Laura Overton provides the 5th expert Analyst Angle on the Transformation Journey. In this article she explores the power of using benchmarking to bring the outside in.
Analyst Angle: Building foundations for L&D readiness
The learning profession is hungry for change, but is it ready? With skills and capabilities either static or retracting, L&D readiness is as much about developing a mindset and networks as it is about skills and competency.
Analyst Angle: Building foundations that influence culture
An organisation’s learning culture doesn’t just happen. Business leaders, individuals and learning professionals all play a critical role in its development over time.
Analyst Angle: Building foundations for digital success
Specific technologies alone do not correlate to business or learning impact. However, the way they are used can dramatically accelerate the learning transformation journey.
Analyst Angle: Pivot points of change
The most significant pivot point of change is at the centre of the curve as organisations move from left to right. This marks the fundamental shift of L&D from producer to enabler, from delivering courses to enabling organisational change.
Analyst Angle: Fifteen years of isolating the facts from the hype
This year marks Towards Maturity’s 15th anniversary, over which time our research programme has gathered longitudinal evidence from all stakeholders in the learning process; allowing participants to understand how decisions in the past have affected the present, to make informed recommendations for the future.
Ultimate Guide to LT 2019
Your Ultimate Guide to LT 2019 – all the best conference sessions, free seminars and fringe events in one place!
The Coaching Culture Story Revealed by Learner Intelligence
Qantas Airway, the flag carrier airline of Australia, is on a learning transformation journey. Michelle Ockers, who recently partnered with Towards Maturity as an expert learning analyst, worked with Qantas as an independent strategic advisor in 2017. She engaged Towards Maturity to help Qantas identify how they could create a modern and engaging learner experience.
Challenging business assumptions about how workers learn
New evidence from 10,000 workers dispel the myths that business leaders have about how they learn in the modern workplace.
Measuring the benefits of your communication and learning & development strategy
Measuring the benefits of L&D and comms initiatives remains a challenge. Just one in eight learning and development professionals1 believe their organization measures the return on investment of learning programmes. Success can be measured either through quantitative measurement or qualitative change, but whatever approach is chosen, effective measurement is vital to ensure L&D and comms strategies are delivering on objectives and attract future investment.
Boost workforce development through microlearning
Micro-learning delivers learning nuggets in easily digestible, bite-sized chunks. Learners can access micro-learning as they need it, on the job. Industry expert Josh Bersin describes micro-learning as an ‘amazing innovation’, explaining that microlearning platforms now let you manage the proliferation of video, assessment, and other small content objects with tools for curation, tracking, recommendations, and AI-based prescriptive learning”.
Learning Technologies Awards 2018
A huge congratulation to all the winners and nominees at the 2018 Learning Technologies Awards, held on Wednesday night in London. We were delighted to join in the celebrations on the night and get together with so many members of the learning and development community!
Providing Evidence for Change at E.ON
We speak to Teresa Rose, Learning and Talent Expert at E.ON to see how the Learner Intelligence Programme provided Evidence for Change.
Embedding Change at West Midlands Police
West Midlands police force serves a population of almost 2.8 million. With a shrinking force dealing with increasing demand, a real change needed to happen if the officers were to remain effective in their roles.
Top Tips for Building Habits
As learning professionals, we want to design interventions that lead to lasting change. Shifting behaviour involves a process that continues long after the programme finishes. Our research has shown that mature learning organisations are more successful at integrating learning and work, but they don’t abandon formal learning. One of their strategies is to design learning campaigns and programmes that build and encourage new habits.
Transformation is not a one-off process, it is a continuum
In the final installment of our ambassador round up series, we speak to Peter Casebow, CEO of Good Practice, about his thoughts on the Transformation Curve.
Organisations need to take Transformation One Step at a Time
In order to achieve true and lasting transformation, organisations need to take it one step, one stage at a time, says Piers Lea, chief strategy officer at LEO and Learning Technologies Group plc, and a Towards Maturity ambassador. It’s also what the latest Towards Maturity benchmark report ‘The Transformation Curve’, says when it outlines the four stages of maturity – Optimising Training, Taking Control, Letting Go and Sharing Responsibility.
How to help L&D Leaders to Create their Transformation Vision
Read about the two things that Ken Govan, from our ambassadors Cegos, particularly likes about ‘The Transformation Curve’, the latest Towards Maturity benchmarking report.
Where is the inflection point?
Someone who knows a thing or two about transformation is John Helmer, Director of Marketing at Lumesse Learning. “There’s rapid disruption of business models in this digital age. As something is becoming mature, that’s the stage that you need to move towards the next development.”
It’s high time that everyone owns learning
Jenny Lycett thinks it’s high time that everyone owns learning, not just the L&D department. “I think there are plenty of benefits from organisations seeing L&D as a shared responsibility and I think this is a huge change from what we’ve seen in the past,” she says.
What motivates L&D to get fit?
Some avoid it like the plague, many are ambivalent and others embrace it fully. Whatever our position, we can’t avoid the L&D ‘F’ Word.
‘The Transformation Curve’ provides the future roadmap for L&D
“When they revealed ‘The Transformation Curve’ and I saw how they had interpreted the data into a model of maturity, I was blown away,” says Stephanie, director of learning solutions at Bray Leino Learning and a Towards Maturity ambassador. “It left me feeling excited for the future of learning and development”
The Road to Transformation is Not Straightforward
Something that Clive Shepherd really likes about ‘The Transformation Curve’ is the fact it highlights that the road to transformation is not a straightforward, predictable or smooth one. “The report recognises that progress occurs in waves,” says Clive, founding partner at the learning organisation, More than Blended, and one of Towards Maturity’s ambassadors.
Sometimes we need to stop and take a step back in order to go forward
Although we would all like progress to be linear, constant and straightforward, it rarely is. Sometimes – often even – we need to stop and take a step back in order to go forward. Robert Wagner, Director at the CIPD Qualifications & Apprenticeship provider DPG plc tell us more.
L&D Transformation Journey – a progress update
Are you taking the right next steps in your transformation journey? Digital transformation is at the top of most business agendas and for some time L&D leaders around the globe understand the need to change to keep up.
Small Steps Leading to Real Change
“Small steps leading to real change” is what Martin Baker, CEO and founder of The Charity Learning Consortium says about our report ‘The Transformation Curve’. One of the key messages of the report is that transformation happens in stages and that organisations have to keep taking small steps in the right direction.
E-combating disease in sub-Saharan Africa
This article describes how The Medical Research Council developed a bespoke e-learning curriculum for frontline workers at the research unit in The Gambia (MRCG) involved in combating disease in West Africa.
Ambassador 10th Anniversary Roundtable Round-Up!
It’s ten years since our team of ambassadors started working with us at Towards Maturity, sharing their L&D insights and expertise and supporting us on our benchmarking journey.
Equipping staff on humanitarian front line
This article describes how Action Against Hunger Nigeria provided e-learning to equip their frontline staff to effectively project manage and tackle an enfolding humanitarian crisis in Nigeria.
The Transformation Curve Webinar
At the beginning of this year we launched our latest research report The Transformation Curve, now we present a webinar that delves deeper into findings. Catch up on Laura Overton and The Learning and Skills Group webinar from Thursday 5th April 2018. Make 2018 your...
How to align learning with the business
How to align learning with the business is a constant and evolving question for L&D professionals and it’s a question that Krystyna Gadd of How to Accelerate Learning helped to answer during her session at the Learning Technologies 2018 speaker exchange.
Booking.com’s ticket to self-learning
How would Booking.com use AI to ensure that its e-learning enabled the company to develop its staff and enjoy its exponential world growth?
Talking Technology with industry experts at the LT Exchanges
Industry thought-leaders speaking at the Learning Technologies Conference joined our LT Exchanges to tackle some of today’s big questions around technology. What, how and where can it be applied?
Get started with micro learning
Micro learning is one of the hot new trends this year, but as with any new learning technology, it comes with its challenges for implementation.
Improve content design with the 3 ‘P’s – purpose, principles and personas
Consider the 3 ‘P’s – Purpose, Principles and Personas and put users at the heart of your learning content design strategy.
How to get started with collaborative technologies
One of the biggest shifts in learning technology is in the development of increasingly collaborative platforms. So how do we best harness these solutions and create a culture of knowledge sharing?
How to make smart decisions about new technology?
Day 1 of Learning Technologies and Fabrizio Conrado reports on the key challenges and opportunities that surfaced during the exchange with David Kelly.
Let us take you on a journey in 2018
L&D needs to be helping drive business transformation, creating a culture of agility and continuous learning that ensures organisations are at the forefront of change.
Inspiring future leaders in world conservation
With the world facing a biodiversity crisis, ZSL saw the urgent need to provide online conservation courses that would equip and raise up a new generation of conservation leaders across the world.
The New-Year e-results quiz!
The late, great Dutch footballer, Johan Cruyff once said, Quality without results is pointless. Results without quality is boring. As we slip into 2018 this is an excellent place to turn our thoughts to our own e-learning. However beautiful our company strategy, is...
Join us for the launch of The Transformation Curve at Learning Technologies
Towards Maturity is working with the Learning Technologies show in London to launch a new study that will transform the way that L&D adds value to business and the way that the business values L&D. On 31 January at 5pm, join senior L&D leaders, Donald...
What would you do if you were ten times bolder?
2018 is another year of opportunity for L&D leaders. Laura Overton discusses how the fearless can set a new direction that will impact their organisation’s growth, transformation, productivity and performance.
LT 2018 – The Exchange Programme
Join global experts and practitioners to uncover practical tips for improving your learning strategy. The eXchange programme provides a free opportunity to join Informal, face-to-face group discussions with the top conference speakers at Learning Technologies on 31st...
Attendance is the old problem, engagement is the new problem
Stephanie Morgan, Director of Learning Solutions at Bray Leino Learning, shares five top tips to build learner engagement and more.
Top tips to drive your e-learning on and upwards!
This month we are capturing the essence of some of these case studies by featuring a treasure trove of tops tips that could transform your e-learning program into a class act!
What has Qantas learnt from the Learning Landscape Audit?
How Qantas used the Towards Maturity Learning Landscape Audit to explore if they could better leverage learning to improve business performance and create a more modern and engaging learning experience.
3 ways technology can help build business agility
Learning technologies are here to stay, so it’s time we got smarter in the way we are using them. Our learner voice research with over 5000 workers shows that 7 in 10 learners want to do their job faster and better. Is technology helping you do this and if not, why?...
Case study: Transforming the development of managers
Finding itself subject to increasing industry demand, a global brand agency decided to invest in its 48 managers to equip them to deal with challenges that can arise from periods of rapid and un-forecasted growth.
Virtual Training – taking Aggreko’s training to new places…
With a rapidly expanding workforce and only one training location, Aggreko’s had to bring its staff-learning provision into the 21st Century, where it would be able to bring an effective learning solution that would support their diverse personnel in 45 countries.
Be BOLD with your internal communications
For any department looking to deliver and embed change and transformation, effective internal communications are essential. Here’s 10 tips to get you on right path and some BOLD suggestions from those who joined us at last month’s CLC Member Meeting.
From data to ta-da!
Everybody’s talking about it and nobody wants to miss out. It has the potential to disrupt business, automate jobs, create competitive advantage and to transform learning. But data is also scary. The jargon associated with data is mind-blowing and bewildering, from...
Design learning and build credibility through curation
Martins Couzins talks curation: a process for sense checking and sharing resources in useful, relevant and timely ways.
The 2017 LT Awards Shortlist – sharing the magic conjured by today’s L&D teams
Check out the shortlist of nominees for Learning Technologies Awards 2017 – it’s a celebration of everything excellent in L&D.
What have Qantas learnt from the TM Benchmark?
Since 2010 Qantas Airways has benchmarked its learning strategy with Towards Maturity. This year it’s been working to improve business performance, and create a modern and engaging learning experience.
How the MLA transformed learning on the seven seas
This case study describes how The Marine Learning Alliance (MLA) used e-learning to bring a sea-change in the way that professionals in the marine industry meet their CPD needs whilst at sea.
Driving the new learning organisation
In this article Laura Overton walks you through the state of play today and the principals behind the concept of the ‘New Learning Organisation’ – first introduced by Senge in 1990.
How to identify L&D KPIs that matter to the business
When there are so many things you could be measuring or reporting on, how do you identify L&D KPIs that the business cares about? Here’s how to turn the heads of your business leaders with metrics that matter.
10 books every L&D leader needs to read
To join in the fun of #BookLoversDay, here’s 10 books that stood out to us and were recommended by our community that we think every L&D leader should read.
Fuse interviews Laura Overton on Unlocking Potential
Fuse Universal is a technology company helping enterprise, education and public sector organisations revolutionise online learning, knowledge sharing and communication in the workplace. They invited our CEO and Founder Laura Overton, to talk about our latest annual Benchmark Report, Unlocking Potential, and discuss what the insights mean for today’s learning professionals.
How NATS engaged a new generation of Air Traffic Controllers
This case study describes how NATS used e-learning to engage a new generation of trainee flight controllers and increase the success rate of candidates.
What’s on at World of Learning
We take a look at the upcoming World of Learning conference and highlight our recommended picks of the show.
BetaData: live trends from the 2017 Towards Maturity Benchmark Study
Find out how L&D priorities are shifting in our early analysis of the 2017 Benchmark data.
Why “all in one” learning tech is a myth
Just as we thought we were getting a handle on digital disruption, the workforce is onto the next big thing. It’s pretty clear that learning is evolving faster than L&D departments can keep up.
Award winning strategies begin with a benchmark
Everyone loves winning awards though entering can be a daunting and time-consuming process. Whether you’ve entered this year or are thinking of doing so in the future, Benchmarking your learning strategy can help!
Here’s why you’re failing to create a learning culture
A learning culture enables organisations to learn, innovate and grow, whilst attracting and retaining the best talent. But developing a learning culture is a huge challenge for many organisations. How do you do it?
How to make your L&D strategy more responsive and relevant
In our 2016-17 Learning Benchmark Report, Unlocking Potential, we unpacked five key outcomes that learning and business leaders are looking to deliver: improving efficiency, fine-tuning processes, boosting performance, cultivating agility and influencing culture. Our...
5 ways to boost performance through learning
This year’s Learning Benchmark Report, Unlocking Potential, presents our research around five key outcomes: improving efficiency, fine-tuning processes, boosting performance, cultivating agility and influencing culture, that both learning leaders and business leaders are looking to deliver
Four ways you can improve business processes through learning
Technology helps L&D professionals deliver efficient learning experiences, faster, at scale. But when it comes to supporting the day to day running of an organisation, is learning having a worthwhile effect on processes?
Surviving the jungle: how our methodology underpins decision-making in L&D teams
Everyone is looking for evidence to make smarter decisions, but data can be overwhelming and even dangerous if you get it wrong. Our Senior Research Analyst explains how methodology ensures Towards Maturity research hits the mark and ensures successful interpretation that helps you make decisions that count.
Unlocking data to understand learners as customers at E.ON
Teresa Rose from E.ON describes how her team gained deep insights into the way people learn across the organisation, helping them transform their learning strategy.
Four ways you can increase learning efficiency today
One thing has remained the same since we started providing benchmarks for learning teams in 2003 – the disparity between the goals of the L&D team and the impact learning is having on the organisation.
How ASADA tapped into changing expectations with an anti-doping awareness course
This case study describes how ASADA used e-learning to combat sports doping and revitalise its out-dated doping awareness course, taking a gold for Best use of Learning Technologies to Ensure Compliance at the 2016 Learning Technologies Awards.
Why measuring learning impact is more important than ever
Learning professionals should be playing a vital role in helping people and organisations thrive in times of change. However, to do this, they must be agile. This article, by LEO’s Imogen Casebourne and Gareth Jones, and Watershed’s Andrew Downes, explains the importance of measuring the impact of learning on business.
Unlocking potential: influencing culture
When it comes to culture we do not have to be constrained by the past. How can we influence change? Laura Overton continues to outline the tactics that separate the best from the rest.
What not to miss at the 2017 CIPD L&D Show
Is learning at the core of your organisation? We give our recommended picks of the show to help you create a schedule that will make the most of this two-day event. The Learning and Development Show is a great place to get informed on the latest developments and...
Learning uncertainty – and how to cope with it
We are no longer living in a world of change that perhaps L&D can address and even support, but a world of uncertainty, of pure unknowns that could make or break us!
Delivering effective corporate blended learning
In an ever changing business environment, how does a Learning & Development function ensure it delivers what the business wants today – while developing employees for tomorrow?
Unlocking the Potential of Learning at Work
The way in which we acquire and assimilate information has changed in recent years, through technology as well as the rapidly changing world of work. The demand for skills, knowledge and capabilities is high, and removing learners from the workplace to attend formal learning courses isn’t always practical or feasible.
L&D leaders are failing to tap into the expertise of their providers
Towards Maturity research has long shown the importance of the relationship between L&D leaders and their learning providers. Yet, only 3 in 5 L&D leaders understand the critical questions that they need to ask of their learning providers.
Why classroom facilitators play a critical role in digital innovation
The classroom facilitator has a critical role to play in unlocking the potential of digital learning. But are they doing it? In this feature, we look at how L&D is incorporating digital learning and why, along with the role of classroom facilitators in the design, implementation and acceptance of that learning.
Review your compliance strategy and be part of new research
If you’re struggling to engage staff with compliance training we invite you to review your compliance strategy and be part of new, innovative research that will help you create a culture of compliance
Influencing learning culture: how staff at Citi are learning to #BeMore
This case study unfolds how Citi ran a 30-day challenge for staff to #BeMore by learning continuously. The campaign encouraged everyday learning through a series of micro actions embedded into their workflow – leading to several awards for the team.
Saving lives by ensuring competency at a Norwegian Health Trust
An independent case study on the impact of competency management in Helse Vest, Norway – a state-owned regional health authority.
Speexx Exchange 2016 – digital transformation in 2017
Global HR and L&D professionals across 22 countries discussed digital transformation, making a case for blended and mobile learning, knowledge management best practices and much more at the 7th annual Speexx Exchange 2016.
How a 16th century Japanese samurai revolutionised compliance at AXA Insurance
How the learning team at AXA demonstrated that big budgets or expensive hardware are not needed to get tangible business impact, using AI, a likeable character and a simple platform.
And the winner of our Sector Benchmark Membership is…
We received a high number of entrants for the Sector Benchmark Group Membership draw worth £1000 and are happy to announce the winner!
Global L&D Experts Shared their Insights during LT Exchanges 2017
We held eight round table discussions with global industry experts on our LT stand in conjunction with Training Journal. Read all the key takeaways.
How can you stay current in your field when work, jobs, and even professions are constantly changing?
We all know the only constant is change. We are seeing that in our politics, our businesses, our climate… technology, relationships, industry sectors and so much more. In a world where everything is evolving and jobs that weren’t even invented ten years ago are recruiting, how can you possibly be ready for the rest of your career?
What skills are needed by L&D professionals in 2017?
How can you remain relevant and, more importantly, competent, when faced with an avalanche of constant change? While shifts happen slowly and incrementally within the world of L&D outside change is moving fast and this contrast creates anxiety for L&D...
How can L&D use technology to become more strategic?
The Learning Technologies show was busy this year with 100s of suppliers of technology solutions, alongside traditional L&D providers, all vying for the attention of passing visitors.
How to turn micro and mobile learning into killer applications for 2017
As organisations turn to mobile solutions to help their staff access learning resources on the go, they will be facing the issue of whether to develop bespoke applications or simply ensure that their content can be viewed effectively via a mobile browser.
What can organisations do to earn the trust of social learners?
We are in the Social Age of learning, where the bywords are agility and engagement, where formal experiences are less valuable than applied ones, where traditional models of authority and expertise are subverted by more social methodologies that rely on communities and sharing.
How to create effective learning transfer
Learning transfer is key to ensure that there is behavioural change in the workplace so that people can do whatever is needed when they get back to the work. There is a need to avoid the training sessions where people may have got the knowledge, but not the change for when they are back at work.
How to start and grow internal networks
Networking has always been a source of real value to organisations. Networks are so much more adaptable to change than rigid structures, and technology can amplify and enable existing networks. However, if you don’t give people the reason to connect and collaborate, there can be resistance to ‘yet another’ technology – ‘it’s just one more thing to do’.
How can we create organisational change that works and even feels good?
Organisations are always looking to become more agile or innovative and in L&D we are all focused on supporting employees to be more engaged.
Get your L&D strategy fit for 2017
With 2017 well and truly underway, we’re offering everyone the chance to get the best start to 2017 with a free Personalised Benchmark Report and a chance to win £1,000 worth of Sector Benchmark Group membership at LT17!
7 mindset shifts that will make 2017 a breakthrough year for L&D
Embracing the principles behind growth mindset thinking are more likely to lead us to a breakthrough this year. In this article, Laura Overton encourages all learning professionals to think bigger and reflect on what you can do next.
How staff at GAME are using learning technologies to win in a competitive market
Winner of ‘Best Learning management system implementation’ at the eLearning Awards, this case study focuses on how GAME used interactive content, including social and gamification approaches in their Learning Management System to successfully engage learners. ...
Learning Technologies 2017 Exchanges
The Exchange Programme provides a unique, free opportunity to get up close and personal with conference speakers at Learning Technologies on 1-2 February 2017.
Our Ultimate Guide to Learning Technologies 2017
Towards Maturity will be at stand H24 of the Learning Technologies Exhibition this year. Read on to find out what we’re up to, download our Ultimate Guide and be in for a chance to win £1,000 worth of Sector Benchmark Group membership at the show.
