Overreliance on completion metrics tops list of barriers, as leaders expect a gradual measurement shift
More than half of HR and learning and development (L&D) leaders are now expected to show how learning contributes to business outcomes, but many say they lack the data to make that case, according to new research.
The report, The Workforce Enablement Era, released by learning technology company Go1, found that 55% of surveyed HR and L&D leaders are asked to demonstrate business outcomes from learning. This is in addition to engagement, compliance, participation and completion, which remain common measures.
Seventy-nine per cent of the HR and L&D leaders said they face some or a great deal of pressure to show learning's impact on the business.
The report argued that traditional metrics only go so far.
"Activity data can show that learning took place, but it provides limited evidence of what employees can apply in their work," it said.
Barriers to measuring impact
Asked what makes it difficult to connect learning activity with business outcomes, respondents most commonly cited overreliance on completion metrics (38%).
Lack of data, disconnected systems and manual reporting were each cited by 34%. Other identified barriers include:
- Limited executive alignment (33%)
- Limited manager input (29%)
- Unclear business priorities (26%)
- Lack of signals about employee confidence (24%)
"HR and L&D teams are being asked to connect learning with business outcomes, but the data, systems and input from managers and business leaders needed to make that connection are not always available," the report stated.
Ben Eubanks, chief research officer at Lighthouse Research & Advisory, said in a statement released alongside the report that the challenge is a long-standing one.
"The age-old problem of learning has been to connect development to outcomes and value," he said.
Visibility linked to confidence
The research also found a link between visibility into capability gaps and confidence in existing metrics.
Among HR and L&D leaders with a great deal of visibility into emerging gaps, 79% were very confident that current learning metrics show workforce readiness. Only 13% of those with some or less visibility shared that confidence.
The report cautioned that the results "show an association, not causation."
It framed readiness as whether employees can "apply the right skills, knowledge and behaviours when their work requires them."
"Readiness is not captured by a single measure," the report said, adding that it may draw on evidence of confidence, capability, application and behaviour change, as well as input from managers and functional leaders.
An L&D specialist in financial services, interviewed for the report, described looking beyond course data to how employees actually perform.
"Through errors and observations, we're able to go out to different lines of business and observe how people are working during training and after training," the specialist said.
A gradual shift
Despite the pressure, leaders do not expect activity metrics to disappear any time soon.
Nearly half (46%) believe the future of L&D will be measured evenly between learning activity and workforce outcomes. Another 34% expect activity to remain the larger focus, while 20% expect workforce outcomes to become the primary measure.
"For HR and L&D teams, the shift is not about abandoning activity measures," the report said. "It is about connecting them with evidence of what people can do and where further support is needed."
