iDesignX Conference - 25 Feb 2015 Presentation focusing on the importance of Performance Consulting and Business Alignment when designing learning interventions.

1. Designing for Performance
25th
February
Melbourne Convention Centre

2. Designing for Performance
Our Agenda Today:
 Elements of Performance
 Performance Consultancy
 Alignment to Business

3. Designing for Performance
Scenario:
Executive sets strategy and goals - where do we want to be
Business Units determine desired performance in alignment with org. – how
are we going to get there
BUT after a few weeks / months we get this:
Business Unit: Goals/Outcomes not achieved – Need to improve our
performance
Action: Let’s call L&D to assist us with this poor performance
Question: So what is the role of the L&D professional in such situations?
HOW CAN WE ENSURE WE DESIGN FOR PERFORMANCE

4. Designing for Performance
Elements of Performance:
Organisational Factors:
• Lack of resources
• Noise or other disturbances
• Office politics
Personal Factors:
• Stress
• Illness
• Family / Personal Issues
KNOWLEDGE – SKILLS – MOTIVATION - ENVIROMENT

5. Designing for Performance
Donald Taylor (@donaldhtaylor) at Ozlearn Tweet Chat 10
Feb. 2015, based on an analysis of LPI Capability Map:
https://donaldhtaylor.wordpress.com/2015/02/06/the-ld-skills-gap-on-ozlearn-chat/
‘Communication, marketing and relationship management’
remains among the seven least popular skills, and yet to my
mind is now essential for every L&D department and
professional. The reason: it’s core to performance
consulting – an essential facet of L&D today.
The LPI Learning Capability Map is a description of the 27 skills of the L&D
profession, arranged over 4 levels.

6. Designing for Performance
What is ‘Performance Consulting’:
•Performance consulting allows you to take a broader and deeper perspective of the
issue and develop a solution that will lead to improved performance.
Some other definitions:
•‘Performance Consulting is a process used by L&D and HR Business Partners to
understand the real business problems behind requests for people solutions’
(Harrison, 2008).
•‘A performance consultant is a professional who focuses on what people do (their
performance) and then considers what it takes (in skills, knowledge, and a range of
workplace resources) to do that well’ (Broad, 2005)

7. Designing for Performance

8. Designing for Performance
http://www.slideshare.net/MikeKunkle/trainer-vsperformanceconsultanthighleveloverview

9. Designing for Performance
Image courtesy of :
https://www.702010forum.com/Po
sts/view/l-d-capability-
performance-consulting
Download Performance
Consulting Aide
Memoir:
https://www.702010forum.c

10. Designing for Performance
Traditional needs analysis and learning design only goes so far -
mainly focused on training for knowledge or skill acquisition.
 Approximately only 20% of performance problems relate to lack
of knowledge and skill.
Performance Consulting will ensure that all the elements of
performance (knowledge – skill – motivation– environment) are
identified and an holistic solution is developed
BUT WAIT THERE IS MORE…

11. Designing for Performance
No matter how good the performance consulting is, unless
you have strong alignment to business then your learning
design will not maximize your value-add.
According to 2007 Aberdeen Group report “Learning &
Development Aligning Workforce with Business”, those
business that achieve workforce alignment enjoy 77%
increase in employee productivity.
http://aberdeen.com/aberdeen-library/4120/RA-workforce-business-objectives.aspx
- no longer available on site but can obtain via email request

12. Designing for Performance
Towards Maturity 2014-15 Benchmark Study:
Modernising Learning Delivering Results
Fig. 9 : 87% sought these drivers, but only 31% of those seeking a benefit achieved them
Major drivers sought by learning leaders by investing in technology were to support
organisational change, improve customer satisfaction, increase on the job productivity
http://www.towardsmaturity.org/article/2014/11/05/modernising-learning-delivering-results-2014/

13. Designing for Performance
Institute for Learning Professionals / Shape Consulting:
How effectively L&D service delivery meets organisational needs:
Disruptive L&D Report – December 2014:
http://ilpworldwide.org/disruptive-report

14. Designing for Performance
Access LPI Pathways to Excellence web site
L&D departments are pretty good at the day to day operational stuff and service
delivery, but not so good at facilitating a learning culture, reporting on the value we
add and alignment with business

15. Designing for Performance

16. Designing for Performance
Three key ingredients of alignment are:
Clarity
Knowing and understanding the plans and priorities of the business
Ensuring the business knows and understands how the L&D function is
supporting these plans and priorities.
Consistency
If you’ve said something is important – clarity – then keep reiterating this in
a continual and consistent manner
Don’t say one thing and do another
Commitment
Business providing adequate funding / resources for agreed interventions
L&D executing and delivering interventions as as agreed.
Jonathan Kettleborough (@jkettleborough)
http://www.jonathankettleborough.com/getting-alignment-learning-live/

17. Designing for Performance
Summary:
1.How are learning solutions currently developed or brokered
at your organisation?
1.How do you ensure all elements have been considered
(knowledge, skill, motivational and environmental) so as the
learning design is focused on performance improvement?
1.Have you aligned your design to the business:
Clarity – Consistency - Commitment.

18. Designing for Performance
Performance Consulting
+
Alignment to Business
=
Designing for Performance

19. Designing for Performance
Key References:
Broad, M.L. 2005, ‘Beyond transfer of training. Engaging systems to improve performance’,
Pfeiffer
Harrison, N. 2008, ‘How to be a true Business Partner by Performance Consulting’, Download
the Performance Consulting model here
Note: Webinar with Nigel Harrison 5 May
Kettleborough, J. 2012 “Seeing Eye to Eye”, Authorhouse
Jonathan’s Alignment Pack:http://www.jonathankettleborough.com/wp-
content/uploads/2014/09/Alignment-Pack.pdf
Contact:
Con Sotidis CAHRI, FLPI, MATD
Learning And Performance Consultant
Mobile: +61 (0) 417 305-284
Email: kotch62@msn.com
Twitter: @learnkotch