Colonization of Learning & development functions by business lines as a criterion of Center of Expertise maturity - an introduction to the discussion
Is the colonization of some parts of the center of expertise (CoE) function by business lines a sign of poor L&D department performance or structural misunderstanding? (See. Goodbye Center of Expertise — Why two pillars are just fine). Or perhaps it is a natural process and can be understood as a consequence of fruitful cooperation and at the same time one of primary CoE L&D task. The prerequisite for increasing business self-reliance in the L&D area is, on the one hand, the development of technology and automation of the process, which to some extent, embody L&D expertise, and on the other hand, the embedding of expertise between the HRBP and the business, which is the responsibility of the L&D CoE. Nowadays, business units are rapidly taking over elements of individual support functions and no one is surprised. This text will present a positive scenario of business taking over some CoE L&D functions and roles arguing through a better understanding of what the CoE is.
What is the difference between an expert L&D center and a classic L&D department?
One of the major differences is that an L&D CoE plays the role of consultant, so by definition it does not conduct projects for the business like a classic L&D department, but supports the business in implementing their own projects. Transforming the L&D department into an expert center is a process that requires long-term education of the internal customer and development of technology to automate L&D and HR analytics processes. Some of the tasks will leave to people services and some to chapters and business leaders. Already such assumptions lead to the need to define a basic framework for CoE L&D operations, which consists of:
A. Structure of solutions.
A flexible structure of solutions within which a business customer can develop the optimal system for implementing L&D functions within the challenges of the business unit. The solutions adopted include both platforms and tools for managing individual development, forms of learning (e.g., social learning), processes and procedures, and mechanisms for workforce analysis; supply and demand.
B. Service delivery model.
L&D's consulting service delivery process is based on HR business partnering. Expert services are provided to business leaders, with a focus on mid-level leaders, who have the greatest impact on the implementation of L&D functions.
C. Clearly defined services.
Consulting services covering the entire talent process, such as:
- Services related to positioning development activities as an employer brand differentiator;
- Services related to the recruitment and onboarding process, such as the development of a behavioral interview script based on key behaviors in recruitment and individualized onboarding;
- Services related to diagnosing future skills and key behaviors for projects supporting strategic business change;
- Services related to leveraging the existing learning ecosystem as part of specific business unit learning challenges and L&D strategy planning for BUs;
- Services related to learning behavior research and qualitative analysis on the basis of the organization development dashboard.
D. Operational model linking the most relevant processes and values of the L&D self-growing ecosystem.
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Source: Own elaboration
The operating model illustrates the relationship between the need identification process, services and the learning ecosystem. It contributes to the discussion of ecosystem bottlenecks, the dissimilarity of L&D functions across business lines, and the evolving maturity of business need.
The decline in the importance of operational consulting is leading to the development of strategic consulting as the next step in the professionalization of CoE L&D. Automation in L&D solutions is clearly moving toward skill development design systems that are so user-friendly that the business will create the learning journey and plan the transfer of learning to the workplace with great ease on its own. The decline in the importance of the CoE operational tasks is leading to the relevance of its analytical work capabilities and learning leadership. In other words, the development of the L&D expert center depends on agile data analysis, that is, the availability of data on demand, while the L&D CoE will study the use of resources on L&D against HR indicators, thus practicing organizational development consulting. An example of such L&D consulting would be to analyze the allocation of resources to the various elements of a strategic L&D project, for example, analyzing whether the post-training implementation phase represents an expenditure of time, energy and resources in about 50% of the total project resources? - and this is an important performance indicator. Another task of the CoE will be to facilitate the development of the L&D function in the business through an innovation diffusion map that illustrates which L&D solutions are independently used by the business unit, which solutions require support from the CoE, which solutions are in the testing phase, and which solutions are part of the future trend. Such a perspective leads to new understanding of the CoE's role as a body that examines the maturity of the L&D function in business units and playing the role of a think tank for organization development.