Datr is a company that specialises in providing cloud hosted data analytics. They currently need to rebuild their online platform which uses dated technology that has been in place for ten years. The Head of People Development is meeting with the leadership team to discuss how learning and development can support the project, which is currently the topmost priority for Datr. The Head of People Development wants to create a learning and development strategy to support this and other top priorities. Dave who is the Head of People Development arranges a one-hour meeting with the leadership team (LT) consisting of the CEO, Finance Director, Head of IT, Sales Director, Head of Marketing and HR Director. His aim is to go through the six questions with them to gather information which will form the basis of the learning and development strategy. For this example the focus will be on only the priority of rebuilding Datr’s online platform.
Dave meets with the LT in a nice spacious meeting room with a whiteboard and lots of flipchart paper and pens. Since there are six of them, he splits them into two separate groups of three sitting on different tables as follows:
- Table 1 – CEO, Head of IT and Head of Marketing.
- Table 2 – Finance Director, Sales Director and HR Director.
He introduces the aim of the session as, gathering information that will allow the learning and development team to create a learning and development strategy. Dave explains what a learning and development strategy is and it’s benefits to the organisation (he had already done this at a previous meeting and in an email). In this case Dave is trying reiterate the importance of having a learning and development strategy and to also appreciate them for giving him one hour of their time despite their very busy schedules.
He tells them that to gather the right information they will all go through six questions which will allow him to create a beta (or first version) of the
strategy within two weeks. Some key lessons can be learnt from Dave that are necessary to create an effective learning and development strategy, and they are:
- Start with the senior leadership team. Engage them first and sell them the benefits of having a learning and development strategy by how it will help them achieve their organisational objectives.
- Try and get information from them as a group so that that they all are in agreement.
- Give them a specific time to release a version 1.0 of the strategy
