What Makes a Great Training Organization?: A Handbook of Best Practices - Hardcover

Harward, Doug; Taylor, Ken; Hall, Russ

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 013349196X ISBN 13: 9780133491968

Publisher: Pearson FT Press, 2014

Synopsis

All learning leaders want their organizations to be perceived as great, but what makes a “great” training organization?  How does a training organization achieve greatness, particularly from the perspective of the corporation, the learners, and any customers, clients and partners that interact with it?

 

This book presents findings that are based on the data, information, and experiences shared with Training Industry, Inc. by several hundred learning professionals over a five year span, from 2008 to 2012. It identified 8 process capabilities, which have been identified as the key functions in the design, delivery and management of corporate workforce training.

 

Each section of the book focuses on the process capabilities in detail. In addition, individual practices are explained further, noting specific procedures or scenarios and how they are best executed, all supported by best practices and comments from learning leaders.

About this title

About the Author

Doug Harward is the CEO and Founder of Training Industry, Inc. He is internationally recognized as one of the leading strategists for training and outsourcing business models. He is respected as one of the industry’s leading authorities on competitive analysis for training services and works with international companies and new business start-ups in building training organizations. Harward previously served as the Director of Global Learning for Nortel Networks. He received the Chairman’s Global Award for Community Service for his work in developing integrated learning organization strategies within higher education, public schools and business. He has worked in the training industry for more than 25 years. He received an MBA from the Fuqua School of Business at Duke University and a BSBA in Marketing from Appalachian State University.

 

Ken Taylor is Partner and Chief Operating Officer of Training Industry, Inc., and editor in chief for Training Industry Magazine. His career spans over 25 years in leadership and entrepreneur roles across several industries and focus areas, including operations, technology, sales and marketing, and finance, including serving as CFO of several large business units. Taylor’s expertise and experience includes organization design and development, corporate learning and development, marketing strategy (B2B and B2C), research, enterprise technologies, product marketing and sales management, strategic planning and strategic acquisition management. He holds a bachelor’s degree from McGill University in Finance and International Business.

 

From the Back Cover

SYSTEMATICALLY MAXIMIZE THE VALUE OF TRAINING IN TODAY’S RADICALLY TRANSFORMED BUSINESS ENVIRONMENTS

• Achieve excellence in the 8 key process areas that matter most
• Strengthen leadership, strategic alignment, content delivery, metrics, and more
• Diagnose and overcome specific obstacles to learning in your organization
• Leverage technology to promote independent learning, not distract from it

Learners have changed—radically. Businesses have changed—even more radically. If you’re a learning leader, you know your organization must change just as profoundly. You may already be working to lead that change. This best-practices book will help you focus your scarce resources on achieving excellence where it matters most today—and where it will matter most tomorrow.

 

Doug Harward and Ken Taylor have spent seven years identifying and validating the specific processes and practices associated with outstanding training organization performance. Building on this unprecedented research, they help you define priorities that tightly align with business goals and objectives, choose best practices you can realistically implement, and get results.

 

Reflecting comprehensive new research, this book identifies 8 sets of training processes proven to drive the greatest sustainable performance improvements. Drawing on their pioneering training industry experience, Doug Harward and Ken Taylor drill down into each set of capabilities, helping you build on what you’re already doing well, and achieve excellence on the business metrics that matter most.

 

This evidence-based best-practice guide helps you focus your efforts where they will deliver the greatest value, build implementation roadmaps based on the field’s hard-earned wisdom, and successfully execute. Reflecting profound insights into today’s learners and corporate goals, it will help you excel whether you deliver training internally, purchase services from suppliers, or supply training services to businesses.

 

Optimize the value of training by focusing on these 8 process areas:

• Strategic Alignment: Design learning programs that align with business objectives
• Content Development: Assess, design, manage, and maintain content
• Delivery: Manage instructor networks and deliver via multiple modalities
• Diagnostics: Identify causes of problems and recommend solutions
• Reporting & Analysis: Define business metrics, report data, make improvements
• Technology Integration: Integrate learning technologies with each other, and with enterprise systems
• Administrative Services: Support learners via scheduling, registration, and more
• Portfolio Management: Manage, rationalize, and maintain large program portfolios

 

Edition details

• Publisher: Pearson FT Press
• Publication date: 2014
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 013349196X
• ISBN 13: 9780133491968
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 192