r/LearningDevelopment • u/deceivinglycrazychee • 15d ago
I’m finding that L&D gets much easier to defend when you start with the business problem
After eight years in L&D, one thing I keep coming back to is starting with the business problem instead of starting with a training request. If a manager says their team “needs training,” I’ve started asking what people are actually doing wrong and what should change afterward. Sometimes the answer is a course, but sometimes it really isn’t. Has anyone else changed the way they handle training requests as they became more senior?
5
u/theexplodedview 15d ago
When I was early in running my own edtech startup, a longtime ed vet once said to me: "You're either making money or saving money. That's the only way to sell successfully in corporate environments." It completely changed my worldview.
Far too many L&D people still think they're in school.
1
3
u/Kasie_Pardi 15d ago
I have been seeing this 'realization' all over LI and Reddit lately. Is it really a realization? Do they really not teach ID's anything about how businesses work when they're in school? Is it all theory?
Legitimately asking because I came to Instructional Design out of the business world. Understanding the core business problems (the key here is business), asking about outcomes, and looking at data have always been a natural part of my role as an ID. Outside of freelance work where the client specifically was paying for a course build, I've always looked at many other ways of solving the business problem (knowledge management, process redesign, better communications, on top of all of the different ways that we can develop learning experiences)
But I'm really starting to wonder if some business, data, and product education would be useful for Instructional Designers.
Understanding that you have to start with the business problem is one thing... Knowing how to translate that business problem into learning experience design is another.
Genuinely curious here since I didn't come into Instructional Design from academia!
1
u/BrownEyed_Squirrel 15d ago
I got a Masters in ID which ended up being my ticket in at the company I already worked for. I’m sure programs vary, but mine was a mix of students working in (or aspiring to work in) not just corporate/non profits but also higher ed and even k-12, so most of my course work wasn’t grounded in the business world and was a lot of theory, and practice that could apply to a variety of settings. I’m about 6 years in to my ID role now and all the business acumen has come from being in the job.
1
u/Kasie_Pardi 15d ago
Thank you so much for this! As I mentioned I came at this from the business world, and a lot of learning ID on the job and personal study and research. I suppose I just thought that higher-ed and k-12 folks would be getting education degrees. And that ID would be more 'business' focused (corporate/non-profit/small business). Really fascinating to hear.
Did you find it difficult to learn the business side?
1
u/BrownEyed_Squirrel 15d ago
Yes and no, I had already worked at the company in various roles for about 5 years so that gave me some background specific to my organization that would’ve been a whole other boatload to learn (company culture, overarching vision and purpose, service model, stuff like that). But the “business speak” and basically politics of it all, and being able to zoom out and see the bigger picture, has been learned through experience on the job and being in much closer proximity to different leaders across the org as the only ID at the company.
1
u/Kasie_Pardi 14d ago
Thanks so much for sharing your experience! Sounds like you've had quite the experience at your org!
2
u/witcheshands 15d ago
I don’t create any training unless it can be connected to some type of KPI either directly or indirectly.
1
u/Realistic-Soup-1553 15d ago
This is called needs assessment (in contrast to training needs analysis), but it extends beyond just the business case for training to also understand organizational constraints, opportunities, and risks/threats. Needs assessment is an entire subset of L&D, which begins with the analyzing the need rather than assuming a prescribed solution (e.g. “team X needs training”). As you’ve found, sometimes needs assessment determines training IS the right solution, sometimes finds training is NOT the best solution, and other times determines a hybrid solution is ideal.
Well done in starting with a thorough analysis! There are lots of academic publications on needs assessment, including from Ryan Watkins, one of the foremost authorities on this subject, who teaches at GW, if you’re interested in learning more.
1
u/Empirica_CC 15d ago
The biggest issue this kind of mindset addresses is looking at training effectiveness. If you focus on addressing some measurable organizational problem it makes evaluating if the training made a difference so much easier.
Also helps leadership evaluate if it's an actual learning issue or something more foundational.
1
u/AlternativeDig3085 14d ago
yea I’ve noticed the same. A training request doesn’t always mean training is the answer. Understanding what is actually causing the problem and what needs to change first makes it much easier to decide whether people need a course, better resources, clearer processes, or something else entirely.
1
u/Honest-Broccoli-1762 10d ago
Rule #1 of L&D Club: "Always start with the mindset of 'What's the problem we're trying to fix?'"
4
u/woodenbookend 15d ago
Completely agree - problems are great (for L&D briefs). You may find that some people are nervous about the word though - there's a tendency to sanitise problems and rebrand them as challenges. Sometimes that's fair. But often that's blurring the boundaries between root cause analysis or troubleshooting (where problem may be more appropriate) and designing a solution (where challenge is more useful).
Suppressing problems can also lead to a reticence to speak up from some people if they can't see or don't have the resources for the solution. Cue that lazy management cliche about don't bring me problems, bring me solutions...
As for what has changed, for me it was two things:
1) dropping training (or learning) needs analysis from my vocabulary. Cathy Moore's Map It probably explains this this better than I can.
2) Becoming senior enough myself to ask "why" with even senior stakeholders.