A governance structure in L&D is a move from implicit to explicit practices. It brings rigour and structure to decision-making practices that would otherwise be nebulous and ill-defined. It is a recognition that L&D is, fundamentally, a strategic function – equally critical for the organisation’s growth and for its survival in turbulent times. But it doesn’t exist in every L&D team.

In this episode, Noah and Tom break down why it is essential and how we, as L&D, get to grips with it.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Governance aligns L&D more closely with business objectives and ensures consistent, scalable impact.

• The decision on where the L&D budget is spent has to be made by the business so that the budget can be allocated to training that generates profit.

• Governance includes careful management of your key constituencies and relationships.

• Alignment, communication, consistency, planning, measurement, execution, tracking, and project management are all equally important.

• Ask yourself what does better look like? Properly define what you are aiming for.

• New technologies are not always better, be sure to properly assess them.

• Good governance is never 100% done, it is an ongoing process.

• Taking a “solid core, flexible edges” approach to governance works well for most organizations.

• Be brave. It´s worth a little bit of pain to make big gains.

BEST MOMENTS

“Governance is about aligning learning to the strategic objectives and needs of the business… so that you can demonstrate the value of that learning function.”

“You have to create consistency in the learner experience .”

“AI is going to be a lightning rod.”

“Shiny object syndrome is the enemy of good governance.”

“We not only define what governance is, but we define what's what it's not.”

Noah Rabinowitz Bio

With 25+ years of experience in learning and leadership development, Noah has been Chief Learning Officer at Intel and Moderna and consulted globally with Korn Ferry and Deloitte. He specializes in innovative learning strategies, executive development, and large-scale digital upskilling programs, driving impactful results across industries.

Tom Kupetis Bio

Tom brings over 25 years of management consulting and learning solutions experience with Fortune 500 companies. As Executive Vice President at St. Charles Consulting Group, he oversees the firm’s go-to-market strategy. Previously, he held senior roles at Xerox Learning Services and Intellinex LLC (EY subsidiary).

Report: https://learningforum.substack.com/p/clo-lift-governance-as-a-strategic

VALUABLE RESOURCES

The Learning And Development Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-learning-development-podcast/id1466927523

L&D Master Class Series: https://360learning.com/blog/l-and-d-masterclass-home/

ABOUT THE HOST

David James

David has been a People Development professional for more than 20 years, most notably as Director of Talent, Learning & OD for The Walt Disney Company across Europe, the Middle East & Africa.

As well as being the Chief Learning Officer at 360Learning, David is a prominent writer and speaker on topics around modern and digital L&D.

CONTACT METHOD

• Twitter:  https://twitter.com/davidinlearning/

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidjameslinkedin/

• L&D Collective: https://360learning.com/the-l-and-d-collective/

• Blog: https://360learning.com/blog/

• L&D Master Class Series: https://360learning.com/blog/l-and-d-masterclass-home/

CLOs today must ask: Is our work building lasting, relevant skills right now? Are we delivering business impact? Is the work building or diminishing L&Ds effectiveness and credibility? If the answer to any of these questions is no, then perhaps it is time for a skills accelerator approach. This is the title of a CLO Lift report and in this episode, we unpack what it means and why it’s critical to us, in L&D, but more importantly to our organisations and employees.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• L&D professionals need to become true business partners instead of just trainers and focus on the development aspect of their role.
• When you focus on data you are effective, and the rest of the business understands that data.
• Leverage AI and simulations to deliver fast.
• Understand the relevance of each skill. What is it about that skill or new technology that will enable the learner to do their job better?
• When your business does something new, be a part of the rollout so truly relevant learning is available from the start.

BEST MOMENTS

“Capability building can't just be through learning programs. It needs to be truly employee-centric.”

“If we can spend less time churning content, we'll be able to spend more time developing people.”

“The scope of an L&D leader can no longer be just what training program.”

Heather Stefanski

Heather Stefanski is a Partner and Chief Learning and Development Officer at McKinsey & Company, overseeing Learning & Development for 45,000+ global colleagues and leading the People Data and Analytics Teams.

During 28 years at McKinsey, she has held various roles in talent acquisition, professional development, and learning. She has an MBA and MA in Education from Stanford University, and a BS in Engineering and Operations Research from Princeton University.

Bjorn Billhardt

Bjorn Billhardt is co-author of The 12-Week MBA and CEO of Abilitie which has trained 100,000 learners in 50 countries, including rising leaders at Fortune 500 companies like Coca-Cola and GE.

He also co-founded Enspire Learning a custom e-learning development company and was a consultant and corporate trainer for McKinsey & Company.

Bjorn holds a BA from the University of Texas and an MBA from Harvard Business School. He has served on multiple boards, including The Magellan International School, Spa Partisan, the Advisory Board of the University of Texas at Austin School for Undergraduate Studies and the UT-HDO Program.

Report: https://learningforum.substack.com/p/clo-lift-the-skills-accelerator

VALUABLE RESOURCES

The Learning And Development Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-learning-development-podcast/id1466927523

L&D Master Class Series: https://360learning.com/blog/l-and-d-masterclass-home

ABOUT THE HOST

David James

David has been a People Development professional for more than 20 years, most notably as Director of Talent, Learning & OD for The Walt Disney Company across Europe, the Middle East & Africa.

As well as being the Chief Learning Officer at 360Learning, David is a prominent writer and speaker on topics around modern and digital L&D.

CONTACT METHOD

• Twitter:  https://twitter.com/davidinlearning
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidjameslinkedin
• L&D Collective: https://360learning.com/the-l-and-d-collective
• Blog: https://360learning.com/blog
• L&D Master Class Series: https://360learning.com/blog/l-and-d-masterclass-home