L&D managers do not have enough time to be strategic

KnowledgePool has recently conducted a survey of 104 learning & development managers and found that 69% of them believe their training department is under-resourced, saying they are too busy tackling their day-to-day challenges to concentrate on strategic learning and talent issues in their organisations.

Learning consultancy director at KnowledgePool, Al Bird, says “Constant fire-fighting means that L&D teams don't have the time to be strategic. This means that organisations are missing an opportunity to vastly improve performance at every level.” The L&D managers were asked about their perceptions of training in their companies, with 42% feeling that training receives inadequate support from senior managers and only 56% saying they think the training activities within their business add value. However, 80% believe they could improve their company’s return on investment from training and 82% say they would like to develop a closer working relationship with line managers, enabling them to involve these managers in their training strategies and to plan ahead more effectively.

Al Bird also noted the survey findings show that “there is a strong belief that informal learning with better collaboration and on-the-job learning opportunities for staff could be the way forward” as 75% of those questioned believe that improvements could be made using these methods. Some 77% also said that a more thorough analysis of their organisation’s training spend could help to identify new opportunities for improvement.