Best practices to ensure the maximum ROI in learning and development

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to outline a practical approach to best practice in corporate learning and development (L&D) – within the context of measuring the return on investment (ROI) of any piece of learning.

Design/methodology/approach

Report of a webinar, augmented with other research and observations.

Findings

Employee development is at the top of CEO priority lists – at least in the USA. While there are a number of ways by which a learner can acquire the knowledge and skills to develop her/himself, there are four approaches to learning and development (L&D) activity particularly worth investigating from an ROI perspective. In terms of learning, size matters. Learning stands a better chance of being assimilated and applied if it is miniaturised – and adheres to five “best practice” strategies.

Practical implications

Organisations can increase the effectiveness of their L&D activities – along with their return on investment (ROI) in learning if they follow five “best practice” strategies. These should be: Aligned to organisational objectives, Self-paced and learner-focused, Designed to embed learning into workflow, granular, bite-sized, chunked learning, Delivered via a multi-media approach – using a blend of video, graphics, audio, text and which is made available to the learner via a choice of delivery media to suit the learner's learning preferences, tastes and needs as well as the available delivery technology.

Originality/value

As above. The paper also outlines some of the key issues in seeking to measure the ROI of learning objectively.

Citation

Little, B. (2014), "Best practices to ensure the maximum ROI in learning and development", Industrial and Commercial Training, Vol. 46 No. 7, pp. 400-405. https://doi.org/10.1108/ICT-08-2014-0051