Boosting Business Agility Report

Boosting Business Agility
Towards Maturity 2011-12 Benchmark

Full Report
About this research

This study is the fifth in a longitudinal research series looking at the trends in the implementation and impact of learning technologies in the workplace. The research is published in a suite of reports: Boosting Business Agility - Towards Maturity 2011-12 benchmark: Executive Summary Boosting Business Agility - Towards Maturity 2011-12 benchmark: Full report Towards Maturity 2011-12 benchmark: Longitudinal trends data tables The full suite of reports can be downloaded for free at www.towardsmaturity.org/2011benchmark. Previous Towards Maturity Benchmarks can be downloaded at http://tinyurl.com/TMbenchmark
Acknowledgements The 2011 benchmark research has been made possible thanks to the funding support of 16 Towards Maturity Ambassadors, who share our passion for ensuring that independent research and advice is freely available. See Annex D for details of the Towards Maturity Ambassadors.
Find out more about our Ambassadors at www.towardsmaturity.org/ambassadors We also thank all those organisations who have kindly agreed that we can quote them by name in the report.
Research team: Genny Dixon, Laura Overton
A copy of this report can be downloaded at www.towardsmaturity.org/2011benchmark
Copyright Towards Maturity CIC 2011. All rights reserved. No part of this material protected by this copyright may be reproduced or utilised in any form, or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system without prior authorisation
Towards Maturity CIC 2011
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Foreword by Craig McCoy

Much has changed in the 18 years that I have been working as an HR Director. For those working in the field of HR and learning, the opportunities to improve organisational performance have never been greater; but neither have the challenges, as the pace of change accelerates around us. No-one is immune. Even market leaders and established service providers have to constantly re-evaluate their service offering, marketing strategies and processes in order to become more agile, productive, and competitive. The world of business is changing fast and the pressure on time means that business managers are demanding shorter, faster learning interventions. In an increasingly unpredictable economic climate, the HR function has an important role to play in helping businesses become increasingly agile. But to do this, we need to be able to rapidly evolve our own service offering, using tools, technologies and the experiences of those around us to enable constant innovation and change. This is why I welcome the independent Towards Maturity Benchmark, which has consolidated the experiences of over 1,800 organisations (Bupa included) over the last 8 years. It cuts through the hype to show how real organisations are using both established and new learning technologies in such a way that those of us serious about improving performance and business agility would be foolish to ignore. At Bupa, like most organisations today, we need to evolve our skills base to survive. This means adopting new skills from other sectors and disciplines, as well as being creative in the ways that we build the skills of our talented workforce. Our job is to make more people, more effective, more quickly and in order to do that the HR function has to grow up to become more commercial. There is no getting away from it, there are only 2 options: we can either change or stagnate! The Towards Maturity 2011-12 study illustrates a number of areas that we still have to take action on if we are to avoid becoming irrelevant within the organisations that we serve.
Firstly it is time to move up the value curve. If HR is looking to establish a credible relationship with the business, we cant afford to ignore the tangible business benefits illustrated by this report. Investment in innovative learning approaches facilitates business agility and can support business generation, improve customer service and increase organisational efficiency. But to achieve these results we have to work in partnership with business, and this study has a challenge for business people as well: take a second look at what your HR and L&D teams can do for you today! Really good L&D practitioners can make a substantial difference to your bottom line so it is important not to frame your view of what learning can achieve on your past experiences alone look beyond that, expect innovation and actively engage with your HR teams to achieve so much more.
If HR is looking to establish a credible relationship with the business, we cant afford to ignore the tangible business benefits illustrated by this report
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Secondly, we are reminded that technology-enabled learning is not just about tick in the box compliance it has a critical role in building customer service excellence and leadership resilience. It is also clear that L&D still has a way to go to grasp the full potential of technology as an enabler to make our learning proposition different. We can no longer ignore the broader context of how people learn. This is not just about Generation Y: the way everyone acquires knowledge, increasingly through technology, is changing. HR and learning professionals need to help make jobs more effective, by creating a knowledge environment that encourages sharing and ensures that information, contacts and networks are accessible to all. This role is not just nice to have, it is critical for business success. We are all in the market for talent: to attract, retain and develop the best people that we can. To do this, I believe it is critical for all organisations to aspire to become industry leaders. Most organisations have a change agenda and L&D has a critical role to play in supporting and driving that change. But in order to do this We can no longer ignore we also have to adapt, so it is critical that we rapidly become the broader context of how confident in new approaches to todays skills challenges. people learn. This is not a time to remain introspective, with our point of reference internally focussed. We need to look to our external networks, communities and external benchmarks to tap into a rich source of new ideas and innovation necessary for our success in the future. The way everyone acquires knowledge, increasingly through technology, is changing.
If you are looking for proven approaches to boost business agility within your organisation, I thoroughly recommend the 2011-12 Towards Maturity Benchmark as a great place to start. Craig McCoy HR Director, Bupa Health and Wellbeing
Towards Maturity Supporters- The 2011 study remains current and vendor neutral thanks to the independent experts, magazine publishers and event organisers, industry communities and membership bodies who make up Towards Maturity Supporters. Our supporters feed into the benchmark process, providing insights on future trends and practices that should be investigated within the study. TM Supporters share the goal of providing independent advice and services to stimulate effective learning innovation. They include:
Find out more about what our supporters think about the Towards Maturity Benchmark at www.towardsmaturity.org/supporters
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Table of Contents
1 Introduction ......................................................................................................................... 7 1.1 1.2 2 8 years of benchmarks the story so far ................................................................................ 7 Methodology and participant demographics .......................................................................... 8
Adding value ....................................................................................................................... 12 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 Shifting budgets ..................................................................................................................... 12 Drivers for investment in learning technologies ................................................................... 13 Enabling business agility ........................................................................................................ 16 Bottom line benefits .............................................................................................................. 19 Improving results through maturity ...................................................................................... 22
Building skills ...................................................................................................................... 25 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 A quick overview of learning technology adoption............................................................... 25 Evolving content strategies ................................................................................................... 26 Delivery strategies ................................................................................................................. 30 Engaging learners and improving talent ............................................................................... 34 Working with external training providers ............................................................................. 36
Harnessing technology to improve performance .................................................................. 38 4.1 4.2 4.3 Adopting social learning ........................................................................................................ 38 Barriers to uptake of social media......................................................................................... 40 Promoting a performance culture ......................................................................................... 41
Building confidence in new approaches to learning .............................................................. 44 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 Overcoming reluctance to change ........................................................................................ 44 Improving business partnerships .......................................................................................... 47 Managing change .................................................................................................................. 48 Developing the skills of the learning professionals ............................................................... 49
Taking action ...................................................................................................................... 53
Annexes ..................................................................................................................................... 55 Annex A - Survey design and participant demographics ................................................................... 55 Annex B - Sample of participating organisations .............................................................................. 59 Annex C The Towards Maturity Model........................................................................................... 61 Annex D - Towards Maturity Ambassador Programme ................................................................... 63 Annex E About Towards Maturity .................................................................................................. 65
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List of Figures
Figure 1 Industries represented by survey respondents ............................................................................................................ 9 Figure 2 Distribution of survey respondents in terms of perceived maturity .......................................................................... 10 Figure 3 Length of time using learning technologies related to perception of maturity .......................................................... 11 Figure 4 Maturity related to the Towards Maturity Index quartile ......................................................................................... 11 Figure 5 Training budgets varied by sector .............................................................................................................................. 13 Figure 6 Skills that are most likely to be e-enabled .................................................................................................................. 14 Figure 7 Percentage of all organisations e-enabling skills compared with 2008 ...................................................................... 15 Figure 8 Drivers for investment increase year on year ............................................................................................................. 16 Figure 9 Audience groups that are using learning technologies .............................................................................................. 17 Figure 10 Benefits achieved by those seeking them ................................................................................................................ 23 Figure 11 Index measures of benefits related to e-learning maturity ...................................................................................... 24 Figure 12 Relative usage of different learning technologies .................................................................................................... 25 Figure 13 Trends in the use of video in learning and development ......................................................................................... 27 Figure 14 Source of e-learning content varies with maturity ................................................................................................... 30 Figure 15 Maturity alters the way in which content is combined ............................................................................................ 31 Figure 16 The rise in live online learning .................................................................................................................................. 32 Figure 17 Different learning methods supported by live online learning ................................................................................. 32 Figure 18 Trends in use of mobile devices ............................................................................................................................... 33 Figure 19 Locations where learners can access technology-enabled learning ......................................................................... 34 Figure 20 The extent to which learning technologies support talent management ................................................................ 35 Figure 21 Media supporting the sharing of good practice ....................................................................................................... 39 Figure 22 Uses and benefits of social networks in workplace learning .................................................................................... 39 Figure 23 Use of 3rd party social networks .............................................................................................................................. 40 Figure 24 Barriers to use of social networks in workplace learning ......................................................................................... 41 Figure 25 Fostering a performance culture .............................................................................................................................. 42 Figure 26 L&D skills and confidence with new media .............................................................................................................. 45 Figure 27 Barrier perception decreasing with maturity ........................................................................................................... 46 Figure 28 Communication tactics of top performers ............................................................................................................... 49 Figure 29 Size and location of benchmark participant organisations ....................................................................................... 57 Figure 30 Industry sector and job roles of benchmark respondents ........................................................................................ 57 Figure 31 Relative maturity of different sectors ...................................................................................................................... 58 Figure 32 Length of time using learning technologies related to the TM Index ....................................................................... 58 Figure 33 Towards Maturity workstreams ............................................................................................................................... 62
List of Tables
Table 1 Benefits relating to learning administration ................................................................................................................ 21 Table 2 Benefits of developing content in-house ..................................................................................................................... 28 Table 3 Challenges reported when bringing content development in house........................................................................... 28 Table 4 Costs of creating e-learning content ............................................................................................................................ 28 Table 5 Barriers relating to e-learning content ........................................................................................................................ 29 Table 6 Integrating e-enabled learning with the classroom ..................................................................................................... 30 Table 7 Accessing content beyond the firewall ........................................................................................................................ 31 Table 8 Usage of tools to support talent management ............................................................................................................ 35 Table 9 Learning supports career development ....................................................................................................................... 36 Table 10 How performance varies with learner engagement .................................................................................................. 36 Table 11 Demographics of survey respondents ....................................................................................................................... 56 Table 12 Distribution of survey respondents ........................................................................................................................... 57
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1 Introduction
Learning technologies are an established part of the armoury for organisations looking to move ahead despite ongoing economic uncertainty. The 2011-12 Towards Maturity benchmark draws on data from over 600 organisations.
1.1 8 years of benchmarks the story so far

The fundamental question that has fuelled Towards Maturity research with over 1800 respondents over the last 8 years is: What are successful organisations doing to deliver business results with learning technologies and how can we learn from them? The majority of our L&D delivery staff are either from a clinical background or long established 'classroom' trainers. This has really helped focus on some areas and relationships we need to improve on if we are to successfully progress learning technologies. (Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board) Over the past 3 years the economic climate has forced organisations to revisit learning strategies. The business priority for skills as a strategy for growth has been raised by both the Institute of Directors and the Confederation of British Industry. Poor skills are shackling the economy - 47% of employers say that their staff lack skills to do their job. This fact impacts business through increased workload for other staff (reported by 61%), curtailed growth (58%), higher operational costs (32%), compromised quality (34%), lost orders (25%), and stifled innovation (33%).1 Because of this 41% of business directors plan to increase investment in skills (according to the CBIs Ready to Grow report) but two thirds are looking for more targeted and more cost effective training2. It is no wonder that the use of technology in learning is now mainstream, with 78% of organisations now using some form of e-learning (and over half planning to increase their use in the next 12 months).3 However, over the years, our research has demonstrated that the benefits hoped for from technology enabled learning are not always realised. Those that are more mature in their use of learning technologies are realising significant benefits measured in terms of: Increased business benefit in terms of speed to competency and responsiveness to business demand Increased learning efficiency in terms of cost savings, time savings and volume of learning delivered.
IOD Shackled by the Skills Crunch -
http://www.iod.com/MainWebSite/Resources/Document/shackled_by_the_skills_crunch_1012.pdf
2 3
CBI Ready to Grow report CIPD - Focus on eLearning report June 2011 http://www.cipd.co.uk/hr-resources/surveyreports/focus-e-learning.aspx Towards Maturity CIC 2011 Page 7
Boosting Business Agility: Introduction
Through our previous research we have been able to identify 6 workstreams of implementation behaviours that characterise maturity and directly link to the successful outcomes of learning technology implementation. (See Annex C for a description of the TM model and the Towards Maturity Index or TMI.) Organisations in the top quartile of these maturity workstreams (as measured by the Towards Maturity Index) have consistently reported better business results and fewer barriers to implementation.
The Towards Maturity Model
They are also more likely to report that they are able to adapt rapidly to change. The 2011-12 Towards Maturity Benchmark builds on previous research to provide an in-depth long-term study into the implementation of learning technologies in workplace learning. This year we continue to investigate the impact of maturity on business results, efficiency and talent development. We also focus on one aspect of business impact in more detail business agility: the ability to respond rapidly to change. The 2011-12 Benchmark report aims to provide a robust evidence base that supports more effective implementation of innovative learning. The report aims to help organisations: Deliver value Eliminate risk Increase business engagement Build confidence in new approaches Share effective practices and Save time and cost
Thanks - it was worth the time taken to go through the questions to reflect on how far we've come and how far there still is to go! (Hanover Housing Association)
1.2 Methodology and participant demographics
1.2.1 Survey methodology

Individuals with responsibility for implementing learning technologies in the workplace were invited to participate in a two-part online review during June and July 2011. The first part surveyed skills, technologies, benefits and barriers to e-learning; the second part was a benchmark review against 124 action statements of implementation good practice. These action statements are the building blocks of the Towards Maturity Model and provide the basis for determining the organisations Towards Maturity Index. The survey was widely distributed via a number of channels and partners to those already with an interest in using learning technologies. The assumption was that all respondents have already started on their e-learning journey. Participants were invited to complete the review via a traditional online survey or via the
Towards Maturity CIC 2011 Page 8
Towards Maturity Benchmark Centre. All participants who completed received immediate feedback in September via the Towards Maturity Benchmark Centre in the form of a personalised benchmark report. This highlighted their current strengths and weaknesses against a number of Key Performance Indicators and the effective practices outlined in the Towards Maturity Model.4
1.2.2 Demographics of benchmark respondents

A total of 767 respondents from 643 organisations commenced the survey, with 488 completing all sections. Participating organisations included AXA UK, Barclaycard, Barnados, Boots UK, BT plc, Cable&Wireless Worldwide, Christian Aid, E.ON AG, Eversheds LLP, IKEA of Sweden, Lloyds Banking Group, Nestl, NSPCC, Pearson International, Shell, The Rugby Football League, Tesco Stores Ltd, Toyota Motor Europe NV SA , Vodafone, 33 councils and over 20 hospitals and NHS trusts. A sample of participating organisations is listed in Annex C. The number of respondents was 50% higher than the previous year. Whilst over 100 had taken part in the review in 2010 and over 50 had also taken part in 2008, the large numbers of new organisations taking part each year ensures that the longitudinal study reflects trends across a wide range of organisations. Respondents were more evenly distributed between industry sectors than in previous studies and were spread across private (57%), public (30%) and not-forprofit sector (13%) organisations. The highest numbers of responses were from the Finance, IT/telecoms and Voluntary sectors, but there were also high numbers from Health/Social care, Professional and Technical, Local and Central Government and Manufacturing5. There were fewer responses than in previous years from those engaged in commercial training or from small educational consulting companies reducing any unintentional bias towards those who are themselves suppliers of e-learning solutions.
Figure 1 Industries represented by survey respondents
This has been a very interesting process to go through and has given me some ideas for the future however, as always, working in a charity sometimes really impacts on what can realistically be achieved. (Addaction)
Delegates were benchmarked against the current TM Benchmarks established in the 2010-11 report. New implementation benchmarks from the 2011-12 study will be set in January 2012. Further information on the Towards Maturity Benchmark Centre can be found at www.towardsmaturity.org/mybenchmark. 5 17 individual sector benchmarking reports will be available from January 2012 Towards Maturity CIC 2011 Page 9
Boosting Business Agility: Introduction
Two-thirds of respondents were from the UK, with 19% from other European countries6. The 2011 benchmark also attracted 15% respondents from around the world (See Annex A and B). Organisation size varied, ranging from micro businesses with fewer than 10 employees, to large multi-nationals operating globally from a number of locations worldwide. Collectively, these organisations employ at least 2m employees. Responses came from those working within their own organisation (78%) and those supporting external organisations (22%). Two-thirds were L&D professionals reporting either to HR/L&D central or within a line of business, and two-thirds had responsibility for learning strategy and management as all or part of their job role.
1.2.3 Maturity
Respondents were invited to self-assess their e-learning maturity on a five point scale7. The spread reflected a similar pattern of perceived maturity to previous years although a greater proportion of novice users responded than in 2010.
Figure 2 Distribution of survey respondents in terms of perceived maturity
(2010 proportions shown in grey text)
16% (12%) 22% (23%) 31% (39%) 19% (20%) 12% (7%)
Embedded
Established Developing
Sporadic Novice
67% of respondents have now been using learning technologies for 3 years or more and many consider them to be well established or embedded within organisational practice. Whilst maturity relates in part to time, there are a significant number that still consider themselves novice users even after over 3 years of use (Figure 3). When we use the TMI as an indicator of maturity, calculated from respondents level of agreement with 124 good practice statements within the 6 areas of the Towards Maturity Model, we find that 70% of those in the top quartile of TMI describe themselves as either established or embedded users.
6 7
Specific trend analysis for Europe can be found at www.towardsmaturity.org See Annex A for definitions Page 10
Figure 3 Length of time using learning technologies related to perception of maturity

100 90 80 70 60 0 - 1 years
50 40 30 20
10 0 Novice Sporadic Developing Established Embedded
1 - 3 years
4 - 6 years
6 - 10 years
10 years plus
The pattern shown in Figure 4 is not surprising, as we would not expect those that are new to e-learning to be realising the same level of benefits as those with considerable experience. However, there are still over 10% of established or embedded users in the bottom quartile for TMI that are still not achieving the benefits promised!
Figure 4 Maturity related to the Towards Maturity Index quartile
100%
80%
60%
40%
20%
0% TMI Bottom Quartile

N=764
TMI Quartile 3
Established
TMI Quartile 2
Sporadic
TMI Top Quartile

Novice
Embedded
Developing
1.2.4 A note on longitudinal trends

Through this study we have been able to track longitudinal trends since 2006. However, it is apparent that 2010 presented some anomalies with inflated figures perhaps due to the greater proportion of e-mature or supplier organisations that took part. In this report, we therefore compare some of the 2011 data with 2008 figures.
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Boosting Business Agility: Adding Value
2 Adding value
Top 10 drivers in 2011
89% 85% 84% 83% 82% 80% Increase access to learning increase flexibility Improve quality Reduce training costs Extend reach of training Achieve greater consistency Improve induction Increase sharing of good practice Reduce time away from job Help implement new processes/products
In addition to supporting the delivery of business critical skills, learning technologies are now adding value by helping organisations become more agile and deliver significant efficiency savings. However, investment in technology alone is no guarantee for success as many are yet to realise the benefits they seek. In a time of economic uncertainty, business priorities are all about agility how they can adapt rapidly (and cost effectively) to the changing external environment. This agility is critical for growth, survival and the ultimate satisfaction and loyalty of customers and service users. To date, the priorities from the L&D team perspective are more likely to be related to improving the efficiency, reach and quality of the learning interventions themselves. However, in 2011, in order to help their organisations adapt faster to change, we see that benchmark participants are starting to look beyond the efficiency agenda as a driver for investment. In this section, we look at what has been happening to budgets over the last few years, the key drivers for ongoing investment in learning technologies, the benefits that are being realised as a result, and consider how maturity can help organisations achieve a better return on their expectations.
79% 79%
79% 78%
2.1 Shifting budgets

An estimated 18% of overall training budget is being spent on technologies. This has fallen slightly in the last 12 months, despite predictions a year ago by 65% of organisations that the proportion would increase. Over 65% of respondents continue to predict greater use of technology in the next two years as they see elearning as a cheaper alternative to traditional modes of delivery and a way of reaching a wider audience. One example being the increased use of live online webinars and meetings to cut down on travel costs. The up-front costs of purchasing new IT solutions can make technology options appear more expensive, which can slow adoption or delay development. Economic pressures have also encouraged organisations to sharpen their focus, look for quick wins and to develop their own content in-house. Overall, training budgets have not fallen as much as feared in the last 2 years: 26% reported an increase (but only 17% had expected an increase) 38% reported they stayed the same (40% predicted this) 36% reported a decrease (42% predicted a decrease)
On average,
18%
of overall training
budget is allocated to
learning technologies
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We have to negotiate best value for money
Sectors differ markedly, with 58% public sector organisations reporting a decrease in their training budget and only 12% reporting an increase. Budgets have increased most in the private sector, with 34% reporting an increase.
Figure 5 Training budgets varied by sector Compared with last year
70%
70%
Forecast for 2 years time
We are more careful about spend, but look for a Return on Expectations rather than on Investment
60%
60%
50%
50%
40%
40%
30%
30%
It is more difficult to gain approval for spend on technologies
20%
20%
10%
10%
0% Increase Stay the same Private Decrease Public Not-for-profit
0% Increase Stay the same Private Decrease Public Not-for-profit
There are severe constraints on spending on delivery but also an increased awareness / acceptance of potential savings.
There is some optimism that overall training budgets will be fairly stable for the next 2 years: 29% predict an increase 41% predict they will remain the same 30% predict a decrease However, again, there is greater pessimism in the public sector with 58% forecasting further decrease in their budget.
The increased demand for training with less budget has driven the use of learning technologies (Surrey County Council)
(It should be noted that the survey was conducted in June/July 2011 at a time when the public sector in particular was reeling from announcements about changes to pension arrangements.)
2.2 Drivers for investment in learning technologies

We look at the drivers for investment under five main headings: o o o o o Developing business critical skills Enabling business agility Improving customer satisfaction Managing talent and Increasing learning efficiency without loss of quality
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Top 10 e-enabled skills

55% 53% 51% 49% IT user skills Health and safety Induction Industry specific compliance Company specific training IT professional skills CSR (eg equality & diversity) Improving own learning and performance Leadership and management Customer service
2.2.1 Developing business critical skills

Developing skills remains a top priority for business and this continues to drive investment in learning technologies. Historically the subjects most likely to be eenabled were related to compliance and IT, but now technology is being applied to every subject, including management, leadership and customer sales / service skills8. Figure 6 illustrates the wide range of skills currently being e-enabled in some way in 2011.
Figure 6 Skills that are most likely to be e-enabled
48% 46% 46%
45%
42%
36%
In 2011, we find that the subjects most likely to be e-enabled have not changed from the previous year9. These are also the skills areas that organisations new to e-learning are likely to focus on first10: We are beginning to provide online learning opportunities to our 100,000 volunteers we are just piloting our first online learning module on the topic of mentoring skills, with a view to developing further online learning for volunteers. In terms of HR, some learning is provided online - mainly diversity training. (Girlguiding UK) 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. IT user (55%) Health and safety (53%) Induction (52%) Industry specific regulatory/compliance skills (49%) Company specific skills (48%)
More skills are being e-enabled in 2011 than in 2008 (Figure 7) with the exception of IT user skills where the number of organisations e-enabling IT user skills has fallen from 59% in 2008 to 55% in 2011 (interesting given that 30% still note that poor learner IT skills are a significant barrier to further implementation success!). The skills that have seen the biggest increase in use of learning technologies in the last 2 years are the business critical areas. These are leadership and management, customer service and the soft skills of communications, team working and problem solving.
Top 3 business critical skills gaps identified by the IOD Shackled by the Skills Crunch report 2010 9 See Boosting Business Agility: Longitudinal Trends 2011-12 for full data tables 10 Full In focus report on top skills for getting started due 2012 http://tinyurl.com/TMINFOCUS Towards Maturity CIC 2011 Page 14
Figure 7 Percentage of all organisations e-enabling skills compared with 2008
Foreign language General IT user Health & safety

40% 30% 60% 50%
Basic skills Sales & marketing
Induction
20% 10%
Problem solving
Industry specific
0%
Team working
2008
2011
Company specific
Office/admin
Leadership & management CSR IT professional
Communications Customer service
TMI top quartile organisations are
one-third again
more likely to e-enable leadership, customer service and soft skills than average
Overall, the most mature organisations (those in the top quartile of TMI) will eenable 3 times as many subjects as those who are in the bottom quartile. The most mature organisations are also one third again more likely to be using technology to address these priority areas than others. They are also twice as likely to e-enable foreign language training and basic skills training as the sample average.
2.2.2 Future predictions e-enabled skills

All respondents are planning to use more technology in every skills area in the next 2 years, addressing both the rapidly evolving demand for greater skills and reflecting the increased confidence in learning technologies. Whilst the skills most likely to be e-enabled will not change, those increasing the fastest are those that are the most important skills for business: 1 2 3 L&D skills (improving respondents own learning and performance up 25% to 70% by 2013 Customer handling/service up 24% to 60% Leadership and management up 24% to 66%
The good news is that by 2013, 70% expect to use technology to support L&D skills. Currently only 45% are using technology to improve their own learning and performance. Given that L&D skills are currently the top barrier to change, this growth by 2013 may be a little too late!
77% believe that

learning technologies will help them
2.3 Enabling business agility

In the next 3 sections, we shall take a closer look at the other drivers behind investment in learning technologies, but the one that has jumped the furthest in the last 12 months is improving business agility. 77% of organisations now believe that learning technologies will help them respond faster to changing business conditions, an increase of 11% from 2010. Specifically organisations believe that learning technologies can help: 77% to reduce time to competency 77% to release new products faster 76% to support organisational change 69% to increase the speed of roll-out of new IT systems Figure 8 illustrates how business goals relating to agility are becoming more prominent each year.
Figure 8 Drivers for investment increase year on year
100%
80%
respond faster to
changing business conditions
60% 40%
20%
Help implement new products Help implement IT systems Support organisational change
0%
2004 N=290 2006 N=212 2008 N=261 2010 N=377 2011 N=523
2.3.1 Delivering customer satisfaction

Increase profitability and market share Regardless of sector, all organisations are looking to improve the experience and loyalty of their customers and service users. Enhancing customer loyalty has become an increasing priority since last year: o Improve new senior manager retention rate (Mott MacDonald Group Ltd) o 77% are using learning technologies to help improve customer satisfaction (increased by 11%) 70% are looking to maintain their public image (increased by 11%)
This is being achieved by increasing the sales and product knowledge skills of sales and customer service staff but a significant number are also using learning technologies to extend their training offering to customers and suppliers: 42% are using learning technologies to help train their customers 13% are training their supply chain
2.3.2 Managing talent
79% believe that

learning technologies will help them share
good practice across

the business
3 out of 4 organisations are also looking for bottom line benefits in increased productivity, but helping staff be more productive in their current job is only one side of the coin. 7 out of 10 organisations also focus on using learning technologies to improve talent management (69%) the opportunity to attract, develop and keep great people across the board. They recognise the opportunities that learning technologies offer to shift responsibility for learning and development away from a central HR function into the line of business. On average, some 57% of the respondents workforce is using learning technologies unchanged from last year and they are supporting staff at all levels of the organisation (Figure 8). Two audience groups are more likely to be using e-learning than last year: Directors and senior managers (62% up from 56%) and apprentices (44% up from 38%).11
Figure 9 Audience groups that are using learning technologies
79% of organisations now use learning technologies to improve the induction process. Induction is one of the first to be e-enabled (along side compliance training), and an area where benefits are most likely to be achieved. However, there are a number of other drivers that are as important in managing and attracting great talent: 75% seek to develop a better qualified workforce 75% seek to improve their compliance with industry rules and regulations 77% seek for e-enabled learning to contribute to improvements in employee engagement scores and 78% seek improvements in staff satisfaction There is also a drive to use learning technologies to ensure that knowledge is shared across the business: Increase the ongoing sharing of good practice (79%) Increase employee engagement (78%)
11
See Longitudinal trends paper for more information on changes in audience levels Page 17
2.3.3 Increasing training efficiency

The top 4 drivers for investment remain the same as in 2010, despite a much larger sample and a greater proportion of novice users, with over 4 out of 5 continuing to look for improved access (89%), flexibility (85%), quality of learning (84%) and cost efficiency (83%). This research was largely drawn from responses by L&D professionals, so it is not surprising to find that they are looking to learning technologies to drive greater efficiencies in training without compromising on quality. Those in different job roles however, emphasise different drivers. For example, training staff and those with responsibility for setting learning strategy and management are primarily looking for increasing access and flexibility, whereas technologists focus more on sharing good practice and responding rapidly to changing business conditions. Improving learning administration and management has dropped from 4th to 24th in importance as a driver; ensuring compliance has dropped from 14th to 22nd place. These benefits are still sought by as many organisations as before but other benefits are now seen as more important! Organisations are also looking to learning technologies to increase Return on Investment (77%) and increasingly, to deliver business benefit and a Return on Expectation. However, we find that only: 19% of organisations actually know the opportunity cost of the various ways in which their learners learn 19% collect financial data when learning technologies are involved and 14% are actually calculating the ROI of their learning programmes In the following sections we report on the percentage of organisations that are realising the benefits that they are looking for. In a number of areas we asked organisations to quantify the level of benefits that they are looking for.12 However we found that the numbers of organisations that are actually measuring and quantifying the benefits of their learning technologies are low. For example: Only 48% organisations were able to estimate their cost savings, with 10% estimating that they actually spent more 62% estimated their study time savings with 5% responding that study time increased and 64% estimated delivery time with 7% responding that it had increased However, in 2011, the sample included greater numbers of novice users than in previous years, and where they are relatively new to e-learning, organisations may not yet have the data to quantify the benefits.
12
These figures are not directly comparable with 2010 as we asked respondents to provide actual estimates of efficiency savings rather than respond on a relative scale. Fewer were able to respond but those that did provided considerably higher figures than the 2010 report.
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Top 10 benefits achieved

50% Industry specific compliance Help implement IT systems Increase access Increase flexibility Reduce time away from job Extend reach of training Reduce training costs Improve induction Help implement new products and processes Deliver greater volume of learning
The quantified benefits highlighted in the green boxes below are based on a minimum of 150 responses.
48%
2.4 Bottom line benefits

Learning technologies are delivering benefits across a range of areas. 7 out of 10 organisations surveyed report achieving one or more benefits, with 1 in 5 reporting benefits across the full range. Given the wide range of organisations participating in this study it is impossible to investigate the full range of business benefits and approaches to measuring and reporting effectiveness on a case by case basis. Through our Evidence for Change programme, Towards Maturity report on a wide range of specific case studies that have delivered and measured bottom line benefits13.
48% 45% 44%
42% 41% 39% 39%
2.4.1 The bottom line business agility

Learning technologies are helping companies become more fleet of foot and adapt more rapidly to business demands. The proportion of respondents that achieved the following benefits of those that seek them is: 39% have achieved the improvement in induction training they seek 48% report faster roll out of new IT applications 39% report improvement in ability to change products and processes 33% report they can now response faster to business change 25% report an improvement in time to competency
38%
Organisations are reporting a 35% reduction in time to
proven competency
Where the benefits have been quantified by respondents, they report:
Organisations are reporting an overall
35% reduction in time to competency 32% ability to change procedures/products 32% increase in speed of rollout of new IT applications
20% improvement in customer satisfaction
2.4.2 The bottom line customer engagement

Three out of ten organisations agreed that learning technologies contribute to improvements in productivity, the same proportion also agreed that their managers within the business reported additional business benefits as a result of
13
Specific examples available at http://tinyurl.com/TMevidence Page 19
the e-enabled learning solutions rolled out. In a study of this scope it is difficult to pinpoint the exact benefits that organisations are looking for. As a result we saw more volunteers accessing skills training (Girlguiding UK) However with respect to customer engagement and growth: 32% agree that they improve customer satisfaction 17% agree that they have significantly increased organisational revenue
Where the benefits have been quantified by respondents, they report:
20% improvement in customer satisfaction
2.4.3 The bottom line - talent management

Organisations also report using learning technologies to improve talent management and succession planning: 20% report an improvement in overall talent management 23% report they have achieved more ongoing sharing of good practice 22% report they have achieved better employee engagement
We had an immediate diagnostic of the capability of our salesforce (Janssen)
Where the benefits have been quantified by respondents, there are also measurable improvements in terms of:
23% improvement in overall staff satisfaction 18% increase in qualifications gained by staff
2.4.4 The bottom line - efficiency without compromise

Efficiency is one of the leading drivers for investing in learning technologies, but they also offer new ways to manage, reach and engage learners. For those that are measuring success in terms of learner numbers and course completions, they offer reliable ways to prove compliance and remove some of the inconsistencies that can occur across large scale programmes. Coupled with these efficiency benefits are improvements in the quality and consistency of the learner experience and the motivation and retention of learners. Efficiency: 62% report that they are able to deliver learning faster 48% report that they now provide greater access to learning 44% report a reduction in the time learners spend away from their job 42% report they have extended the reach of their training
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We established a consistent global learning strategy
41% report a reduction in their training costs 38% report they are delivering a greater volume of training
Without compromise: 45% report greater flexibility of delivery 38% report the quality of learning has improved 35% report greater consistency of the learner experience
Respondents estimated a three-fold increase in the volume of training being delivered as a result of implementing learning technologies, with some 26% of formal learning now e-enabled.
Where the benefits have been quantified by respondents, there are also measurable improvements in terms of:
46% improvement in efficiency in demonstrating compliance 34% increase in the proportion of staff on L&D programmes
In absolute terms, they also can boost the cost-effectiveness of training solutions, delivering an average:
26% savings in the cost of training 31% reduction in study time 39% reduction in delivery time
Whilst learning management systems have enabled better tracking and monitoring of learners, only 1 in 3 organisations seeking this benefit actually manage to achieve it.
Table 1 Benefits relating to learning administration
Improve learning management and administration Improve monitoring of impact measures Increasing return on investment
% citing as Driver 73% 74% 77%
% achieving Benefit 28% 22% 21%
2.4.5 What this could mean for your business

Given that some 57% of our sample is using learning technologies and they are seeing an average improvement of:
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o o o
35% in time to competency 32% in their ability to change procedures and processes or roll out new IT systems or products and 20% customer satisfaction
What is the potential effect this could have on business or organisational success? Other benefits achieved: Reducing the time it takes to bring new staff up to full competency for their job role by 35% could shorten their induction programme for example, from 3 months to 2 months. Gaining an extra 20% of customer satisfaction could reduce complaints by one-fifth, or increase the likelihood that they will return for 20% more repeat business or give 20% more recommendations for your product or service. Savings from reducing the delivery time by the 43% or more achieved in top quartile organisations alone can be significant. For example, a one-hour face-to-face course for Equality and Diversity training delivered to 3000 staff in a health authority moved to a shorter online course of 34 minutes could give a saving of 100,000 in payroll, administration and accommodation costs14. Cost savings, increased support for staff and students The UK Commission for Employment and Skills estimate the Gross Value Added per person employed in the UK by sector as 38,500 and that 30% of employees received training in the last 13 weeks (2009 data). With 30% of our sample reporting that learning technologies contributed to improvements in productivity across the organisation, the benefit to the overall the UK economy must be substantial. With 57% of the workforce currently using e-learning, rising to 76% by 2013, there is considerable potential for the future. Knowledge generation and sharing However, these financial benefits do not have to mean compromise in other areas. The introduction of technology will not only improve revenues and save money, but will also have the potential to offer a consistent, high quality learning experience.
Commitment, innovation
Meet and exceed offerings of competition
2.5 Improving results through maturity

Whilst many organisations expect a wide range of benefits, relatively few are actually achieving them. Some benefits are harder to achieve than others. When we look at which benefits are the most likely to be achieved, it becomes apparent that the easiest to achieve are: 1. Help implement new IT systems (achieved by 69% of those seeking it)
14
Data from Skills for Health Page 22
2. Compliance with company and legal requirements (67%) These are also the most likely benefits to be reported by novice organisations, with 34% reporting improved compliance. A further group of benefits are all achieved by over half of those seeking them: 3. 4. 5. 6. Reduce time away from the job (56% seeking this benefit achieve it) Increase access to learning (53%) Increase flexibility of learning delivery (53%) Deliver a greater volume of learning (51%)
Figure 10 Benefits achieved by those seeking them (Listed in order of proportion of those seeking benefit who actually achieve it)
Help implement new IT systems Comply with new regulations and legal requirements Reduce time away from the job Increase access to learning Increase flexibility in providing staff training Extend the reach of training
Deliver learning in the greater volume demanded by the business
Improve induction training

Maintain public image of a progressive and innovative organisation
Help implement new processes or new products Reduce training costs 0%

Benefit achieved
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
Benefit desired
Average benefits achieved 27 benefits = 100%

60%
Much more difficult to achieve are: Improving talent management (only 29% seeking this benefit, achieve it) Increasing employee engagement (28%) Increasing return on investment (28%)
50%
40%
30%
What emerges from this study is that those organisations that are in the top quartile for the Towards Maturity Index are: Achieving a greater number of benefits overall More likely to achieve the benefits they seek and Consistently report greater percentage improvement across all indicators
20%
10%
0%
TMI TMI TMI TMI Top Quartile 4 Quartile 3 Quartile 2 Quartile
Those in the TMI top quartile are at least three times as likely to report the following benefits as those in the bottom quartile:
4 x more qualifications achieved by their staff 3 x faster rollout of new IT systems 3 x higher levels of staff satisfaction They also report more than twice as high an improvement in: Customer satisfaction Their ability to change procedures and products Within this report, we have constructed 4 business indicators that we can review: Overall business impact (linked to factors related to overall business productivity , revenue and customer satisfaction) Business agility (linked to factors related to speed) Training efficiency (linked to savings in time, cost and improved reach) Talent Management (linked to staff development and engagement)
Figure 11 highlights how those business indexes change with maturity. Efficiency is something that is quickly achieved by many (there is not much difference between the top and bottom quartile of maturity for this measure), but the story doesnt stop there. Top quartile organisations are 2 3 times more likely to be reporting business critical results in the areas of agility, talent management and overall business impact.
Figure 11 Index measures of benefits related to e-learning maturity
Mature organisations are over twice as likely to report that they are more agile, influencing business impact and improving opportunities for talent management
What are the mature organisations doing differently that is giving them such a boost? During the remainder of the report look out for this sign where we will be digging deeper into the activity areas within the Towards Maturity Model where they are making a tangible difference.
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3 Building skills
Top 10 technologies in use in 2011 80% 77% e-learning courses Live online learning including Virtual meetings, Virtual classrooms and video-conferencing Surveys and questionnaires Learning Management Systems Online assessment Video-based content Enterprise wide information services Open education resources Learning portals Communities of Practice
Technology is driving solutions closer to the workplace with 4 out of 10 top technologies in use today facilitating on-demand learning to improve job performance. Content still remains king but content strategies are adapting to reflect the workplace context. Mature organisations use technology both to support their long-term skills strategy and to encourage a performance culture.
3.1 A quick overview of learning technology adoption

This chapter explores how we are using learning technologies to support formal skills strategies and their more informal workplace performance support.
Figure 12 Relative usage of different learning technologies
77% 71%
68% 61% 54%
54% 47% 46%
The main shift for us is going from content is king to context is king to finally collaboration is king
a dramatic shift from F2F to on-demand.
We see from Figure 12, that the learning technologies used by the greatest number of organisations in 2011 are the traditional tools of online courses, surveys, learning management systems to support stand-alone learning and live online environments for group learning. These, typically, are associated with traditional e-learning solutions designed to support formal/non-formal learning15. They help to drive efficiency by automating the traditional role of learning and development. Under the control of the Learning department, these tools allow the creation of shorter bite-sized learning interventions. They help provide just in case learning that helps prepare staff for the future, but are limited in catering for the needs of the moment. However, having tracked the usage of different learning technologies since 2003, we can see these traditional tools being joined by technologies that support wider sharing, which put the control of content into the hands of staff and learning into the heart of the workplace. This is starting to reflect thinking in the way in which the majority of workplace learning occurs - in context whilst actually doing the job.
.. a slow shift to collaborative, online learning (Chichester College)
15
Clive Shepherd New Learning Architect, 2011 Page 25
Boosting Business Agility: Building skills
3.1.1 Longitudinal trends

Top 10 technologies that we expect to increase the fastest by 2013 52% 49% 44% 44% Custom-made e-learning Mobile learning Podcasting Video-based content created in-house Learning portals Virtual classrooms Blogs Video-conferencing Online assessment Virtual meetings
We are continuing to monitor the longitudinal trends in the use of different technologies by asking what organisations are planning to use in 2 years time. Very few organisations are planning to decrease their use of existing technologies over the next 2 years but they are planning to increase the range of technology tools in their kit bag. Most growth is planned in the tools being used to embed learning more directly into workflows. In such a fast moving area, direct comparison with earlier years is difficult. However, we see that in almost every case, the predictions that were made in 2008 and 2010 over-estimate the actual adoption of new technologies16. Most respondents expect new technologies to be adopted more quickly than is practicable. In this chapter, we first explore how technology is being used in formal learning including a review of evolving content and courseware development strategies. In the second part of the chapter, we look at how technology is currently supporting performance improvement in the workplace. We also take a closer look at the implementation behaviour of mature organisations in both of these areas in order to provide ideas for readers and help them refresh their existing skills strategies.
43% 43% 43% 40% 40% 39%
3.2 Evolving content strategies

Although traditional e-learning courses remain at the top of the list as the most frequently reported instance of learning technologies (in use by 86% of organisations), it is now clear that one size definitely does not fit all! Online content comes from a wide range of sources. These include courses that are17:
86% of organisations
are now using some form of e-learning courses
o o o o
Custom made in-house (in use by 72% of respondents) Generic courses available off-the-shelf (60%) Custom-made and commissioned externally (53%) Created in house using rapid application development tools (44%)
For the first time this year, we are tracking open education resources (digital materials offered free at the point of use, such as content from providers or sources such as Wikipedia, OU etc) and have found that over half of the respondents (54%) were making use of free learning resources, perhaps to make their budget go further!
16 17
See Annex: Longitudinal trends These types of courses do not total to 77% as many report using more than one type. Page 26
31% of organisations now encourage users to also generate their own content for sharing with others. A variety of technologies are being used for this purpose: 43% are using blogs by learners or tutors 40% are using podcasts 49% are using videos capturing best practice within own organisation Sharing of video content has become more prevalent, with video content in use in over 61% of organisations. In addition to video developed in house, 37% use video that captures best practice from external sources.
Figure 13 Trends in the use of video in learning and development
100% 90% 80% 70% 60% 50% 40% 30%
20% 10%
We are using more elearning to support induction and industry knowledge. We have now started to introduce more video and host some webcasts and webinars with external providers.
Video content - internal Video content - external Video on demand All video
0% 2008 2010 2011 2013 Predicted
are now developing content in house
Figure 13 highlights that organisations have great expectations for video content moving forward. In-house video is forecast to rise fastest, to an estimated 79% of organisations by 2013. This growth may be fuelled by the fact that individuals are willing to accept lower production standards thanks to the growth in platforms such as Vimeo and You-Tube. Content is no longer delivered purely within the firewall. One in five organisations is working with cloud-based content (20%) and software as a service (27%).
3.2.1 Building content in-house

Despite so many and varied opportunities for organisations to find e-learning content on the web and with so much free content available under open or education licences, there is still a critical need for tailored content and many are commissioning external suppliers or are creating their own new content in-house.
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Learning technology advocates within our team have come together to work on a specific initiative to increase e-learning competencies across whole team to shift emphasis of what we do as group away from f2f ILT. The initial focus is on e-learning authoring and content creation (e.g. visual & instructional design, creation of media assets, writing skills).
Some 81% of organisations are now developing at least some of their own content in-house. For many, taking control over content development enables them to boost business agility by being more flexible, adaptive and responsive to changing business need.
Table 2 Benefits of developing content in-house
Benefit Reducing development costs Taking control over our own needs Ability to integrate learning quickly into line of business Increasing responsiveness to business need Increased speed to learning delivery
% of those that develop content in-house (n=359) 77% 74% 65% 64% 63%
However, those requiring highly specialised or company-specific content can find it difficult to outsource development. Bringing content development in-house also provides a number of challenges as well (Table 3).
Table 3 Challenges reported when bringing content development in house
Barrier L&D staff lacking the necessary technical skills L&D staff lacking the necessary instructional design skills Lack of time to develop content
% of those that develop content in-house (n=303) 69% 63% 8%
Lack of travel budget and the need to cut costs in general means more and more training is delivered using learning technologies; we have little budget for commissioning e-learning externally (in IT training area)
3.2.2 Cost of content development

We looked at the different types of e-learning content in use and their relative costs. Expenditure varies widely between organisations and sectors, with dramatically lower levels of expenditure in the Higher Education sector. The table below illustrates the range and gives a comparison between the median costs for creating one hour of content: Complex and simple courses Courses bought in from an external supplier and created in-house
Table 4 Costs of creating e-learning content
Created in house From an external supplier
Simple course Median cost Range 500 Up to 20K 6,000 Up to 100K
Complex course Average cost Range 1,000 Up to 100K 12,000 Up to 250K
NB. These costs are approximately halved in the not for profit sector.
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For 1 in 2 organisations, the cost of development and maintenance is a major barrier to using learning technologies. Only 21% of the top quartile TMI organisations cite cost as a barrier, focussing more on the relevance and credibility of off-the-shelf content. For many, past experience has unfortunately not lived up expectations!
Table 5 Barriers relating to e-learning content
Barrier Cost of set-up, development and maintenance Lack of attractive, high-quality e-learning Suppliers overemphasise presentation and style e-learning too generic and not tailored to our needs Lack of credibility of learning materials
All 50% 38% 22% 36% 23%
TMI Top Quartile 21% 7% 29% 32% 25%
3.2.3 Content strategies of mature organisations

In the Building Capability workstream of the Towards Maturity Model we find that top performers focus on the skills and approaches of learning professionals for designing, delivering and supporting online learning. In the 2011-12 benchmark we find that the top performers (those in the top quartile of the Towards Maturity Index) are nearly twice as likely to use a mix of methods in their content design, combining video, audio, images and text (88% of top quartile organisations do this compared with 55% on average). They are almost three times as likely to add interactive features or games to engage and retain their learners interest. What is apparent, however, is that the mature organisations are more likely to use good enough content rather than spending a long time on development. They are using more off-the-shelf content, open education resources, usergenerated videos and other content, in order to be able to react and adapt quickly to new business requirements. For content development, they are more likely to use open source-learning tools (57% are using these compared to an average 35% across the sample as a whole) or rapid application development tools (used by 61% of top quartile organisations compared with 44% overall). They are more confident in using materials that are not entirely within their control and are able to decide when they need to go for a quick solution, and when to invest in a long-lasting quality product. They trust other providers, and they trust their users and it is paying off.
We develop our own content .
to be more effective capture and transfer of core proprietary knowledge
to give tailored learning solutions aligned to business need
to give opportunity to improve e-learning design/development skills within our training team
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Figure 14 Source of e-learning content varies with maturity

100% 90% 80% 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0% TMI Quartile 4 TMI Quartile 3 TMI Quartile 2 TMI Top Quartile Open education resources /digital materials free at the point of use User-generated content
e-learning courses custom made in-house

e-learning courses custom made externally e-learning courses - 'offthe-shelf' Online books
3.3 Delivery strategies

An estimated 38% of learning is now taking place beyond the remit of L&D departments. This figure is consistent across sectors and maturity levels, but we see a discrepancy in that those who are responsible for content development estimate the proportion at 80%, whereas technologists and delivery staff estimate it at 29%.
26% of formal
learning is now eenabled
The proportion of formal learning that is e-enabled has increased from 23% to 26% since 2010 (38% for those the Top Quartile for TMI) but content isnt the only aspect of learning delivery. Over the years we have reported on the success that mature organisations are realising from using a blend of delivery media and methods to develop skills. Mature organisations are also more likely to integrate their e-enabled learning with their face-to-face learning interventions (Table 6).
Table 6 Integrating e-enabled learning with the classroom
Percentage agreeing with the statement:
All
Our face-to-face training courses integrate e25% learning content Our face-to-face training courses actively build on 27% knowledge gained through e-learning Our trainers provide tutor support to e-learners 20%
TMI Bottom quartile 4% 5% 4%
TMI Top quartile 71% 73% 58%
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Figure 15 Maturity alters the way in which content is combined

100% 90% 80% 70% 60% 50% 40% 30%
20%
We use highly interactive methods, such as games, in our e-learning solutions E-learning in our organisation is always part of a broad mix of methods We use video, audio, images and animation as well as text in our e-learning We blend our use of several different learning technologies
10% 0% TMI Bottom quartile TMI Q3 TMI Q2 TMI Top quartile
They are more likely to use learning portals, Software as a Service and cloudbased services to increase access to their learning. For example, learning portals are in use by 47% of organisations across the sample but by 75% of those in the top quartile for TMI, The level of use is predicted to increase to 78% by 2013.
Table 7 Accessing content beyond the firewall
Tool
All
Learning portals Cloud-based content Software as a service
47% 20% 27%
TMI Bottom quartile 30% 15% 20%
TMI Top quartile 75% 34% 37%
3.3.1 Using live online learning within the blend

Live online learning is now a serious and increasing part of the blend, with over 77% of organisations using at least one of: o o o Virtual meetings (in use by 65% of respondents) Video conferencing (63%) Virtual classrooms (46%)
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Figure 16 The rise in live online learning

100% 90%
80%
70% 60% 50%

40%
Video conferencing Virtual classroom Virtual meetings
30% 20% 10%

0%
2006
2008
2010
2011
2013 Predicted
In Harnessing Live online learning18, a previous study with 200 organisations released in October 2011, we explored what learning methods were being addressed using these media.
Figure 17 Different learning methods supported by live online learning
(Source: Harnessing Live Online Learning)
Business presentations Business meetings Discussions Software demos/training Workshops Collaboration between learners Practical IT skills eg via labs Presentation of learner assignments Action learning meetings One-to-one coaching 0%
N=212
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90% 100%
Significant experience
Some experience
Figure 17 highlights that the more mature organisations are more likely to use this media to shift from presenting to their learners to engaging and supporting their learners.
18
Harnessing Live Online Learning can be downloaded at http://tinyurl.com/TMlive11 Page 32
3.3.2 Mobilising learning

There has been a steady trend to increase the opportunity for learning away from the workplace over the last 8 years. Although most organisations continue to offer learning at the desk, fewer now offer learning at fixed in-house centres and more are offering mobile learning as an alternative.
offer mobile learning
Usage of mobile devices in learning has increased to 39% in 2011. However, this increase is much slower than predicted. The level of usage in notfor-profit organisations is significantly lower at 13% than usage in either the private (44%) or public sector (40%). Fears relating to the technology or IT security are still holding 71% organisations back. An interesting distinction emerged when comparing the perceptions of respondents with different roles and responsibilities. Over 50% of those in a consultancy role reported use of mobile technologies in the organisation, whilst these were reported by only 22% of technologists. Mobile devices are being used to reinforce formal learning and provide additional flexibility with regard to where and when people can access e-learning. Mobile learning is being used to: o o o o Reinforce formal learning (62%) Provide an alternative to PC-based delivery (51%) Support the application of learning back in the workplace (43%) Support the application and generation of user content (27%)
Figure 18 Trends in use of mobile devices
100% 90% 80% 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10%
On the technology side, the challenge is taking what we have and making it accessible to our mobile Smartphone users, particularly within a corporation where our business technology is often behind colleagues' personal/home technology.(Janssen)
It is also being used to assess learners on the job, gather portfolio evidence, access podcasts, hold virtual meetings and access general information resources.
0% The benefits of mobile learning are mostly 2008 2010 2011 2013 around convenience (79%), being able to Predicted Actual access support at the point of need (64%), and allowing learners to use their own mobile devices (64%). There is some evidence that organisations are becoming more willing to let learners use their own mobile devices to access company learning now encouraged in 12% of organisations.
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Figure 19 Locations where learners can access technology-enabled learning
When travelling
At home
Other location away from work
At work but not at a desk
At work in a learning centre
At work in a quiet area nearby
At the desk 0%
2006
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
2008 N=262
2010 N=435
2011 N=436
Some 7% actually provide learners with mobile devices. This is most likely to occur in the more mature organisations in the private sector (24%), for example in large multinationals in the IT and Telecoms sector or in very small micro e-learning consulting businesses. However, whilst mobile learning is becoming established, there are clearly still challenges to be met: 60% report difficulties due to wide variations in the capability of their mobile devices and 23% report their learners still prefer to use PCs or laptops for learning
3.4 Engaging learners and improving talent

All respondents in this study are using or planning to use technologies to support learning but we were also interested in the extent to which technology helped to integrate learning within other aspects of talent management. Figure 20 highlights that one out of every four organisations in our study support performance management and appraisal with their learning technologies. However, they are less likely to support talent management, succession planning and recruitment. Across the board the top performers are two to three times more likely to be integrating learning with talent management. For top performers, they are more likely to integrate with talent activities associated with existing staff (50% of top performers) but less likely to link back to recruitment of new staff (36% of top performers). This may change as more organisations eenable their induction programmes in the future.
Figure 20 The extent to which learning technologies support talent management
Recruitment
Succession planning
Talent management (overall)
Appraisal
Performance management
0%
10%
20%
TMI Top Quartile
30%
All
40%
50%
60%
As a result, it is unsurprising that there is a trend towards greater integration of Learning Management Systems with HR and other information systems (noted in 47% of organisations, up from 43% in 2010; Stand-alone LMS down to 53% from 54%), particularly in the most mature organisations and those in the top quartile for TMI, where 59% are now using an integrated LMS. Skills diagnostics tools are in use by 41% of organisations, with 36% using a full competency management system. Both of these areas are predicted to increase by over 35% in the next 2 years.
Table 8 Usage of tools to support talent management
All Percentage using: Skills diagnostic tools Competency management systems Online assessment 41% 36% 68%
tailor their learning to
TMI Bottom Quartile 35% 28% 62%
TMI Top Quartile 60% 54% 76%
individual need
The top performing organisations are not only more likely to be using these tools, but 34% are using them to specifically tailor learning programmes to meet individual needs (compared with just 12% of the total sample).
3.4.1 Career progression

In the Learner Context stream of the Towards Maturity Model we see that top performing organisations are more likely to provide relevant choices for their staff (in terms of control, access and information available to them) and address issues of motivation (such as recognition and personal aspiration). In this study we see that mature organisations are more than twice as likely to support their learners in their career development (Table 9).
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Table 9 Learning supports career development
Percentage agreeing with the statement: We support career aspirations We allow access to a broad range of non-job related learning Learners consider e-learning to be good for their careers
All 23% 25% 15%
TMI Top Quartile 56% 45% 49%
Across the sample, approximately 22% of e-enabled formal learning programmes leads to a qualification although this varies from almost half of IT professional programmes to under one-fifth of soft skills programmes. Where the benefits have been quantified by respondents, they report:
18% increase in the qualifications gained by staff
The integrated approach to talent management, combined with effective content design (outlined in section 3.3) may contribute to the fact that top performing organisations are more likely to report tangible improvement in learner engagement and motivation (Table 10) than others.
Table 10 How performance varies with learner engagement
All
Percentage achieving improved staff satisfaction to aid retention and motivation Measure of the degree to which staff satisfaction/engagement has improved
26% 23%
TMI bottom quartile 6% 9%
TMI top quartile 56% 33%
3.5 Working with external training providers
4 out of 5 expect
any external training
providers to be innovative in their use

of learning technologies
Organisations are still making use of external training providers to support their skills development, in fact, we saw an increase in last year across the board. Currently: 89% use commercial training providers for general training 86% use commercial providers to support professional qualification and 70% use publicly funded providers (to deliver apprenticeships, NVQs etc)
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The balance is shifting from face-to-face to remote learning through mobile technology and greater access to online learning and assessment content. (Chichester College)
Respondents based in centralised L&D functions are 20% more likely to use all types of training providers than those who are based directly within the lines of business. However, we are no longer looking at external providers to purely deliver face-toface skills training. 82% of organisations say that innovative use of learning technology will be a deciding factor in their selection of an external learning provider in the future. 1 in 3 say it is critical today. The expectation of publically funded providers is lower in the not-for-profit sector with fewer respondents saying that use of learning technologies is critical in their choice of external provider. Those in the private sector are more likely to say that these are critical to success. Training providers Commercial general Commercial professional qualifications Publically funded Private Public Not-for-profit (critical) (critical) (critical) 92% (36%) 82% (25%) 91% (17%) 89% (35%) 81% (28%) 83% (25%) 70% (24%) 74% (20%) 62% (12%)
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Boosting Business Agility: Improving performance
4 Harnessing technology to improve performance

Learning is getting closer to the workplace. It is no longer just about the push of formal programmes into the business. It is increasingly about improving productivity and performance in the workplace.
4.1 Adopting social learning

We are just starting to introduce wiki's, video and podcasts. We are also looking at resources such as yammer and chatter to scope how to use for learning. (Barnardos) The 70:20:10 model of learning 19 has been increasingly discussed in recent years as organisations start to consider that the majority of learning (70%)takes place in the workplace through experience and joint problem solving, a smaller but significant amount (20%) is from reflection and feedback (coaching) and the remainder (10%) through formal learning interventions. Traditionally L&D professionals have concentrated on the latter but perceptions are starting to shift:
85% of L&D staff in the TMI top quartile agree strongly that the course
is only one of many options for building skills and performance (compared with 55% on average)
79% of the total sample say that they are looking for technology to help
support sharing of good practice within organisation Many, particularly the top performers, are looking for ways to encourage learning away from the course and into the workplace. Organisations certainly want technology to encourage interaction, building twoway conversation and communication, and potentially, this is where social media comes into its own. Many have been experimenting with different forms of social media for some time now, and some tools are starting to become established. 46% are using communities of practice to connect like-minded people together, although growth in usage has been slower than predicted 54% are harnessing existing enterprise-wide information platforms such as SharePoint to provide a point of focus for sharing In each case, usage in mature organisations well exceeds the sample average (Figure 21).
19
Based on work by Lombardo & Eichinger: The Career Architect Development Planner 1996 Towards Maturity CIC 2011 Page 38
Figure 21 Media supporting the sharing of good practice

Video content - best practice internal Communities of Practice
In the next 2 years:
Third-party social networking sites SharePoint Video content best practice external
Definitely increasing with greater use of social media and learner generated content
Podcasting Wikis Blogs by tutors or learners In-house social media 0% 10% 20% 30% 2011 40% 50% 60% 70% 80%
TMI Top Quartile
More social learning, more web-conferencing, talent management system and HR/IS integration.
What are organisations looking to achieve through these new media? Of the 144 organisations that were proactive in this area, we see that one of the top aims of adoption is to encourage reflection and share effective practices amongst learners (Figure 22).
Figure 22 Uses and benefits of social networks in workplace learning
Encourage reflection
Building the use of informal platforms to share knowledge, use of videos & podcasts for 'dip in learning'
Support generation and sharing of user content Reinforce formal learning
Support application of learning back in the workplace 0% 20% 40% 60% 80%
Those that are using social media tools for learning and development reported a number of specific benefits in communications from their use: Developing social learning including communities of practice, videos, webcast and teleconferencing (Lancashire County Council) o o o 62% reported improved communication between learners and tutors 46% reported imported communications between learners 46% reported increased employee engagement
4.1.1 The role of social networks

The uses of social media approaches (blogs, podcasts etc) for sharing are becoming established but there is still a question around the use of 3rd party platforms to bring people together. Social networking is improving communications between learners, with tutors and with subject experts beyond the organisation. For many learners, they can enhance engagement.
Figure 23 Use of 3rd party social networks

100% 90% 80% 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10%
0%
Research shows that the jury is still out about their use in the workplace. Only 31% of Gen Y agrees that you should use personal social media at work20.Twothirds of UK workers think social networking sites should be banned from the workplace21. In the Towards Maturity study last year, over 76% believed that 3rd party sites would play an important part in learning by 2012, this year expectations have dropped to 59%. From our own study only 16% of participating organisations are using learning technologies proactively to help learners communicate with each other (down from 20% last year). However top performers are over 3 times as likely to support these peer to peer communications. It is clear that organisations are still experimenting. The use of in-house social networks (such as Yammer and Ning) is not rising as fast as anticipated even one year ago, but use of third party social networks (such as Facebook and Twitter) in L&D has trebled in the last year.
2010
2011
2012
2013
Predicted
Actual
In 2010, only 22% of respondents were using 3rd party social networks in learning and development, and we predicted that 71% of organisations would be using 3rd party social networks by 2012. In 2011 we see that figure has risen to 41% using social networks. However, the prediction for 2013 is only 59%.
58% allow access to

third party social media sites
There are significant differences between usage of social media in the private, public and not-for-profit sectors. Whilst 58% organisations overall unblock third party sites such as Twitter and Facebook (up from 48% last year), this varies from 44% in the public sector to 72% in the not-for-profit sector. The proportion is also slightly higher at 68% amongst those organisations that seek, and achieve, better sharing of good practice as a benefit of learning technologies.
4.2 Barriers to uptake of social media

We face a number of challenges in this area, one of which is awareness. Only 16% of our total sample are even aware of how their learners are using social media (outside of L&D) to share ideas with each other. This rises to 39% of the top performers. Figure 24 illustrates the barriers to ongoing adoption. 71% report that barriers due to IT infrastructure and security hold them back from using mobile technologies 65% report that technical IT/security barriers restrict the use of social media in learning
20
21
Only
16% are aware
of how learners are using social media beyond the world of L&D
Decoding social media at work Jan 2011 - 4500 interviews with gen Y (15-34 year olds) Social networking at work July 2011 interviews with over 4000 workers from reed.co.uk
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However, the not-for profit sector report fewer barriers to use in every category studied. The organisational culture in not-for-profits is more likely to encourage the use of social media and it is less likely to fall into the domain of the HR/L&D department!
Figure 24 Barriers to use of social networks in workplace learning
Technology or IT security related
Issues of user safety, identify or trust
Existing control and command culture
General fear of losing control
Social media is not in the domain of L&D
0% Not-for-profit
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
Public sector
Private sector
All organisations
4.3 Promoting a performance culture

For many years, organisations have been discussing the importance of fostering a learning culture. Social media can certainly help create the right environment for continual learning, bringing many benefits for the organisation in terms of skills utilisation and the sharing of good practice.
4.3.1 The role of management

This year for the first time, we asked a number of questions relating to organisational culture within the Work Context stream of the Towards Maturity model22, and were particularly interested in the business culture that encourages sharing in order to improve performance. We found that on average: 49% of organisations welcome innovation and contributions from all staff but only 19% encourage and make time for social and informal learning
22
Building on the work of Jay Cross and the Internet Time Alliance Page 41
Only 51% can report that staff understand how their work is linked to the
51% agree that staff understand how their work is linked to the organisations performance (rising to 77% for TMI top quartile) but only 18% encourage and make time for reflection The starting point for many organisations is to foster learning for all staff, not just for those new in post or for technical staff. However, only 59% of organisations are managing to achieve this.
Figure 25 Fostering a performance culture
Our organisation fosters learning for everyone, not just new hires and technical staff Our organisation welcomes innovation and contributions from our workers Our organisation experiments with new ways of doing things
organisations performance
Our learners share information freely with each other
Our organisation encourages and makes time for social and informal learning Our organisation encourages (and provides time for) reflection 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100% TMI Bottom Quartile Q3 Q2 TMI Top Quartile
Only 3 out of 10
managers give learners

time to learn at work
Developing a performance culture cannot be the remit of the HR and L&D function alone. Line managers in top performing organisations play more of a role in this but overall, managers need to understand the full benefits of new ways of working, learning and sharing. At the moment: Only 3 out of 10 managers will give learners time to learn at work (31% vs. 56% in the top quartile for TMI) Only 1 in 5 managers give learners time to learn at home (22% vs. 51%)
4.3.2 The role of learning and development

The more mature organisations are more likely to allow experimentation with new ways of learning, and to encourage and provide time for reflection. They are more likely to view the course as just one of many options for building skills and performance, and provide good follow-up support for learners back in the workplace, providing job aids and opportunities for connecting with tutors and subject experts. However, Figure 25 illustrates that the top performers (who report the greatest business benefits) are streets ahead of the others in creating an environment to foster learning and build performance.
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Learners are more likely to be able to access reliable learning resources at any time and from places that are convenient to them, fitting learning into their work schedule. However overall, there are things that L&D can do to facilitate collaboration. We consider this in the Building Capability workstream of the Towards Maturity Model, and found: We will continue to look for new technologies that will improve productivity, speed up change or provide a positive business benefit, but only if the cost is right. (Legal & General) 75% of top performers encourage learners to pass on their learning to others (compared with 34% on average) 53% of top performers ensure that their learning technologies enable learners to communicate and learn from each other (16% on average) 48% encourage learners to collaborate in building knowledge resources, using tools such as wikis, forums, podcasts and videos (16% on average) 36% encourage learners to share experiences and solve problems using online social media tools (12% on average) These characteristics were identified last year but in every case, these implementation behaviours have all increased or stayed the same within the top 25% performers but have decreased overall on average. Organisations are increasing their use of the tools that can help to improve performance support but are not yet harnessing them effectively.
We will be considering the skills of the Learning and Development professionals in the final chapter.
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Boosting Business Agility: Building confidence
5 Building confidence in new approaches to learning

Organisations that are achieving greater business impact and agility through their use of learning technologies are successfully promoting a performance culture and overcoming reluctance from users, trainers and managers alike. Overall, organisations are reporting more barriers than in 2010 but the top barrier remains the same the skills, knowledge and confidence to adopt new ways of learning. In this section we take a final look at the implementation behaviours of top performing organisations that help to drive engagement, and consider the role of the learning and development function in influencing change. Finally, given this years increased participant desire to respond quicker to business change, this chapter considers the characteristics of the organisations who are achieving the greatest benefits in terms of delivering results faster.
5.1 Overcoming reluctance to change

For the last 3 years, the top barriers to introducing new approaches to learning are all to do with the knowledge, skills and confidence of the L&D team, their perceptions that their learners are not ready and willing for technology, and the reluctance of management to adopt new ways of working.
Over half of L&D

staff are still not confident in the use of new media
75% of L&D staff lack instructional design skills for developing content inhouse 62% of L&D staff lack knowledge about its potential and lack the skills to manage and implement learning technologies 62% of learners lack the skills to manage their own learning 55% of line managers are reluctant to encourage new ways of learning Too many of our L&D staff are still out of their comfort zone and out of their depth when it comes to working with learning technologies. They also perceive that their learners have the same problems that they do! Since 2008, L&D staff are more willing to embrace change, but their confidence and skills levels have been steadily decreasing. Figure 26 shows the percentage of the whole sample that agree with the 3 statements about confidence, willingness to change and training. It would appear that a year on, not only are we no further forward in addressing the skills issues of the training staff, we are actually slipping further behind.
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Figure 26 L&D skills and confidence with new media

70%
60%
50% Our L&D staff are confident in the use of new media 40% We train trainers to use blended solutions 30% Our internal training teams are willing to embrace new ways of working
20%
10%
0% 2008 2010 2011
54% dont have the ICT

infrastructure to support the use of new media
Other barriers that remain a concern include the level of learner ICT skills across organisations at all levels of maturity, with 3 out of 10 organisations reporting that learner ICT skills are a barrier to progress. However, this is less of a problem in the private sector (21%) than the public (39%) or not-for-profit sectors where the proportion rises to almost one in 2 organisations (49%). Public sector organisations have more problems with their ICT infrastructure, lack of skills for training staff and reluctance of their users The not-for-profit sector is less likely to report unreliable ICT, barriers due to cost or a lack of attractive quality content. They report fewer barriers due to staff resistance or reluctance to embrace new methods The private sector is less likely to report barriers due to learner ICT skills, or learner reluctance
5.1.1 Are top performing organisations reporting fewer

barriers?
Organisations in the top quartile of the Towards Maturity index not only report improved results from their learning adoption but they also report fewer barriers overall, particularly with regard to the level of engagement with senior and line managers (Figure 27). However, we continue to see that even in the top quartile there are a significant number of L&D staff that are still reluctant to embrace new methods and adopt new technologies.
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Figure 27 Barrier perception decreasing with maturity

80% 70% 60% 50% Lack of knowledge by L&D staff 40% Reluctance by users 30% 20% 10% 0% TMI Bottom quartile TMI Q3 TMI Q2 TMI Top Quartile Lack of skills amongst users Not seen as a management priority Reluctance by managers Reluctance by L&D staff Lack of skills amongst L&D staff
However, even in the most mature organisations: 50% of employees lack the skills to manage their own learning (62% in sample overall) 39% of learners are reluctant to use new technology (52% overall) The cost of set-up and maintenance is a huge barrier for novice organisations just getting started with learning technologies (71%, compared with an average of 50% overall).
In 2010, we reported on the implementation practices of the most mature organisations and identified a number of performance accelerators that were having the greatest effect on increasing the level and number of benefits achieved.23 These activities within the work streams also play a part in removing barriers. So far in the report we have considered the activities of top performers within the following work streams: Learner Context, specifically the motivational importance of clear alignment to job aspirations and career development Work Context specifically work and performance culture Building capability specifically great design and facilitating collaboration and sharing.
23
Chapter 4 of Accelerating Performance www.towardsmaturity.org/2010benchmark Page 46
5.2 Improving business partnerships

Research in the spring of 2010 showed that more than half (52%) described their L&D function as slow to respond to the changing requirements of their business during economic turbulence. Only 18% of those business leaders agreed that their L&D strategy was completely aligned to their operational strategy.24 A year later, our study shows that 77% of L&D organisations are searching for ways to respond faster to the changing demands of their business. However, to what extent are they positioned to respond to that need? In the Defining Need work steam of the Towards Maturity Model we have found that top performers are much more likely to have a strategic business partnership. From a business perspective, 75% of top performers agree that their organisation assigns board level accountability for organisational learning (compared with 42% of organisations on average). From an L&D perspective top performers are twice as likely to agree that they have a learning technology strategy that allows for changing business perspectives (80% of top performers agree vs. 39% on average). However overall, Learning and Development are still weak at identifying and aligning to need: Despite continued investment in content, only 3 out of 5 are confident that their e-content is relevant to current jobs (compared to 91% of top performers) Less than 50% are confident that their e-solutions support the skills the business needs (compared to 86% of top performers) Only 35% identify key business indicators that they want to improve through learning (compared to 63% of top performers) The more mature organisations have better communications with senior management, involving them at all stages of the learning and development cycle. In these organisations, managers work jointly with L&D professionals to agree strategy and targets, take training decisions and even get involved in learning design. They are also more likely to actively use and promote e-learning themselves and be interested in the results!25 And results are what really matter to business business results, not training statistics.
Less than
50% are
confident that their solution supports the skills the business
needs
24
Learning to Change report research with senior decision makers at 100 of the UKs largest 500 firms by turnover, conducted by Coleman Parkes on behalf of Capita 25 Strategies for engaging with management will be the subject of a later Towards Maturity In Focus report visit http://tinyurl.com/TMINFOCUS Towards Maturity CIC 2011 Page 47
In the Demonstrating Value work stream of the Towards Maturity model, we see that top performers continue to build on partnerships with the business to jointly understand the impact of the learning solutions and to communicate successes widely. For example, they are more active than average in a number of areas: Understanding how learning is being applied 49% of top performers collect information from managers on the extent to which the learning points have been applied at work (compared to 20% on average) Monitoring agreed business indicators Top performers are twice as likely to measure performance against pre-agreed performance indicators (53% vs. 34%) External benchmarking Half of the top performers are active in benchmarking as a tool for improving performance and for proving value back to the business (compared to 24% on average) Communicating successes 7 out of 10 top performers regularly communicate success to senior and line managers (compared to 38% on average) The importance of being able to demonstrate value back to the business in the current economic climate has not been lost on benchmark participants, This was one of the few areas within the Towards Maturity Model where activity has increased the most. Buy-in occurs at all levels in the management structure, from overall board level accountability to the line manager. It is not just about engagement with the training budget-holder. Lack of engagement at any one point in the chain can become an obstacle to current and future implementation. Mature organisations are almost half as likely to report manager reluctance than average and report increased manager confidence in new approaches. They demonstrate the success of new learning approaches by addressing the issues of relevance and business alignment.
It has made us recognise the need to explore the possibility of e-learning much more than in the past as a potential way to offer more accessible learning to fit in with an agile workforce and a more cost effective way of rolling out organisation wide changes to policy and procedures (Lancashire County Council)
5.3 Managing change

The Ensuring Engagement work stream of the Towards Maturity Model shows that top performers are proactive in managing change with all key stakeholders. Figure 28 highlights that the top performers are: More likely to have an overall communications plan for all stakeholders Work with key stakeholders to help spread the message
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Figure 28 Communication tactics of top performers

Publish successes of individuals Trainers promote e-learning Top managers promote e-learning Routine use of peer to peer feedback Clear communications plan
0% 10% 20% 30% All 40% 50% 60% 70% 80%
Top performers are
3x more likely to
work with local
champions
TMI Top Quartile
Top performers are also more likely to work closely with those who have influence over their learners. They are three times more likely to train local champions to act as change agents and to equip line managers with resources to encourage them to help their teams engage with the learning available to them. In Section 3.4 we discussed that top performers are also more likely to integrate with talent management strategies and have clear career progression pathways. This coupled with good communication strategies may contribute to the fact that they are 20% less likely to report reluctance by users as a barrier to adoption.
5.3.1 Leading by example

Over the years we have found that when top managers are seen to use learning technologies themselves, not just promote them, this has a direct influence on business results and overall engagement. This year the number of directors now being offered e-enabled development opportunities has significantly increased. In a recent Towards Maturity Study, Reinventing Leadership Development26, we found that when top leaders are exposed to great learning and performance tools themselves, including mobile and social media, this stimulates a demand for new ways of learning and previous preferences for classroom training start to shift.
5.4 Developing the skills of the learning professionals

Many L&D departments are still behind the times, but are putting in place programs to address their skills gaps, recognising requirements from the new generation of learners and the potential offered by new technologies. This was a topic commented on in detail by 86 respondents, indicative of high awareness that action is needed in this area. However as we saw earlier in this chapter, it is critical to turn awareness into action.
26
Reinventing leadership Development published June 2011, review of use of learning technologies in leadership training with 200 organisations. http://tinyurl.co/tmleadership Towards Maturity CIC 2011 Page 49
Learning professionals are increasingly shifting from the role of classroom trainer to that of performance consultant:
Specific skills areas mentioned by respondents include: Project management Interpersonal skills Technical skills Knowledge of new media Higher level IT skills Commercial acumen Broader range of learning delivery 48% of organisations provide Continuing Professional Development to support the use of technology in learning and encourage their L&D staff to join external networks or professional bodies. It is interesting that whilst CPD is being provided for almost half, it may not be completely addressing the new skills needed in the industry in order to take learning forward. This is evidenced by the fact that 60% continue to be concerned about L&D skills and confidence with new media. However, more importantly, 52% do not provide CPD and almost 1 in 5 dont even consider doing so.
More project management, influence, interpersonal and technical skills are needed rather than skills to enable instructional design.
We have moved from 'training providers' to 'Performance consultancy'. The need for deep insight into training groups remains, but the value is in the consultancy process. (Janssen)
For L&D staff: Our organisation provides CPD opportunities to support use of technology for learning They join internal interest groups to learn from each other They join external interest groups Our organisation encourages them to join external networks or professional bodies We dont know but they are expected to keep up to date We don't know and leave it up to them
All
TMI Top Quartile 48% 38% 54% 48% 18% 17% 70% 55% 57% 57% 14% 8%
Over half of
L&D departments do
not provide any CPD for their teams
Many encourage staff to attend learning events, conferences and general networking outside the organisation. 38% join internal interest groups to learn from each other 54% join external interest groups
Case study: Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board The majority of our L&D staff are either from a clinical background or long established 'classroom' trainers. We are in the process of implementing a new departmental structure which for the first time, acknowledges the need for a 'Learning Modernisation Manager'. This role will develop L&D staff as well as other organisational staff knowledge regarding new ways of learning/learning technologies. There is a real need to overcome the barrier of fear of the 'unknown' in staff so that they can go out and advocate these new ways of learning.
5.4.1 How much can L&D influence aspects of culture?

L& D staff are a major influence on the performance culture. Where top performers are achieving greater engagement and benefits, the trainers themselves are more likely to: Be actively involved in the design of blended programmes and in learner engagement Blend e-learning content with their face-to-face delivery Happily embrace new media and new approaches to learning Provide ongoing online support to learners
5.4.2 Responding faster to change

We have an important window of opportunity to build confidence in new learning approaches given that todays businesses operate under extreme macro- and micro-economic pressures. Those that can adapt rapidly to external and environmental change gain significant competitive advantage. Throughout this report we have seen how the strategies of top performers, in terms of the Towards Maturity Model have been able to adapt rapidly to change, increase overall business impact (including customer engagement), improve efficiency and enhance talent management. But what can we learn from those who are reporting results in terms of speed alone? As part of this study we looked in detail to define the most agile organisations that are achieving the greatest results in terms of: o o o o Benefits achieved (supporting organisational change, respond faster to changing business conditions, reduce time to competency) Percentage improvement in time to competency Percentage improvement in ability to change procedures or products Percentage improvement in ability to roll out new IT systems
Where the benefits have been quantified by respondents, the most agile organisations are able to report:
47% reduction in time to competency 75% greater efficiency in demonstrating compliance 68% faster roll-out of new IT systems, processes or products
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Warning Focusing on speed alone may deliver short term wins at the expense of long term business gain
The detail of this will be covered in a Towards Maturity In Focus report27, but when we compared the overall top performers (as defined by the Towards Maturity Index) with those in the top quartile of organisations reporting agility and speed alone we identified a number of differences. Those delivering benefits linked to speed and agility were: Engaging more users overall Reporting more benefits linked to speed and demonstrating compliance but half as likely to report benefits linked to overall productivity and increase in revenues Using more custom-made content, e-assessment and rapid development tools but less likely to connect staff and promote sharing through media such as virtual classroom, user generated content or social media More likely to cite management reluctance as a barrier to adoption Achieving more benefits in terms of reducing time to competency Half as likely to report that their staff recommend e-learning to colleagues
27
http://tinyurl.com/TMinfocus Page 52
6 Taking action
Since 2003, we have seen the adoption of learning technologies and expectations of what they can achieve, accelerate. In this report, we have identified a range of alternative learning approaches that are starting to deliver bottom line results for some, but not for all. In addition, we have outlined effective practices that have been drawn from mature organisations that consistently influence those results. Many of these are just common sense, but are still not common practice. However, there is little action being taken to address some of the obvious gaps, and yet our expectations continue to rise. Here are just a few small examples: In 2011, we are less likely to agree that our learning technologies support the skills the business needs than last year (46% agree down from 51%) Learners are less likely to consider that e-learning is good for their careers (15% agree down from 21%) We are less likely to know what technology enabled learning our IT infrastructure can support (42% know this down from 58%) Our L&D teams are less confident in their use of new media (29% feel confident down from 38%) We are less likely to provide learners with job aids to support performance (30% do this down from 40%) Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. (Albert Einstein) These are just a few examples but in each area, the top performers all excel. According to Albert Einstein, given our expectations, this lack of progress might be considered a little insane! For those working in talent, HR and learning, some of these areas are within our control, whilst others are within the remit of business managers. The economic environment is causing many business managers to question previous approaches and stimulate a demand for change. There is a clear call to action for improved partnerships with business, and one of the aims of this report is to highlight some of the tangible business benefits of new approaches to learning that will make sense to business managers. It is time to help our organisations challenge their previous experiences of learning and think again about new approaches to building skills and performance. Please use the evidence in this report to help you engage your organisation in a new conversation. The check list on the following page summarises some of the effective practices highlighted by this report where we MUST to take action if we are to move forward. There are actions outlined for L&D professionals, Business managers and areas for L&D and Business managers to work together in partnership.
Boosting Business Agility: Call to Action
TM Workstream Defining Need
FOR &D PROFESSIONALS
IN PARTNERSHIP
FOR BUSINESS LEADERS
Make sure your learning technology strategy allows for changing business priorities
Work together to identify specific business metrics that you want to change
Assign board level accountability for learning in your organisation
Learner Context Make it easier for learners to see how they can use learning to progress their careers Ensure learners can enjoy flexibility and choice of where and when to learn Recognise and reward achievement
Work Context Work with others to integrate learning within the wider talent management agenda
Work together with IT to understand what technology enabled learning is possible in your organisation
Foster innovation in your business by expecting staff to make time to share, reflect and learn together
Building Capability
Invest in new own skills to future proof your career
Look for the best - dont accept the course as your only option for improving performance
Look at the evidence for new learning approaches & encourage appropriate innovation across your business Demonstrate a commitment to elearning by both using learning technologies and promoting their use by others
Ensuring Engagement
Communicate! Communicate! Communicate!
Identify e-learning champions in the workplace who can act as agents for change
Demonstrating Value
Communicate successes regularly and often to senior directors and line managers
Work together to identify the impact of learning on business performance
Expect results, celebrate successes
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Boosting Business Agility: Annex
Annexes
Annex A - Survey design and participant demographics
For the purpose of this study we define the term e-learning and /or learning technologies as: the use of any technology across the learning process, including skills diagnostics, learning delivery, support, management (of learners and content), informal and formal learning. Individuals with responsibility for implementing learning technologies in the workplace were invited to participate in a two-part online review during June and July 2011. The online review was designed in 2 main sections: The first section was a survey element asking factual questions about the benefits and barriers, skills and technologies, users and locations for learning - continuing a longitudinal study first reported in 201028. Respondents were asked to also forecast the changes in budgets and technologies expected in 2013. Quantitative questions captured content development costs, estimates of changes in training costs, study time, delivery time and time to competency resulting from implementing Learning Technologies. Responses were used to derive Key Performance Indicators in each of these areas. The second section was an implementation benchmark review that primarily consisted of 124 action statements that respondents were asked to agree or disagree with on a 9 point scale. Questions were largely opinion-based and used to derive the Towards Maturity Index, introduced in 2010. Whilst a number of statements were added following extensive industry collaboration to reflect current trends and thinking, the majority have remained consistent with earlier studies to provide a comparison of implementation behaviours over time. Data collection The questionnaire was designed for use by Learning and Development managers or other individuals, responsible for Learning Technologies in organisations. To engage with the audience, an extensive email campaign was launched from the beginning of June to the end of July 2011. In addition, the survey was supported by 16 supporting media and networking organisations all of whom distributed information and links about the survey to their contacts. As an incentive, all respondents were offered access to the Towards Maturity Benchmark Centre, to revisit their responses and receive a personalised online feedback report to support performance improvement. This report provided benchmark data on both factual performance indicators such as the Towards Maturity Index29, efficiency benefits, take up and business agility together with a benchmark profile of their own implementation practice in order to highlight areas of strength and weakness.
28 29
See Accelerating performance 2010 Benchmark Report www.towardsmaturity.org/2010benchmark

See Accelerating Performance TM Benchmark Review 2010 at www.towardsmaturity.org/2010benchmark
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Boosting Business Agility: Annex Analysis In most cases the analysis and data presentation is a straightforward summary of the data collected, expressed in percentage terms. Since respondents could opt out of any section as they progressed through the survey, the actual number of the sample varies from question to question. In particular, fewer than 200 organisations were able to provide quantitative estimates of their cost and time saving benefits achieved. Responses are segmented on the basis of several factors: 1. A personal estimation of where their organisations had reached on a maturity scale. The maturity definitions used were the same as those used over the last 6 years in the Towards Maturity reviews and questionnaires (see below) The job role, sector and industry of respondents The quartiles for the Towards Maturity Index.
2. 3. Definitions
Respondents were invited to self-assess their degree of e-learning maturity from the following scale: Novice: We know very little about learning technology, with only the occasional use/we are investigating how we might use more but have not completed any projects. Our use is localised or sporadic (used in some departments or for some courses) We are developing and coordinating our use of learning technologies. Learning technologies are established across the organisation and are transforming the way we manage our learning and development. Learning technologies are thoroughly embedded within the organisation we have a learning culture that influences our everyday work.
Sporadic: Developing: Established:
Embedded:
Participant demographics
A total of 767 respondents from 643 organisations commenced the survey, with 488 completing all sections. Respondents were more evenly distributed between industry sectors than in previous studies and were spread across private (57%), public (30%) and not-for-profit sector (13%) organisations.
Table 11 Demographics of survey respondents
Private sector Public sector Not-for-profit sector
57% 30% 13%
Single site Multi-site single nation Multinational
17% 43% 40%
Two-thirds of respondents were from the UK, with 19% from other European countries. The 2011 benchmark also attracted respondents from around the world (Figure 29). Organisation size varied, ranging from micro businesses with fewer than 10 employees, to large multi-nationals operating globally from a number of locations worldwide.
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Figure 29 Size and location of benchmark participant organisations
1000 - 4999 21%
Europe 19%
5000+ 34%
USA/Canada 6%
500 - 999 10%
250 - 499 6%
UK 66%
Asia/Pacific 4%
South/Central America 1%
10 - 249 16%
1-9 13%
Middle East/Africa/India 4%
Figure 30 Industry sector and job roles of benchmark respondents

Professional and technical 9%
Engineering and manufacturing 9% Information and communication 9% Health and social care 7% Central and local government, public admin 14%
Finance and insurance 12% Retail 3%
Chemical and pharmaceutical 3%
Learning strategy and management 35%
Consultancy 9% Content development 7% Learning delivery 8%
Other 16%
Further and Higher education 12%
Training 6%
All roles 32%
Technologist 7%
Administration 2%
Responses came from those working within their own organisation (78%) and those supporting external organisations (22%). Two thirds were L&D professionals reporting either to HR/L&D central or within a line of business, and two-thirds had responsibility for learning strategy and management as all or part of their job role.
Table 12 Distribution of survey respondents
Reporting to HR/L&D central Reporting to HR/L&D within a line of business Working within the line of business
52% 14% 34%
The survey respondents reflected a similar pattern of perceived maturity to previous years. The majority still considered that they were starting to develop and co-ordinate their use of learning technologies. A greater proportion of novice users responded than previously.
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Boosting Business Agility: Annex There were a higher proportion of novice/sporadic organisations from the not-for-profit sector and embedded users than from the public or private sector. The majority of organisations describing themselves as embedded were from the private sector.
Figure 31 Relative maturity of different sectors
50% 40%
50% 40%
30% 20%
30%
20% 10%
10%
0%
0% 0-1 years
N=764
1-3 years
4-6 years
6 - 10 years
10 years plus
Novice
N=764
Sporadic Developing Established Embedded Private Public Not for profit
Private
Public
Not for profit
Figure 32 Length of time using learning technologies related to the TM Index

50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0% 0 - 1 years TMI Quartile 4

N=764
1 - 3 years TMI Quartile 3
4 - 6 years
6 - 10 years 10 years plus TMI Top Quartile
TMI Quartile 2
Over 70% of respondents stated that simply taking part in the Benchmark review had provoked food for thought and generated new ideas to aid implementation.
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Annex B - Sample of participating organisations

A P Moller-Maersk A/S A&N MEDIA A1 Technologies Ltd Able2 Consulting Ltd ABN AMRO Action on Hearing Loss ADCO Addaction ADEC Adhoc Learning SL Admiral Group plc AEP AGSM MBA Programs, Australian School of Business, UNSW AiSolve Limited Amplua Anglia Ruskin University AOK-Bundesverband APSE AQA Arco Ltd ARI Business Solutions Arts Council Arup ASCD Aspen Technology Astra Zeneca AstriumLtd Athens Technology Center S.A. Atkins Atos Atradius Credit Insurance NV Auckland City Libraries AXA France AXA UK Babcock International Group, Marine Division Clyde Balogh-Consulting Banco Sabadell BANKIA Barclaycard Barnardos Barnfield BaseCore Bayer HealthCare Bernd Wiest Consulting GmbH Best Training London South Betsi Cadwaladr UniHealth Board BG Group Bhilai Engineering Corporation Limited Binary System Engineering UK Ltd BMJ Group BNY Mellon Boeing Bolton College Boodle Hatfield Boots UK Borough of Poole Box Hill Institute BP International Bracknell Forest Council Brewin Dolphin Brinker International Bristan Group British Airways plc British American Tobacco British Dental Association British Gas British Red Cross British Sky Broadcasting Bron Afon Community Housing BT Plc Bupa Health and Wellbeing UK Business Stream BWise Cable&Wireless Worldwide Caerphill County Borough Council Caja Madrid Call Connection Ltd Canadian Institute for Health Information Carillion Plc Carphone Warehouse Cell C (Pty) Ltd Central Manchester NHS Centrica Charles River Chartered Insurance Institute Chelmsford Borough Council Chelsea & Westminster Hospital Chichester College Chiltern Training Ltd. Christian Aid CIPS Cirrus Cisco City College Brighton and Hove City of Ballarat City of Edinburgh Council City of London Corporation CIWM Clyde Valley L&D Project/South Lanarkshire Council CMS Computers Ltd CNA Insurance Cogiton Technologies inc Cognisco Ltd. Coleman & Woolf Associates COMPASS Coops & Co Courts Service of Ireland CoVE Consultancies Cranfield University Credit Suisse CRI Cristal Global Croft Management Centre Ltd Crucible Learning & Development CSR plc Cumbria County Council Dean Foods Defence Academy DWP Department of Communities Dept of Immigration & Citizenship Detecon Devon County Council Dewy Peony DHL Supply Chain Discovery Communications Distance Learning Australia dunnhumby Durham County Council DuPont do Brasil S/A - Diviso Hampshire County Council Pioneer Sementes HandsOnResults Dyslexia Action Hanover Housing Association E.ON AG Hays Ealing, Hammersmith & West HBC Vehicle Services London College Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust Heineken UK East Renfrewshire Council Hertfordshire Constabulary EB Management Hertfordshire County Council Ed Du Vivier Consulting HFC Bank Ltd EDF Energy Hillingdon Adult Education Editions Didier Hinton Photography EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGY Hitachi Capital UK CENTER Hitachi Data Systems Edusoft Ltd. Home Group e-Learning Competence Center Home Retail Group Elements of Art GmbH HSBC EMBL-EBI HSBC Merchant Services LLP EMC Hull College Group Emirates Hydratight Eniac Formacion IBM eOrigen.com Limited ICMC Equifax ICWE Ericsson Ideal Training Solutions ESCC Identity and Passport Service Eskom IE Business School ESS If P&C Insurance Estee Lauder Companies IFG Management Limited EUROGNOSI SA IHRDC Eversheds LLP IHSCS Execom IKEA of Sweden Expert Messaging ILCU Explosive Learning Solutions iLearn Forum Ltd Fasthosts Internet IMD Fauna & Flora International Imperial College NHS Trust Fed of Norwegian Industries Improvement Service Fidessa INC Fife Council Inflite Engineering Services Ltd Findel Education Inforpress FirstGroup plc Ingersoll Rand plc Flourishing People Ltd INL Consultancy Ltd Footprint Media Innotica Group Forum Corporation Institut Aminuddin Baki Freshfields LLP Integrys Energy Group Friends Life INTELECTUS Fruition Personal Improvement Int. Union Against TB&Lung Disease Fujifilm Interpeace Liberia Fujitsu Interserve FM Fulcrum IPA GAES, S.A. Ipsos MORI Gdansk University of Technology Irish Prison Service GE Energy Gas engines Irishlife & Permanent Gebrder Weiss gmbH Islamic Relief General Healthcare group ITS Ltd Girlguiding UK Jaguar Land Rover Glasgow City Council Janssen GlaxoSmithKline John Owens Gloucestershire Constabulary John Wiley & Sons ltd Gordon Brothers Europe JRI Europe, Ltd Gothaer Kalinga Institute of Social Sciences GROUP7 Kevie & Karsten Enterprise Grundfos Kevoy Community Development GSH Group Institute (KCDI) Guide Dogs King Faisal Specialist Hospital & Gwynedd Council Research Center Hachette UK Kirklees Collegiates Hampshire Constabulary KLM
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Knowledge Universe KOMPJUTER CENTAR BOR Konica Minolta Business Solutions KPMG KPN / Getronics Lancashire County Council Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service Larmer Brown LBH Learn2grow Learning Leadership Learning, Employment and Training Services Legal & General Legal Services Board Legal Services Commission Leonard Cheshire Disability Lewisham College Lincolnshire County Council LKN - LOGOS Knowledge Network Lloyds Banking Group Lloyd's Register London Borough of Hillingdon London Business School London School of Economics Lowell M&Co Ma'arif Mace Macedonian Bank for Development Promotion AD Macfarlan Smith MacIntyre Macmillan Cancer Support MAG Makro Malam Consulting Manches LLP Manchester Business School Marie Curie Cancer Care Marks and Spencer plc Mastervoice nv Mayer Brown International LLP MBDA(UK) Ltd McAfee MDA Training MEDDTL Medical University of Graz Merseyside Police Metropolitan Housing Partnership Michaels Microsoft Midland Heart Mindquest Minster Law Misys Plc MJA Leadership Consulting MLP Finanzdienstleistungen AG Moat Moi University Moorfields Eye Hospital Mortgage Matters Direct Mott MacDonald Group Ltd MSD Napp Pharmaceuticals NatCen National Audit Office National Autistic Society
National Instruments NATS NCC NCeL NDS TI Nelsons Nestl NETEX Newport City Council NHORA HIGH SCHOOL NHS Blood and Transplant NHS Direct NHS National Genetics EDC NHS North Lancashire Nightingale North Cumbria Informatics Service North Lincolnshire Council N Warwickshire & Hinckley College Northern Trust Novabase Novozymes npower NSPCC Olympus Surgical Technologies Europe On Track training Open University of China Optimum Technology Transfer Orbit L4L OUNL OUP Outstream Consulting Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust Paragon PDSA Pearson International Peking University People Partners Limited Personal Touch Financial Services Pfizer PhaseChange Consulting Philips Pilgrims Hospices PNE Group PR-eMarketing Ltd. PricewaterhouseCoopers Germany Prudential PSL Business Consultants Ltd PTTEP RAF No 1 Radio School RBKC RBS RCGP RCN Readspeaker Red Dog Communications Redaktionsbro Porath Reed Learning Renfrewshire Council RestorEgo Rexel UK Ltd Rexykings Production Reynolds Porter Chamberlain LLP RM RNLI Robert Gordon University Roche Products Ltd
Rolls-Royce plc Romford YMCA Royal Artillery CentreRoyal London Royal Mail RSAMD RSA UK RSPCA Ruscello Management Services Limited Sabmiller plc Saga Services / Direct Choice Sage Salmat Santander UK SAP Save the Children SCA School of Economics and Law Scitecs Scottish Enterprise Scottish Gas Scottish Government Scottish Social Services Council Scottish Power Shakespeak Sheffield City Council Shell Shrewsbury Sixth Form College Signosis Sprl. Skandia Skills for Justice SkillsTech TAFE SLO Smart Education Smollan South Lanarkshire Council South Wales Police Southampton Solent University Southeastern Community College Specsavers Speechly Bircham SSE St Mungo's Strathclyde Fire & Rescue Student Loans Co Suffolk Support Services Surrey County Council Swiss Reinsurance Company The Adolescent & Children's Trust Talent Century Chaser Sports Intl. Tata Interactive Systems AG Tata Steel Technology for Tomorrow OHG Telefonica UK and Germany Tesco Bank Tesco Stores Limited Thames Valley Police The Blue Cross The Body Shop International plc The Boston Consulting Group The Charity Commission The Chartered Institute of Payroll Professionals The College of Law The Co-operative Financial Services The Disabilities Trust The Garden Centre Group
The Guinness Partnership The Improvement Service The Listening Company The National Autistic Society The National Trust The Networking Firm The Open University The Pensions Regulator The Prince's Trust The Rugby Football League The IDL Group Think Associates Ltd Thomson Reuters Thornbeck Timsoft T-Mobile USA TNO TomTom International Torbay Care Trust Toyota Motor Europe Transact Transport for London Tribeca Knowledge TTC TU Delft U.S. Department of State U21Global Graduate School UIMM United Biscuits United Response Universiti Tenaga Nasional,Kajang University of Agriculture, Makurdi University of Applied Sciences FHWien University of Bedfordshire University of Canterbury University of Guelph University of Guyana University of Miami University of Southern Queensland University of Zululand Unum UPM URENCO UK Valuation Office Agency Veale Wasbrough Vizards Venture Finance Verta VitAPP VIU Vodafone VT Flagship Waiariki Institute of Technology Wandsworth Council Wigan Council Willmott Dixon Wiltshire Police Worcestershire County Council WorldLearn WRVS Xchanging Xface Ltd Xylos Yum! Brands, Inc Zimmer, Inc. ZOOM International
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Annex C The Towards Maturity Model

Over the past 8 years, 1800+ organisations have progressed through the TM Learning Technology Benchmark Survey, allowing us to identify the behaviours that influence success in the workplace. Organisations mature in their use of learning technologies are more likely to report that e-learning takeup is increased and that the solutions are having an impact on both staff and organisational targets. The Towards Maturity Benchmark Survey is now considered the most comprehensive, independent and authoritative review on the use of learning technologies in the workplace in the UK and is widely endorsed by learning and development professionals. Our work has identified 6 high-level workstreams that correlate back to maturity, business success and take up of learning. These are divided into 19 activity areas against which organisations can benchmark themselves. The 19 activity areas are made up of 124 individual actions and behaviours. The model has been proven in the private, public and not-for-profit sectors.
New for 2011: a new action area has been included in 2011: Organisational Culture.
As organisations mature in their use of learning technologies, they are increasingly likely to: Have strategic alignment with a clearly defined vision endorsed by business leaders, yet flexible enough to shift with changing business priorities. At a tactical level, they focus on business alignment to ensure learning is job relevant. To demonstrate an understanding of their learners in 2 ways. They provide relevant choices for their staff (in terms of control, access and information available to them) as well as addressing issues of motivation (such as recognition and personal aspiration). Proactively build IT relationships, integrating the technical environment to increase options for learners. They also offer more managerial support to staff, embedding learning within appraisal and talent management systems to create a performance-based organisational culture. Be proactive in building skills in their L&D workforce focussing on designing learning, assessing achievement, supporting learning and facilitating collaboration. Focus on managing change within the business by working with key stakeholders. This includes involving leaders to support promotion, engaging trainers to include technology within learning interventions and empowering learners so that they are engaged and confident. Gather feedback from the business, going beyond the happy sheet to measuring effectiveness in terms of business metrics and communicating benefits back to key stakeholders.
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In 2010, we introduced the Towards Maturity Index and set out a number of Key Performance Indicators that organisations could use to benchmark their performance. Figure 33 illustrates the relative strength of organisations in the top quartile TMI against each of the workstreams of the Towards Maturity model.
Figure 33 Towards Maturity workstreams
Defining Need
Learner Context
Work Context
Building Capability
Ensuring Engagement
Demonstrating Value 0.00 1.00 2.00 3.00 4.00 5.00 All 6.00 7.00 8.00 9.00
TMI Top Quartile
For more information on benchmarking against the Towards Maturity model visit: www.towardsmaturity.org/mybenchmark. For a more in depth article on the Towards Maturity model see Impact, the journal of applied research in workplace e-learning at: http://www.towardsmaturity.org/article/2010/01/15/impact-journalapplied-research-workplace-e-learni/
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Annex D - Towards Maturity Ambassador Programme

Ambassadors support the annual Benchmark Research and the identification and dissemination of good practice case studies. They work together as Ambassadors for change, identifying and improving good practice, raising awareness and driving the whole industry forward. Ambassadors share Towards Maturitys vision and values: Encouraging learning innovation that directly impacts results in the workplace Building on, acknowledging and contributing to collective good practice Supporting the learning and education of others Building transparent, trusted and open relationships with those with whom we work Encouraging excellence from within Celebrating success
Ambassador (*Founder Ambassador)
What they do
Expert in developing quality e-learning solutions that achieve a positive measurable impact, Brightwave provides a complete e-learning service, from bespoke content and platforms to capability building and consultancy
www.brightwave.co.uk *
As one of the first companies in Europe to develop computer-based training, Epic has been providing bespoke e-learning, mobile learning and blended solutions for over 25 years. www.epic.co.uk * GlobalEnglish is the only company dedicated to advancing Enterprise Fluency: the communication and collaboration that drives high performance in a global economy www.globalenglish.com * The UK market leader for bespoke e-learning solutions, including mobile and blended learning. It also has a comprehensive learning and technical consultancy capability www.line.co.uk * The UK partner for Harvard Business Publishing providing high quality resources to develop Leadership and Management Excellence www.lmmatters.com * Designs, delivers and deploys award-winning blended learning solutions including certification-led training, virtual classrooms, e-learning and ALTO LMS.
www.redtray.co.uk*
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Ambassador (*Founder Ambassador)
What they do
A leading provider of cloud-based Business Execution Software that includes performance and goal management, recruiting, core HR, and learning management solutions
www.successfactors.com *
Enables cost effective eLearning in the Third Sector. The largest group of UK based charities collaborating to make eLearning affordable. www.charitylearning.org* Toolwire is a leading Learning Solutions provider by bringing learning to life through immersive, real world hands-on experiences. www.toolwire.com Inspired by innovation, Fusion is determined to bring about real change to the people and organisations it works with. www.fusion-universal.com/ An award-winning company delivering bespoke communication and learning solutions that make a difference for people and organisations We use technology to transform lives and businesses through learning, helping 3m+ people to get the skills they need for work. The global provider of award winning corporate language training focuses on software tools and blended solutions. Speexx works with many of the fortune 1,000 companies across 80 countries. Provides the award winner CERTPOINTVLS global learning platform, which are used by companies such as LOral, Honda, Black & Decker, Toyota, etc.. Forward thinking and visionary according to Gartner latest magic quadrant report. Advanced mobile delivery and social learning functionalities. Our products offer the most comprehensive content alongside the most experienced and qualified consulting team in the e-learning industry. www.skillsoft.com/emea e2train is an award-winning supplier of learning, performance, talent management and succession planning technologies
www.informationtransfer.com
www.learndirect.co.uk
www.speexx.com
www.certpointsystems.com
www.e2train.com
Find out more: www.towardsmaturity.org/ambassadors
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Annex E About Towards Maturity

Towards Maturity is a benchmarking company that provides independent expert advice and support to help organisations use learning technologies to accelerate business performance. It leverages the data of its in-depth Benchmark Study, the UKs largest learning technology benchmark, gathered by Towards Maturity over 8 years with over 1800 organisations. The Benchmark Study forms the basis of the Towards Maturity Index, a unique indicator that measures the level of good practice using learning technologies in an organisation.
Towards Maturity Benchmarking Centre

In January 2011, Towards Maturity launched an online Benchmarking Centre, to help organisations improve the impact of their learning technologies. Members of the centre are taken through a structured questionnaire that enables them to review how they have implemented their learning technologies and compare their results against evolving good practice. They are given their own Towards Maturity Index (TMI) a measure of good practice in their organisation. Each member receives a detailed personalised benchmark report highlighting priority action areas for improvement. The site also provides further help in the form of targeted resources, tools, checklists, hints and tips. There is also information about the services Towards Maturity provides alongside its partner network including coaching, mentoring and workshops. Visit www.towardsmaturity.org/mybenchmark for more information.
Towards Maturity Support and Resources

The Towards Maturitys Headstart Programme helps boost the impact that learning technologies are having in an organisation through a tailored workshop and the use of innovative benchmarking tools. Headstart helps an organisation review how they are currently implementing learning technologies, how that implementation compares to established good practices and identifies how to act going forward to increase performance. Run by leading learning consultants, our workshops and unique benchmarking tools can help at any stage of implementation. Free resources are also available to help you on your journey towards maturity in the application of learning innovation. These include: case studies, podcasts, white papers, articles and summaries of industry research. To help further, we are working with our Ambassadors to create 2 new resources30 to help you use the 2011-12 benchmark findings more effectively to open up new conversations with business: An infographic (created in conjunction with Brightwave) A mobile app (created in conjunction with Epic) Visit www.towardsmaturity.org for more information.
Contact Us
Email: Laura@towardsmaturity.org or elearning@towardsmaturity.org
30
Tel: +44 (0)208 542 2331
Visit www.towardsmaturity.org/2011benchmark for more information and to download these resources.
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Towards Maturity 2011-12 Benchmark