Closing Skill Gap With Learning

Newbies to New Leaders
Closing Critical Skill Gaps with Learning
October 2013
Mollie Lombardi, Zach Lahey
Newbies to New Leaders: Closing Critical Skill Gaps with Learning

Page 2
Executive Summary
Learning is critical to enabling business strategy, from onboarding new hires,
to developing future leaders, to educating channel partners and customers.
This study, based on responses collected from 185 organizations between
July and September 2013, looks at how organizations connect learning to
business priorities, create development programs that impact every stage of
the employee lifecycle, and utilize technology to support learning initiatives.
It also examines the business impact of building learning capability and
running effective learning programs.
Research Benchmark
Aberdeens Research
Benchmarks provide an
in-depth and comprehensive
look into process, procedure,
methodologies, and
technologies with best practice
identification and actionable
recommendations.
Best-in-Class Performance
Aberdeen used the following three key performance criteria to distinguish
Best-in-Class companies:
83% of employees received performance ratings of exceeds

performance expectations
78% of key roles have one or more ready and willing successor
13% year-over-year improvement in revenue per full-time

equivalent (FTE)
Competitive Maturity Assessment

Survey results show that the firms enjoying Best-in-Class performance
shared several common characteristics, including:
Providing consistent learning and development opportunities

throughout the employee lifecycle
Ensuring that learning efforts are closely tied to business strategy

and measured by business outcomes
Involving organizational leadership in both developing and executing

learning strategy
Required Actions
In addition to the specific recommendations in Chapter Three of this
report, to achieve Best-in-Class performance, companies must:
Work with the business to establish a consistent set of

characteristics, skills, and competencies that are required to support
strategy execution, and use them as a framework by which to
assess, develop, and manage talent
Adopt learning technologies that allow the organization to be

flexible on when, where, and how people learn
Focus on building internal organizational capability to bring new

hires up to speed quickly, and develop the next generation of
leaders from within to maintain competitive advantage
2013 Aberdeen
Group.
617 854
5200and
Thisdocument
is the result
of primary research performed by Aberdeen Group. Aberdeen Group's methodologies provide for Telephone:
objective fact-based
research
represent
the best analysis available at the time of publication. Unless otherwise noted, the entire contents of this publication are copyrighted
by Aberdeen
Group, Inc.
www.aberdeen.com
Fax: 617
723 7897
and may not be reproduced, distributed, archived, or transmitted in any form or by any means without prior written consent by Aberdeen Group, Inc.

Page 3
Table of Contents
Executive Summary....................................................................................................... 2
Best-in-Class Performance ..................................................................................... 2
Competitive Maturity Assessment ....................................................................... 2
Required Actions...................................................................................................... 2
Chapter One: Benchmarking the Best-in-Class .................................................... 4
Business Context ..................................................................................................... 4
The Maturity Class Framework ............................................................................ 5
The Best-in-Class PACE Model ............................................................................ 6
Best-in-Class Strategies........................................................................................... 7
Chapter Two: Benchmarking Requirements for Success ................................. 12
Capabilities and Enablers ...................................................................................... 13
Chapter Three: Required Actions ......................................................................... 20
Laggard Steps to Success ...................................................................................... 20
Industry Average Steps to Success .................................................................... 20
Best-in-Class Steps to Success ............................................................................ 21
Appendix A: Research Methodology..................................................................... 22
Appendix B: Related Aberdeen Research ............................................................ 24
Figures
Figure 1: Pressures Driving Learning Activities...................................................... 4
Figure 2: Learning Strategies in Place ....................................................................... 8
Figure 3: The Impact of Best-in-Class Learning ..................................................... 9
Figure 4: Groups with Dedicated Learning Programs ........................................ 10
Figure 5: A Consistent Competency Model Pays Off......................................... 15
Figure 6: Recent College Graduates Need a Little TLC .................................... 17
Tables
Table 1: Top Performers Earn Best-in-Class Status.............................................. 6
Table 2: The Best-in-Class PACE Framework ....................................................... 6
Table 3: The Competitive Framework................................................................... 12
Table 4: Learning Methods and Effectiveness ....................................................... 19
Table 5: The PACE Framework Key ...................................................................... 23
Table 6: The Competitive Framework Key .......................................................... 23
Table 7: The Relationship Between PACE and the Competitive Framework
......................................................................................................................................... 23
2013 Aberdeen Group.

www.aberdeen.com
Telephone: 617 854 5200

Fax: 617 723 7897

Page 4
Chapter One:
Benchmarking the Best-in-Class
Business Context
Learning is fundamental. This is true not only for children and education
systems, but for businesses as well. As organizations begin to emerge from
the murky global economic climate of the last decade, they realized that
being able to build and develop talent from within is a critical capability. In
fact, respondents to Aberdeens 2013 Human Capital Management Trends
study cited identifying, and ultimately closing, gaps between the skills and
capabilities their current workforce and the skills and capabilities required
by future business plans as their top strategic priority (cited by 47%). And
91% of respondents to this study indicate they plan to maintain or increase
their level of investment in learning within the coming year. While
organizations understand the importance of learning and development, their
resources are not unlimited, and they must prioritize their learning
investments on the individuals, technologies, and processes that will yield
the best results. Aberdeens 2013 look at the state of learning and
development has found that two critical groups have become top priorities
college hires and organizational leaders.
Fast Facts
40% of organizations say
their college hires will
require some additional
coaching and training to be
effective members of the
workforce
29% say they will have to
spend significant time training
and developing their college
hires
The need for more leadership talent is the number one pressure driving
learning activities within organizations today (Figure 1). Organizations
understand that leadership talent is not widely available in the open
marketplace, and they must learn how to develop talent from within in
order to remain competitive.
Figure 1: Pressures Driving Learning Activities
Source: Aberdeen Group, October 2013

www.aberdeen.com
Telephone: 617 854 5200

Fax: 617 723 7897

Page 5
As in previous years, the need to realign the organization around shifting

strategies is still important, but it is no longer the top priority when it
comes to shaping learning initiatives. The ability to identify and close skill
and capability gaps, and maintain a sustainable leadership pipeline, is
incredibly important. At the same time that they are focusing on developing
future leaders, organizations also know that these future leaders start out
their career as new college hires. This particular group, and its apparent lack
of readiness for the workforce, has received much attention in the media of
late, for good reason. When asked if college hires are prepared to be
effective members of the workforce, the results were astounding.
40% of organizations say their college hires will require some

additional coaching and training to be effective members of the
workforce
29% say they will have to spend significant time training and developing
their college hires
Only 10% indicate that their new college hires are ready to
contribute and get up to speed as quickly as any other new hire
Fast Facts
Only 36% of organizations
indicate they have dedicated
leadership programs for
emerging leaders, and just
19% have programs for new
college hires.
Despite these gaps, only 36% of organizations indicate they had dedicated
leadership programs for emerging leaders, and just 19% have programs for
new college hires though as we will see later in this report, topperforming organizations are much more likely to focus on these groups.
Organizations seem to understand the problem they face, but still lack the
strategies and processes to solve them.
The following sections of this report will look at how organizations that
achieve higher levels of organizational performance differentiate their
approach to learning and development overall, and particularly for these
critical employee groups.
The Maturity Class Framework

Aberdeen used three key performance criteria to distinguish the Best-inClass from Industry Average and Laggard organizations. These criteria were
designed to identify organizations achieving high levels of organizational and
individual performance, in order to understand the types of learning
initiatives, processes, tools, and technologies that top performing
organizations put in place to achieve this level of success.
Employee Performance. Measured as the percentage of

employees receiving a rating of exceeds expectations or better on
their most recent performance review. This metric is an indicator of
an individuals ability to achieve and exceed performance goals.
Leadership Bench Strength. Measured as the percentage of key

positions with at least one ready and willing successor identified.
This metric is an indicator of organizational ability to both develop
and retain top-performing talent.

www.aberdeen.com
Telephone: 617 854 5200

Fax: 617 723 7897

Page 6
Revenue. Measured as the percent of year-over-year improvement

in revenue attainment per FTE. This metric is an indicator of overall
organizational performance and ability to execute on business
strategy.
Table 1: Top Performers Earn Best-in-Class Status

Definition of
Maturity Class
Fast Facts
Mean Class Performance
Best-in-Class:
Top 20%
of aggregate
performance scorers
83% of employees received performance ratings of

exceeds performance expectations
78% of key roles have one or more ready and
willing successor
13% year-over-year improvement in revenue per
FTE
Industry Average:
Middle 50%
of aggregate
performance scorers

willing successor
7% year-over-year improvement in revenue per FTE
Laggard:
Bottom 30%
of aggregate
performance scorers

willing successor
1% year-over-year improvement in revenue per FTE
91% of respondents indicate

they plan to maintain or
increase their level of
investment in learning within
the coming year.
The Best-in-Class PACE Model

Using learning to improve overall business performance, and help overcome
skill shortages in the marketplace requires a combination of strategic
actions, organizational capabilities, and enabling technologies that can be
summarized as follows:
Providing consistent learning and development opportunities

throughout the employee lifecycle
Ensuring that learning efforts are closely tied to business strategy,

and measured by business outcomes
Involving organizational leadership in both developing and executing

learning strategy
Table 2: The Best-in-Class PACE Framework

Pressures
The need for
more leadership
talent
Lack of key skills
Actions
Provide more
consistent
development
experience at all

www.aberdeen.com
Capabilities
Performance goals are
agreed to by managers
and employees
Visible senior leadership
Enablers
Pre-hire assessments (Best-in-Class
adoption)
Employee self-service portal for access to
learning
Telephone: 617 854 5200
Fax: 617 723 7897

Page 7
Pressures
Actions
in the marketplace
career stages
requires
More closely link
development from
learning programs
within
to business goals
Changes to
Define and build a
product, process,
consistent set of
or strategy
competencies to
requiring reguide development
education and
activities
realignment
Capabilities
Enablers
support for learning and

Learning management system (LMS)
development efforts
Employee performance management
A consistent competency
system
model is used for hiring,
Post-hire assessments
development, and
performance management
Development plans are
agreed to by managers
and employees
Learning programs map
directly to individual
employee development
plans
Customer feedback and /
or demand information is
used to determine
learning needs and
priorities
Best-in-Class Strategies
Overwhelmingly, the most common strategy cited by Best-in-Class
organizations is to provide a more consistent development experience at all
career stages (Figure 2). Best-in-Class organizations are 78% more likely
than Laggard organizations to cite this as a top strategy. These topperforming organizations understand that learning is not a one-time
experience, but an ongoing process that must be facilitated throughout an
individuals career. A strategic focus on career-long learning is important
given the gaps that all organizations see among early career professionals,
and among the leadership ranks.

www.aberdeen.com
Telephone: 617 854 5200

Fax: 617 723 7897

Page 8
Figure 2: Learning Strategies in Place
Part of why these Best-in-Class organizations are able to focus on expanding

their definition of learning is that they have already overcome two other
critical challenges that are the strategic focus of Industry Average and
Laggard organizations linking learning programs to business results and
defining and building a consistent set of competencies to guide development.
It is very difficult to create a comprehensive, career-long learning path
without business buy in and a strong picture of what skills and capabilities
will be required of individuals as they progress through their career. Best-inClass organizations are 70% more likely than All Other organizations (78%
vs. 46%) to have a defined competency model already in place, which may
explain why they are so much less likely to cite it as a top strategy. And 63%
of Best-in-Class organizations say they can link their learning programs to
organizational profitability with 23% indicating they also have the data to
back up this assertion. By comparison, just 7% of Laggard organizations have
the data to link learning programs to organizational profitability. In order to
move up the maturity curve, these organizations must link learning to the
business and define competencies before they can implement a more
consistent development experience.
Moving up the maturity curve is it important goal, because Best-in-Class
organizations experience significant impact to their business performance as
a result of their focus on learning. While this report used critical business
metrics to define top performers individual employee performance,
bench strength, and revenue organizations that use learning to improve
performance in these key areas also see improved performance in employee
engagement, their ability to fill leadership positions with internal candidates,
and their ability to retain talent (Figure 3).
www.aberdeen.com
Telephone: 617 854 5200

Fax: 617 723 7897

Page 9
Figure 3: The Impact of Best-in-Class Learning
Scarcity of talent is a critical issue for all organizations. Organizations with a

strong learning focus are not only able to achieve better results today, they
are better positioned to compete in the future by creating a culture in
which employees are engaged and willing to stay with their organization,
allowing the company to fill critical positions from within. Given the
competitive nature of the talent marketplace, organizational capability in
developing leaders internally will provide a distinct strategic advantage for
organizations going forward. In the following chapters this report will
explore how organizations execute their learning programs to generate
these impressive results.
Aberdeen Insights Strategy
Organizations that get the most out of their learning initiatives are also
the ones putting the most into them. Top-performing organizations
simply spend more time on learning and training activities, and involve
more stakeholders in learning programs. On average, employees at Bestin-Class organizations spend about 7.1 days per year in formal training
programs, as compared to 6.7 days for All Other organizations. Of
course, as we will see in Chapter Two, formal training is not the only
component of Best-in-Class learning, but it is important to note the
priority that top-performing organizations seem to place on learning by
devoting more time to it.
These top-performing organizations also extend learning to more groups
inside and outside the organization. Figure 4 below highlights the fact

www.aberdeen.com
Telephone: 617 854 5200

Fax: 617 723 7897

Page 10

that Best-in-Class organizations are significantly more likely to have
dedicated learning programs for individuals at all stages of the employee
lifecycle, as well as to recognize the importance of learning for channel
partners, customers, and even part-time or contingent labor.
Figure 4: Groups with Dedicated Learning Programs
Given the importance organizations place today on developing the next

generation of leaders internally, the fact that Best-in-Class organizations
are 59% more likely (51% vs. 32%) to have dedicated programs for
emerging leaders, and 73% more likely (69% vs. 40%) to have programs
for front-line leaders means that they will have a real advantage in the
future when it comes to sourcing leaders internally. These organizations
must also ensure that they take advantage of learning and development
activities to engage these leaders so that they stay with the company
long-term. Best-in-Class organizations also gain competitive advantage by
focusing on college hires and getting them up to speed quickly. They are
more than twice as likely (34% vs. 15%) to provide dedicated programs
for new college hires. Given the critical skill gaps that

www.aberdeen.com
Telephone: 617 854 5200

Fax: 617 723 7897

Page 11

many organizations are challenged by when it comes to these early
career professionals, Best-in-Class organizations seem to understand that
learning is the secret to overcoming critical skill gaps.
In the next chapter, we will see what the top performers do to achieve
these gains.

www.aberdeen.com
Telephone: 617 854 5200

Fax: 617 723 7897

Page 12
Chapter Two:
Benchmarking Requirements for Success
The right mix of learning strategies, practices, and technologies enables
organizations to achieve business results.
Competitive Assessment
Aberdeen Group analyzed the aggregated metrics of surveyed companies to
determine whether their performance ranked as Best-in-Class, Industry
Average, or Laggard. In addition to having common performance levels, each
class also shared characteristics in five key categories: (1) process (the
approaches they take to execute daily operations); (2) organization
(corporate focus and collaboration among stakeholders); (3) knowledge
management (contextualizing data and exposing it to key stakeholders);
(4) technology (the selection of the appropriate tools and the effective
deployment of those tools); and (5) performance management (the
ability of the organization to measure its results to improve its business).
These characteristics (identified in Table 3) serve as a guideline for best
practices, and correlate directly with Best-in-Class performance across the
key metrics.
Fast Facts
Best-in-Class organizations are:
76% more likely to utilize
user-generated video
content
74% more likely to use twoway video collaboration
tools
54% more likely to use
mobile learning; and
51% more likely to use
social learning tools
in support of their learning
strategies.
Table 3: The Competitive Framework

Best-in-Class
Average
Laggards
Performance goals are agreed to by managers and

employees
Process
86%
69%
Development plans are agreed to by managers and

employees
78%
Organization
78%
70%
62%
Visible senior leadership support for learning and

development efforts
79%
65%
46%
A consistent competency model is used for hiring,

development, and performance management
Knowledge
78%
43%
Learning programs map directly to individual employee

development plans
75%
Technology
48%
39%
39%
HCM technology currently in use:

www.aberdeen.com
Telephone: 617 854 5200

Fax: 617 723 7897

Page 13
Performance
Best-in-Class
Average
Laggards
76% Pre-hire
assessments
69% Employee
self-service
portal for
access to
learning
65% LMS
64% Employee
performance
management
system
60% Post-hire
assessments
49% Pre-hire
assessments
56% Employee
self-service
portal for
access to
learning
47% LMS
61% Employee
performance
management
system
40% Post-hire
assessments
50% Pre-hire
assessments
37% Employee
self-service
portal for
access to
learning
28% LMS
56% Employee
performance
management
system
48% Post-hire
assessments
Managers are held accountable for development

progress of their team members
62%
50%
50%
Capabilities and Enablers

Aberdeens analysis of the Best-in-Class shows that organizations must
support both employees and managers with tools and processes to ensure
effective learning. At all levels of the organization, individuals and their
managers must have a clear understanding of learning goals, and have access
to tools that will enable them to link learning to business priorities.
Process
Companies understand that while HCM and learning technology leads to a
more productive workforce, the active dialogue between employees and
their managers is what truly separates Best-in-Class companies from the
rest of the pack. When a manager can clearly communicate the needs of the
organization and how an employees individual actions relate to the progress
and growth of the company, there is a greater chance of success.
It comes as no surprise that Best-in-Class companies are 15% more likely
(86% vs. 75%) to have managers and employees agree to performance goals,
as well as 15% more likely (78% vs. 68%) to have managers and employees
agree to development plans than All Others. There is a greater chance
employees will be able to execute on their performance goals when they
also understand the development support they will have to reach those
goals. It is also much easier to hold employees and managers accountable
for performance and development progress when they are on the same
page. Similarly, there is a higher likelihood that managers will stay on top of
communication about internal growth when they are held accountable by
senior leadership to track, report, and share employee performance and
development with them and above.
www.aberdeen.com
Telephone: 617 854 5200

Fax: 617 723 7897

Page 14
These organizations also understand that agreeing upon performance and

development goals is just the first step. Employees pursue continual
feedback to ensure that they achieve these goals. Fifty-two percent (52%) of
Best-in-Class companies conduct formal reviews at least annually, and more
than a quarter (28%) of Best-in-Class organizations have informal reviews on
at least a monthly basis. This continual flow of information through formal
and informal channels ensures that employees have a better grasp on their
progress and how their performance is perceived, and managers also can
see where their team members stand.
Organization
In order to maintain effective learning programs, companies dont just need
buy-in from the employees; they also need full support from senior
leadership. Best-in-Class companies are 34% more likely (79% vs. 59%) to
have visible senior leadership support for learning and development efforts
than All Others. This support is important in multiple ways. First of all,
leaders must model the importance of learning through participation in
learning programs themselves and encouraging their direct reports to do
the same. Senior leaders must also work with learning leaders to ensure
that learning programs and content are closely aligned to business priorities.
Learning cannot be siloed, but in order to break down these barriers senior
leaders must ensure that organizational strategy and priorities are clearly
communicated, so they can serve as the core of all learning initiatives.
As noted in Figure 2, many organizations, particularly Laggards, struggle to
link learning to business priorities. Executive leadership support is critical to
overcoming this barrier. One of the reasons top-performing organizations
may find attaining this level of executive support easier is the fact that, as
mentioned earlier, 63% of Best-in-Class organizations indicated they
possessed the ability to link changes in their profitability to their learning
initiatives. Whats more, 23% of Best-in-Class companies noted the link
could be validated through data. This is an important lesson for
organizations struggling to get leadership buy-in. The more learning can be
tied to metrics that are important to the business, such as profitability, the
more likely they will receive leadership attention. And the more closely
linked learning programs are with business priorities, the easier it will be to
measure this impact.
Knowledge Management
As discussed in Chapter 1, Best-in-Class organizations offer more consistent
learning programs throughout the employee lifecycle, because these
companies have determined that learning is vital to their success and engage
individuals and present learning from their first day on the job all the way
through to leadership development. Best-in-Class companies employ two
key differentiators a consistent competency model used for hiring,
development, and performance management and the ability to map learning
programs directly to employee development plans which allows for the
most effective growth of all levels of employees. Having a consistent
www.aberdeen.com
Telephone: 617 854 5200

Fax: 617 723 7897

Page 15
competency model ensures that the business and HR have a common

language by which to discuss and evaluate talent. It also helps individuals see
exactly what is required of them to move to the next level. With a
consistent competency model in place, companies are better equipped to
provide useful performance reviews, develop leaders internally to fill key
positions, and help individuals exceed performance expectations by setting
clear goals than companies without a consistent competency model in place
(Figure 5).
Figure 5: A Consistent Competency Model Pays Off
A consistent competency model lays the foundation for organizational ability

to create consistent learning programs throughout the employee lifecycle
the top strategy identified by Best-in-Class organizations. It is also at the
core of enabling productive conversations between employees and
managers on performance and development goals. And it creates a
consistent model against which to evaluate talent during the hiring,
onboarding, and development process. Once this model is in place, it
becomes far easier to map individual development plans to the right skills
and capabilities to ensure continued individual and organizational
performance.
Technology
Organizations use a wide variety of technologies to support their learning
efforts, but some of the most valuable are focused on understanding the
gaps between individuals capabilities and what is required by the business. In
particular, organizations use pre-hire assessments, notably for college hires,
and post-hire assessments, particularly for senior leadership. Pre-hire
assessments, used by more than three-quarters (76%) of Best-in-Class
www.aberdeen.com
Telephone: 617 854 5200

Fax: 617 723 7897

Page 16
companies, can provide employers with a great deal of insight into the
personal skills, general knowledge, and business acumen of prospective
employees. And of course, having a consistent competency model in place
to guide development gives organizations a basis from which to assess. This
information gives employers a distinct understanding for how much time,
energy, and resources it could take for them to get a candidate up to speed
and ready to contribute. And given the gaps noted previously in college
hires, understanding this investment is critical. Organizations need to
understand which skills and characteristics they will be able to train for, and
which ones they must select for, to ensure that they have candidates who
will be productive quickly. Its also incredibly important to use pre-hire
assessment output to guide learning during the onboarding phase and tailor
this process to focus on what each employee needs to get up to speed.
Fast Facts
51% of current learning
content is estimated to be
unstructured defined as
content learners can access at
will outside of prescribed
learning courses, including
video, chat with subject matter
experts, social learning, etc.
As valuable as assessment tools can be in helping individuals and managers

understand what development is required, organizations also use technology
to help learners access the appropriate information. Best-in-Class
organizations are 86% more likely (69% vs. 37%) to provide employee selfservice access to learning resources. Allowing individuals to take action to
close their learning gaps is the ultimate goal of many learning programs.
There has been an increasing shift towards just in time and informal
learning. Much as individuals have come to expect the ability to Google the
answer to any question they have in their personal life, from how to fix the
dishwasher to how to roast a turkey, they expect to be able to access
learning information they need in the moment. In fact, the scales have tipped
slightly in favor of this sort of unstructured, on-demand content.
Respondents estimated that 51% of their current learning content is
unstructured defined as content learners can access at will outside of
prescribed learning courses, including video, chat with subject matter
experts, social learning, etc. as opposed to structured defined as
traditional coursework of prescribed content. Using technology to allow for
user creation and access of content is a growing trend. The technology
insight section at the end of this chapter explores in more detail some of
the tools organizations use to enable access to learning content.

www.aberdeen.com
Telephone: 617 854 5200

Fax: 617 723 7897

Page 17
Aberdeen Insights Preparing College Hires

Given that 63% of organizations report at least some additional coaching
and training in order to get their new college hires up to speed, it begs
the question, what are these young professionals lacking as they enter the
workforce? The most commonly cited skill or capability gaps, cited by
53% of All Respondents, was that their college hires lack critical thinking
skills, which can be a significant challenge that corporate learning
programs must learn to overcome (Figure 6).
Figure 6: Recent College Graduates Need a Little TLC
Other areas college hires need assistance with include writing,

presentation skills, general business acumen, time management, personal
leadership ability, and industry / domain expertise. The use of a
consistent competency model that helps organizations understand and
quantify the gaps between current capability and organizational
requirements to help guide development is an important tool at all stages.
Organizations should also consider the use of assessment tools to ensure
that they provide a steady stream of employees ready to meet the
changing needs of the business.
Performance Management
Measuring learning has been an age-old challenge. As every part of the
organization today is under increased scrutiny when it comes to spending,
learning programs and learning organizations must ensure that they are
closely linking their processes and tools to business priorities. Its incredibly
important to have business buy-in when defining the metrics by which
learning programs will be measured. Learning leaders know that
www.aberdeen.com
Fast Facts
Best-in-Class organizations are
63% more likely than All Other
organizations to have an LMS in
place to track and administer
learning (classroom, eLearning,
and/or virtual) programs, as
well as planning and tracking
learner progress or activities.
Telephone: 617 854 5200
Fax: 617 723 7897

Page 18
measurements of learning programs must evolve far beyond how many

hours of training are completed and whether or not employees were
satisfied with the formal training course. Learning organizations must
dynamically adapt, and correlate their activities to ongoing improvement in
business results. Working with the business to get buy-in for learning
programs and agreement on key metrics is critically important. One way to
ensure this linkage is to hold managers accountable for the development of
their direct reports. Currently, 62% of Best-in-Class organizations have this
capability in place. When managers are measured on the growth,
development, and even promotion of their direct reports, they will make
learning a priority and start to build a true learning culture throughout the
organization.
Aberdeen Insights Technology
While the LMS (learning management system) has traditionally been the
technology many people associate with learning, many other technologies
are in wide usage today. Best-in-Class organizations are still 63% more
likely than All Other organizations to have an LMS in place (65% vs. 40%)
to track and administer learning (classroom, eLearning, and/or virtual)
programs, as well as planning and tracking learner progress or activities.
But the LMS is only part of the story.
The number one challenge identified by Best-in-Class organizations when
it comes to delivering on their learning strategies was the ability to
deliver learning in ways that appeal to multiple generations and learner
types, with 50% of Best-in-Class organizations citing this as a top
challenge, as compared to just 23% of All Others. Just as Best-in-Class
organizations understand that they need to provide a consistent learning
process at all stages of the career cycle, they also realize they need to
provide learning in multiple formats and modalities. Learning technology
has evolved dramatically in recent years to support the diverse goals of
these organizations. As the consumerization of technology, driven by the
evolution of smart phones, tablets, and the Internet, has changed every
employees expectations, organizations are looking to a multifaceted
approach to learning, with technology playing a starring role.
In this study, Aberdeen asked respondents not only which learning tools
and modalities they used, but which they perceive to be most effective.
As illustrated in Table 4 below, formal and informal coaching and on-thejob training, along with classroom-based, instructor-led training are still
considered among the most effective methods of learning and knowledge
transfer. But the use of e-learning and blended learning strategies that
combine traditional and technology enabled learning are also not only
widely used by Best-in-Class organizations, but also considered to be
quite effective as well.

www.aberdeen.com
Telephone: 617 854 5200

Fax: 617 723 7897

Page 19
Aberdeen Insights Technology

Table 4: Learning Methods and Effectiveness
Best-in-Class
Effectiveness
Best-inClass
Using
All
Others
Using
Formal mentoring / coaching
4.4
99%
91%
Formal on-the-job training
4.14
100%
94%
Informal on-the-job training

(learn by doing)
3.92
100%
97%
Instructor-led, classroombased training
3.57
90%
96%
Blended-learning approach
(combining instructor-led
and eLearning)
3.4
89%
76%
Asynchronous, self-paced
eLearning (e.g., on-demand
online content portal)
3.28
93%
79%
Rated on a scale of 1 to 5, where 1 = least effective and 5 = very effective

It is interesting to note that Best-in-Class organizations are more likely to

use almost every learning modality surveyed, with the exception of
instructor led, classroom-based training. While 90% of Best-in-Class
organizations still use this method, 96% of all other organizations do,
indicating their reliance on traditional methodologies and the fact that
they are far less likely to take blended approaches, or use technology
such as e-learning, video learning, or other technology enabled formats.
In addition to the technologies listed above, Best-in-Class organizations
are 76% more likely to utilize user generated video content (74% vs.
42%), 74% more likely to use two-way video collaboration tools (75% vs.
43%), 54% more likely to use mobile learning (77% vs. 50%), and 51%
more likely to use social learning tools (86% vs. 57%) in support of their
learning strategies. The growth of video, mobile, and social learning, as
well as a focus on collaborating to facilitate learning, has been the
growing trend in learning programs over the past several years. Best-inClass organizations are clearly accelerating their adoption of these critical
strategies.

www.aberdeen.com
Telephone: 617 854 5200

Fax: 617 723 7897

Page 20
Chapter Three:
Required Actions
Whether a company is trying to move its performance in learning from
Laggard to Industry Average, or Industry Average to Best-in-Class, the
following actions will help spur the necessary performance improvements:
Fast Facts
Laggard Steps to Success
78% of Best-in-Class
organizations have a defined
competency model in place
to guide development
activities.
Link learning to business priorities. There are many reasons

why learning and business priorities must be connected. It is how
organizations build executive and managerial buy-in, how learning
organizations can help secure funding for initiatives and technology,
and it is how to ensure that the organization continues to build the
talent it will require to remain competitive in the future. Today just
7% of Laggard organizations have data linking their learning
initiatives to organizational profitability, as compared to 23% of the
Best-in-Class. While clearly this linkage can be difficult to measure
even for top performers, working towards this goal is important for
all organizations.
Consider tools to help track and manage learning. Whether

or not you believe that the rumors of the death of the LMS are
wildly exaggerated or not, it is clear that organizations do need
tools to help them track and administer learning (classroom,
eLearning, and/or virtual) programs, as well as planning and tracking
learner progress or activities. Currently just 20% of Laggard
organizations use an LMS, as compared to 65% of Best-in-Class
companies.
80% of Best-in-Class
organizations take a blended
learning approach.
Industry Average Steps to Success
Define a consistent competency model. The word

competencies can sound daunting to some, but at the end of the day
it simply means having a language by which to talk about the skills,
knowledge, and capabilities required of various career stages and in
various job roles. Having this definition to guide assessment, hiring,
development, and performance management is critical to success.
But today just under half (48%) of Industry Average organizations
have a consistent competency model in place, as compared to 78%
of the Best-in-Class. As noted previously, overcoming this hurdle is
a critical step to move up the maturity curve and allow the
organization to focus on building a continuous learning environment
that supports business performance.
Look to blended learning approaches. Organizations today

must balance structured and unstructured, formal and informal, in
person and virtual, mobile and social aspects to all their learning
programs. Finding ways to blend traditional and technology enabled
learning can help organizations meet the needs of their many

www.aberdeen.com
Telephone: 617 854 5200

Fax: 617 723 7897

Page 21
stakeholders inside and outside the organization. Currently, 77% of

Industry Average organizations take a blended learning approach,
versus 88% of the Best-in-Class. But Best-in-Class organizations are
also finding it be much more effective, breaking it out as one of the
top five most effective learning modalities with a score of 3.4 on a
scale of 1 to 5, where 1= least effective and 5= most effective, as
compared to score of 2.6 among Industry Average organizations. A
focused approach to blended learning would help increase adoption
as well as effectiveness.
Best-in-Class Steps to Success
Continue and enhance mobile and social learning

strategies. Given the rise of unstructured content, and demands of
a multigenerational and often geographically dispersed workforce,
mobile and social learning strategies are critical. While Best-in-Class
organizations are 54% more likely to use mobile learning (77% vs.
50%) and 51% more likely to use social learning tools (86% vs. 57%)
in support of their learning strategies, there is still room to grow.
And the tools that drive mobile access and social interaction are
continuing to evolve. Tablets and smartphones are just the current
iteration of how we access information and collaborate on the go.
To stay ahead of the curve, organizations must continue to focus on
this critical capability as part of their overall learning program.
Focus on leadership development to build sustainable

competitive advantage. Despite looming leadership gaps, and the
fact that the need for more leaders is the number one driver of
learning initiatives today, just 69% of Best-in-Class organizations
have programs in place that are dedicated to front-line leadership
development, and only 51% have dedicated programs for emerging
leaders. Organizational capability to develop great leaders will not
only make an organization a magnet for top talent, it will put the
organization in control of its future by creating an internal talent
pool that will insulate the organization from external leadership
shortages.
Aberdeen Insights Summary
Learning has never been more important to organizational success. With

the failure of colleges and universities to adequately ready the next
generation of our workforce, looming leadership shortages, and the everexpanding network of individuals inside and outside the organization that
can benefit from corporate learning, learning leaders have a lot on their
plate. But adopting the right set of tools and initiatives, guided by
business priority, will enable learning leaders to not only build
organizational capability and improve performance today, but also create
sustainable competitive advantages into the future.

www.aberdeen.com
Telephone: 617 854 5200

Fax: 617 723 7897

Page 22
Appendix A:
Research Methodology
Between July and September 2013, Aberdeen examined the use, the
experiences, and the intentions of more than 180 enterprises learning to
enhance business performance.
Aberdeen supplemented this online survey effort with telephone interviews
with select survey respondents, gathering additional information on learning
strategies, experiences, and results.
Responding enterprises included the following:
Job title: The research sample included respondents with the

following job titles: Manager (26%), Director (23%), Executive
(19%), Consultant (10%), Staff (7%), General Manager / Managing
Director (4%), Partner / Principal (3%), EVP / SVP (2%), Vice
President (2%), Other (2%), CFO (1%), and CIO (1%).
Department / function: The research sample included respondents

from the following departments or functions: Human Resource /
Talent Management (27%), Business Development / Sales (11%),
Corporate Management (9%), Customer Service / Support (9%),
Information Technology (5%), and Marketing (5%).
Industry: The research sample included respondents from various

industries. Industrial equipment manufacturing and software were
tied as the largest industries (11%) of the sample.
Geography: The majority of respondents (58%) were from North

America. Remaining respondents were from Europe (22%), the
Asia-Pacific region (12%), Latin America (Central and South
America, not including Mexico) (3%), Middle East (3%), and Africa
(2%).
Company size: Nineteen percent (19%) of respondents were from

large enterprises (annual revenues above US $1 billion); 30% were
from midsize enterprises (annual revenues between $50 million and
$1 billion); and 50% of respondents were from small businesses
(annual revenues of $50 million or less).
Headcount: Thirty-four percent (34%) of respondents were from

large enterprises (headcount greater than 1,001 employees); 32%
were from midsize enterprises (headcount between 101 and 1,000
employees); and 36% of respondents were from small businesses
(headcount between 1 and 100 employees).

www.aberdeen.com
Study Focus
Responding executives
completed an online survey
that included questions
designed to determine the
following:
The degree to which
learning programs were in
place throughout the
organization
The structure and
effectiveness of existing
learning programs
Current and planned use of
technology to support
learning initiatives and
business performance
The benefits, if any, that have
been derived from learning
initiatives
The study aimed to identify
emerging best practices for
learning and learning
technology, and to provide a
framework by which readers
could assess their own
management capabilities.
Telephone: 617 854 5200

Fax: 617 723 7897

Page 23
Table 5: The PACE Framework Key

Overview
Aberdeen applies a methodology to benchmark research that evaluates the business pressures, actions, capabilities,
and enablers (PACE) that indicate corporate behavior in specific business processes. These terms are defined as
follows:
Pressures external forces that impact an organizations market position, competitiveness, or business
operations (e.g., economic, political and regulatory, technology, changing customer preferences, competitive)
Actions the strategic approaches that an organization takes in response to industry pressures (e.g., align the
corporate business model to leverage industry opportunities, such as product / service strategy, target markets,
financial strategy, go-to-market, and sales strategy)
Capabilities the business process competencies required to execute corporate strategy (e.g., skilled people,
brand, market positioning, viable products / services, ecosystem partners, financing)
Enablers the key functionality of technology solutions required to support the organizations enabling business
practices (e.g., development platform, applications, network connectivity, user interface, training and support,
partner interfaces, data cleansing, and management)
Table 6: The Competitive Framework Key

Overview
The Aberdeen Competitive Framework defines enterprises
as falling into one of the following three levels of practices
and performance:
Best-in-Class (20%) Practices that are the best
currently being employed and are significantly superior to
the Industry Average, and result in the top industry
performance.
Industry Average (50%) Practices that represent the
average or norm, and result in average industry
performance.
Laggards (30%) Practices that are significantly behind
the average of the industry, and result in below average
performance.
In the following categories:

Process What is the scope of process
standardization? What is the efficiency and
effectiveness of this process?
Organization How is your company currently
organized to manage and optimize this particular
process?
Knowledge What visibility do you have into key
data and intelligence required to manage this process?
Technology What level of automation have you
used to support this process? How is this automation
integrated and aligned?
Performance What do you measure? How
frequently? Whats your actual performance?
Table 7: The Relationship Between PACE and the Competitive Framework

PACE and the Competitive Framework How They Interact
Aberdeen research indicates that companies that identify the most influential pressures and take the most
transformational and effective actions are most likely to achieve superior performance. The level of competitive
performance that a company achieves is strongly determined by the PACE choices that they make and how well they
execute those decisions.

www.aberdeen.com
Telephone: 617 854 5200

Fax: 617 723 7897

Page 24
Appendix B:
Related Aberdeen Research
Related Aberdeen research that forms a companion or reference to this
report includes:
Talent Acquisition 2013: Adapt Your Strategy or Fail; September 2013
Take Me to Your Leader: Developing the Leadership Pipeline; June 2013
Three Strategies for Linking Onboarding and Learning Initiatives; May

2013
Assessments 2013: Finding the Perfect Match; April 2013
Strategic Onboarding 2013: A New Look at New Hires; April 2013
Zoom in on Video Learning; February 2013
Human Capital Management Trends 2013: Its a Brave New World;

January 2013
Learning and Performance: Developing for Business Results; October

2012
Information on these and any other Aberdeen publications can be found at

www.aberdeen.com.
Authors: Mollie Lombardi, Vice President and Principal Analyst, Human

Capital Management, (mollie.lombardi@aberdeen.com); Zach Lahey, Senior
Research Associate, Human Capital Management, (zach.lahey@aberdeen.com)
For more than two decades, Aberdeens research has been helping corporations worldwide become Best-in-Class.
Having benchmarked the performance of more than 644,000 companies, Aberdeen is uniquely positioned to provide
organizations with the facts that matter the facts that enable companies to get ahead and drive results. Thats why
our research is relied on by more than 2.5 million readers in over 40 countries, 90% of the Fortune 1,000, and 93% of
the Technology 500.
As a Harte-Hanks Company, Aberdeens research provides insight and analysis to the Harte-Hanks community of
local, regional, national and international marketing executives. Combined, we help our customers leverage the power
of insight to deliver innovative multichannel marketing programs that drive business-changing results. For additional
information, visit Aberdeen http://www.aberdeen.com or call (617) 854-5200, or to learn more about Harte-Hanks, call
(800) 456-9748 or go to http://www.harte-hanks.com.
This document is the result of primary research performed by Aberdeen Group. Aberdeen Groups methodologies
provide for objective fact-based research and represent the best analysis available at the time of publication. Unless
otherwise noted, the entire contents of this publication are copyrighted by Aberdeen Group, Inc. and may not be
reproduced, distributed, archived, or transmitted in any form or by any means without prior written consent by
Aberdeen Group, Inc. (2013a)

www.aberdeen.com
Telephone: 617 854 5200

Fax: 617 723 7897

Closing Skill Gap With Learning

Diunggah oleh

Informasi Dokumen

Hak Cipta

Format Tersedia

Bagikan dokumen Ini

Bagikan atau Tanam Dokumen

Opsi Berbagi

Apakah menurut Anda dokumen ini bermanfaat?

Apakah konten ini tidak pantas?

Hak Cipta:

Format Tersedia

Closing Skill Gap With Learning

Diunggah oleh

Hak Cipta:

Format Tersedia

Newbies to New Leaders

Closing Critical Skill Gaps with Learning

Newbies to New Leaders: Closing Critical Skill Gaps with Learning

83% of employees received performance ratings of exceeds

13% year-over-year improvement in revenue per full-time

Competitive Maturity Assessment

Providing consistent learning and development opportunities

Ensuring that learning efforts are closely tied to business strategy

Involving organizational leadership in both developing and executing

Work with the business to establish a consistent set of

Adopt learning technologies that allow the organization to be

Focus on building internal organizational capability to bring new

Newbies to New Leaders: Closing Critical Skill Gaps with Learning

2013 Aberdeen Group.

Telephone: 617 854 5200

Newbies to New Leaders: Closing Critical Skill Gaps with Learning

Source: Aberdeen Group, October 2013

2013 Aberdeen Group.

Telephone: 617 854 5200

Newbies to New Leaders: Closing Critical Skill Gaps with Learning

As in previous years, the need to realign the organization around shifting

40% of organizations say their college hires will require some

The Maturity Class Framework

Employee Performance. Measured as the percentage of

Leadership Bench Strength. Measured as the percentage of key

2013 Aberdeen Group.

Telephone: 617 854 5200

Newbies to New Leaders: Closing Critical Skill Gaps with Learning

Revenue. Measured as the percent of year-over-year improvement

Table 1: Top Performers Earn Best-in-Class Status

Mean Class Performance

83% of employees received performance ratings of

55% of employees received performance ratings of

34% of employees received performance ratings of

91% of respondents indicate

Source: Aberdeen Group, October 2013

The Best-in-Class PACE Model

Providing consistent learning and development opportunities

Ensuring that learning efforts are closely tied to business strategy,

Involving organizational leadership in both developing and executing

Table 2: The Best-in-Class PACE Framework

2013 Aberdeen Group.

Newbies to New Leaders: Closing Critical Skill Gaps with Learning

support for learning and

2013 Aberdeen Group.

Telephone: 617 854 5200

Newbies to New Leaders: Closing Critical Skill Gaps with Learning

Figure 2: Learning Strategies in Place

Source: Aberdeen Group, October 2013

Part of why these Best-in-Class organizations are able to focus on expanding

Telephone: 617 854 5200

Newbies to New Leaders: Closing Critical Skill Gaps with Learning

Figure 3: The Impact of Best-in-Class Learning

Source: Aberdeen Group, October 2013

Scarcity of talent is a critical issue for all organizations. Organizations with a

2013 Aberdeen Group.

Telephone: 617 854 5200

Newbies to New Leaders: Closing Critical Skill Gaps with Learning

Aberdeen Insights Strategy

Source: Aberdeen Group, October 2013

Given the importance organizations place today on developing the next

2013 Aberdeen Group.

Telephone: 617 854 5200

Newbies to New Leaders: Closing Critical Skill Gaps with Learning