Laura Overton, MD of Towards Maturity talkes about the business benefits of benchmarking, and how benchmarking will help the Consortium shape future workshops, so they meet member needs - Corporate eLearning Consortium inaugural meeting on 28th March 2012

1. Benchmarking for e-learning success
3 simple steps for delivering results
with learning technologies
28th March 2012
Lauraoverton

2. When it comes to technology and learning we have
Lauraoverton
high expectations

3. So what does success look like to you?
select the answer that resonates the most with your business right now
1. Proving compliance
2. Cost effective 26% 26%
3. Better learning
outcomes 19%
15%
4. Staff up and running
11%
faster
5. Improved sharing
4%
6. Respond faster to
changing needs 1 2 3 4 5 6

4. What challenges are you currently
facing?
1. Lack of skills to
46%
implement
2. Cost
3. IT infrastructure 27%
4. Staff reluctance
5. Poor past 15%
experience 8%
4%
1 2 3 4 5

5. Benchmarking for e-learning
success
Establish Improve
Set strategy
baseline performance
• Definition : Benchmarking is the process of comparing
business processes and performance metrics to industry
Lauraoverton bests and/or best practices from other industries.

6. Those that benchmark don’t have to
reinvent the wheel! (Parker 96)
Benchmarking
involves:
Setting a baseline
Learning lessons from
top performers &
those further along
the journey
Seek to improve
personal best
Lauraoverton www.towardsmaturity.org/2011benchmark
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7. Benchmarking
informal
Systematic approach
comparing
Formal
• Performance indicators
• Effective practices of top
Lauraoverton performer
www.towardsmaturity.org/2011benchmark
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8. What best describes your experience of
benchmarking to date?
1. We share best practice 39%
(benchmark) informally 36%
2. We take part in formal
benchmark studies
3. Benchmarking is an
important performance 14%
11%
improvement tool for us
4. We don’t benchmark on
a regular basis
1 2 3 4

9. History with 1800 organisations
Why are some business organisations more successful in
using technology in learning than others?
Towards Maturity Benchmark Reports
• Linking • Towards • Driving • Accelerating • Boosting
Learning to Maturity Business performance Business
Business Benefit agility
Lauraoverton All slides with blue chevrons in this session draw on
latest 2011 benchmark research

10. Performance benchmarks from 2011
studies:
• 35% improvement in time to
competency
• 32% faster roll out of new
IT applications
• 32% improvement in ability
to change products and
processes
• 39% reduction in delivery
time
• 31% reduction in study
time Use external benchmarks :
• 26% cost saving To help set targets
For comparison
Lauraoverton To stimulate conversations within business
www.towardsmaturity.org/2011benchmark
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11. Where are you currently on your
elearning adventure?
1. Novice user
32%
2. Sporadic user
29%
3. Developing a strategy
4. Technology is
embedded in our 18%
learning 14%
5. Learning technologies
7%
are an established part
of doing business
1 2 3 4 5
Maturity matters

12. 8 years of benchmarking
16% (12%)
22% (23%)
Embedded
31% (39%)
Established
19% (20%)
Developing
12% (7%)
Sporadic
Novice TM Index
We consistently find those mature in their use of learning technologies
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report more benefits. The TM index is a single indicator of maturity.

13. Effective practice benchmarks
Towards Maturity model – 6 strands of effective
practices consistently modelled by top performers
http://tinyurl.com/TMModel
TM Indicator
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14. Bottom Quartile 3rd 2nd Top Quartile
1 100
What difference does mature
implementation strategy make?
Each organisation is now given a single TM index so we can see where they sit in comparison
with others on a scale of 1 to 100.
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15. Bottom Quartile 3rd 2nd Top Quartile
1 100
2x audience take up
33% additional cost saving
50% additional saving in study time
6x decrease in time to proven competency
6x more likely to report increased productivity
3 x as likely to report improved customer satisfaction
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16. 3 simple steps to delivering results
with Learning Technologies
So what are they?
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17. The essence of Benchmarking
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18. Lauraoverton www.towardsmaturity.org/2011benchmark
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19. Try this out – where do you stand?
Review
1. There is an organisation-wide strategy for
technology enabled learning
2. Learners consider e-learning to be good for their
careers
3. Our learning technologies enable learners to
communicate and learn from each other
4. We identify and train local champions to act as
agents for change
5. We measure business metrics when evaluating
effectiveness
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20. Review
Disagree ??? agree
So how do you compare?
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21. Compare
No 1 - 26%
agree - There is an
organisation-wide strategy for technology
80%
enabled learning
70%
60%
50%
40%
67% top
30% performers
agree
20%
10%
0%
Bottom Lower (3) Upper (2) Top
Quartile quartile quartile Quartile
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22. No 2 -15% agree - Learners
Compare consider e-learning to be good for
their careers
49%
top
performers
agree
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23. Compare No 3 - 16%
agree - Our
learning technologies enable
learners to communicate and learn
from each other
How Dixons Retail encouraged sharing and collaboration as
53%
part of strategy – visit ow.ly/9Vu7n top
performers
agree
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24. No 4- 29% agree - We identify
and train local champions to act as
Compare agents for change
74% top
performers
Engaging learning champions - practical tips from agree
National Autistic Society ow.ly/9Vua0
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25. No 5 - 17%
agree - We
Up
Compare measure specific business metrics 4%
when evaluating the effectiveness of
learning technologies
54% top
performers
agree
For more information visit - ow.ly/9VtU5
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26. Act!
As a result of what
I have found out
in this exercise, I
am now going
to...
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27. Benchmarking with the Consortium
Review and Reflect
• Participation in the Annual
Industry benchmark
Compare
• With consortium members
• With sector
• With top performers
Learn
• Workshops
• Case studies
• Sector examples
Apply
• Action planning

28. Example Workshops
• Developing an e-learning strategy
• Getting noticed, getting buy in –
stakeholder engagement
• Building Blends that work
• User Generated Content –
capturing and sharing great practice
• Engaging the business – promotions
that work
• Demonstrating Value

29. Does this
approach deliver?
Review – 90 % agree that the workshop programme is relevant because it
is informed by research
Compare – 96% value the opportunity to learn from other sectors
– 94% say they have provide opportunities to learn from peers
– 94% agree the consortium workshops provide practical ideas
ACT – 72% have applied ideas back at work
– 63% have seen improved impact as a result

30. What element of consortium
benchmarking would add most value to
you?
1. Formal benchmark 67%
process to identifying
strengths and
weaknesses
2. Targeted, collaborative
workshops
3. Opportunities to learn
13% 13%
directly from peers 8%
4. All of the above
1 2 3 4

31. Resources via the consortium
• Awareness
– Benchmark centre
– www.towardsmaturity.or
g/mybenchmark
– Research
– Case studies
– www.towardsmaturity.org
– Latest research
– www.towardsmaturity.org/
2011research
Lauraoverton www.towardsmaturity.org/2011benchmark
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