Keeping on-site, hybrid and remote employees engaged, productive and well-trained is crucial to any organisation’s success, no matter the size, industry, or location. What’s more, ongoing training and development is vital to nurturing positive employee experiences.
For years, HR (Human Resources) and (Learning & Development) professionals only option was a Learning Management System (LMS) to run their training programs, however, since the shift to focusing on the employee’s experience, there’s also been a shift towards employee-centric Learning Experience platforms (LXP). Here’s what you need to know about LMS vs. LXPs, so you can make informed decisions.
“Organisations that are serious about eLearning are approaching it with the employee’s experience in mind, which makes absolute sense given they are the ones doing the work to upskill and reskill themselves,” said Michael Gullan, CEO of G&G Advocacy, an eLearning consultancy for the corporate market. “Training and development used to be a top-down system where HR decides what needs to be taught and how. Today, the employee, or the learner’s, experience has become one of the primary priorities of L&D.”
Organisations looking to implement a new L&D programme, or needing to upgrade their existing eLearning solutions, should carefully consider the advantages and disadvantages between a LMS and LXP. Here’s a cheat sheet to make it easy.
Different organisations have different L&D needs, and the only way to determine which learning solution is best for your organisation is to speak to people who have either implemented one or the other, or have experienced both. Ask the following questions:
“Before you choose between an LXP or LMS, take stock of your learning requirements and company culture,” suggests Gullan. “Each platform has its advantages. An LMS works best with learning content that won't change and requires simple tracking. An LXP empowers employees to work at their pace, delivers relevant. enticing, rich learning content and interactive simulations to directly address specific learning goals. An LXP is for the dynamic organisation that needs flexibility and results. And, importantly, wants the employee to feel like the programme has been designed just for them."
LXPs are the next step in learning technology to help organisations offer interactive, personalized learning, focused on the employee’s experience. Remember that one system doesn't necessarily have to replace the other, they can co-exist, even though you may, over time, find your LXP makes your LMS redundant. If you’re concerned about costs, or about organisation-wide adoption, you can implement the LXP in one department and expand after proving success.