By Debbie Bolla
With 2017 almost in the rear view, it’s time to take a look back at our predictions story from last year and see how the points panned out.
Prediction: “Many of the current [learning management] systems were architected 15 or more years ago, and today people learn through different means like short videos and curated content.” -Josh Bersin, principal and founder, Bersin by Deloitte
Outcome: Bersin was on point: Organizations were looking for an update, with 31 percent of learning management system users switching to a new system this year, according to Capterra. And video may have been a driver, with Ambient Insight reporting that 98 percent all organizations will leverage video-based training programs in their digital learning strategies by the end of this year.
Prediction: “CEOs are still very focused on getting the right talent in the right roles throughout organizations, especially with business strategies changing at a more rapid pace than in the past.” -Kari Heerdt, chief people officer, MSC Industrial Direct
Outcome: Pressure has perhaps never been greater on HR to deliver the right candidates at the right time -and it’s causing a shift in the selection of CHROs. In fact, the ability to improve candidate quality is among the top three factors CEOs are looking for in CHROs, finds The Talent Strategy Group.
Prediction: “Our focus is ethics -ethics and ethics into 2017 and beyond, especially in light of problems we’ve seen recently in other companies. It’s an area where we feel we’ve always been strong but we don’t take ethics for granted, even with a good ethics training program and values statements in place.” -Matthew Owenby, CHRO, Aflac
Outcome: In the current business and political climate, there has been a laser focus on ethics and for organizations that falter, it’s costing them. Those with bad reputations face increased recruiting costs due to bigger challenges sourcing and onboarding new hires, finds the 2017 Cost of a Bad Reputation study from HRO Today and Cielo. Among survey respondents willing to join a company with a bad reputation, a pay increase of 58 percent is needed as enticement.
Prediction: “Our goal is to teach executives to be better coaches so they can help develop and mentor the next generation of leaders in the company, with that coaching program cascading down to other leadership levels in the organization.” -Tim Mulligan, CHRO, Vulcan, Inc.
Outcome: Leadership development made a big difference in 2017. With Harvard Business Publishing Corporate Learning’s 2016 State of Leadership Development survey finding best-in-class leadership programs are 94 percent more likely to make a significant impact on financial success, it’s no wonder that Brandon Hall found that 58 percent of organizations rank closing leadership gaps as a top priority.
Be sure to check out this year’s peek into 2018, Forecasting Modernization on page 12, in which our experts predict providing a consumer-like experience to employees, artificial intelligence tools, and flexible workplace benefits as top priorities.