research says leads to effective change. We have good prescriptions, but we too infrequently pay attention to them. Much of what is invested in as performance interventions has little impact. When we pay attention to what learning science tells us, however, we can do better. The two critical elements for learning are retention over time until needed and transfer to all appropriate situations and no inappropriate ones. When we invest in a ..read more