Enterprise Learning: The New 'Killer App'

The increasing presence on executive staffs of a chief leaning officer or someone with a similar title represents the emerging recognition that an organization's talent is a strategic asset- an essential element in achieving organizational goals. At the same time, businesses are beginning to recognize that having an organized, comprehensive way to develop and manage that talent is a critical element to success. Thus, we are now seeing the growing understanding that putting an effective enterprise learning environment in place will be one of the CLO's most important strategies. Fortunately, the learning industry is coming of age and is beginning to be able to deliver for the CLO.

More than a year ago, industry analysts were predicting that the learning management system (LMS) would become the next enterprise resource planning (ERP) system for major organizations. Unfortunately, much of the early focus was more on the technologies of learning than on the total learning experience. Those were also the days of the "big hype" around e-learning. Most looked at the images on computer screens, the streaming capabilities and the platforms and thought that having good technologies would drive learning success. Of course, technology in learning delivery and management is important, but it wasn't enough by itself to deliver effective enterprise learning environments.

Currently, the emphasis on implementing an effective LMS is shifting to developing and fielding more comprehensive approaches to managing the talent in an organization. Organizations are looking beyond the hype and are focusing more on the returns from investments in learning. This is a more appropriate focus: The real question for the CLO is how to use talent to improve business performance.

What do we mean by "talent management?" It is "the systematic development, planning and application of people, skills, learning and knowledge to maximize individual and organizational performance." Just as ERP and customer relationship management (CRM) are established as an overarching definition of core business practices, ETM (enterprise talent management) should also be considered a core practice.