Skip to main content

Why performance management in digital learning is so 2020 

Blog posts | 09.02.2021
Sally-Tutill

Sally Tutill

Nurture Marketing Specialist at Kineo AU

At Kineo, we believe that measuring digital learning success goes beyond the two-dimensions of Performance Management.

Here’s why:

  • It’s a measure that has been around for years and is antiquated for the learner needs of today,
  • It is highly structured and typified by annual cycles of form completion that people tend to do little with in-between phases of learning immersion,
  • Performance Management does little to aid current skills gaps and digital transformation,
  • There’s a ton of features you simply won’t use or that will be ticked-off because the system says so.

Approaching Talent Experience as the new blended normal

A Talent Experience and Development approach integrates learning, skills, and performance with regular check-ins, team integration, peer collaboration and knowledge sharing. It is more agile and flexible, and recognizes that people drive performance, rather than system first. Moreover, it supports a more human approach to development with coaching, mentoring, and rich on-the-job blends (e.g. workplace observation and self reflection) to develop the human skills needed in the modern workplace. 

In practical terms a blended learning strategy for your organization can be daunting as it’s tailored to individual needs and combines many components. We understand the challenges in optimizing a Talent Experience approach to your organizational learning and development.  

So what areas are organizations prioritizing to improve their blended learning?

According to Brandon Hall’s 2020 Learning Measurement survey:

  • 76% will increase focus on informal, unscheduled, peer-to-peer learning 
  • 76% will increase focus on experiential, on-the-job training with 30% expecting a significant increase
  • 72% will maintain or decrease focus on formal, instructor led learning.

Here we see that while formal learning and performance management have their place, modern programs are expanding these rapidly with informal and experiential blends. There are a variety of ways that organizations are approaching this. Informal learning can be developed in a number of ways and these trends have been identified, or are already in practice and are gaining momentum as best practice.

  • 55% organizations allow learners to easily find subject matter experts within the business
  • 52% enable learners to discuss content, courses, and development paths in a learning     system
  • 50% have an established coaching/mentoring program 
  • 49% enable learners to easily share content with each other
  • 48% make special projects available to learners on specific development paths
  • 48% have a job shadowing program
  • 47% enable learners to generate and contribute content
  • 47% provide opportunity for learners to meet virtually to discuss topics with a scheduling system
  • 35% allow learners to rate and review content
  • 48% make special projects available to learners on specific development paths
  • 48% have a job shadowing program
  • 36% allow employees to take on stretch assignments

One of the challenges this will present to organizations is bringing together performance, learning and talent. This will include integrating systems that may previously have been siloed. Kineo conducted client interviews on the topic of performance management. A Kineo LMS client added: 

“Job performance and motivation boils down to skills and that comes to performance and talent management.  Performance management and L&D needs to be in the same box.  Managers should be concerned about L&D of direct reports if you want them to perform at a high level. A lot of people don’t get that.  Put people in charge of their own learning and help them understand what skills and competencies they need to get to the next level.”
Investors in people, Financial Services company with 10,000+ employees

Optimizing learning efficiency and business performance

Consider integrating Talent Experience to your workplace learning strategy. We can look to high performing organizations that are prioritizing L&D for direction and best practice.  

The research findings show the key areas priorities that are uppermost in the minds of HR and L&D leaders for learning to drive performance: 

  • 95% Leadership development 
  • 93% Compliance
  • 89% Job-specific technical skills
  • 88% Job-specific soft skills
  • 85% Development of high potential employees
  • 82% Product and services knowledge
  • 80% Individual competency development
  • 75% Sales
  • 70% Performance management
  • 68% General business acumen

Are you a high- performance organization, or a wannabe? 

We want to help our clients create learning experiences that set individuals up for success, with development that cascades into every aspect of learners’ lives.  Learning that has the capability of delivering impact that ensures individuals bring their whole selves to the workplace and that they feel heard and supported; embodying a modern workplace work-to-live ethic with passion and purpose for business growth.

Truly ascertain where you are on the learning optimization scale without bias.  How? We are offering HR and L&D leaders a no catch organizational learning health check. Take advantage of our 140 years of learning expertise - for free - that can help you to find clarity and benchmark:

  • Your workplace learning maturity: the good, the bad and the ugly
  • How your blended workplace learning compares with best practice 
  • Key pointers to help take your learning program to a richer, more blended level that engages and excites your learners.

This is offered on a first come, first served basis, so if you think you’d benefit (and of course you will) don’t dally.

We’ll show our dedication with a free learning maturity audit

Join the dots to map your learning with your organizational values, business goals and future direction as a company of excellence. Ask us how

Sally-Tutill

Sally Tutill

Nurture Marketing Specialist at Kineo AU


Since the year immemorial Sally has exercised an avid passion for creativity with words, images and Pilates.  She is most content in the workplace when crafting enticing messages that inspire and engage.