Using 360 to measure ROI of L&D

In our blog post last week, we looked at how information from 360 can be re-used and re-purpose to help pinpoint and focus Learning & Development resource.

This week we look at how it can help demonstrate the ROI of L&D interventions.

It makes logical sense to use the 360 as a ‘before and after measure’ on any development programmes where it has been used to identify personal or group needs - and this can then show change-over-time and ultimately help inform the ROI of L&D activities.

It may be really quite simple and very obvious but we are always surprised how few organisations do actually do this!  And yet, there is often a clear opportunity to do this since 360 is often used at the start of leadership development programmes.

So, think about using 360 at the start of the programme as a part of your Training Needs Analysis, then re-administer the review 12-18 months down the line to show progress in key areas.

If you have focused your developmental efforts, training and programmes on specific behaviours and competencies, then you can track behavioural change and the effectiveness of these programmes using your 360 tool.  Takes you to at least level 3 on the Kirkpatrick Evaluation Model!

To show the ROI of L&D, it helps to have features within your 360 which can show and track progress.

Our Talent 360 software has multipurpose comparison reporting functionality – it can show your ratings for the current review against a number of different comparison options; it could be your peer group, your cohort on a leadership development programme, the benchmark ratings for a role to which you aspire or – handily for this purpose – the ratings you got last time.  This makes it easier to track progress against behaviours that you have been developing as part of a training programme.

Talent 360 also includes an analytical feature which shows where the biggest significant improvements have been made, and where you might have regressed a little and potentially more work is needed.