An LMS is not just an LMS – What makes people move, and what is real Learning Management?
We know that choosing the right LMS can be challenging. Many different factors are at play in the decision making: What is the overall purpose? What designs preferences do you have? Which design do you like? What kind of features are important to you? And ultimately, which vendor you believe in.
Based on our customers, the following topics are strong motivators for getting a new LMS or replacing an existing one:
- Solve onboarding issues along with compliance and information access (as well as the ability to build own content)
- Learning and Development training and blended learning (combine onsite, eLearning and instructor-led online training)
- Result-based training and anchoring in the daily business (return on investment, higher competences and reducing employee turnover)
These three topics are good motivators. Unfortunately, result-based training is often the least important one when choosing a new LMS… and that’s an issue!
Most LMS solutions on the market can handle the first and second topic. Many deliver great features for blended learning, mobile learning, social learning and much more. And a few LMS solutions are, what we call, “future ready”. This involves looking good, having the required features, and of course being very user friendly. But only a few deliver result-based LMS.
Imagine a situation where you get an LMS that delivers the results needed in your organization, from learning to performance. To make this very short and clear, it’s about recognizing that learning cannot stand alone. It needs to be implemented in the routine working day. We call this connecting the dots between learning and performance management. Otherwise, LMS is just LMS.
If you start focusing on what makes people move, it provides you with the facts! The 10-20-70 rule!
Anchoring of skills can only be done by measuring the usage and creating motivation to increase. It’s the 70% leading to the 100% effect. Training skills in a LMS gives you 10%. Great feedback & coaching offers a further 20%. So, it’s the 70% that’s the trigger for results: “on the job training and experiences”. It’s where you use and follow-up the training in real key point indicators, gamify actions and ensure self-traction on the development. 10 + 20 + 70 = 100. 10 = LMS, 20 = PM (Performance Management) and 70 = follow-up and development on the 10 + 20. It’s so easy!
And, don’t forget, that Performance Management is as well defined as Performance Management, and 2017 Performance Management. In 2017, you don’t necessarily measure and implement KPI’s, which most business leaders already know. This is just half of the way to results. It’s culture driven Performance Management, where it’s aligned to the culture you have. Some need strong feedback, some need follow-ups, some need soft and hard goals, and others need the yearly appraisals to perform. Pick and choose, or combine to fit your culture.
So, our recommendation for you is to follow the right topic to pick your LMS:
- Connect the dots between LMS and Performance Management
- Do it in steps, and extend Performance Management as you grow your LMS journey
- Respect your company values and culture, and align the right Performance Management model to be succesful
