December 2011

More than three-quarters of companies are using e-learning resources to boost the leadership and management skills of their workforce, according to a recent study by Towards Maturity, an independent organisation that helps to improve the impact of learning technologies at work.

Research showed that online learning technologies are increasingly becoming a vital part of standard working practices and that more and more company chief executives are implementing them into their training schemes. 80% of businesses are using e-learning courses and 66% are using video-based content to improve skills in workshops and training sessions.

Laura Overton, managing director of Towards Maturity, said: "Our in-depth study has highlighted how new ways of learning are making a significant difference to the skills that businesses really need to survive and thrive - from leadership development to getting new products out to market quicker."

She explained that many firms are reluctant to embrace the new technologies due to bad experiences in the past, but that they should be encouraged by the success stories of many companies that have taken on more modern learning approaches and have gained a lot of insight and development through them. The study concluded that 25% more companies were using e-learning as part of their working day compared to figures collected in 2008.

Educational psychologist Teresa Bliss suggested that technology is beneficial for improving skills and can be a highly motivational tool for employees as well as heads of businesses. She commented that it can also be a valuable tool to provide a fun and interactive way for new employees to learn. "If modern technology helps children and young people, particularly those who struggle, to acquire the necessary skills of decoding to enable them to become efficient readers then so much the better," Ms Bliss added.

Employers that offer the most flexible training and working environments will attract the best talent, according to Jonathan Swan, research and policy manager at Working Families, the UK's leading work-life balance organisation.

He suggests that businesses looking to head-hunt the best people for their workforce may like to invest in an e-learning strategy to attract them. Easy ways to train, and simple, user-friendly methods of completing a job are mostly favoured by employers, according to Swan. "People will go to the employer who offers the best terms and conditions in terms of flexible working. The demand is there for flexible working. Employers that can match that demand stand to do well because they stand to attract the best people," he said.

Flexible working can include an interchangeable pattern of employment as well as the incorporation of new and innovative products such as online learning, which is becoming a solid foundation for training in many businesses and large organisations.

Mr. Swan explained that people tend to be more productive if there is better understanding and co-operation between employee needs and the means in which employers meet them. This will encourage the workers to be more committed to their employer and result in better performance.

David Patterson, director of e-learningcentre.co.uk, commented that companies should look to simple systems for online staff training programmes whereby the learner can easily access the required information and improve their working abilities. He mentioned that more complex modern technologies with low usability could discourage potential employers from getting involved.

Most executives have a very varied, stimulating and demanding working life. They are faced with multiple challenges and opportunities every day. Coaching can not only help executives to deal with these challenges and opportunities – it can also help executives to learn from them. This is the viewpoint of Nicky Little, head of leadership development at Cirrus, a leadership consultant.

Executive coaching is usually a standalone activity to help senior leaders to tackle specific issues and challenges, states Little. However, there is a great deal of value to be gained from using coaching to embed learning as part of a leadership development programme. Few executives today regularly take time away from the office to engage in structured learning programmes. But executives can benefit from opportunities to learn on a daily basis. Coaching can help to highlight these opportunities and to focus the executives on identifying learning which can be applied to future situations.

For example, an executive may have had a challenging, confrontational conversation with a colleague. He or she may wish to learn from that in order to handle a similar situation more successfully in future. The coach can help the executive to identify what was successful about the exchange and what could be done differently in order to achieve a more positive outcome next time.

When an executive has taken part in a formal learning and development programme, coaching can help the executive personalise learning, explore working context and develop strategies for dealing with challenging situations. Through coaching, the executive can link the learning to individual goals and apply new learning to particular situations, sustain learning momentum and evaluate what is different. Coaches often act as confidants, providing a balance of support and challenge to work through difficult situations, often using the tools and techniques such as 360-degree feedback and psychological preference questionnaires from the learning programme. The coach can help the executive agree how to put new learning into practice, and then review how successfully this has been achieved. This can also help to increase the return on investment in learning by linking the learning to specific outcomes.

Developing a coaching culture

An example of linking a coaching culture to organisational strategy may be an organisation which is aiming to boost innovation as a competitive advantage. A culture of coaching, where colleagues encourage each other to ask questions, take risks and experiment with new ways to achieve goals, can help to increase innovation in very real ways.

Leaders are role models. If executives demonstrate that they are open to new ideas and appreciative of coaching support in order to develop new ways of working, others in the organisation will notice. Telling others that the organisation is going to develop a coaching culture simply doesn’t work. Showing them that it can often does.

To develop a coaching culture, all leaders and managers need to learn the skills of coaching. If executives themselves sponsor the development programme, they are displaying real commitment to coaching. Executives are much more likely to do this if they themselves have benefitted from effective one to one coaching.

When it comes to evaluating the success of coaching cultures, the involvement of executives is also key. They can help determine what ‘success’ looks like in relation to strategic goals, and ensure that evaluation and measurement is taken seriously.

A coaching culture can deliver multiple benefits: it can, as suggested, boost innovation. It can help ease the passage of any type of organisational change and help to achieve strategic aims. If coaching becomes deeply embedded in company culture, it can remain a constant and a stabilising influence during tough and traumatic times.

A coaching culture tends not to be a negative blame culture because it encourages individuals to take responsibility. A coaching culture is a positive, open and supportive one.