During a recent bout with insomnia, I was curled up with the remote aimlessly flipping through TV channels. I had given up my search for "quality programming," when a commercial caught my eye. From what my tired mind could understand the fast talking spokesman was pitching a book. Not just any book, mind you, but a "money detector." I listened, and the pitchman's enthusiasm was contagious. If I didn't purchase the book I would not know about the millions of dollars available to me, to you and to millions of other people. Yes, there is money to be had and this book would help me to learn how to find it.
Well, I didn't buy the book. But it led me to think about the difficulty we sometimes have in finding the money for learning and development activities. Learning shouldn't just be about finding funding, but unfortunately it sometimes comes down to exactly that: Do I have the money to participate? In the coming fiscal year, many of us will have to address this question. What will the answer be for you or your organization? Well, we want to help you make "the case" for learning and development ideas by posing a few critical reflection questions here. We want you to succeed and we know that having the funding for learning and development is central to that effort.
Is learning viewed as an essential "employee benefit" within my company or organization?
According to a survey conducted by the International Foundation of Employee Benefits Plans, employees rank continuing education as more important than childcare reimbursement, flextime and family leave. Is this the case in your organization? If not, begin discussing the necessity for on-going learning with your supervisor and colleagues. By demonstrating a genuine commitment to learning, you are more likely to be successful in your quest to ensure adequate funding for those experiences.
Does your organization use a performance management system to evaluate its employees?
Performance management systems operate on the assumption that organizational success results from adding together all the individual outputs. While this may have been true at one time, current research indicates that the real indicator of organizational success is the interaction of people in unexpected and creative ways. The whole is much more than the sum of its parts. The work of major management authors such as Tom Peters and Rosabeth Moss Kanter confirm this perspective.
In this context, learning and development is that much more important. In your role as an information professional, you may need to work with a variety of customers, both internal and external. You may provide support to the organization's most strategic goals and you may be asked to explore new ways of creating value. To do this, you must have the opportunity to step outside broader organizational frameworks and explore new and previously unforeseen possibilities. It is important, therefore, that you emphasize the need for such opportunities when dealing with learning and development funding issues in your organization.
Does your organization provide employee driven internal training?
Most organizations today offer training programs to meet very specific learning needs. These programs frequently are problem-driven and mandated from the top of the organization in order to push a need for greater efficiency with the organization's operations.
In general, there is nothing wrong with such initiatives, if the top of the organization is truly in touch with the needs of its staff. Unfortunately, a genuine understanding of the learning and development that is needed is rarely found at the more senior levels. It is incumbent upon you, then, to work to identify your most profound needs and to encourage colleagues to do the same to ensure that our organization's are spending their limited resources effectively. We may wish to think that learning is entirely our employer's responsibility, but the truth is that it is a shared responsibility.
So, while we may not want to look at the lack of money as an obstacle to participating in the learning opportunities we and our organizations demand today, we must never lose sight of the important role that funding plays. Each and everyday, however, you can help guide your organization to a better understanding of the value of learning to ensure that the money will be there for something truly important. Of course, we're here to help you if we can. Please contact us at 1-202-939-3627 or by email at learning@sla.org.
For more information, contact Shelva Suggs (ssuggs@sla.org).
Coming Events:
We invite you to take part in one of our upcoming SLDC learning experiences:
Strategic Learning Symposium (SLS 2001)
"Powerful Client Service: Creating Indispensable Partnerships"
January 27-30, 2001
Savannah, Georgia USA
More info: www.sla-learning.org/sls2001
MLS Renewal for Special Librarians
March 7-11, 2001
In partnership with Simmons College
Boston, Massachusetts USA
More info: www.sla-learning.org/mls2001
I Told You I'm Worth It!: ROI and the Information Professional
SLA Video Conference/March 29, 2001
Sponsored by Factiva, A Dow Jones & Reuters Company
1 pm-3:30 pm
Sites throughout the USA and Canada!
For more information on all of SLDC's learning experiences, please visit our web site at www.sla-learning.org.
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