Strategic Planning for Distance Training

Abstract

As pressure increases for training to justify itself as an activity with a return on investment (ROI), it needs to align its activities with the strategic objectives of the organization. More importantly, it must position itself in the minds of the organization’s decision makers as a necessary component in the strategic-planning process. In most instances, training is seen as an on-call resource, basically given marching orders after the strategic direction is set. It might occupy a similar position in the process as the purchasing department—that is to say, none. After the strategic plan is set, orders for training are placed with the training function to be filled and delivered as ordered. This article looks at the issue of training, specifically distance training and education (DT&E), as a factor in the business unit’s strategic-planning process. The training function’s historical place in the typical organization will be reviewed briefly, as well as a few of the unique dynamics introduced by the emergence of DT&E. To provide adequate background, a discussion of the strategic-planning process will be presented. Included will be a review of factors contributing to effective strategic planning that moves an organization forward. Additionally, common pitfalls of strategic planning will be discussed. The discussion will then move to training’s role in strategic planning or, too often, the lack of training’s role. The article concludes with a specific look at how distance training and learning is being addressed in the strategic-planning process.