Hundreds of tech companies provide business-focused learning and development (L&D) solutions. Each product or platform has strengths and weaknesses. The tools vary in their complexity; some offer a targeted service while others provide broad functionality, supporting collaboration, knowledge creation, and performance measurement.
All make big promises—promises to provide:
- more customized and personalized learning experiences
- training that grabs and holds workers’ attention
- accelerated employee learning
- improved measurement of L&D results
- time for learning professionals to focus on strategic initiatives and partnerships
L&D leaders are getting the message.
They have been stepping up their spending on learning technology to the point where today technology makes up one-third of the average L&D budget. And some L&D functions are indeed seeing these investments pay off.
In our latest white paper, Putting Learning and Development Technology to Work: How Best-in-Class L&D Programs Leverage Technology to Get Results, we introduce a group of L&D functions that have better learning outcomes, both qualitative and quantitative.
Compared to the more than 200 other L&D functions represented in our Current State of Learning and Development survey, these 73 best-in-class L&D functions are taking a different approach to L&D.
What are they doing differently? One major difference is in how they use technology.
Our research shows these best-in-class L&D functions:
- do more with their L&D technologies, including higher rates of measurement, data analytics, and data consolidation,
- are more likely to have successfully linked multiple learning technologies and connected them with other HR technologies, and
- can make a more explicit connection between employee learning and business performance, perpetuating a cycle of investment and advancement.
Our white paper dives into various types of L&D tools and platforms used by the L&D best-in-class and explores the overarching questions of why and how to use them.
So, can L&D tech deliver on its promises? The answer is yes. Learn the steps that you can take to ensure that L&D tech delivers on its promise for your organization from our the white paper. Then, check out the additional resources in our Building a Solid L&D Foundation for Evolving Learning Needs Collection which includes the article: The Evolution of L&D: Meeting the Changing Learning Needs of Organizations and Workers.
Not an APQC member? You can learn more about this APQC research from our complimentary webinar series: