10 Hidden Secrets of Top Performing L&D Teams

@LauraOverton

Las Vegas, NV | September 30 2015

Today’s L&D professionals want more.       

INCREASINGPERFORMANCE GAP

87% wanted change74% wanted change

51% reported benefits31% reported benefits

What is stopping us from achieving our goals?

20142010

87% wanted change 2014

31% reported benefits

How do we stay ahead

of the game?

2014

87% wanted change 2014

31% reported benefits

Learn from those who areahead of us!

How do we stay ahead

of the game?

2014

An evidence-based

approach to modernising

learning

12 years of research4,400 L&D leaders

55+ countries18,000 learners

1.5 million data points every year

10 Hidden Secrets of Top Performing L&D Teams

@LauraOverton

(Those scoring in the top 10% of the Towards Maturity

Benchmark)

1. DATA-DRIVEN DECISIONS

Top Performers

3xmore likely to use benchmarking as

a performance improvement tool

1. DATA-DRIVEN DECISIONS

Who is reporting the

best L&D outcomes?

What are they doing

differently?T O W A R D S   M A T U R I T Y   I N D E X

TOPDECK

TOP LEARNING ORGANISATIONS

THE TOP DECK (10%)Introduced in 2014

THE ART OF BENCHMARKING

2xrevenue

improvements

50%improvement

on attrition

25%increase in staff

engagementImproved application

of learning in the workplace

Faster response to changing

business conditions

Increased productivity

on the job

TOP DECK Average

TOPDECK

BENCHMARKING IS ABOUT

PERFORMANCE

1. Our organisation encourages and makes time for reflection

2. We identify key business metrics that we want to improve in partnership with senior managers

3. We blend different technologies in design including social media for collaboration 

4. We help staff define their own personal learning strategies

5. We publicise the successes of individuals

Review

Try this out – where do you stand?

LauraOvertonTowardsMaturity #LTSF15

Top Performers

3xas likely to make time

for reflection(58% vs 20%)

2. MAKE TIME TO REFLECT

82%Identify business KPI’s that

they want to improve in partnership

with snr management

(32% average)

3. FOCUS ON SPECIFIC RESULTS

Gaining Market Share17% rise in customer satisfaction10% improvement in revenue  

Talent9% reduction in attrition

17% improvement in engagement14% improvement in productivity12% reduction in time to competency 

Delivering New Products & ServicesChange new products & services 23% fasterRoll out new IT applications 26% faster

& improve efficiency!17% Cost reduction+21% Volume- 22% Delivery time - 20% Study time

What can learning

innovation bring to

the table?

Top Deck L&D teams are

3xas likely to be proactive in

understanding what staff need to do their job

4. CONSUMER-DRIVEN

LauraOvertonTowardsMaturity

TOP 10 LEARNER PRIORITIES

Rated as essential or highly useful methods for learning what they need for their job:

1. 91% team collaboration 2. 81% manager support 3. 73% web search4. 83% conversations / meetings5. 67% support from mentor / coach / 

buddy6. 64% formal education course7. 55% internal company documents8. 52% internal networks / 

communities9. 50% mobile10. 49% live online learning /

47% self-paced e-learning

Statistics taken from the whole sample of 5,700 learners© Towards Maturity 2015, Learner Voice Part 2: www.towardsmaturity.org/learnervoice2

How do staff learn what they need to do their

job?

The sample shows few significant generational differences, with older and younger both showing similar rankings when rating the usefulness of online, face to face and collaborative practices for learning – however, these findings caught our eye…

“The online learning available at my company isn't very easy to locate. I also find that having

only been in my role for a year, there isn't much information made available advising on

where to start, support available, or who to approach with

questions.” (under 30)

“The majority of the online training that I have been required to take is ‘one size fits most’ - it’s not appropriate for a member of staff with over 30 years’ experience. Completing is simply a box ticking exercise, and I gain nothing from it.” (over 50)

“I’ve worked for this firm for 15 years. In that time, IT and learning has improved significantly; both in design and the ability to find what

you are looking for.” (over 50)

“I strongly think encouragement from your own management to learn and develop (discuss about objectives)

is crucial. Otherwise people won't be able to find relevant learning tools useful and practical.” (under 30)

64%UNDER 30’S ARE

LOOKING FOR PROFESSIONAL

RECOGNITION FROM LEARNING

Few Generational Differences42%58%

Motivated by technology that helps me share

70%84%Willing to share what I know with my peers

Willingness to collaborate

29%16%Poor use of technology 

29%45%Cant find what I need

Barriers to Learning

35%On the way to/from work

62% 50% 37%Evenings & weekends

When are they learning? 61% 27%Just for me; I like to learn

64% 22%To obtain certification

26% 42%To increase productivity

15% 3%To compete

with colleagues

Motivation for learning

21-30

Over 50

© Towards Maturity 2015, Learner Voice Part 2: www.towardsmaturity.org/learnervoice2

1/3 are not willing to use their own mobiles for learning as they 

want to keep work and personal life separate(regardless of age)

56% of leaders agree they learn travelling to and from work

27% of L&D agree that technology is used to support the 

way that they develop leaders

96% of new starters agree that team collaboration is essential for them to learn what they need

20% of L&D agree that staff know how to productively connect 

and share knowledge

49% of staff agree their line managers expect them to apply learning after they have completed a course

18% of L&D agree they equip line managers with resources to help their teams get the most 

from learning

75% of staff turn to online learning to help them do their job better and faster

47% of L&D agree that their initiatives are delivered in TIME to 

meet the needs of business

LEARNER PERSPECTIVE L&

D PE

RSPE

CTIV

E

600 L&D leaders, Modernising Learning: Delivering Results: www.towardsmaturity.org/2014benchmark© Towards Maturity 2015

5,700 learners, Learner Voice Part 2: www.towardsmaturity.org/learnervoice2

To what extent are we consumer-driven?

2x as likely to 

encourage staff to define their own personal learning strategies(73% vs 35%av) 5. HELP STAFF

LEARN HOW TO LEARN

72%provide

ongoing CPD opportunities for L&D staff

6. TRAIN HARD

Investing in tomorrow’s skills, today

Business planning

Delivery via virtual classroom

Instructional design

Marketing and stakeholder engagement

Digital content development

Using social media effectively

Online or blended learning delivery

Supporting learners online

Programme evaluation

87%

89%

89%

91%

91%

93%

96%

96%

96%

47%

34%

49%

42%

31%

15%

47%

36%

41%

79%

56%

68%

70%

44%

50%

81%

71%

70%

Current skills in house (top Deck) Current skills in house (avg) Considered a priority

2x User generated External video

BlogsCuration

Content in the cloudBadges

4xAs likely to 

Blend use of technologies including social for collaboration(85% vs 21%)

7. THINK DIGITALLY LATERALLY

97%of top

performers agree learning

initiatives support the

skills the business needs

(60% on average)

“HAVE NOTHING IN THEIR HOMES THAT THEY DO NOT KNOW TO BE

USEFUL OR BELIEVE TO BE BEAUTIFUL.”

~ WILLIAM MORRIS

88%consider the

course as only one of the options for

building performance

8. UNCONSTRAINED CREATIVITY

2xmore likely to communicate successes to

managers

4xmore likely to

share individual

success stories(58% vs 15%)

9. PUT ON A SHOW

100%

of top performers

walk the walk vs.

talking the talk

10. GET STUCK IN

We know what to do,

but we don’t

always do it

1 2 3 4 5 6 70%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

The course is not the only option

2010 15 14 15

10 Hidden Secrets of Top Performing L&D

Teams:1. Data-driven decisions2. Make time to reflect

3. Focus on specific results4. Consumer driven

5. Help staff learn how to learn6. Train Hard

7. Think digitally Laterally8. Unconstrained Creativity

9. Put on a show10. Get stuck in!

What are you going to

do differently as a result of

today?

Next Steps

www.towardsmaturity.org/devlearn15

laura@towardsmaturity.orgLas Vegas, NV | September 30 – October 2, 2015

Unlock 10 Hidden Secrets of Top Performing L&D Teams

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Towards Maturity is a benchmarking practice that provides authoritative research and expert consultancy services to help assess and improve the effectiveness and

consistency of L&D performance within organisations. It leverages the data gathered from the largest learning and development benchmark in Europe.

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