Who decides what everyone learns?

February 21, 2024

At Dialectic, we think a lot about DEI, soft skills, and leadership training that makes organizations more inclusive and human-friendly. When we team up with clients to develop the best possible solutions for their needs, we might be talking with an L&D Lead, an HR Manager, an Executive, or some combination of these depending on the organization.

Today, we’re sharing a bird’s eye view of how L&D can be organized, based on the work of Mary Stewart, Brand Director at Emerson Human Capital Consulting. We invite you to think about how training decisions are made in your own organization. Which model most closely reflects your workplace? Does the current arrangement support your organization’s L&D priorities?

Backgrounder

3 Organizational Models for Learning & Development

1. Centralized

L&D is centralized when training decisions are made centrally, and the head of the L&D and their team have the budget and the mandate to develop training across the entire organization, from onboarding to leadership programs.

The Pros

No duplication. Centralized models are efficient because there’s a more complete awareness of what resources already exist across the organization.
Training is priority-driven. A single person or team can prioritize training development looking at the strategic needs of the entire organization.
Content is standardized. Because one person or team oversees the development of all training assets, they can ensure consistency in the content and in the development processes.
Less red tape. Centralized L&D teams typically have a budget and the authority to allocate funds without layers of approvals.

The Cons

Sometimes slow. If a centralized L&D team isn’t big enough or well-funded, they can have a hard time keeping up with the needs of every department.
Rogue actors. Sometimes, if a centralized team doesn’t deliver what individual departments want, they can circumvent the L&D department and develop training of their own that’s less standardized or aligned with business goals.

2. Decentralized

L&D is decentralized when training budgets are scattered across different departments, and each one is responsible for the creation of its own training. In smaller companies, learning might be handled by HR. In larger ones, L&D professionals might report to the leaders of specific departments.

The Pros

Clear reporting. L&D professionals have clear reporting relationships with the leaders of the department they’re assigned to.
Responsive training development. L&D professionals can make quick decisions and respond to training needs within a single department. .

The Cons

Duplication. When training development happens in silos, departments often create similar training and waste L&D dollars.
Tiny teams. When L&D professionals are spread throughout an organization, they may not be able to benefit from each others’ expertise and insight. Your training is only ever as good as the person designing it.

3. Balanced

Some organizations are able to strike a balance between centralization and decentralization. They have a central L&D department that controls the budget and any cross-functional training, but individual L&D professionals are embedded within other departments to meet more specific training goals.

The Pros

Deeper understanding. Decentralized L&D professionals can bring all their department-specific knowledge to inform any centralized decisions about processes, tools, and cross-functional training.
Content is standardized. Because budgets, tools, processes, and big-picture decisions are centralized, any department-specific training meets a certain standard.

The Cons

It’s complicated! This model requires a clear governance structure and lots of collaboration and communication between the centralized L&D leaders and the department-specific training designers.
Sometimes slow. Coordination can be slow and cumbersome, which can cause friction when departments want specific training quickly.

There is no one best model for a learning and development function, but there is a best model for your organization and your learning goals. If you want to know more about which model is best for your organization, take a look at our Featured Resource.

FEATURED RESOURCE

Canadian Chamber of Commerce

Three Ways to Structure an L&D Function – And How to Choose What’s Best for Your Organization

This article invites you to consider which L&D structure is best for your organization and your learning goals. It presents four key considerations: the characteristics of the organization, the goals or mandate of L&D, the needs of learners, and the need for scale and efficiency.

FEATURED SNIPPET PROGRAM

Anti-Black Racism

This intermediate-level program highlights the lived experiences of Black colleagues in the workplace, ranging from “inadvertent” comments to systemic hiring discrimination. It empowers learners to identify and disrupt racial discrimination, to practice allyship, and to seek system-level changes to help combat Anti-Black Racism. This program was co-created by Camille Dundas, the co-founder of byblacks.com and a DEI and intersectionality expert.

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See how easy it is to activate DEI, Leadership, and Collaboration soft skills in your organization.

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