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Results or
Business Impact
This level of evaluation seeks to measure changes in business performance
that have come about through participants applying their new learning to
the workplace. Organization leaders may determine the bottom-line value
of an LDP. Gathering evaluation data at this level, however, is a complex
task that involves measuring the impact of the LDP on business
performance measures as reported by learners’ managers and other key
stakeholders. The specific performance measures used will depend on the
individual agency and, importantly, on the agreed objectives and
expectations of outcomes from the program. In many organizations some
or all of these measures will be in place alongside other performance
measures within existing management and reporting systems.
• Which performance indicators (PIs) and/or other business impact
measures are relevant to the LDP?
• Is data on these PIs/business impact measures currently collected
for the group, team, department or organization? If not, then data
should be collected before the program begins. If this is not
possible, then key stakeholders should establish an estimate of
pre-learning performance, where possible. In LDPs, 360-degree
feedback is often used for pre- and post-assessments of learning.
• When, and over what timeframe, will changes to the PIs/business
impact measures be measured? In most cases it takes some time
(usually at least three months) before the impact of the LDP on
workplace performance becomes evident.
• If you want to be able to calculate the Return on Investment (ROI)
from the program, respondents will need to assign financial values
to changes in performance, where possible.
• What are the tangible results of the learning process (reduced
cost, increased efficiency, improved quality, increased
production)?
Isolating the impact of an LDP on business performance is complex because
there are likely to be a number of other factors which will have an influence
on how the organization performs in any one area at any given time. For
example, the organization may have introduced new working practices or
performance incentives, or there may be new competitors, legislative, or
environmental factors that can influence performance. These are important
factors to consider especially when determining causal links between
learning and business impacts. And even though there is a timeframe for
the evaluation, it is also important to note that learning and its application
are continuous and can be assessed as often as possible even months after
the program to help ensure that outcomes of the learning program are
linked to changes in the business performance.